INSTRUCTION: Answer question in relation to text.
TEXT
Chinese thirst for formula spurs rationing
By Amie Tsang, Louise Lucas and Neil Hume,
Supermarkets as far afield _______ the UK and
Australia have been forced to ration infant formula
due to rampant Chinese demand for foreign-made
baby milk. Mainland Chinese buyers have been
[5] snapping up cans of formula across the globe following
safety scandals in the domestic market, starting with
the melamine-spiked milk of 2008 that killed six babies
and left 300,000 sick.
Voracious demand for overseas-manufactured
[10] formula – Chinese babies are expected to slurp
their way through $14.5bn worth of milk powder this
year – has prompted a wave of smuggling rings and
entrepreneurial escapades: cans are available online
for Rmb150-Rmb200 (24−32).
[15] Production of formula is _______ under pressure,
as a severe drought in New Zealand – the biggest
provider in the global dairy trade – forces up the cost
of raw milk powder. The New Zealand price, a proxy
for Asia-Pacific, was 30 per cent higher month-on-
[20] month in March. The frenzy for formula has forced
governments to step in. Hong Kong, ________
shelves of formula are regularly cleared by mainland
visitors, introduced curbs at customs in February
Adapted from Financial Times June 22nd 2013, from the Internet edition
Glossary:
bn = billion
Rmb = Ren Min Bi (The official currency of China)
The approximate translation for the expression “snap up”, according to its usage in the passage “Mainland Chinese buyers have been snapping up cans of formula ...” (lines 04-05), is
