1 . What comes into your mind when you think of British food? Probably fish and chips, or a Sunday dinner of meat and two vegetables. But is British food really so uninteresting? Even though Britain has a reputation for less-than-impressive cuisine, it is producing more top class chefs who appear frequently on our television screens and whose recipe books frequently top the best seller lists.
It’s thanks to these TV chefs rather than any advertising campaign that Britons are turning away from meat-and-two-veg and ready-made meals and becoming more adventurous in their cooking habits. It is recently reported that the number of those sticking to a traditional diet is slowly declining and around half of Britain’s consumers would like to change or improve their cooking in some way. There has been a rise in the number of students applying for food courses at UK universities and colleges. It seems that TV programmes have helped change what people think about cooking.
According to a new study from market analysts, 1 in 5 Britons say that watching cookery programmes on TV has encouraged them to try different food. Almost one third say they now use a wider variety of ingredients (配料) than they used to, and just under 1 in 4 say they now buy better quality ingredients than before. One in four adults say that TV chefs have made them much more confident about expanding their cookery knowledge and skills, and young people are also getting more interested in cooking. The UK’s obsession (痴迷) with food is reflected through television scheduling. Cookery shows and documentaries about food are broadcast more often than before. With an increasing number of male chefs on TV, it’s no longer “uncool” for boys to like cooking.
1. What do people usually think of British food?| A．It is simple and plain. | B．It is rich in nutrition. |
| C．It lacks authentic tastes. | D．It deserves a high reputation. |
| A．Authoritative. | B．Creative. | C．Profitable. | D．Influential. |
| A．20%. | B．24%. | C．25%. | D．33%. |
| A．The art of cooking in other countries. | B．Male chefs on TV programmes. |
| C．Table manners in the UK. | D．Studies of big eaters. |
2 . One of the most popular street food found in China is no doubt the barbecue. A new programme, called the Story of Chuaner, tells the story of this popular food cooked over hot coals on just about every street corner in cities and towns across the country. Barbecued meat is an important part of people’s nightlife.
Shown on June 20, the programme has had more than 25 million clicks on the video site bilibili.com. To find the most popular barbecue stalls (摊位), the production team travelled to more than 500 locations in 30 cities across the country. Some viewers compare the Story of Chuaner to Midnight Diner, a Japanese TV programme telling stories from late-might informal Japanese bars.
“I’m happy to hear this comparison because Midnight Diner is a good programme, and we share the same topic-night food,” the Story of Chuaner’s director Chen Yingjie said. “However, they are quite different.” He said that Midnight Diner focused more on food itself, though there was some conversation while people were eating. However, the night food scene of Chinese people means joy and a more lively atmosphere. People eating these barbecue snacks develop a feeling of connection, which can be a cure for loneliness.
The barbecue, regarded as the most ordinary and common night street snack, is different from home-made food by mothers as that is a symbol of family and kinship. The barbecue is where you go to become connected to people in society. And unlike official business lunches, during which people are rather polite, the barbecue lets people relax with old friends and new friends, leaving a lasting impression of friendship.
The world, as a whole, holds deep-rooted good feelings towards the barbecue, either for the taste or the warmth produced by fire. “What we should do is to present the Chinese barbecue just the way it is because with its special ingredients (食材), ways of cooking and more importantly, the special environment and people, the world will recognise it and might fall in love with it just as we do,” said Chen.
1. What do we know about the Story of Chuaner?| A．It has become very popular on the Internet. |
| B．It is thought highly of by most of the foreign tourists. |
| C．It mainly talks about the most famous Chinese food. |
| D．It shows the colourful nightlife in large cities of China. |
| A．It showed more kinds of food. |
| B．It focused more on the diners. |
| C．It showed the eating habits. |
| D．It was less popular than Midnight Diner. |
| A．The importance of the barbecue to family. |
| B．The influence of the barbecue on people’s manners. |
| C．The influence of the barbecue on people’s lifestyle. |
| D．The role of the barbecue in people’s relationship. |
| A．To show the feature of Chinese food. |
| B．To research a special way of cooking. |
| C．To help the world understand China. |
| D．To introduce the history of the barbecue. |
