1 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. spilled     B. infamous     C. originating     D. local     AB. prompted AC. referred       AD. favourite       BC. classed       BD. features       CD. overtaken ABC. enthusiasm

Unusual foods often gain cult (狂热的) followings. But it’s rare for an odorous dish to become a national     1    , which is exactly what’s happened with luosifen, whose magic has     2     over its birthplace.

Just like the durian fruit, this spiral-based rice noodle soup dish has created a buzz on Chinese social media thanks to its     3     smell. While some claim the scent is mildly sour, others say it should be     4     as a bioweapon.

Luosifen,     5     in Liuzhou, a city in China’s north-central Guangxi autonomous province,     6     rice noodles soaked in a spicy broth, topped with locally grown ingredients including bamboo shoots, string beans, turnips, peanuts and tofu skin.

For a Liuzhou     7    , beyond the initial stench, a bowl of luosifen is a mixture of rich and complicated flavors — sour, spicy, savory and juicy, which is the perfect embodiment of the vital trait of harmony in Chinese cuisine. With a historically elaborate style, Chinese people enjoy the reputation of making food tasty, appealing and colorful.

In the past, it would have been hard for conservatives to share this newly-found     8     for this strange regional dish — or even to try it. But thanks to a DIY ready-to-eat form, luosifen’s magic has unexpectedly     9     the entire country. Pre-packaged luosifen — which is     10     to as the “luxury version of instant noodles” — usually comes with eight or more ingredients in vacuum-sealed packets, and neither the quality nor the freshness has been compromised during the process.

2 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. backed   B. benefit   C. consumption   D. diversity   E. disordered   F. matter G. perceive   H. led   I. snacking   J. treat   K. wandering

Walking past a corner bakery, you may find yourself drawn in by the fresh smell of sweets wafting from the front door. You're not alone. The knowledge that humans make decisions based on their nose has     1     major brands like Cinnabon and Panera Bread to use the scents of baked goods in their restaurants, leading to big increases in sales.

But according to a new study, the food you ate just before your walk past the bakery may impact your chance of stopping in for a sweet     2    —and not just because you're full. Scientists at Northwestern University found that people became less sensitive to food odors (气味) based on the meal they had eaten just before. So, if you were     3     on baked goods from a coworker before your walk, for example, you may be less likely to stop into that sweet-smelling bakery.

The study found that participants who had just eaten a meal of either cinnamon buns (肉桂面包) or pizza were less likely to     4     "meal-matched" odors, but not non-matched odors. The findings were then     5     by brain scans that showed brain activity in parts of the brain that process odors was altered in a similar way. These findings show that just as smell regulates what we eat, what we eat—in turn—regulates our sense of smell.

Feedback between food intake and the olfactory (嗅觉的) system may have an evolutionary     6    , said senior and corresponding study author Thorsten Kahnt, an assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "If you think about our ancestors     7     around the forest trying to find food, they find and eat berries and then aren't as sensitive to the smell of berries anymore, "Kahnt said. So it could theoretically help facilitate (促进)     8     in food and nutrient intake.

While we may not notice the hunter-gatherer adaptation having an effect on our day-to-day decision-making, the connection between our nose, what we seek out and what we can detect with our nose may still     9    . If the nose isn't working right, for example, the feedback may be disrupted, leading to problems with     10     eating and obesity. There may even be links to disrupted sleep, another tie to the olfactory system the Kahnt lab is researching.

3 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. coated B. dulled C. evolutionary D. hit E. originally F. gazes G. newly-discovered H. secured I. tribes J. ultimately K. enthusiasts

Lao Gan Ma: The Chinese Chilli Crisp Hot in the West

For some, cooking during lockdowns was a chance to try out the kind of time-consuming, complicated food preparation that the rush of ordinary life makes impossible. For others, it was an experience of boredom. Making three meals a day, especially if your diners included small children, was a yawn defined.

Enter condiments (酱料). They satisfied both     1    . For the     2    , it was a chance to make the sauces usually provided by the local shops that sell cooked foods. For the weary, a jar of something spicy or sour was an easy way to enliven the cheese toasties. Chilli crisp—a glowing red oil, heady with chilli and heavy with crisp pieces of garlic as well as black beans and sesame—became the sauce of the moment. The place it has     3     in many fridge doors since then hints at how foods become fashionable.

People in China may have been confused by the     4     joy with which those in countries such as America seized on chilli crisp. They have been eating varieties of the stuff for centuries. Lao Gan Ma, made in the south-western province of Guizhou, is the most famous brand. Its founder, Tao Huabi, started selling noodles     5     with the sauce in 1989, setting up a factory a few years later. Her face     6     out seriously from every label on the 1.3m bottles the company says it now produces a day.

It took a pandemic to bring the delicacy to the rest of the world’s attention. Chilli crisp had many of the necessary characteristics to be a(n)     7    . It is spicy, but not overly so. It is spread out on noodles, as     8     intended, but it can also be added to fried eggs and other dishes familiar to Americans. It satisfies humans’ love of crispy foods, rooted in a(n)     9     preference over many generations since crispness is often an indicator of freshness.

Today’s question is not whether people will keep eating it. The liberation of post-pandemic dining has not     10     the delight of the condiment. The East Asian population in America and Britain is growing. Many new brands have joined Lao Gan Ma. Like salsa, which once seemed exotic, chilli crisp is set to become a cupboard staple.

4 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. automatically       B. coexist       C. concept       D. discontinued       E. discouraged F. necessarily       G. optimism       H. priced       I. profit-generating       J. promotional K. trash

Too Good To Go

Around the country, apps that connect customers to businesses with leftover food have begun to spread. The     1     is simple: Restaurants and grocery stores throw away huge amounts of food every day. Rather than     2     it, apps like Too Good To Go and Flashfood help businesses sell it at a reduced price. They claim that the businesses and buyers are helping the environment because the food would otherwise become food waste, a big contributor to climate change.

In the United States, customers in 12 cities can look through restaurants and stores on Too Good To Go, then reserve “surprise bags” that typically cost about $4 to $6 and contain food that would have been     3     at roughly three times that amount.

Several food waste experts expressed     4     that these types of apps could help limit the amount of wasted food. And even though charitable organizations often redirect unwanted food from restaurants and grocery stores to food banks and community kitchens, there’s space for all of these kinds of solutions to     5    .

One complication is that, according to interviews with several companies selling on Too Good To Go, at least a few items for sale there aren’t     6     what buyers might think of as “food waste.” The owner of a Baltimore dessert shop said she considered the app a(n)     7     tool to reach new customers by selling what she called “little samples.” A beer company owner said he used the app to sell     8     products, but also sold new flavors there in hopes of attracting new customers.

Mr. Crummie, the Too Good To Go director, said the app     9     this type of behavior. “If somebody is paying $5, they should be receiving $15 worth of food,” he said. “So it’s not a(n)     10     platform.”

5 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. serve       B. shape       C. sharing     D. released   E. spread F. willingly   G. questioned   H. separately   I. practice   J. preparing K.creating

Communal Eating?

In China, communal eating (合餐共食) is considered very important for forming a close relationship. In the memories of most Chinese, one of the happiest moments in their lives was seated around a table with families or friends,     1     dishes and chatting over wine.

In the campaign against the COVID-19 outbreak, this dining tradition has been greatly     2    . Since each diner picks food out of the communal plates on a bite-by-bite basis with their chopsticks, the virus can be transferred from saliva (唾液) to chopsticks to the dish. What’s worse, diners often     3     others with their own utensils, such as chopsticks or spoons, to express friendliness and care. Several cases of coronavirus are thought to have     4     through families when sharing food during the Chinese New Year period.

Communal eating has thus become a target of both governments and restaurants. Posters have been     5     by local governments to encourage people to use serving utensils. Concerned about customers being very careful about returning to restaurants, the catering industry (餐饮业) has     6     joined the campaign. For example, many restaurants, once allowed to reopen, have immediately sprung into action, particularly offering set meals for one single person.

These changes are likely to continue and could be encouraged by local regulations, as eating together     7     can always protect the public health. The measures will     8     the traditional mealtime manners.

The move away from a traditional cultural     9     is ongoing. But as an expert said, “In modern times to eat individually may lose some tradition, but it can also mean more opportunities for     10     something new in Chinese food and eating habits.”