雅思阅读 030 · Is Lab-Grown Meat Actually Safe?

改编自 Popular Science（Clarissa Brincat, 2026）。题型：选择题 + T/F/NG + 填空。难度：较难（Passage 3，约 900 词）。

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正文 Passage

In 2023, the U.S. government approved the sale of "lab-grown" chicken after it passed food safety tests.

Lab-grown meat, also called "cultivated" or "cultured" meat, is meat grown in a lab instead of on a farm. Scientists take a few cells from an animal and put them in a tank called a bioreactor with nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. The cells grow and multiply until they form muscle tissue — the same stuff that makes up the meat people eat.

Because no animal has to be killed, cultivated meat is better for animal welfare. The environmental impact is still debated: cultivated meat could be better or worse for the planet depending on the type of energy used to power the factories that make it.

Nutritionally similar, but not identical

Lab-grown meat is designed to be as close to the real thing as possible in terms of look, taste, and nutrition, but it is not a perfect copy.

Conventional meat contains all nine essential amino acids (protein building blocks), which the human body cannot produce on its own, as well as various non-essential amino acids. It is also a source of B vitamins and several mineral nutrients, including iron and zinc.

According to Dr. Tim Spector, an epidemiologist at King's College London, "the protein quality and amino acid profile of cultivated meat is generally similar to conventional meat, with all essential amino acids present but with varying ratios."

One study found that, compared with regular chicken meat, lab-grown chicken had less protein, lower amounts of most essential amino acids, less magnesium, and less vitamin B3. However, it had more total fat, more saturated fat, more cholesterol, and higher levels of vitamins B5, B6, and A.

It could be healthier

One of the biggest promises of lab-grown meat is that, unlike conventional meat, its nutritional content can potentially be fine-tuned during production.

"In practice, this might mean aiming for less saturated fat and more unsaturated fat and enriching the product with beneficial fatty acids such as omega-3," says Spector.

Another benefit of cultivated meat comes from the way it is produced — in a sterile lab environment. This contrasts with traditional meat farming where manure is present and can — potentially — come into contact with meat.

Ultra-processed food

Because of how lab-grown meat is made — through an industrial process, and with added ingredients — it would probably count as an ultra-processed food, says Spector.

"But 'processed' does not automatically mean unhealthy," he says. "What matters is the quality of the final product, what's added, how it affects the gut microbiome, and what it replaces in the diet."

Nutritionally, lab-grown meat is much like regular meat: low in fibre and high in saturated fat. "But in theory, it could be designed to have an improved nutrient profile," Spector says.

Still, tweaking the nutrient mix does not erase the health concerns linked to eating meat. "Decades of research shows that diets emphasising whole plant foods are consistently associated with better long-term health outcomes than diets high in meat, whether conventional or novel," says Noah Praamsma, a registered dietitian.

The bottom line

At the moment, we do not yet know how eating lab-grown meat affects health in the long run. "Studies evaluating its long-term health outcomes relative to traditional meat do not yet exist," says Praamsma.

Spector agrees. "No clinical trials have been conducted to date, which means we don't have data on its impact on any health conditions or allergies."

Nutritionally, lab-grown meat is much like regular meat, though it is not an exact copy. On the upside, it could be designed to be healthier, and because it is made in a clean lab, it may lower the risk of contamination. But we still don't know how eating lab-grown meat affects our health long-term. Based on what we know now, diets rich in whole plant foods are still the best way to improve overall health.

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题目 Questions

Questions 1-4: Choose the correct letter.

1. What is lab-grown meat?

• A. a plant-based substitute
• B. meat grown from animal cells in a bioreactor
• C. genetically modified vegetables
• D. traditional farm meat

2. Compared with regular chicken, lab-grown chicken has:

• A. more protein and less fat
• B. less protein and more fat
• C. the same nutritional profile
• D. no cholesterol

3. One advantage of lab-grown meat is that:

• A. its nutrition can be fine-tuned during production
• B. it contains more fibre
• C. it is cheaper than conventional meat
• D. it has been proven healthy in long-term trials

4. According to Praamsma, the best way to improve health is to:

• A. eat more lab-grown meat
• B. eat more whole plant foods
• C. avoid all meat
• D. take vitamin supplements

Questions 5-8: T/F/NG

5. No animal has to be killed to produce cultivated meat.

6. Lab-grown meat is nutritionally identical to conventional meat.

7. Lab-grown meat is produced in a sterile lab environment.

8. Long-term clinical trials have proven lab-grown meat is safe.

Questions 9-13: Complete the notes. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

• Scientists put animal cells in a tank called a (9) ____________.
• Conventional meat contains all nine (10) ____________ amino acids.
• Lab-grown meat would probably count as an (11) ____________ food.
• No (12) ____________ trials have been conducted on lab-grown meat.
• Diets rich in (13) ____________ foods are the best way to improve health.

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答案 Answers

题号	答案
1	B
2	B
3	A
4	B
5	TRUE
6	FALSE（similar but not identical）
7	TRUE
8	FALSE（no clinical trials conducted）
9	bioreactor
10	essential
11	ultra-processed
12	clinical
13	whole plant

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核心词汇

lab-grown meat / cultivated meat / bioreactor / cell / amino acid / protein / nutrition / saturated fat / omega-3 / ultra-processed / clinical trial / gut microbiome