A good way to dine

For only 20 yuan, Ms. Fang could buy her lunch at a community canteen (食堂) in Suzhou. She had a meat dish, a vegetable dish and a bowl of rice—all very     1     (health). “The dishes have a home-cooked taste,” said Ms. Fang.

Community canteens have become more and more popular in China recently. They were made for     2     old at first. It can be difficult for some old people to cook     3     their own, so the canteens offer help. They can have lunch and dinner within a 10-minute walk, or community     4     (work) can bring the dishes to them. The meals are cooked     5     (special) for these people. The food is softer and has     6     (little) oil.

Now, the community canteens are bringing in more young people. If they don’t want to order takeout meals     7     eat at restaurants, the canteens provide them with healthier and cheaper dishes.

This also encourages community canteens to think of some     8     (create) ways to provide food and make things easier for people. A canteen in Beijing’s Lugu Community brings out buffet-style (自助模式) dishes. They are     9     (sell) at 2.48 yuan per 100 grams. The price is lower than those of restaurants close by.

The rise of community canteens couldn’t have happened without the work of local governments. They provide subsidies (补贴) for     10     (build) the canteens and the dining expenses (花费) of old people. There are more than 6,700 community canteens in China.

Do you love eating spicy foods? They seem to come from countries with a tropical climate. Two scientists, Jennifer Billing and Dr Paul Sherman, wondered why. They thought that good eating habits probably helped people live much     1     (well). But why could eating hot foods in tropical climates bring such benefits?

    2     (hundred) of years ago, people didn’t know how some spices could help keep foods. Since then, scientists     3     (discover) that spice plants have some important chemicals. These chemicals can kill bacteria (细菌) which spoil food. “75% to 100% of the bacteria in food can     4     (kill) by common spices.” explains one of     5     scientists. The bacteria grow       6     (easy) and spoil food more quickly at higher temperatures. For this reason, it is more difficult to keep food     7     going bad in hot weather.

Do you like your food spicy?     8     you do, your answer probably tells something about where you come from.     9     is possible that in ancient times, when there were no fridges, people in your areas started using spices     10     (keep) the food from bacteria. So the traditional spicy dishes helped those people live longer.

Sometimes choosing where to eat in Suzhou is something of a challenge. No matter how good the food tastes at a chosen restaurant, one may always wonder, “Is there anything     1     (good) on the next street?” However, I’ve found the answer to this question. If I’m asked to name my favorite place to eat in Suzhou, I     2     (reply) right away, “Song He Lou Restaurant “Why is Song He Lou so special among hundreds     3     restaurants? Well, for me     4     comes down to a perfect balance of delicious food, pleasant atmosphere (氛围) and     5     near-perfect place.

Before coming to Suzhou, I was told by my friends from other     6     (city) in China that the food could be too sweet. For the first few months I     7     (choose) to eat in Sichuan or Hunan style restaurants instead of eating much local food. However, after     8     (fall) in love with the city, I came to realize that the food is so closely connected with its local culture. So I asked a local friend to recommend (推荐) the best place     9     (try) real local style food. She came up with the suggestion of Song He Lou.

For a first-time visitor, “Song Shu Gui Yu” and “Xie Fen Tofu” are excellent choices. Suzhou has now become my home     10     I have a lifetime to enjoy each and every dish on the menu.

Once upon a time, there was no tea at all in England. People there used     1     (drink) a light beer (啤酒). No coffee or milk but large glasses of beer     2     (stand) on the breakfast table!

When tea was     3     (one) brought to England, an old couple got some as a special treat.     4    they did not know how it should be used. They cooked the    5       (leaf) in hot water, and spread them on a piece of bacon (熏肉) which they were going to have for dinner. They ate the leaves, and threw the tea away! However, tea is becoming    6     popular as coffee and milk in England today.

Tea is the leaf of a plant which grows     7     (wide) in China, Japan and some other countries. Tea farmers usually grow a great many tea plants on a large piece of land. When the tea leaves     8     (pick), it is the busiest time for tea farmers in a year. They pull off the leaves and dry     9     (they). In their spare time, they pick out the     10     (good) leaves and get them ready for market. In China, whenever a visitor comes into a house, he is served with a cup of tea.

It’s reported that a group of young people took part in a themed (主题的) event in Beijing days ago. They wore a traditional (传统的) style of clothing called hanfu (汉服). It was o    1     worn by the Han people.

Miss Liu, born in the 1980s, is the organizer of the event. She said, “My passion (激情) for hanfu came from two of my friends who are fans of traditional Chinese clothing.” Her interest grew as she learned more about the culture b    2     it and then she bought her first hanfu costume (服装). She founded (建立) a hanfu community with someone e    3     in 2011. S    4     then, she has been volunteering to support the group.   

At first, people who wore hanfu in public were l    5     at, while more passersby (过路人) asked about their clothing style. S    6    , more and more young people began to wear hanfu as they believe the best way to keep the tradition fresh is to adapt (适应) it to modern life.

Yang Kunning was born in the 1990s. She likes s    7     her love for hanfu with others online. She opened an account on the video-sharing platform Bilibili and posted videos featuring (以……为主要内容) herself wearing the traditional clothing. T    8     of comments (评论) and likes pour into her channel as viewers find her videos interesting and creative. “Social media has made hanfu culture p    9     in China and abroad.” Yang said. Yang has a collection of around 30 hanfu outfits, suitable for different seasons and occasions (场合).

Yang says, “I’m looking forward to taking part in more hanfu-themed a    10     this year in Beijing.”