Lesson 98 : [Vending Machines Nationwide Unsanitary]

[MTM 운영자]

[Vending Machines Nationwide Unsanitary]

Arecent survey revealed that the majority of beverage vending machines across the nation are unhygienic. The Korea Food and Drug Administration examined 180 vending machines nationwide in bus terminals, department stores, hospitals and train stations. Among them, some 65 percent did not meet the temperature standard of 70 degrees Celsius. The agency found that the unsanitary vending machines were installed mostly at bus terminals, train stations and university libraries.

"The temperature display on machines showed it was 89 to 98 degrees Celsius. But the actual temperatures of the beverages right before drinking were less than 70 degrees and the lowest was at 54 degrees," said the agency.

As many as 46,000 bacteria per milliliter were found at a welfare center for senior citizens in Gyeonggi-do, while 1,450 bacteria per milliliter were found at a general hospital in Daejeon. The standard amount for potable water is 100 bacteria per milliliter.

The administration ordered relevant local government agencies to take steps to fix the problem. It is planning to draw up guidelines to manage vending machine hygiene standards and strengthen its monitoring system by assigning special supervisors to check local vending machine operators.

***Vocabulary

l       unhygienic

l       unsanitary

l       potable

l       relevant

***Discussion Questions

1. How often do you use a beverage vending machine per week?

2. Have you ever thought or wondered about the sanitation of the vending machines?

3. It is ironic that, even in the hospital, the vending machines are unhygienic. Do you think that

the vending machines in the hospitals should be more hygienic than the ones in other areas?

4. Do you think the unsanitary vending machines are only in Korea or it would be the same or similar in other countries? Which countries would be better, do you think, in keeping the vending machine clean?

5. Do you like to eat out often? What do you think whenever you hear the news similar to this which questions the sanitation of food provided outside of your home?

6. What do you usually do in order to make sure what you eat is safe to eat?

7. Can you think of any alternatives to vending machines?

8. Have you ever been sick from eating out in a restaurant?

9. Do you think the trend of vending machines selling various products like books and jewelry will continue?

***Reading Comic Books

Lee: What are you reading?

Stan: It’s a graphic novel.

Lee: Graphic novel? You mean a comic book? I thought you were too old for that sort of thing.

Stan: For your information, this is a graphic novel and it’s a literary art form. Graphic novels are written for mature audiences, not kids.

Lee: Really? I don’t know anything about comic books. I like reading the comic strips in the newspaper, but I’ve never read an entire comic book before.

Stan: You might want to check these out. Look at this bound collection, for instance. It has a storyline that’s as complex as a novel, and each panel is a work of art.

Lee: It is pretty impressive looking. I’m not that interested in superheroes, though.

Stan: The Superman and Spider-man comic books are great, but the graphic novels today are even more sophisticated. Some of them are still serialized like the old comic books, but many of them are self-contained like this one.

Lee: Are there ones without too much fighting?

Stan: There are as many genres of graphic novels as there are movies or books. I’m really surprised that someone who likes to read as much as you do knows so little about graphic novels.

Lee: I’ve come across them in bookstores before, but I had a preconceived notion that they were for kids.

Stan: I guess you were wrong.

Lee: I guess I was. There’s a first time for everything.

***Key words and Expression‎!s

1. graphic novel 만화 소설

2. mature

3. storyline (소설 등의)줄거리,구상(plot)

4. work of art a painting or sculpture of high quality

5. superheroes fictional heroes who possess abilities beyond those of normal human beings

6. sophisticated <문체 등이> 지나치게 기교적인, 세련된, 매우 복잡한, 정교한

7. serialized 연재되다

8. self-contained

9. genres

10. come across  ~와 마주치다; ~을 우연히 발견하다

11. preconceived notion 선입관

divest oneself of a preconceived idea[of prejudice];

get rid of one´s prejudice[preconceived notion]  선입관을 버리다