Chinese culinary arts has a long history, famous all over the world. Chinese cuisine has developed and matured over the centuries, forming a rich cultural content. It is characterized by fine selection of ingredients, precise processing, particular care to the amount of fire, and substantial nourishment.
The diversity of geography, climate, costumes and products have led to the evolution of what are called the “Four Flavors” and “Eight Cuisines” but as catering is a living art sub-classifications continue to increase. Cuisine in China is a harmonious integration of color, redolence, taste, shape and the fineness of the instruments. For the cooking process, chefs pick choice and various ingredients and seasonings while employing unparalleled complicated skills handed down from their fathers, ever aspiring to their ideal of perfection for all the senses. Among the many cooking methods they use are boiling, stewing, braising, frying, steaming, crisping, baking, and simmering and so on. When they finish their masterpieces they are arranged on a variety of plates and dishes so that they are a real pleasure to view, to smell and ultimately to savor.
Beijing cuisine combines the best features of different regional styles. Shangdong cuisine leads the Northern dishes. Shangdong cooks are good at cooking seafood. Sichuan cooks specialize in chilies and hot peppers and Sichuan dish is famous for aromatic and spicy sauces. Guangdong cooking makes use of many ingredients. They look for fresh, tender, crisp textures. Huai Yang cuisine stresses the natural flavors. Dishes are strong but not greasy, and light but delicate. Tan cuisine is both sweet and salty. There is a saying that “southerners have a sweet tooth, and northerners crave salt”, but Tan dishes manage to satisfy both. Because China’s local dishes have their own typical characteristics, Chinese food can be divided into eight regional cuisines, the distinction of which is now widely accepted.
1. What does the underlined word “ characterized” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?2. What does the passage mainly tell us??
3. What caused the diversity of Chinese cuisine?
4. What is typical of Sichuan dishes?
5. How do the cooks perfect their masterpieces besides cooking according to passage?
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【推荐1】Rice is eaten all over the world in all different ways. No matter if your rice is white or brown, it has one thing in common, and that’s arsenic(砷). Now, researchers from the University of Sheffield say a new and simple way of cooking rice can remove this cancer-causing material while keeping the nutrients which make this food so good.
A team from the school’s Institute for Sustainable Food discovered the “parboiling with absorption method” (PBA) can cut down over half the naturally occurring arsenic in brown rice and 74 percent in white rice. More importantly, this homefriendly kitchen method saves the nutrients rice contains.
The PBA method first parboils(将煮到半熟) rice in pre-boiled-water for five minutes. The water is then emptied and fresh water is poured into the pot. From there, the rice is cooked normally at lower heat until the water is all taken in.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classed arsenic as a Group carcinogen, the material that can cause cancer. Unfortunately, rice has this water-soluble poison because it grows in flooded fields unlike many other grains(谷物).
Researchers say arsenic can affect every organ in the human body. It can also result in skin lesions, cancer, diabetes, and lung diseases. Rice tends to hold around 10 times more arsenic than other grains. It usually sits in the outer covering of the grain, which makes it more of problem in brown rice. White rice, which is milled(研磨), contains less arsenic but also has fewer nutrients due to the milling process.
“For people who eat rice, this is excellent news. There are concerns amongst the population about eating rice due to arsenic. Previous studies have shown that cooking rice in a lot of water could remove arsenic but the problem is it also removes nutrients,” says lead author Dr. Manoj Menon in a university release. “Our aim was to improve the method to remove arsenic while keeping maximum nutrients in the cooked rice. Our newly developed method, PBA, is easy and homefriendly so that everyone can use it. We don’t know the amount of arsenic in each packet of rice we buy; even though brown rice is nutritionally better than white rice as our data shows, it contains more arsenic than white rice. With our new method we are able to significantly reduce the arsenic while reducing the loss of key nutrients.”
1. What did the researchers try to do with rice?| A．To add more nutrients to it. | B．To make it healthy and nutritious. |
| C．To use it as a cure for cancer. | D．To recommend it as a popular food. |
| A．It requires water to be changed during cooking. |
| B．It can remove arsenic completely from rice. |
| C．It can change the form of arsenic in rice. |
| D．It will be more effective under a high temperature. |
| A．Its milling process. | B．Its high water content. |
| C．Its special structure. | D．Its growing condition. |
| A．Rice should be cooked with a small amount of water. |
| B．The PBA method can kill two birds with one stone. |
| C．The PBA method needs to be tested further in daily life. |
| D．People liking rice should choose brown rice over white rice. |
【推荐2】As a chef who has worked across Southeast Asia, Goh Wooi Cheat moved to the Chinese mainland to tap into his roots and offer local diners his own unique version of Cantonese cuisine.
Cantonese cuisine from Singapore used to be famous across Asia for its high-quality ingredients and beautiful presentation, but after working in Beijing for several years, Singaporean chef Goh Wooi Cheat firmly believes that “the future of Cantonese cuisine lies in China”.
“All the finest ingredients from around the world can be now found in China and the chefs’ presentation skills are improving fast,” the 56-year-old chef says.
Goh’s ancestors moved to Malaysia from Guangdong Province, so he has been familiar with Cantonese cuisine since childhood. Growing up in Penang, Goh remembers always hearing about cuisines, portions, ingredients and seasoning at home, because his family ran a catering business. He moved to Singapore and became an apprentice Cantonese chef in 1983, becoming an executive chef 10 years later. He also worked in five-star hotels in Indonesia for a couple of years, where Cantonese wedding banquets were an important element.
In 2011, Goh received a job offer from Beijing, which he promptly accepted. “I felt proud of returning to China, the land where my ancestors come from — especially since I believe that real Chinese cuisine should be served to Chinese people,” Goh says.
But Goh also thinks that some classic Cantonese dishes are outdated, prompting him to create new dishes that still manage to honor tradition while appealing to contemporary diners. To add one new dish to the menu, Gob would refine it over time repeatedly, gathering feedback from his customers to continue enhancing the dish to reach a level of perfection both in terms of taste and presentation.
“A dish can be described as delicious only if it’s accepted and enjoyed by every guest — and not just by food experts,” he says. Goh also believes that chefs must develop their own cooking style, especially in Cantonese cuisine; otherwise the chefs who always follow tradition may find themselves left behind.
1. What can we learn about Goh from the passage?| A．His ancestors were native Malaysians. |
| B．His family once ran a restaurant business. |
| C．He became an executive chef in Singapore ten years ago. |
| D．To create new dishes, he gave up some classic Cantonese dishes. |
| A．shift | B．improve | C．prove | D．refresh |
| A．Narrow-minded. | B．Conservative. | C．Humorous. | D．Creative. |
| A．set himself apart with a distinctive cooking style | B．focus on improving his presentation skills |
| C．stay up to date and shake off tradition | D．be able to identify the finest cooking ingredients |
【推荐3】How to Make a Chinese Hot Pot
Eating a Chinese hot pot is a very common experience. People gather around the pot, dipping their food, waiting for it to cook, mixing their own seasonings (调味品) and enjoying each other's company.
Firstly, prepare a large pot of soup. There is no right or wrong way to prepare a soup, so feel free to make your own. A simple soup can be made by boiling water with the addition of meat bones or fish heads and a mixture of herbs, seasonings and vegetables.
Then, cut a variety of meats and fish into thin slices.
| A．Finally, arrange the seating reasonably |
| B．Now comes the turn to enjoy your hot pot |
| C．It will guarantee that the items will cook quickly and fully |
| D．Here are some easy steps to make a Chinese hot pot at home |
| E．For more variety, consider dumplings, rice cakes and tangyuan |
| F．Popular choices include: cabbage, pea leaves, winter melon and tomato |
| G．It usually lasts a couple of hours because you are cooking and eating in small parts |
【推荐1】If you look around your city, you might spot girls wearing hanfu in subways or people wearing T-shirts with Chinese characters on the streets.
According to a recently published report, searches related to guochao on Dianping, a lifestyle information platform, have risen by 170 percent from the same period last year, and reviews have risen by nearly 40 percent. China-chic is happening, but what is it?
| A．It immediately grabbed attention at home and abroad. |
| B．Buying these products can help me build up a sense of belonging. |
| C．A new trend is taking hold in China — guochao, or “China-chic”. |
| D．The term characterizes the rise of China’s native fashion trends. |
| E．Before that, big-name foreign companies dominated the world market. |
| F．No matter how the guochao trend evolves, there’s one thing that won’t change. |
| G．Many foreign brands have included Chinese traditional culture in their products. |
【推荐2】Grain Rain, as the last term in spring, starts on April 19 and ends on May 4.
Key time for agriculture
Grain Rain brings a marked increase in temperature and rainfall and the grains grow faster and stronger.
Sandstorms occur
Grain Rain falls between the end of spring and the beginning of summer, with infrequent cold air moving to the south and lingering cold air in the north.
Drinking tea
There is an old custom in southern China that people drink tea on the day of Grain Rain. Spring tea during Grain Rain is rich in vitamins and amino acids, which can help to remove heat from the body and is good for the eyes.
Eating toona sinensis (香椿)People in northern China have the tradition to eat the vegetable toona sinensis during Grain Rain. An old Chinese saying goes “toona sinensis before the rain is as tender as silk”.
Grain Rain Festival
The Grain Rain festival is celebrated by fishing villages in the coastal areas of northern China. Grain Rain marks the start of the fishermen’s first voyage of the year. The custom dates back more than 2,000 years ago, when people believed they owed a good harvest to the gods, who protected them from the stormy seas.
| A．The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. |
| B．From the end of April to the beginning of May, the temperature rises much higher than it does in March. |
| C．People would stage sacrifice rites to pray for a bountiful harvest and a safe voyage for their loved ones. |
| D．It is also said that drinking tea on this day would prevent bad luck. |
| E．The vegetable is nutritious and can help to strengthen the immune system. |
| F．The Grain Rain signals the end of cold weather and a rapid rise in temperature |
| G．It’s a time to protect the crops from insect pests. |
On a bluestone road, performers in ancient Chinese costumes charge on horses, stretching their arms and shouting all the way through.
The audience stands shoulder to shoulder by the road and on rooftops alongside the ancient alley（小巷）, cheering together with loud drum beats in Xiadongzhai village, in the city of Yangquan in northern China's Shanxi province.
"It is a custom that has lasted for over 1,000 years, and represents the martial（尚武）spirit," said Yuan Yuxiang, Party secretary of the village.
In the Tang Dynasty (公元618年——公元907年), Xiadongzhai was a military relay station, where army messengers found food, shelter and spare horses before moving on to their next destination.
The process of transferring horses and leaving the station was later adapted into a folk performance held once a year, on the day after Lantern Festival.
Many are attracted by the boldness and skills of the riders, who do not use saddles（马鞍）or stirrups during the high-speed charge.
Over the years, the performance has become the most celebrated event in the village.
"No matter how far people are from home, or how busy they are, they try their best to return home for the fair on that day," Yuan said.
This year, nearly 10,000 people gathered on the road, which is 100 meters long and 4 meters wide, to watch the performance.
1. What do the performers wear when they charge on the horses?2. Where does the horse-riding custom happen?
3. What was the main function of Xiadongzhai village in the Tang Dynasty?
4. Why do the people return home for the folk performance on the day after Lantern Festival ?
5. After you finish reading this text, please write at least 30 words to describe another interesting event in Yangquan?
