adapt	(v.) 改造、調整（為不同條件或用途而改變）；A British inventor adapted Appert's method for cans.
bacteria	(n. pl) 細菌（到處都有、有時致病的微生物）；Bacteria begin to break down food.
break down	(v. phr) 分解（化學性裂解成更小部分）；Food begins to break down as soon as you eat it.
critical	(adj.) 關鍵的、必要的（very important）；Oxygen and water are critical for human life.
limitation	(n.) 限制（控制或減少活動的事物）；This placed serious limitations on how they could live.
nutritious	(adj.) 有營養的（含成長健康所需養分）；The food was nutritious and kept the sailors alive.
preserve	(v.) 保存（處理食物使其不腐壞）；We can preserve fruits in cans and jars.
settle	(v.) 定居（永久居住某地）；Europeans began to settle in North America.
tightly	(adv.) 緊緊地（firmly，難以再打開）；He closed the jars tightly.
transform	(v.) 徹底轉變、完全改變；The milk had transformed into yogurt.
drawback	(n.) 缺點（disadvantage）；The main drawback of the plan is that it is too expensive.
fake	(adj.) 假的（not real）；The public began to see plastic products as fake.
flexible	(adj.) 有彈性的、能彎曲的（able to bend）；Plastic is light and flexible.
fragile	(adj.) 易碎的（easily broken）；Glass plates were heavy and fragile.
ironically	(adv.) 諷刺地、出乎意料地（in an unexpected way）；Ironically, plastic's advantage became its drawback.
luxury	(n./adj.) 奢侈品（昂貴但非必要）；Combs were once luxury items.
scarce	(adj.) 稀少的（hard to find）；Natural raw materials were scarce and expensive.
stiff	(adj.) 僵硬的、難彎的（hard to bend）；New shoes are often stiff.
took off	(v. phr) 突然成功、流行起來（suddenly became successful）；Plastic production took off in the 1950s.
wire	(n.) 金屬絲、電線（thin piece of metal）；Electrical wires were covered to prevent fires.
spoil	(v.) 腐壞、變質（lose freshness）；Fresh food spoils quickly.
fermentation	(n.) 發酵（改變食物中糖分的化學過程）；Fermentation was used to make yogurt.