1 . 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-night 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 recognize 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 mainly talks about the most famous Chinese food. |
| C．It is thought highly of by most of the foreign tourists. |
| D．It shows the colourful nightlife in large cities of China. |
| A．It showed the eating habits. | B．It showed more kinds of food. |
| C．It focused more on people. | D．It was less popular than Midnight Diner. |
| A．The importance of the barbecue to family. |
| B．The role of the barbecue in people’s relationship. |
| C．The influence of the barbecue on people’s lifestyle. |
| D．The influence of the barbecue on people’s manners. |
| A．To show the feature of Chinese food. | B．To research a special way of cooking. |
| C．To introduce the history of the barbecue. | D．To help the world understand China. |
2 . Afternoon tea became popular about 150 years ago, when rich ladies invited their friends to their houses for a cup of afternoon tea. Usually taken in the late afternoon, it is also called “low tea” as it is served at a low table. Since this isn’t a meal, but rather like a late afternoon snack, finger foods such as sandwiches, scones and pastries are common. People are taking tea not only to get what their bodies need or satisfy hunger, but to take time to relax, chat and enjoy the company of dear friends. In England, the traditional time for tea is four or five o’clock in the afternoon and no one stays after seven o’clock.
This very British tradition is said to have been started in the 1840s by Duchess Anna Maria, wife of the 7th Duke of Bedford, England. During the long time between an early lunch and a very late dinner, she experienced what she called “a sinking feeling” at about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. So she asked her serving girl to bring her a pot of tea, a little bread and butter and cake in her room. She found this arrangement so pleasing that she began asking her friends to join her.
High tea, a term often mixed with afternoon tea, usually takes the place of supper. In the past the British working population did not have afternoon tea. They had meals at about noon and after work between five and seven o’clock. The table would be set with dinner foods like meat, bread, butter, potatoes, cheese and of course tea. It was called “high tea” because it was eaten at a high dining table rather than a low tea table.
How much do people enjoy the afternoon tea moment? As a famous writer named Henry James said, “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”
1. How does the term “low tea” come about?| A．The tea is served in the late afternoon. | B．The tea is provided to treat friends. |
| C．The tea is drunk at a low table. | D．The tea is enjoyed to relax. |
| A．Duchess Anna Maria. | B．The 7th Duke of Bedford. |
| C．Henry James. | D．Some unknown working people. |
| A．A feeling of being annoyed. | B．A feeling of hunger. |
| C．A feeling of missing friends. | D．A feeling of shyness. |
| A．To show the difference between afternoon tea and high tea. |
| B．To tell us that afternoon tea is in fact a ceremony. |
| C．To tell us how the name “afternoon tea” comes out. |
| D．To show how popular afternoon tea is among people. |
3 . 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. |
If you always hate certain vegetables. you may be more than a picky eater. Instead, you might be a “super-taster”, a person
“We don’t get the taste of food equally,” said Professor Duffy, an export in the study of food taste. “It could explain some of the differences in our food
Food scientists are trying to develop ways
We might also try to use various cooking methods, either by adding me fat, sweetness, strong flavors like garlic
5 . Chinese cuisine is widely known and enjoyed all around the world. Who doesn’t long for a favorite Chinese dish? But there is one interesting concept concerning Chinese food which is almost unheard of in the West, and which is becoming increasingly ignored by the youth of the East—the ancient custom of “tonic food”.
Tonic food is food which is consumed to improve one’s well-being or avoid sickness. For instance, it was once the custom for new mothers to eat a sesame oil(麻油) chicken soup every day for the first month after giving birth. It was believed that this dish would benefit the muscles, reduce pain, improve circulation, stimulate sweating, and warm the body. Some foods, such as goat meat and spinach, are seen as “hot”, while others, such as Chinese cabbage and radishes, are seen as “cold”. One should be careful not to eat too much of either “hot” or “cold” food. However, how much “hot” or “cold” food one should eat depends on the time of the year, how the food is prepared and what it is prepared with, and the individual’s health.
The custom of employing tonic food for a healthier life also influences the catering industry. Chinese herbal medicines, such as wolfberry(枸杞子), can be found on many a restaurant menu, either added to fruit tea or as a beneficial addition to a dish. These herbs attract customers, such as overworked office staff, in need of a modest pick-me-up.
So, whether you need to boost your strength with a large helping of chicken soup, or increase your mental powers with a serving of fish soup, you may find that this ancient Chinese custom could be just the tonic you were looking for.
1. What is the present situation of tonic food?| A．It is catching less attention. | B．It is enjoyed by many young people. |
| C．It is well-known worldwide. | D．It is becoming increasingly popular. |
| A．Chinese cabbage. | B．Fruit tea. |
| C．Sesame oil chicken soup. | D．Fish soup. |
| A．Medicine. | B．Restaurant. | C．Manufacture. | D．Agriculture. |
| A．The Charm of Chinese Cuisine | B．The Popularity of Tonic Food |
| C．An Introduction of Chinese Tonic Food | D．Differences Between “Hot” Food and “Cold” Food |
6 . Food plays an essential role in our lives and rightfully so: The food we eat is related to our culture.
It doesn’t matter where you’re from-you have to eat. Your social culture most likely developed from the need to eat. Once they surpassed hunting and gathering, many early civilizations organized themselves in ways that promoted food distribution and production. That also meant that the animals, land and resources you were near governed what you’d consume and how you’d prepare and cook it.
Food preservation techniques are unique to climates and lifestyles.
Ever wonder why the process to preserve meat is so different around the world?
The main local cuisines illustrate historical eating patterns.
Some societies have cuisines that are entirely based on meat, and others are almost entirely plant-based. India’s cuisine is extremely varied from region to region, with meat and wheat heavy dishes in the far north, to spectacular fish delicacies in the east, to rice-based vegetarian diets in the south.
Food tourism.
| A．Food affects the civilization |
| B．Food is a universal necessity |
| C．And the western part is home to strict vegetarians |
| D．Some people have a trip just for enjoying the food |
| E．It has to do with local resources, needs, and climates |
| F．You can learn much about a particular culture by exploring their food |
| G．Some people have taken the combination of food and culture to a new level |
More than20 types of delicacies (美食) from Fujian Province are making mouths water not only in China but across the world.
Twenty years ago, Luo Guangcan, 59, from Xiamao township in the county, worked in a local shoe factory to make
He has developed these restaurants since 2007, and four years ago,
Over 60,000 people —
Later, I had a chance to experience authentic Chinese food by coming to China. When my family and I had just arrived in China, we went looking for a good place
We soon moved to Shandong Province
9 . How do you know if a watermelon is perfectly ripe? Well, one theory is that if you knock hard on the outside, the sound you hear will help determine if it’s ready to eat. That theory led to a huge online debate in China about what kind of people tend to engage in the art of “watermelon knocking”.
The discussion, which thousands of people contributed to on the Chinese micro-blogging site Sina Weibo, was kicked off by an unknown event thousands of miles away in Italy.
It all began when a Chinese social media user posted the picture of a sign in an Italian supermarket asking customers not to knock on the watermelons. The sign was stuck in a full box of watermelons which read,“Please stop knocking on the watermelons. They will not respond to it!”
There was no indication that the supermarket was targeting this message at customers with Chinese heritage. The sign was in Italian, not Mandarin. But somehow it was taken as an attack on a practice which some Chinese observers regarded as being unique to their national customs.
Many shared jokes aimed at the supermarket sign.
Online users are keen to show they know better, especially on the subject of watermelons.
A quick online search will reveal that Chinese social media users are not alone in their thinking. Watermelon knocking and listening for a hollow sound is indeed a nearly universal concept. It even appears in films. The popular Russian cartoon, Nu, pogodi!, includes watermelon knocking as part of an episode.
There are no absolute guarantees about what to do when it comes to choosing fruit. But at the risk of causing an international diplomatic incident we would suggest some common ground about what to look for to choose the perfect watermelon.
Feel the weight of the melon. The heavier, the better.
Press on the watermelon. It should feel firm and if it springs back, it’s ready to eat.
Look at the markings on the melon. A yellow patch on one end indicates it’s ready.
Of course if all these fail, you could always, knock and wait for a reply.
1. What was the cause of the heated discussion?| A．The art of watermelon knocking. |
| B．Whether the watermelon is ripe. |
| C．The traditional Italian customs in the supermarket. |
| D．The picture of a sign in an Italian supermarket. |
| A．serious | B．humorous |
| C．approving | D．critical |
| A．by feeling the weight |
| B．by waiting for a response |
| C．by pressing |
| D．by observing markings |
| A．To bring up an international diplomatic incident. |
| B．To present a research result. |
| C．To give practical advice by telling a story. |
| D．To introduce the traditional customs of Italy. |
要求：1．阐明写信事由；
2．推荐该小吃的缘由；
3．欢迎Mike来中国游玩。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Mike,
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Yours,
Li Hua
