阅读理解What comes to mind when you hear the phrase "space meat"? It sounds quite weird. But in fact it could be the future of the human diet.
A Russian astronaut recently "grew" meat aboard the International Space Station . Yes, you read that right- he grew it using cells (细胞) provided by an Israeli company called Aleph Farms. But in fact, he was not the first person to create lab-grown (实验室培育的) meat. Dutch scientist Mark Post grew the first lab meat in 2013.
But why bother growing meat in a lab when we can get the real thing from cows? For one thing, lab-grown meat is healthier. "We gain greater control over what the meat consist of such as its fat content (脂肪含量)." Mark Post said in an interview. Lab- grown meat is also free of the chemicals that are used on farms, such as pesticides (农药) and growth hormones (激素).
Are there other ways to replace regular meat? McDonald is trying to do so with the P.L.T. which stands for plant, lettuce (生菜) and tomato. The first P.L.T. burgers are already being sold in Canada according to the fast food company.
The "meat" in the P.L.T. is made out of Beyond Meats plant-based meat substitute (替代品) created by a company from Los Angels, US. The company uses pea, rice and bean proteins (蛋白质) to produce patties (肉饼) that look and taste like real meat.
Experts doubt whether products are halthier than real meat. But plant-based meat has already proven to be a success with several fast food companies already offering such products on their menus, according to Fox Business.