英语听力精选进阶版 6186（在线收听）

Killer Biscuits Warning in the UK 英国警告公众饼干的杀伤力

When we are warned about the dangers of food, it usually relates to food allergies or food poisoning. The image of killer biscuits has never quite come in to people's minds.

Millions of people reach for a 'biccy' whenever they pour a cup of tea and it seems that this simple action is an activity packed with hidden danger. Almost half of all Britons have been injured while eating a crunchy biscuit with their tea or coffee, according to figures released by a new survey.

The research conducted by Mindlab International shows a staggering 500 people each year need hospital treatment after a biscuit-related injury. And it’s estimated that millions of Brits have become cookie casualties at some point.

It also found that almost a third of adults said they had been splashed or scalded by hot drinks while dunking or trying to fish out the remnants of a collapsed digestive.

It also revealed that 28 percent had choked on crumbs, while one in ten had broken a tooth or filling biting a biscuit.

More unusually, three percent had poked themselves in the eye with a biscuit and seven percent bitten by a pet or other wild animal trying to get their biscuit. One man even ended up stuck in wet concrete after wading in to pick up a stray biscuit.

Mindlab International director David Lewis said: "We tested the physical properties of 15 most popular types of biscuits, along with aspects of their consumption such as 'dunkability' and crumb dispersal."

And the title of the most dangerous biscuit belongs to the humble custard cream. It poses the most risk to innocent dunkers with a Biscuit Injury Threat Evaluation, or B.I.T.E rating of 5.63. This compares to just 1.16 for soft and safe Jaffa Cakes.

Mike Driver, Marketing Director for biscuit makers Rocky, who commissioned the study, said: "Working with biscuits every day, we'd long suspected they're not as innocent as they look, and we were right."

GLOSSARY 词汇表

food allergies 食品过敏 

food poisoning 食物中毒 

biccy (俚语)饼干 

crunchy 脆脆的 

staggering 令人吃惊的，难以置信的 

biscuit-related injury 由饼干引起的伤病 

cookie casualties 曲奇饼伤员们 

splashed 被水溅到 

scalded 被开水烫了 

dunking 泡，浸 

fish out 吊出来，钩起来 

remnants 剩余的部分 

collapsed digestive 已经瓦解，散开了的饼干 

choked 呛着了，哽着了 

crumbs 饼干渣 

filling 补牙用的填充物 

poked 戳，捅 

wading in(形容在泥浆里或者沼泽地)费力的行走 

dispersal 散布，传播 

poses the most risk 最有危险