From remote antiquity① up to modern times， man’s diet has changed greatly. Prehistoric man②， who came out in summer and slept in winter， had little choice in what he ate. He ate what he could find around him. He lived on roots， fruit， eggs and the meat of small animals， just like the life of a savage. Although early man③ had an advantage over④ prehistoric man， he had no way to control his food supply. In order to find enough food to eat， he had to move from place to place. When the weather was too hot or cold， or when it was short of rain， plants would not grow， and he would have little or no food and hunger would visit him.
Little by little， man learned to make tools and weapons， and to use them to get his food. He also learned to grow plants and to tame animals and， what is more important， to use fire to prepare his food. Man now had more food and could enjoy a better diet. He was able to live in one place and produce the food he needed. Civilization， as we know it， had begun. Great civilization slowly developed in regions where food was plentiful—along the Nile River in Egypt and by the Yellow River in China.
Food is produced in different geographical or climatic regions. In Asia， the most important crop is rice. In North America， wheat and maize have become the most important grains. Wheat， oats and barley are grown in Europe and North Africa. The tropical regions⑤ of the world abound in fruit.
With the rapid development of science and technology， the production of food has become a more technical and specialized process. Today， foods are canned， frozen， pickled， and dehydrated. They are easier to be carried with or be sent from one place to another. Man is no longer depending on food he grows in his own area， and enjoys the delicious foods from all over the world. In the future， food may be produced in some entirely new ways. It may be obtained from the land， the ocean， or even the outer space.
① remote antiquity上古；远古
② prehistoric man史前人(类)
③ early man早期人(类)
④ have an advantage over胜过；优于
⑤ tropical regions热带地区；(气候)炎热的地区
人类饮食的变迁
从遥远的上古到当今时代，人类的饮食发生了巨大的变化。史前人夏巢冬穴，在饮食上几乎无选择可言，只能寻觅到什么就吃什么。他们嚼树根，啃野果，生吞鸟蛋虫卵，活食弱小动物，过着茹毛饮血的生活。早期人虽然较之于史前人进了一步，但他们仍无法把握其食物的供给。为了找到足够的食物，他们不得不四处漂泊。一旦遇上气候冷热无常或干旱无雨的年头，植物不能正常生长，他们就将无食可觅，饥饿便会随之降临。
逐渐地，人类学会了制造工具和武器，并利用它们来获取食物。人类还学会了种植庄稼和驯养动物，而且，更为重要的是学会了取火煮食。这时的人类有了较多的食物，得以享用到更好的饮食。他们已能在一个地方定居下来，生产自己所需要的食物。我们所称之的“文明”就这样萌芽了。伟大的人类文明就是在食物丰富的地区——埃及的尼罗河畔和中国的黄河流域——一步一步地逐渐发展起来的。
地理、气候条件不同的地区出产不同的食物。在亚洲，最重要的粮食作物当数水稻；北美主要出产小麦和玉米；小麦、燕麦和大麦是欧洲和北非的主要农产品；世界各地的热带地区则盛产水果。
随着科学技术的飞速发展，食物的生产过程更具技术性，也越来越专业化。今天，人们通过罐装、冷冻、腌制以及脱水等方式对食物进行加工处理。这样，食物不仅更易于携带，而且也更便于输往各地。人类再也不必依赖于本地出产的食物了，他们可以享受到来自世界各地的美味佳肴。将来，食物或许会以某种全新的方式生产出来，它可能来自大地，也可能来自海洋，甚至来自太空。