Fast-food is such a pervasive part of American life that it has become synonymous with American culture. Fast-food was born in America and it has now swollen into a $106-billion industry. America exports fast-food worldwide and its attendant corporate culture, has probably been more influential and done more to destroy local food economies and cultural diversity than any government propaganda programme could hope to accomplish. No corner of the earth is safe from its presence and no aspect of life is unaffected. Fast-food is now found in shopping malls, airports, hospitals, gas stations, stadiums, on trains, and increasingly, in schools. There are 23,000 restaurants in one chain alone, and another 2,000 are being opened every year. Its effect has been the same on the millions of people it feeds daily and on the people it employs. Fast-food culture has changed how we work, from its assembly-line kitchens filled with robotic frying machines to the trite phrases spoken to customers by its poorly paid part-time workforce. In the United States, more than 57 per cent of the population eat meals away from home on any given day and they spend more money on fast-food than they do on higher education, personal computers, or even on new cars.
This passage on American's fast-food industry ____.
shows convincingly that it is falling into disfavour
is clearly written by someone who loves good food
concentrates on negative aspects
gives a rational account of why it grew so fast
reveals the support it received from government propaganda
The word "swollen" in line 3 ____.
emphasizes the speed at which the industry has grown
suggests that the growth is excessive and unhealthy
has very positive connotations
draws attention to the inevitability of the growth of the industry
implies that the industry will continue to grow on steadily
One point that receives a lot of attention in the passage is ____.
the fact that fast-food is now more popular outside the US than it is inside
the fact that fast-food meets our dietary needs
the consideration the fast-food companies show to their employees
the far-reaching effects of the fast-food industry
the idea that in such places as gas stations and trains fast-food is actually the only practical kind of food
The writer of the passage clearly regrets the fact that ____.
the fast-food companies cannot afford to pay even their part-time workers adequate salaries
the growth of the fast-food industry has now come to a halt
there are still more traditional restaurants than fast-food ones
the fast-food industry cannot retain the high standards with which it started
local and traditional styles of food are being pushed off the market
The assertion at the end of the passage that Americans spend more money on fast-food than they do on higher education ____.
is a criticism of the amount of money spent on fast-food by Americans
suggests that Americans are greedy for good food
means that 57 percent of the American population has very little money left over when it has paid for its food
is an indication that higher education in the US is not expensive
is, in the light of the rest of the passage, a gross exaggeration