【推荐1】When Chef Enrique Olvera opened his restaurant, Pujol, 13 years ago, his only goal was to have the best restaurant in the neighborhood. Olvera's budget was so small that he had to do all the things himself. But Pujol is now widely thought of as Mexico's finest restaurant and the 36th best in the world. He reached his position by making his cuisine 'fancier and fancier, and more complex' over time. Pujol now serves a tasting menu of sophisticated food that wouldn't look out of place even at New York's Momofuku Ko. To decode his rocket soar in world cuisine circus, Olvera insists on mixing elaborate, cutting-edge techniques with a strong emphasis on local ingredients to create a cosmopolitan cuisine that's at once international yet unmistakably Mexican, matching the direction of Mexico City itself.

A visit to the 48-seat Pujol reveals a space-age kitchen containing 27 cooks, with one making his fifth attempt to reshape the egg liquid and another coloring potatoes. Pujol tolerates any grotesque attempt a chef could imagine and the restaurant is the trial site for its staff. That makes Pujol a hot place to attract free labor. The chef has also thought more about bringing Mexican cooks home from the U.S. Many are returning to move past the glass ceiling that exists in America. “Despite the number of Mexicans working in U.S. restaurants, you rarely see a Mexican head chef in a New York kitchen,” said Olvera. “Then why not come back here to attract diners here for the most local but also novel dishes?”

And for foreign diners, Mexican restaurants have another wonder to offer. Just think that merely 30 dollars can sustain you for a 4-course feast in an ordinary Mexican restaurant and no one could resist the temptation. To achieve such high cost performance, Olvera states that you have to keep looking for and exploring with the simple ingredients from which to accomplish amazing dishes. “You always cherish where you come from, but there’s also the need for new sensations. Keep exploring with new ideas until you get a better dish.” After all, it’s the soul of modern cuisine.

1. Why has Pujol become so successful?

A．Because Olvera aimed low in the first place.

B．Because Olvera forms the habit of doing things by himself.

C．Because Olvera attracts excellent cooks from the U.S.

D．Because Olvera combines cooking skills with local characteristics.

2. The underlined word grotesque is closest in meaning to _____.

A．forceful.

B．weird.

C．abstract.

D．painful.

3. Why would many Mexican chefs come back to the country?

A．Because Pujol provides them with high titles and salaries.

B．Because they find it hard to rise to senior positions in U.S. restaurants.

C．Because they cook Mexican food better than American food.

D．Because they refer to the high cost performance of the restaurants.

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Momofuku Ko is a famous food critic.

B．Olvera relies totally on foreign cutting-edge cooking techniques.

C．Eating in ordinary Mexican restaurants is expensive.

D．One key to success in today’s restaurant business is continuous innovation.

【推荐2】Four Best Cooking Apps

Wolfram Culinary Mathematics Reference

Requirement: iOS 9. 3+

Price: $ 1. 99

This app will help streamline our tasks of cooking by providing you with quick access to a set of tools specially designed for kitchen efficiency.

*Get nutritional(营养物的) information for individual foods or whole meals.

"Convert ingredient measurements (转换配料用量) to serve larger or smaller groups.

*Locate nearby grocery stores by place or store name.

Gordon Ramsay: Cook With Me

Requirement: iOS 4. 3+

Price: $ 5. 99

There are 56 recipe videos included in the app, showing the famous British professional cook Gordon Ramsay cooking the dish to give you the confidence to cook it yourself. And now there are 8 free text recipes plus 40 paid text recipes in the app.

MealBoard

Requirement: iOS 9.0+

Price: $ 3. 99

Store your recipes, create meal plans and grocery lists, keep track of your pantry inventory(储藏室的库存). All in one app!

*Import recipes from popular recipe websites, or add your own recipes.

*Make your grocery list based on the meal plan you created and check off grocery items as you shop.

*Keep track of what you have in your pantry, and record best-before dates and inventory locations.

*Email recipes, meal plans and shopping lists, and import recipes sent by other MealBoard users.

Fit Men Cook-Healthy Recipes

Requirement; i0S 10. 3+

Price: $ 2. 99

The winner of Apple App Store Best of 2015

Kevin Curry shares his journey to fitness with the Fit Men Cook community on social media and inside this app where you'll find the best way to prepare 273 of his most popular recipes.

1. How much should you pay if you buy Wolfram Culinary Mathematics Reference?

A．$ 1.99.

B．$ 2.99.

C．$ 3.99.

D．$ 5.99.

2. Which app requires the highest iPhone Operation System?

A．MealBoard.

B．Gordon Ramsay: Cook With Me.

C．Wolfram Culinary Mathematics Reference.

D．Fit Men Cook-—Healthy Recipes.

3. What is special about Gordon Ramsay: Cook With Me?

A．It can help you achieve your fitness goal.

B．It can let you learn to cook from a professional cook.

C．It can tell you where the nearest grocery store is.

D．It can remind you which ingredient will not be safe to eat soon.

【推荐3】Could you cook Christmas dinner in an AIR FRYER?

Graphic shows they deliver juicy results on a roast chicken... and they are up to three times cheaper than an oven to run.

WHICH APPLIANCE IS BEST FOR COOKING CHICKEN?
Appliance	Electric oven	Pressure cooker	Air fryer	Slow cooker	Halogen oven
Cooking time	76mins	32mins	53mins	180mins	54mins
Energy used to cook	1.157 kWh	0.336 kWh	0.54 kWh	0.9 kWh	1.166 kWh
Cost to cook	39p	11p	18p	31p	40p
Quality	Meat was a little dry but the skin was crispy and browned	Cooked rather than roasted, skin not crispy	Juicy, flavorsome meat with a crispy brown skin	Well cooked but skin only slightly crispy	Full of flavor with a crispy skin

The Which? testers initially cooked a three-pound (1.4 kg) chicken in all these appliances, including both a halogen and conventional oven.

This bird would be big enough to feed four people, with enough meat left for some Boxing Day sandwiches. They found the pressure cooker was both the cheapest and quickest way of roasting it, taking 32 minutes and costing a tiny 11p – 28p cheaper than the electric oven. But unlike the oven, it fell short on getting achieving one of the highlights of the Christmas roast – the brown, crispy skin.

The air fryer also cooked the chicken’s skin nicely but gave perfect, tender meat, all for just 18p and in under an hour. Additionally, if you ditched the oven and used an air fryer for every Sunday roast for the rest of the year, using the gadget would equate to an annual saving of £11.

The testers did note that the chicken cooked in the electric oven was also a little dry, meaning the air fryer came out on top over all other appliances.

The cost savings will soon be lost if you have to cook more than one batch though, so it’s still better to use your oven if you’re cooking large quantities.

However, the slow cooker received a bonus point for requiring less hands-on attention, and was therefore the most convenient.

1. Which appliance best suits environmentally-aware people enjoying a crispy chicken?

A．Pressure cooker.	B．Electric oven.
C．Halogen oven.	D．Air fryer.

2. What is probably the major reason for people to use pressure cooker?

A．Size.	B．Appearance.
C．Cost.	D．Safety.

3. What is the advantage of using the slow cooker?

A．It costs least money.	B．It needs less attention.
C．It’s most energy efficient.	D．Its appearance is fashionable.

【推荐2】A multinational team of astronomers, led by Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS), has captured a “once-in-a-lifetime” supernova and mapped it in “unprecedented” detail, the WIS said in a statement on Wednesday.

A supernova is a massive star explosion that occurs when a star burns through its fuel at the end of its lifespan, resulting in a brilliant burst of fiery plasma in vibrant colors radiating with the brightness of a hundred million suns. As described in the journal Nature, the team used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to witness in real-time one of the closest supernovae in decades, a red supergiant star exploding in a neighboring galaxy, Messier 101.

The researchers were able, for the first time, to closely follow a supernova while its light emerged from the circumstellar material in which the exploding star was embedded. They then acquired data on the star from times before its demise when it was just a red supergiant star, thus creating the most complete portrait of a supernova, a composite of its last days and death.

The team also found a gap between the mass of material ejected from the star during the explosion and its original mass, suggesting that the supernova left behind a black hole into which the missing mass was swallowed. The researchers concluded that “this study presents a unique opportunity to better understand the mechanisms that lead to the conclusion of a star’s life and the eventual formation of something entirely new.”

1. What is a supernova according to the passage?

A．A star’s natural aging process.

B．A brilliant burst of fiery plasma.

C．A collision between two stars.

D．A black hole swallowing matter.

2. The supernova described in the journal Nature was witnessed in which of the following ways?

A．Through a ground-based telescope.

B．By the Weizmann Institute alone.

C．Using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

D．By mapping it in unprecedented detail.

3. What did the researchers discover about the supernova?

A．It left behind a neutron star.

B．Its light emerged from circumstellar material.

C．It exploded in the Messier 101 galaxy.

D．Its mass was similar to that of a red supergiant.

4. What does the study suggest about the missing mass from the supernova?

A．It was ejected into space.

B．It formed a new star.

C．It was swallowed by a black hole.

D．It turned into circumstellar material.

【推荐3】An international team of scientists says it has discovered two new “super-Earth” type planets about 100 light-years away, one of which may be suitable for life. Unlike any of the planets in our solar system, the two newly-discovered super-Earths are larger than Earth, but lighter than icy planets like Uranus and Neptune.

Researchers at Belgium’s University of Liège announced that they found another one while using Earth-based telescopes to confirm the existence of a different planet initially discovered by a NASA satellite in the same solar system.

NASA’s satellite found planet LP 890-9b, which is about 30% larger than Earth and orbits its sun, LP 890-9, in just 2.7 days. ULiège researchers used their telescopes in Chile and Spain to take a closer look at the planet with high-precision cameras. That’s when the scientists discovered another planet, LP 890-9c, which is 40% larger than Earth and takes 8.5 days to orbit its sun.

Francisco Pozuelos, a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, said that the planet could be suitable to life despite being a mere 3.7 million miles from its sun. Earth, by comparison, is located over 93 million miles away from our sun. “Although this planet orbits very close to its star, the amount of stellar irradiation (恒星辐射量) it receives is still low, and could allow the presence of liquid water on the planet’s surface, so long as it has a sufficient atmosphere,” Pozuelos said. That’s because although LP 890-9 is by far larger than its planets, it is about 6.5 times smaller than our sun and is roughly half as cool temperature-wise as our sun, he added. “This explains why LP 890-9c, despite being much closer to its star than the Earth is to the Sun, could still have conditions that are suitable for life,” said Pozuelos.

1. Which of the following is the smallest?

A．LP 890-9.

B．The Earth.

C．LP 890-9b.

D．LP 890-9c.

2. How was LP 890-9c discovered?

A．By analyzing its mass and orbit.

B．By comparing it with LP 890-9b.

C．By using ground-based telescopes.

D．By taking photos from a NASA satellite.

3. What’s mainly talked about in the last paragraph?

A．Different opinions about the new planet.

B．Scientists’ future plan about the new planet.

C．Reasons for the new planet being suitable to live on.

D．Comparisons between the planet and our Earth.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Two Newly-discovered Super-Earths

B．Looking for Life Existing in Outer Space

C．Great Breakthroughs Made by Scientists

D．LP 890-9c, the Future Substitute of Our Earth

【推荐1】Environmental stressors that push honeybees to begin searching food earlier in life can cause a domino effect on hives (蜂巢), quickening their sudden collapse, a new study suggests.

The study showed that too many young bees leaving the hive can cause a tipping point in the tight society of a hive, leading to colony (群体) collapse within weeks.

“There was a suggestion that there was some type of difference between precocious foragers (觅食者) and normal aged foragers,” said Perry, a molecular biologist Clint Perry of Queen Mary University.

So researchers set up experimental hives that would in effect force bees to begin foraging earlier. They also tracked bees in a normal hive, where social roles are regulated, keeping age groups in balance.

Colonies regularly protect against unexpected high loss of foragers by sending bees out earlier, but they rapidly return to stability. But if death rate roughly doubled, the model showed, the colony would be locked in a negative feedback circle of more young bees foraging at younger ages, leading to less stored food and fewer baby bees.

“Since the younger bees are not as good at it, they are going to die sooner, and they’re going to not be bringing back as much food, thereby causing more younger bees to go out, and more younger bees to not do as well, and that will cause continuous feedback that will destroy the colony in a short time,” said Perry.

The researchers are continuing their experiments and hope to come up with ways to identify a colony at risk of collapse. “The priority is finding ways that we can identify colonies at risk of failure as early as possible so you can intervene and do whatever you need to support them and to help heal themselves.” said Perry.

1. What cause a hive to collapse more quickly?

A．Too tight a society of it.	B．Too many bees in it.
C．High loss of young foragers.	D．High pressure from other bees.

2. What does the underlined word “precocious” in the 3^rd paragraph mean?

A．uncommonly early

B．abnormal

C．easily damaged

D．dynamic

3. What would happen to the colony if twice the foragers died?

A．The colony would heal itself.	B．The colony would get expanded.
C．More young bees would be free of risk.	D．More young bees would be sent to seek food.

4. What’s the author’s main purpose in writing the article?

A．To ask for joint efforts.	B．To introduce a phenomenon.
C．To express his emotions.	D．To comment on a study.

【推荐2】With no end in sight to the coronavirus pandemic(新冠疫情), it looks like protective face wear is here to stay.

But who says it can’t be stylish?

Throughout the pandemic, designers have been bringing out their face masks— luxury(奢华) versions include Off-White’s popular $95 Arrow logo face mask and Burberry’s vintage check cotton design, selling for £90 ($115).

And now, Louis Vuitton is taking it a step further, making a luxury face shield(护罩) that’s designed to be “both stylish and protective”, the French fashion house said.

The “eye-catching” LV Shield changes from clear to dark in sunlight, protecting wearers from the sun. It also has golden studs with Louis Vuitton’s logo and an elastic headband(松紧带). The visor(面盔) can also be worn upward as a classic cap.

The shield has not yet been priced, but as a high-end fashion brand, it may not be cheap. Other Louis Vuitton head wear, including hats and sunglasses, sell for hundreds of dollars.

The face shield will be sold online and at select Louis Vuitton stores starting on October 30th.

In April, Louis Vuitton joined the global effort to make personal protective equipment to support health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic. The company said it had repurposed several of its workshops across France to “produce hundreds of thousands of non-medical face masks” for health care workers.

The company also said it was giving away thousands of hospital clothing to six Paris hospitals in need of protective suits.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend using face shields as masks, because it is not clear what level of protection they provide.

1. What is the idea of Louis Vuitton designing the luxury face shield?

A．To reduce pressure on faces.

B．To cut the cost of face masks.

C．To make the wearers feel protected and fashionable.

D．To bring out a classic face mask

2. Which of the following is true of the LV face shield according to the text?

A．It changes from dark to clear at night.

B．It has golden studs with Arrow logo.

C．It has an elastic headband.

D．The visor can be worn downward.

3. What do we know about the face shield from the passage?

A．It is attractive.	B．It’s cheap.
C．It is unfashionable.	D．It’s perfect.

4. What’s the attitude of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention towards the LV face shield?

A．Uncaring.

B．Doubtful.

C．Thankful.

D．Supportive.

【推荐3】Just as human beings have to learn to speak, birds also have to learn how to sing. They do this in several stages.

First, they practise tones and sounds, which can be compared to the baby stage in human language development. Then, birds practise their song for eight to nine months, until memory and practice match up. The singing is strengthened during the final stage.

Humans and birds both appear to go through a stage when the brain is particularly receptive to learning language or song. This is why birds have to hear other birds of their own species sing while they are still young, otherwise, they won’t be able to produce much more than a whistle later on.

So do birds sing with an accent? Birds don’t all sing the same songs, not even within a species. Although the members of each bird species share a vocabulary of sounds, dialect differences are quite common. Among yellowhammers, a distance of a few hundred metres is enough for the birds’ song to change. The individual dialects are learnt while the birds are still chicks in the nest—just as children adopt the dialect of their parents. The young birds always sing as well or as badly as their teachers, because the adults on which they model themselves vary in style and talent from region to region.

Some bird species have more than 60 dialects, and many singers can be described as multilingual. Males that master several dialects have a better chance of finding a mate since females prefer mates from the same dialect family. Bird dialects also help to drive evolution, because different songs cause the formation of new sub-species and eventually even completely new species.

1. How do young birds gain the skill of singing?

A．By matching singing with their inborn memory.	B．By practicing tones and sounds to their best.
C．By imitating the birds of their own species.	D．By trying hard to produce many whistles.

2. Why do birds sing with an accent?

A．They are receptive to learning different songs.	B．They have different vocabulary of sounds.
C．Their parents have different sounding features.	D．Their talents in singing vary individually.

3. Which of the following can best explain the underlined word “model”?

A．Follow an example.	B．Work as a model.
C．Change dialects.	D．Show respects.

4. What’s the benefit of birds’ mastering several dialects?

A．Scaring enemies away.	B．Enriching language varieties.
C．Enlarging territories.	D．Promoting mating and evolving.