1 . Chef Zhang Xuesi lowered the fire on the stove where he was cooking his Cantonese meal. He added all the necessary foods. He quickly lowered the fire and turned toward a phone camera as hundreds of people watched him online. ''It ruins the dish if you burn the breadcrumbs, '' he advised his livestream video watchers.
Many people in China are restricted to their homes in the effort to stop the spread of coronavirus. Millions of them are finding a new interest in cooking. People watching television and online cooking shows are learning how to make Chinese and Western foods. They are also pushing up the sale of special cookware on online markets. Downloads of the top five recipe apps doubled in February, said research company Sensor Tower.
Billibilli said it has had more than 580 million views of its cooking videos in the two months since the coronavirus began to spread in China. Another online cooking show producer DayDayCook told Reuters its numbers of new users increased 200 percent from January to February. A recipe for bean curd and shrimp received the most watchers.
Many new home cooks are young people living in cities. This group is used to eating out or getting food delivery. Now these people are cooking at home. Wu Shuang is a 30-year-old who works and lives in Beijing. She was among those trapped at home in February. She says she spent a lot of time online, learning how to make bread and other foods.
Chef Zhang Xuesi explained that many of his online viewers expressed interest in discussing more than just food. In the past, users were only interested in learning cooking tricks, but now we talk about all kinds of subjects.
1. What was Zhang Xuesi doing according to paragraph 1?| A．He was learning how to make Cantonese foods. |
| B．He was downloading the top five recipe apps. |
| C．He was pushing up the sale of special cookware. |
| D．He was making online cooking shows. |
| A．She becomes a new home cook. |
| B．She was trapped at home in February. |
| C．She learned cooking foods online. |
| D．She was interested in discussing food online. |
| A．Many people are restricted to their homes because of coronavirus. |
| B．Many people turn to cooking at home because of coronavirus. |
| C．Many people push up sales on online markets because of coronavirus. |
| D．Many people spend a lot of time online because of coronavirus. |
2 . After years of trying, our neighbors convinced my parents that ice fishing would be a fun winter getaway from our dairy farm. Before that, their idea of entertainment involved driving around the countryside to see how the neighbors’ crops were doing.
My parents eventually built a fish house and set it up on Wood Lake. We excitedly headed for the lake on many January and February weekends. By the time we arrived at our favorite fishing spot across the lake each day, somebody had usually made a clear path across the ice. The fish houses were together at the best fishing spots, forming some kind of a neighborhood.
Our house was large enough so all four of us could fish at the same time. Each corner had a square cut out of the floor. We sat in comfort. You’d think ice fishing would be cold, but we had a small woodstove (木炉) inside, and we put snow around the bottom of the house to keep the wind from blowing underneath.
Besides the thrill of watching your bobber (钓鱼浮标) dip below the water, lunch was always the highlight of the day. Mom would fry pork or hamburgers in a pan. The smell of cooking meat was the envy of every other fish house in the neighborhood.
Our days passed with a mix of quiet time and family chatter. We talked about the farm or school. And of course, we shared fishing advice. Part of the fun of ice fishing was learning to understand and trust the sounds of the frozen lake. Healthy ice “talks” as it freezes and shifts. You could often hear the sound of a crack traveling through the ice.
People who have never tried ice fishing may not think it sounds very exciting, but it was for us. Fishing trips were an adventure. We didn’t always catch fish, but we always brought home great memories of a day with family and friends.
1. Which is true about entertainment for the author’s family before the fishing trips?| A．They enjoyed visiting the countryside. | B．They had little choice for entertainment. |
| C．They preferred to take care of their farm. | D．They loved to do research on growing crops. |
| A．To protect the fish house. | B．To follow an old local tradition. |
| C．To block the wind underneath. | D．To sit in a comfortable position. |
| A．The author’s mom was not quite interested in cooking. |
| B．The author’s family shared fishing advice with each other. |
| C．The author considered those trips enjoyable and meaningful. |
| D．The author’s family usually fished alone, far from the crowd. |
| STAGE Russian dances: The famous “Little White Birth” Dance Troupe will travel from Russia to present performances in Beijing. The troupe, founded in 1948, is famous for their combination of Russian folk dances and classical dancing art. It has been invited by the Beijing Foreign Culture Exchange Co. in order to give four performances in Beijing. Tickets are available through ticket hotlines and website such as www. paio. com. cn, www. Chinaticket. com and www. ticket. elong. com. * Time: 7: 30 pm, January 18 - 21 * Place: Beizhan Theatre, 135, Xiwai Dajie, Xicheng District * Tel: 6606-4258 EXHIBITIONS Kite show: All together 81 kites collected by the China National Art Museum is on show in the Yanhuang Art Museum. Kong Xiangze, an expert on Chinese kites, published a book on kites, explaining the origins of the kite-making process. The exhibited kites are made in a traditional Chinese style. * Time: 9 am-5 pm until February 11 * Place: 9 Huizhong Lu * Tel: 6491-2902 | CONCERTS Folk music: A concert of classics of Chinese folk music will greet audiences on the first day of the Year of Snake at the Beijing Concert Hall. The China Song and Dance Ensemble will perform dozens of traditional instrumental pieces, such as “Full of Joy”, “Colourful Cloud Chasing the Moon” and “Spring Festival Suite”. * Time: 7: 30 pm, January 24 * Place: 1, Beixinhuajie, Xicheng District * Tel: 6559-8285 EVENTS Flower festival: The Beijing Botanical Garden is bringing people a blooming festival with the beautiful flowers in its tropical plants greenhouse. The garden has introduced nearly 80 kinds of flowers abroad for the exhibition. There is also an exhibition of potted narcissus (水仙) landscapes (盆景). More than 300 mini landscapes involving imported narcissus will be displayed, people can * Time: 8:30 am-5 pm until January 28 * Place: Wofosi Lu near the Fragant Hills * Tel: 8259-5547 |
1. Suppose you are too far away from Beijing or you can’t spare time to go there in person, which of the following shows can you enjoy all the same?
| A．Russian dances. | B．Kite show | C．Folk music | D．Flower festival |
| A．watch in advance | B．see more clearly |
| C．get good position of | D．get a general idea of |
| A．6606-4258 | B．6491-2902 | C．6559-8285 | D．8259-5547 |
