【推荐1】There is more of a connection between food and culture than you may think. On an individual level, we grow up eating the food of our culture. It becomes a part of who we are. Many associate food from our childhood with warm feelings and good memories and it ties us to our families, holding a special and personal value for us. Food from our family often becomes the comfort food we seek as adults in times of frustration and stress.

On a large scale, traditional food is an important part of culture. It also operates as an expression of culture identity. Immigrants bring it wherever they go, and it is a symbol of pride in their culture and means of coping with homesickness.

Many immigrants open their own restaurants and serve traditional dishes. However, the food does not remain exactly the same. Some materials needed to make traditional dishes may not be readily available, so the taste and flavor can be different from what they would prepare in their home countries. Additionally, immigrants do not only sell dishes to people from the same countries as them, but to people from different countries. Therefore, they have to make small changes in the original dishes to cater to a wider range of customers. Those changes can create new flavors that still keep the cultural significance of the dishes.

We should embrace our heritage through our traditional food but also become more informed about other cultures by trying their food. It is important to remember that each dish has a special place in the culture to which it belongs, and is special to those who prepare it. Food is a window into culture, and it should be treated as such.

1. What’s the function of food mentioned in the article?

A．To show national identity.	B．To help motivate homesickness.
C．To reflect a country’s history.	D．To show a community’s superiority.

2. What does the underlined “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The national culture.	B．The specific traditional food.
C．A traditional expression of food.	D．The old-fashioned taste.

3. Why do some immigrants have to change the original dishes in their restaurant?

A．To attach cultural importance to their dishes.

B．To announce the beginning of their life on foreign soil.

C．To present their own food culture in a new way.

D．To make the dishes popular among customers.

4. What's the author’s attitude towards different food cultures?

A．Negative.

B．unfair.

C．Positive.

D．Opposed.

【推荐2】When you think of Chinese food in the US, fried rice, or General Tso’s chicken may first come to mind. But a new museum exhibition in New York City is trying to expand visitors’ palates (味蕾). It features stories of famous cooks like Martin Yan and home cooks whose food represents 18 different regional cooking styles of China.

“I think it’s unfair to just classify Chinese cooking as one,” says Kian Lam Kho, an organizer of “Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy: Stories of Chinese Food and Identity in America” at the Museum of Chinese in America. “Even with the same dish or same cuisine, every family has a different variation.” That’s why the organizers say if you want to taste the full range of Chinese cuisine in the US, you’ll need to go beyond restaurants and into home kitchens, which can play a central role in many immigrants’ lives.

“The kitchen itself is kind of a comfort when you come to a new country. That’s the one place where you set up as your home base, and you cook things that you remember from your past,” explains Audra Ang, another organizer.

One of the home cooks showcased in the exhibition is Ni Biying, 80, of Manhattan. She worked as a live-in babysitter for years before she could finally afford to rent a home with her own kitchen. These days, you can usually find her moving around her one-bedroom apartment as a sweet smell of vinegar and rice wine floats from her stove. For Ni, a small dinner for friends and family means preparing almost a dozen different dishes. She learned some of her techniques from her father, who made most of her family’s meals when she was a child. “I still miss the beef with stir-fried celery my father used to cook,” she says. And it’s the kind of comfort food that defines Chinese food for Ni.

1. What is the new museum exhibition mainly about?

A．Cuisine of different countries.	B．Exploration of famous restaurants.
C．History of Chinese immigration.	D．Stories of Chinese food and cooks.

2. Why does the kitchen play a key role in many immigrants’ lives?

A．It provides a wealthy life.	B．It brings a sense of belonging.
C．It helps them to accept new cultures.	D．It enables them to forget the past.

3. What can we learn about Ni Biying from Paragraph 4?

A．She worked in a Chinese restaurant.

B．She made most meals as a child.

C．She learned cooking from her father.

D．She lives with a big family.

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

A．Cuisine Gains New Variations

B．Home Cooking Brings More to the Table

C．Immigrants Seek Their Fortune in the US

D．Chinese Restaurant Tells Immigrant Tales

【推荐3】Why do Chinese people love hot pot so much? As the winter months are coming in, more and more people are sitting around a table enjoying this kind of traditional meal. I find myself wondering what it is about this traditional meal, which has existed for more than 1,000 years. What makes it a Chinese food favourite? It seems that the answer lies beyond the dish itself.

Hot pot isn’t just designed to keep you warm during the cold months; it’s also a social experience. It’s a “theatre” cooked food that turns a meal into an event. There is a lot of fun for everyone to have in adding some foods to the hot pot.

Hot pot is eaten over two to three hours. For this reason, it is often considered an evening’s entertainment, and a time to spend with friends and families. However, many Westerners would be put off by the idea of other people sticking chopsticks in their food. When we come to eat at the table in the UK, we often have our own shares, although the experience is still a social one.

A similar experience to the hot pot can be found in Korean barbecue restaurants, which let you cook your own meat. This allows people to have their meat done however they want.

For most Westerners, the idea of going to a restaurant to cook their own food is very strange. But having a go, I find it’s now one of my favourite meals in Beijing. The steam from the pot left my clothes smelling of food when I got home, but perhaps this was also part of the experience. When the cold wind is blowing outside, I am sitting around with my good friends, eating and drinking. For me, it’s like a dinner party where my taste buds (味蕾) and my appetite are equally satisfied in the warm company of friends.

1. What is the main reason why hot pot is popular in China?

A．It has a history of over 1,000 years.	B．It is a fun social experience.
C．It serves people with many kinds of foods.	D．It keeps people very warm in winter.

2. How long do people spend in enjoying hot pot?

A．More than four hours.	B．Over one hour.
C．About three hours.	D．All the evening.

3. We can conclude from the article that British people generally 　　　.

A．enjoy cooking their own food in restaurants

B．prefer a Korean barbecue to Chinese hot pot

C．don’t like sharing food with others in restaurants

D．don’t mind the smell of food staying on their clothes

4. What is the author’s attitude to hot pot?

A．Serious.

B．Tired.

C．Humorous.

D．Appreciative.

【推荐1】Nowadays, many of the world’s largest brewers (a company that produces beer) are using new technologies to replace the disposable, plastic six-pack beer rings with more sustainable and recyclable materials.

Though mostly being used in small test trials, full adoption could have a positive environmental impact, according to some experts. Carlsberg, the Danish brewer, for example, is using glue to adhere cans in a production method that would avoid using 1,200 tons of plastic yearly, or the equal of 60 million plastic bags, once fully adopted.

For most consumers, the miserable image of a seagull, turtle, or some other aquatic creature trapped or killed by the plastic rings really arouses their strong sympathy as well as their reflection on the plastic pollution issue. That is a part of the reason why brewers have zeroed in on plastic six-pack-ring packaging. Luckily, children are taught to cut up the rings to lessen the chance that an animal might choke itself to death.

Developed by E6PR (Edible Six Pack Ring) programme, which is led by another brewery called Saltwater, the rings made of waste wheat in beer production are now used by 35 brewers across the globe, including in Africa, Europe, and Australia. The final goal is to ensure that they can be eaten harmlessly by aquatic creatures or break down in nature within a matter of weeks rather than the years it will take for plastic.

Giving up plastic straws and beer rings may help consumers feel better about their carbon footprint, but some experts say we should also focus on other efforts. Recycling rates in the U.S. stand at just over 34%. Glass, in which many brewers bottle their beer, can be difficult to recycle and transport. If brewers chose thinner glass, the improvement could prove even more beneficial to the environment than giving up plastic rings.

However, there can be a risk that consumers may be more likely to litter, if they think the E6PR rings are less harmful. “The idea of creating something that’s litter-friendly is an issue in my mind,” says Nina Goodrich, executive director of an environmental nonprofit organization, GreenBlue. “What we need in North America is a better system to encourage collection and sorting.”

1. What does the underlined word “adhere” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．attach.

B．grasp.

C．select.

D．stick.

2. We can learn from Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 3 that     .

A．Carlsberg has completely relied on the use of glue to stick cans as a production method.

B．It is the death of sea animals that draws people’s attention to the plastic pollution problem.

C．Children are taught to cut up the plastic rings to prevent the rings harming animals.

D．Brewers have changed their packing materials due to the pressure from consumers.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards the E6PR rings?

A．Doubtful.

B．Neutral.

C．Supportive.

D．Indifferent.

4. Which statement is true about Nina Goodrich?

A．She wishes to establish a collection and sorting system in America.

B．She doesn’t think the E6PR rings are harmful for aquatic animals.

C．Her team has already produced some litter-friendly materials.

D．She is in charge of a charity that works on protecting ocean environment.

【推荐2】Pre-school children who spend time together take on one another’s personalities, a new research has found. The study shows that environment plays a key role in shaping people’s personalities. While genetics still forms the central part of the human psyche (心理), the research finds that personality traits (特征) are “contagious” (传染的) among children. “ Our finding flies in the face of common assumptions that personality can’t be changed,” said Dr. Jennifer Neal, co-author of the study.

The researchers studied the personalities and social networks of two pre-school classes for a full school year. One of the classes was a set of three-year-olds, and the other a set of four-year-olds. Children whose friends were hard-working or outgoing gradually took on these personality traits over time. Psychology expert Dr. Emily Dublin said kids are having a far bigger effect on each other than people may realize.

The new study is not the first to explore the contagious effects of personality traits. A 2015 psychology study found that rudeness at work can be contagious as it travels from person to person “like a disease”. The study found that seeing a boss being rude to an employee was enough to cause people to be rude to those around them.

The researchers questioned 6,000 people on the social “climate” in their workplaces, which included offices, hotels and restaurants. They found 75 percent of those who took part said they had been treated rudely at least once in the past year. And the study also suggests that merely seeing other people being subjected to rudeness made it more likely that a person would treat their colleagues in the same way. Rudeness could include leaving someone off an invite to a company event, sending unkind emails, finding fault with others or failing to give praise.

Dr.Torkelson believes companies need to be more aware of the harm that rudeness in the workplace can do as it can damage the working environment. She said better training could help to fight against the problem.

1. According to Paragraph 2, who have the greatest impact on children’s personality?

A．Their parents.	B．Their friends.
C．The researchers.	D．The psychologists.

2. Which of the following is considered rude at the workplace?

A．Ignoring the faults of co-workers.

B．Not sending emails to workmates.

C．Seeking praise from colleagues and bosses.

D．Not inviting a colleague to a company party.

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．One’s personality is hard to change.

B．One’s personality is shaped by genes.

C．One’s personality traits can spread to others.

D．One’s personality traits can change overnight.

4. This passage is most probably taken from ________.

A．a science report.	B．a study guide.
C．a school textbook.	D．a technical journal.

【推荐3】When students walk into Jenny Umland's class, they don't automatically go to the same seat they sat in the day before. In her classroom at Riverdale Heights Elementary School,   Lowenstein’s are allowed to sit wherever they want. Umland doesn't assign seats. In fact, she has done away with most of the regular desks and uses beach chairs, standing desks, and rocking chairs instead.

Riverdale Heights is one of a growing number of schools that have ditched assigned seats. Many teachers say letting kids choose where to sit helps them learn how to make good choices. Some teachers point out that students are often more comfortable speaking up when they're sitting near kids, they like the most.

“If kids are happy and comfortable, they are more willing to learn,” says Umland. After 19 years of teaching, she tried non-assigned seating for the first time this year. She says she'll never go back.

But not all teachers are ready to do away with their seating charts. Some say having assigned seats helps students focus on their work, instead of where they'll sit. One teacher from   Texas thinks letting students sit wherever they want can create chaos. Assigned seating helps keep classrooms under control. Without specific seats to go to, students may argue over who gets to sit in the best spots. He often finds it hard to work in that environment. A more controlled classroom leads to better learning. Maybe what he says is reasonable. A 2012 study by Montana State University found that high school students did better on tests when a teacher assigned their seats.

A student, Jack, from Lowa, thinks he and his classmates should be comfortable when they learn. He says, “My teacher, Mrs. Umland, allows us to choose our own seats, and it's great! I used to be terrified of sitting in the same seat every day, which made me uncomfortable all over. Being allowed to sit wherever I want makes me more enjoyable, because I can sit where I'm most comfortably.” And Umland says, “The setup in my class helps kids get along better. If two students want to sit in the same spot, they have to talk it out and compromise”.

1. What do we know about Umland?

A．She insists on arranging regular desks.

B．She is strongly against non-assigned seating.

C．She has failed in teaching in the past 19 years.

D．She lets students in her class choose their own seats.

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “ditched” in paragraph 2?

A．tried on	B．looked forward to
C．got rid of	D．prepared for

3. What does Jack think of the Umland's seat setup in her class?

A．It is cozy.	B．It is terrifying.
C．It is controversial.	D．It is uncomfortable.

4. What's the best title for the text?

A．What Role Do Students Play in Class?

B．Should Students Have Assigned Seats?

C．Students Are Required to Listen Carefully in Class

D．Assigned Seats in the Classroom Are Popular Now