日本儿童健康第一 学校午餐制降低孩子肥胖率

　　junior high school：初级中学(美国英语)

　　The lunches are mandatory -- no packed lunches allowed -- and while they are not free for most, they are heavily subsidised.

　　午餐是学校强制提供的，不允许学生自带饭食。大部分午餐不免费，但有高额补贴。

　　Each meal is designed to have around 600-700 calories balanced between carbohydrates, meat or fish and vegetables.

　　每顿午餐含大约600到700卡路里，碳水化合物、肉或鱼、以及蔬菜均衡搭配。

　　One sample meal served to children in Japan's Gunma gives a flavor: rice with grilled fish and a spinach and sprout dish, served with miso soup with pork, alongside milk and dry prunes.

　　群马县的学校午餐就是一个范例，包含米饭、烤鱼、菠菜豆芽、猪肉味噌汤、牛奶和梅干。

　　miso soup：味噌汤

　　"School lunch is designed to provide nutrition that tends to be lacking in meals at home," education ministry official Mayumi Ueda told AFP. "I think it contributes to the nutritional balance necessary for children."

　　文部省官员上田真由美(音)告诉法新社说：“学校午餐要能够补充在家吃饭可能摄入不足的营养成分。”

　　Unlike the cafeteria system operated in some Western countries, Japanese school lunches are usually served in the classroom. Pupils frequently dish out the food to each other and clean up the room afterwards.

　　与一些西方国家的自助餐厅不同，日本学校的午餐通常在教室里供应。学生们经常互相分发食物，吃完后将教室打扫干净。

　　There is no choice of meal, and no concessions offered for vegetarians, or anyone with religious restrictions, with members of either group being few and far between in largely homogenous Japan.

　　午餐没有其他选择，也没有给素食者和信仰宗教儿童的专餐。绝大多数日本人属于同一民族，以上两类儿童都非常少见。

　　few and far between：稀少的，不多的

　　The lunches are conceived not only to feed children, but to teach them.

　　而且，学校午餐不仅是为了让孩子们吃饭，也是为了教育他们。