【推荐1】Now the reason why cooking has become so popular, especially among men, is that the kitchen is the new workshop. Deprived (剥夺) of the requirement to practice his hands-on skills in wood or metal, the modern man turns to the chopping-board worktop instead — previously this was more likely to be the woman’s area. It involves tools, process and planning, and satisfies a natural desire to produce something.

I like fooling about in the kitchen, to be honest. Last night, tired of too many visits to over-priced restaurants, I tried to do something a bit clever with meats and vegetables. It was all right, I suppose. I mean, my guest and I both ate it, but in a slightly awkward sort of way. It was all a bit brown. More to the point it took hours and hours that could have been spent on something more meaningful, such as mending the cooker. There are also three dead motorcycles in the garage, and they’re not going to repair themselves. I therefore recommend the “Strength Through Simplicity” cooking style-the new stage of culinary (烹饪的) progress shall be the garage.

I’m hoping to introduce the idea of garage cooking in a new TV series and, as usual, would welcome any suggestions; anything suitable for consumption by a man who has one reasonably clean hand and one coated with machine oil he'd rather not put near his face. This is not, in fact, without precedent (先例) I’ve been in a factory in India where the workers baked bread on the tops of hot machines, and they somehow tasted better for being a by-product of industrial effort.

Tonight I’ve had an oil change with side of chain adjustment accompanied by beans and sausages.

1. According to the author, why are men increasingly increased in cooking?

A．They find it more enjoyable than working in a workshop.

B．They now have fewer opportunities to create things.

C．It is now more socially acceptable for men to cook.

D．Women are gcnerally spending less ime cooking.

2. What does the author think of his preparing the meal last night?

A．He didn’t practice his cooking skill well.

B．He should have used the restaurant recipe.

C．He could have used the cooking time better.

D．He didn’t receive any encouragement from his guest.

3. What does the author most probably do?

A．A media worker.	B．A restaurant critic.
C．A cook.	D．An athlete.

4. What does the author want to imply by using the example of India workers?

A．The wisdom of industrial workers has been overlooked.

B．Skills learnt in a factory can be applied in cooking a meal.

C．Food cooked in a garage tastes as delicious as that from a kitchen.

D．Meals have previously been prepared in unusual workplace settings.

【推荐2】What did you eat for lunch today? Did you choose this dish because it was healthy，cheap or because it was just very tasty? Are you a particular eater or an adventurous diner?

I love exploring trends in food. “Fusion cuisine” is not for everybody. My Italian grandmother would turn her nose up in disgust at the thought of tandoori pizza with mango topping but this marriage of tastes is perfectly fine in the 21st century. Chef and food writer Ching-He Huang，who presented a series of Chinese Food for the BBC，is a fan of the movement. She says：“Fusion has been happening for centuries，for as long as people have travelled，but with the Internet，and global travel，the exchange of ideas makes the process much faster.”

Wolfgang Puck is seen by many as one of the chefs who made ‘fusion’ elegant. He got his experience in this aspect in his native Vienna and made a name for himself when he opened his own restaurant in Los Angeles in the 1970s.This European dug into Asian cuisine and became one of the first in a long line of distinguished chefs. He said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that initially he got negative responses from traditional American—Chinese restaurant owners but he is not bitter. “I believe authenticity is about evolution，not repeating your grandmother’s recipe.” he explains. “Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors. there are only so many flavors—it’s how you combine them that sets you apart.”

My granny’s cup of tea would be the “Slow Food Movement”. Founded by her countryman Carlo Petrini in the 1980s and still going strong，it seeks to preserve regional cuisine and the use of ingredients that are grown locally. Petrini wants to see farmers connected more directly with consumers.

All these trends give us food for thought. We might be wasting an exciting opportunity to wake up our taste buds when we swallow a sandwich at our desks. Tomorrow，why not find an exotic（外来的）restaurant and enjoy a feast? You dress trendy so eat trendy!

1. Fusion cuisine is_______.

A．a BBC cooking program	B．a balanced diet rich in nutrition
C．a new trend of global travelling	D．a combination of different cooking styles

2. What do we learn about Wolfgang Puck?

A．He knew little about Asian cuisine.	B．He owed his success to his love for painting.
C．He was well received by Europeans.	D．He was in favor of creation in cooking.

3. The Slow Food Movement_____________.

A．aims to keep alive local cuisine	B．is favored by old people
C．promotes local farming	D．is founded by Granny

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Hungry for new	B．Greedy for tasty
C．Love for cooking	D．Food for thought

【推荐3】In America, parents tend to encourage their children to develop their potential (潜能) to the fullest extent. Fathers and mothers frequently teach their children both ambition and the confidence necessary to work toward their goals. American parents are always active in concentrating on what their kids can do, not what they can’t. As a result, millions of American boys and girls grow up hoping to become actors and athletes, diplomats and doctors. Many of them even want to become president.

American parents often encourage their children to become involved in extra activities of all types at school, such as student government, sports and music. They believe that only through taking part in these activities can their children become mature young adults.

As we all know, school work is important. But parents should realize that the social skills their children learn from natural conversations with each other are as important as schoolwork and the skills they will need in the future work. What’s more important in their work is that their children should have a sound knowledge of physics or the ability to communicate effectively.

As a rule, Chinese parents don’t educate their children about the same kind of ambition and confidence as Americans do, nor do they encourage the same level of participation in extra activities. Children are typically advised to study hard and pass exams. They have to spend a lot of time in doing much schoolwork every day. It is a great waste of time to do so.

Now more and more Chinese parents have recognized that they should pay attention to developing the potential of their children. I hope that leaders in Chinese educational circles should take some measures to develop the potential of their children. I am very confident about it.

1. From the passage, we know the American parents pay much more attention to       .

A．the social skills than Chinese parents

B．their children’s studying hard and well

C．what their children want but they can’t

D．extra activities than schoolwork

2. According to the passage, Chinese parents       .

A．know more than American parents to educate their children

B．owning ambition and confidence is necessary and important

C．pay much more attention to their children’s fine future

D．don’t encourage their children to participate in extra activities

3. From the passage, we can infer       .

A．American children are brave and adventurous

B．American children are more active in their studies

C．Chinese children have the ability to communicate effectively

D．something should be done to develop the potential of the children in China

4. What’s the writer’s attitude towards Chinese education reform?

A．Neutral.	B．Indifferent.
C．Positive.	D．Negative.