1 . While tea may have originated in Asia, now there are many countries all around the world that have tea woven into their food culture and traditions. This is one of the very special parts of tea as it has a way of connecting people all over the world in different ways and ceremonies that finally all results in a group of people sitting together and enjoying a cup of tea.
Chinese tea culture
Since China is viewed as the birthplace of tea, it is no wonder that Chinese tea culture is rich with history and tradition. Today, Chinese tea continues to be used in Chinese medicine and is commonly consumed on both casual and formal occasions both for personal enjoyment and to represent Chinese cultural traditions.
Japanese tea culture
Japan also has a long history with tea, especially Japanese Matcha, which is a kind of ground green tea that is commonly used in Japanese tea ceremonies and only in recent years became popular in western culture.
British tea culture
When many people think about tea, British tea culture is what comes to mind. A hot cup of English Breakfast or Earl Grey tea serves with a little milk and a biscuit in the afternoon as a pick-me-up for the day. Even though tea may not be native to England, this British tea tradition is still going strong today.
Moroccan tea culture
When you visit Morocco, it is hard to miss the outstanding tea culture that is such a large part of Moroccan hospitality. Before any gathering, negotiation, or sale of a product, a pot of mint tea is always prepared and served among the host and guests. This is an expression of Moroccan tradition and hospitality, which should always be accepted by guests as a sign of appreciation and respect to the host.
1. Why can tea find its way into various food cultures?| A．It originates in Asia. | B．It forms different ceremonies. |
| C．It gets people connected easily. | D．It allows people to sit together. |
| A．They have a long history. |
| B．They are used in medicine. |
| C．They are famous for ground green tea. |
| D．They’ve long gained worldwide recognition. |
| A．To get new energy. | B．To bring out respect. |
| C．To show hospitality. | D．To observe a tradition. |
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
3 . The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Winter Solstice, the 22nd solar term of the year, begins this year on Dec 21. Here are several things you should know about Winter Solstice.
The Winter Solstice Festival
There was a saying in ancient China, “The Winter Solstice is as significant as the Spring Festival.” As early as the Zhou Dynasty, people worshiped the gods on the first day of the Winter Solstice, which also was the first day of the new year. The Winter Solstice became a winter festival during the Han Dynasty. The celebratory activities were officially organized. On this day, both officials and common people would have a rest. During the following dynasties, such as the Tang , Song and Qing dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a day to offer sacrifices to Heaven and to ancestors.
Eating dumplings
During Winter Solstice in North China, eating dumplings is essential to the festival. There is a saying that goes “Have dumplings on the first day of Winter Solstice and noodles on the first day of Summer Solstice.”
Eating tangyuan
In places such as Shanghai, people eat tangyuan, a kind of stuffed small dumpling ball made of sticky rice flour, to celebrate Winter Solstice.
Eating rice cakes
During the Winter Solstice, Hangzhou residents traditionally eat rice cakes. In the past, before the approach of the winter solstice, every household would make the cakes to worship their ancestors or use as gifts for relatives and friends. Today, though fewer families eat homemade cakes, people there still buy rice cakes for the Winter Solstice Festival.
Eating mutton and vermicelli soup
In Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, people call midwinter the “Ghost Festival”. On that day, it is customary for people there to drink mutton and vermicelli soup and eat the dumplings in the soup. They give the midwinter soup a strange name “brain” and share it with their neighbors.
1. Which of the following statements is true?| A．People started to offer sacrifices to ancestors in the Han Dynasty. |
| B．It is an old tradition to worship the gods during the Winter Solstice. |
| C．Only officials could celebrate the Winter Solstice in the Han Dynasty. |
| D．The Winter Solstice became an official festival during the Zhou Dynasty. |
| A．Tangyuan. | B．Rice cakes. | C．Dumplings. | D．Noodles. |
| A．North China and Hangzhou. | B．Hangzhou and Shanghai. |
| C．Shanghai and Ningxia. | D．Ningxia and North China. |
4 . Safety is the usual choice for global travelers when faced with a menu of unknown dishes. But a great meal crosses all cultural boundaries, and sharing the food of your host country is the best way to connect with its people and culture.
Italy
Pizza is not a new thing for you. But locals say there’s something in the water in Naples that ensures you will never have a pizza like it anywhere else in the world. If you’re lucky enough to be around during the autumn truffle (松露) season, try uova con tartufi — fried eggs with truffle oil. It can’t be found on restaurant menus, but chefs from Tuscany and Umbria will know what you mean if you ask for it.
Spain
If you’re anywhere in Spain, you must try Manchego. It has a strong flavor, and enjoying it along with bread, served with olives and meat or accompanied by red wine makes a perfect choice. Barcelona is part of Catalunya, a region in Spain that has a very special food culture. Must-haves include patatas bravas, crisp (脆的) fried potatoes with a secret sauce, and mel i mato, a curd cheese and honey dessert cooked in a pot. Even if you’re rushing on an overnight trip through Barcelona, don’t leave without trying them!
Russia
The best meals are worth the money in Russia. If you see solyanka on the menu, don’t hesitate to order. This salty, sour and often spicy soup combined with meat or fish and topped with a Russian sour cream, is delicious. Borscht and pelmeni are common in Russia, but experiment with different varieties. If you find the time, a culinary (美食的) side trip in search of Azerbaijaini plov, a spiced rice dish cooked with meat and dried fruit, is worth the journey.
1. If you are a cheese lover, you can choose ________.| A．Manchego | B．uova con tartufi |
| C．solyanka | D．mel i mato |
| A．You must eat Manchego with red wine. |
| B．The sweetness of water gives Naples’ pizza a special flavor. |
| C．You may spend quite some money trying best food in Russia. |
| D．Uova con tartufi is not allowed to be put on Italian restaurant menus. |
| A．Global Economy. | B．Life on the Go. |
| C．Entertainment. | D．A Bite of Europe. |
5 . Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, has an ancient competition with Chongqing, a city to its south-east. Residents of Chongqing accused their Chengdu cousins of being pompous (自大的). The people of Chongqing were hotheads, Chengdu residents shot back. Both cities share a love of spice-laden Sichuan cuisine, which in recent decades has occupied Chinese dinner tables. But they are at war over which has the best Sichuan hotpot—a type of DIY-cooking that involves boiling vegetables and slices of meat with chillies and numbing peppercorns.
A private museum in Chongqing, opened several years ago, makes the case for the Chongqing-style hotpot. It describes how it developed from a method used to make cheap offcuts of meat taste delicious. But Chengdu is playing catch-up. In January the city sold a plot of land on condition that the developer build a hotpot museum on part of it.
The two cities are among many in China with their own styles of hotpot. Hotpot restaurants in China are more profitable than other kinds. Haidilao, a well-known Sichuan-based hotpot chain, raised nearly $1bn when it was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (股票交易所) in September.
Not all Chinese warm to hotpot. Some older Sichuanese refuse to be connected with it. They complain that it is causing overuse of chilli in other dishes that cover up the original genuine flavours.
But Chengdu’s plans for a museum suggest that Sichuan hotpot is not only growing in popularity, but is also becoming symbolic. If it can set the West on fire, officials may hope it will become a delicious new source of Chinese soft power. There will be plenty of glory for both Chengdu and Chongqing to take pride in if that happens.
1. Why are Chengdu and Chongqing competing with each other?| A．Because Chengdu people think Chongqing people are pompous. |
| B．Because Chengdu residents like to shoot back in battles. |
| C．Because they both think they are better at eating spicy food. |
| D．Because they both believe they have the best Sichuan hotpot. |
| A．To compete with Chongqing. | B．To advertise Sichuan cuisine. |
| C．To show their love for hotpot. | D．To keep the hotpot tradition. |
| A．The two cities have competed only in recent decades. |
| B．More hotpot museums will be built in the future. |
| C．Hotpot is already a source of Chinese soft power. |
| D．People hold a high expectation for hotpot culture. |
| A．Growing Popularity of Hotpot in Two Cities |
| B．Two Cities’ War Over Tastiest Sichuan Hotpot |
| C．“No Hotpot, No Happiness” True in Food Business |
| D．Private Museum in Chongqing Opened First |
6 . Chinese people are, quite rightly, proud of their food. However, when foreigners like Britons and Americans think of Chinese food, their impression of it is different to what you might think.
Growing up in the UK, the Chinese food I was used to eating was food I now recognize as being from Guangdong. For example, a typical dish I would order would be pork in sweet and sour sauce, probably with some rice and spring rolls on the side. This is the type of food we generally eat because most Chinese immigrants(移民) to the UK have come from Guangdong. You can tell, because when most British people try to copy the sound of Chinese, they actually copy the sound of Guangdong people—hearing the real Putonghua is sometimes a shock to British people who have grown up thinking it sounds completely different!
British attitudes to Chinese food may be changing, though. Chinese-American chef Ken Hom has been on British TV for 30 years, and he told BBC Food: “Chinese food at the beginning of the 80s (in the UK) was sweet and sour pork, mainly. Most Brits had the unchangeable view of Chinese food. Now you are seeing more local Chinese food from Sichuan, Hunan and other areas of China. It is no longer just Guangdong food.” Similarly, to most Americans, Chinese food doesn’t go too far past orange chicken and fortune cookies, but more Chinese local dishes are becoming successful, especially in big cities like New York.
Attitudes have not quite changed completely, though. Many foreigners who live in China will be familiar with this question from a relative back at home: “Have they given you dog yet?” Yes, perhaps because people still know too little about Chinese culture, many people believe that Chinese people love to eat dog meat. And of course, some people do eat dogs, which to Americans is like “eating a member of one’s family” according to Vision Times. Also, Chinese people eat many other things people in the West do not—chicken claws, duck heads and some animals’ organs.
But what do foreigners think when they come to China and taste real Chinese food? You’ll be glad to know that in my experience, the impressions have been very good.
1. Why are some British people surprised when they hear the real Putonghua?| A．Because it sounds too funny to believe. |
| B．Because it’s different from what they hear. |
| C．Because they all find it hard to learn. |
| D．Because nobody has been to China before. |
| A．Popular. | B．Tastier. |
| C．Richer | D．Best. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By making inferences. |
| C．By analyzing. | D．By reasoning. |
| A．Foreigners don’t like eating dog meat at all. |
| B．Chinese hate dogs so they often eat them. |
| C．Chinese eat everything including dog meat. |
| D．There are differences between cultures. |
In much of Asia, especially the so-called “rice bowl” cultures of China, Japan, Korea,
Chopsticks are usually two long, thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic. Truly elegant chopsticks might
The Chinese have used chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked their food in large pots,
Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs which
Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius,
Chopsticks are not used everywhere in Asia. In India, for example, most people traditionally eat
But in many other homes, this china-and-silver elegance has given way to a stoneware (粗陶)-and-stainless informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual-Friday look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times.
Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is eliminating 1,000 jobs—one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4,000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery (陶瓷) region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.
Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend” toward casual dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television.
Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it’s better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real” dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the silver? Who has time?
Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of etiquette (礼节) that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents (“Chew with your mouth closed.” “Keep your elbows off the table.”) must be picked up elsewhere. Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be able professionally but inexperienced socially.
1. Why do people tend to follow the trend to casual dining?
| A．Family members need more time to relax. |
| B．Busy schedules leave people no time for formality. |
| C．People prefer to live a comfortable life. |
| D．Young people won’t follow the etiquette of the older generation. |
| A．a seller of stainless steel tableware | B．a dealer in stoneware |
| C．a pottery chain store | D．a producer of fine china |
| A．the increased value of the pound | B．the worsening economy in Asia |
| C．the change in people’s way of life | D．the fierce competition at home and abroad |
| A．are still a must on certain occasions | B．are certain to return sooner or later |
| C．are still being taught by parents at home | D．can help improve personal relationships |
According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a fairly long time at the table, while Americans see eating as something to be squeezed (挤出) between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans lose the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have stopped. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and frozen foods for the week. The French, instead, tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers’ markets where they have a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as high-quality meats for each meal.
After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, decided to write about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid food. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.
In spite of all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style changes may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity - or extreme overweight - among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains acceptance and the young reject (拒绝) older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17% - and is growing.
1. In what way are the French different from Americans according to Dr. Joseph Mercola?
| A．They go shopping at supermarkets more frequently. |
| B．They regard eating as a key part of their life style. |
| C．They squeeze eating between the other daily activities. |
| D．They usually eat too much canned and frozen food. |
| A．children and adults | B．Americans and the French |
| C．life style and obesity | D．fast food and overweight |
| A．A health report | B．A book review |
| C．A TV interview | D．A food advertisement |
