1 . Please sit down and enjoy your meal. Just don’t talk about it.
These are the requirements at a popular dining party that is known as “silent dinners”. It encourages people who take part in the dining party not to speak for one to two hours and not to use electronic devices. Instead, the idea is to just on the food.
“Silent dinner parties are fast growing, ” said Honi Ryan, who has hosted 32 silent dinner parties in 11 cities across eight countries, including Germany, Australia and the United States. “The way we communicate is changing so fast that we need to stop and think about it. ”
According to a 2013 nationwide survey, restaurant noise came in second only to poor service among customer (顾客) complaints. And 19 percent of diners who took part in the survey said noise and crowds disturbed them most while eating out.
Though silent dinners may seem curious, the idea is not a new one. Yogis (瑜伽信徒) have long enjoyed silent meals as part of a deepened practice. In fact, it was a trip to a temple (寺庙) in India by a man that encouraged one Brooklyn restaurant recently to add a silent dinner to its event programming.
“We’ll make a small speech at the beginning of the meal to make sure everyone understands what is happening and ask them not to speak or use their mobile phones for at least an hour, ” said EAT Greenpoint owner Jordan Colon. And background music will be turned off, too.
“It’s funny; when I first opened EAT, I didn’t play music for some time and people had very different reactions (反映) to that,” said Colon. “Some people who come out to eat are ready to party, but it was so quiet without music. But I wanted to create an environment that makes you relaxed. ”
Although personal reactions to a silent dinner may be various, in general they are more likely to get into a lot of talk afterwards, said Ryan. “At the end of the night people always have a lot to say about silence. But the most reaction is that there is always a good laugh.”
1. The first paragraph is written to be a(n)____ .| A．Conclusion | B．Introduction |
| C．Argument | D．warning |
| A．leave before they finish eating | B．just pay attention to the food |
| C．use a mobile phone or listen to music | D．take electronic devices to the party |
| A．Silent meals help people live longer. |
| B．Yogis are the first to hold silent dinners. |
| C．More and more people like eating in silence. |
| D．The idea of eating in silence appeared long ago. |
| A．make people comfortable and relaxed | B．are hard to be accepted by most people |
| C．can help him to attract more customers | D．provide a chance to get to know others |
2 . “I know when to go out, and when to stay in.”, English rock star David Bowie once confidently sang in his hit single. When it comes to consuming food, the decisiveness claimed by the singer-songwriter is hard to achieve. I disagree with the statement and argue it’s better to eat out than to order home delivery.
To begin with, when setting foot in a restaurant, we’re immediately greeted not only by a server ready to seat us, but by a flood of physical feelings—the eyes take in the internal decoration of the place, the nose breathes in the pleasant smell of expertly plated food and the ears pick up on competing sounds of customer chatter and attractive in-store music. To eat out is to experience an atmosphere unique to each restaurant. Something as special as that simply can’t be reproduced by ordering home delivery. Eating out is, without doubt, the more exciting and thus better choice.
Eating out becomes even more appealing when staying home proves too painful. Whether it is because we need a temporary fight from our family or that we simply want to spend some quality time outside with loved ones, going out for a meal can be a break from the hard labour of domestic living.
We could take it as an opportunity for self-care—to treat ourselves by dressing up, arriving in style at a fancy restaurant and ordering a slightly more luxurious meal to refresh our weary soul. Ordering home delivery would only contribute to feelings of being penned in while; eating out is an escape for the trapped individual. Food delivery app users reason it’s a trouble and less convenient to dress up and eat out.
However, it’s worth noting we may not always get our food in the most satisfactory condition when opting for home delivery. There’s a risk of receiving food orders with missing items or even entirely wrong orders that can’t be sent back. What we sacrifice for convenience might just wind up being inconvenient. Consequently, it makes more sense to eat out rather than risk disappointment by ordering home delivery.
1. What does the author mainly talk about?| A．Dining options. | B．Cuisine culture. |
| C．Consumption level. | D．Food categories. |
| A．Quality service. | B．Comfort and convenience. |
| C．Sensory enjoyment. | D．A reasonable mix of nutrition. |
| A．It’s quite pricey. | B．It may let consumers down. |
| C．It may cause food waste. | D．It’s not environmental-friendly. |
| A．By providing examples. | B．By following space order. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By analyzing mental processes. |
3 . In the worsening economic environment, restaurants a returning to sharing menus to stop hard up customers from cutting back on starters and desserts.
Expenses in restaurants have fallen by 14 percent, from £ 25.38 to £ 21.80 per head, in part because customers are having main courses only and skipping starters and desserts, the research firm Lumina Intelligence has found. This is also hitting receipts from drinks, with the number of meals including alcohol falling from 38.5 percent to 33.9 percent. “To increase profit, restaurants are introducing sharing dishes across courses, including starter and dessert dishes, to encourage customers to spend more,” according to Lumina Intelligence.
Linden Stores, a restaurant that is owned by Laura Christie and her husband and was relocated to the village of Audlem from London in 2020, started a whole new menu of modern British food, with two people sharing seven dishes recently. And, for Christie, it was really a bolt out of the blue. “I wasn’t expecting it to be such a hit,” said Christie. “It was quite a new idea for people. We’re in a small village but it turned out we were breaking more boundaries than we’d thought with this sharing concept.”
Linden Stores is not alone in rethinking its menu to make sharing food more commonplace. A large number of restaurants are following this, among which is El Pastor, a group of Mexican restaurants in London. Actually, stealing your partner’s dessert is a time-honoured restaurant tradition, but restaurant owners are increasingly offering two spoons as a matter of course as sharing food become the latest way for the hospitality industry to fight the recession (经济萧条).
Sharing works because restaurants have become less formal, Christie believes. “It makes people feel like they’re getting more of an experience. Sharing food offers a delicious and exciting way to put together history, culture, and love. It helps save diners’ spend per head. It also helps with the efficiency of restaurants, because you know what you’re having to prepare and you need fewer people to deliver it because you know, ahead of time, what you’re doing.”
1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?| A．Add some background information. | B．Describe people’s new food preference. |
| C．Introduce a new topic for discussion. | D．State restaurants’ effort to make a profit. |
| A．Christie had a clear vision of what she really wanted to do. |
| B．Christie was shocked by the reaction to sharing menus. |
| C．Christie was in a totally disturbed state of mind. |
| D．Christie found it hard to encourage innovation. |
| A．To explain the tradition of sharing food. | B．To prove the success of Linden Stores’ reform. |
| C．To present attempts at fighting the recession. | D．To show sharing menus’ popularity with restaurants. |
| A．Food is a vital element of culture. | B．Advance preparation makes a big difference. |
| C．Sharing menus is a win-win thing. | D．Food sharing helps people bond together closely. |
4 . I had moved to Japan for a long- term client consulting engagement. After a few days in a Tokyo hotel I moved to an apartment. After being moved in by my colleagues, it was time to get dinner. I found a pizza deliver flyer in my mailbox, and decided to simply order a pizza as. I might have the previous week in Manhattan. The phone call to Cali Pizza was easier than anticipated and while waiting for the pizza I set about unpacking.
Unfortunately, after 45 minutes no pizza. I figured that my “easy” call really wasn’t and that I would need to make alternate plans for dinner. While thinking about what to do next, my phone rang. It was Cali Pizza calling to say that they could not find my apartment based on the address that I had given them. Once it was determined that I had provided an incorrect address, the clerk on the phone asked me to describe what I could see from my window. After some back and forth they seemed satisfied that they knew where I was.
A few minutes later the pizza arrived, This is when my “customer delight” experience took over. First, the delivery person apologized repeatedly for being late, then he showed me the small blue metal plate on my building with the correct address, and finally he refused to accept payment for the pizza because he was late. Net result: one delighted customer (me), and frequent orders from Cali Pizza during my two-year stay in Japan.
Such “customer delight” experiences become stories I have used to illustrate what it means to truly delight a customer.
1. What did the writer do first after he moved in the apartment?| A．Deliver flyers. | B．Place an order. |
| C．Call his colleagues. | D．Set about unpacking. |
| A．The number on the flyer was inaccurate. |
| B．The clerk was unfamiliar with the address. |
| C．The wrier provided an inaccurate address. |
| D．The pizza was sent to a wrong address. |
| A．Disappeared. | B．Dominated. | C．Promoted. | D．Decreased. |
| A．It’s never easy to settle down in a new city. |
| B．A delayed delivery may result in good profit. |
| C．One can’t be too careful when placing an order. |
| D．A short-term loss of benefit may reward a lot. |
5 . Almost anywhere you go in the United States, you're bound to find a fast-food joint to serve you quick and tasty food. Datassential, a consumer research brand, conducted a survey and reported on the percentage of customers who said their last visit to one of these fast food joints.
Sbarro
Nothing says easy eating like ordering a pizza. In fact, you can quickly satisfy your Italian craving (渴望)by going to one of the Brooklyn-based pizza joints now located in over 20 countries. To prove how simple it is to get your extra large slice, take it from the 66 percent of customers who said they last went to Sbarro because it was a convenient option.
Denny's
This American diner is where you can go to order a Grand Slam at any hour of the day, Seriously, what could be better than a full plate of diner food at midnight? Perhaps some of their 24-hour locations contributed to 66 percent of customers saying that eating at Denny's was convenient for them.
Quiznos Subs
Making your own sandwich is a great option for a grab-and-go lunch, It's so convenient that 65 percent of customers said that's the reason why they last ate at a Quiznos, However, eating an Italian sub might not always be the healthiest option. These are the 9 foods nutritionists never order at fast food restaurants.
McDonald's
In the United States, there are over 14,000 McDonalds locations! Having so many golden arches glowing across the states helps place Mickey D's at the number one spot of most convenient fast-food restaurants. Of the customers surveyed, 72 percent went to McDonalds last because it was the most convenient option.
1. Which is the most convenient restaurant?| A．Sbarro. | B．Denny's. | C．Quiznos Subs. | D．McDonald's. |
| A．24-hour locations. | B．Midnight customers. |
| C．Brooklyn-based pizza. | D．The grab- and-go lunch. |
| A．They are located in many countries. | B．They provide Italian fast food. |
| C．They sell nutritional meals. | D．They serve quick and tasty food. |
6 . How to Order Coffee at Starbucks
Learning how to order coffee at Starbucks can be tricky, and if you think that ordering coffee at Starbucks is confusing, you are not alone.
For ordering basic coffee, beyond specifying the size you want, you will need to tell the server whether you want regular or decaffeinated (脱去咖啡因的)coffee.
When you order, say the size you want first, then give the name of the drink, and finally add the special instructions last.
| A．Starbucks is often a very busy place |
| B．Starbucks offers all kinds of coffee |
| C．Otherwise，they will assume that you want regular |
| D．Sometimes they will write your name in short forms |
| E．The ordering process is complicated because they use terms to describe drink size |
| F．Finally, if you are very particular about the freshness of your coffee, ask in advance |
| G．Your name will immediately be written on your cup and called out when, your drink is ready |
7 . What's the point in dining out when we can have whatever meal we want delivered to our homes as we watch movies on our giant flat-screen TVs? According to statistics from Technomic, 86% of consumers are using off-premise (非经营场所的) channels at least once a month, and a third of consumers are using it more than they did a year ago.
Most restaurants companies are chasing these trends simply to keep up with quickly changing consumer demands. Fazoli's has spent the past two years investing in its drive-through, carryout, catering and delivery businesses, and has launched a new loyalty app aimed at making carryout orders easier. These efforts have paid off so far- off-premise sales are up 18.5% over last year for the company, said Jennifer Crawford, director of off-premise sales at Fazoli's.
But, she notes that sales aren't the only benefit to giving priority to these channels.“The off-premise channel is a great opportunity to communicate and connect with a new consumer group," Crawford said.“Many of our off-premise guests have not dined in a Fazoli's or experienced our menu. With options like third-party delivery and online ordering, we have the capability to tap into potential new guests.
Sales lifts and new customer potential are great rewards, to be sure. But that doesn't mean carrying out off-premise channels comes without challenges. Crawford said a big one is the lack of control and maintaining the guest relationship.“When a guest dines in, we can provide a level of service that improves the consumer dining experience," she said, The lack of control extends into the digital experience, as third-party apps can also be an issue. “Orders are not often processed properly due to the drop-down menus and default (默认) orders in third-party software," Crawford said. She adds that staffing issues can also arise when heavy delivery periods overlap strong in-restaurant traffic and maintaining food quality and integrity (完整) during drive time is tricky with certain dishes.
Nevertheless, Crawford believes the juice is very much worth the squeeze.“Across the industry, dine-in traffic continues to decline or remain flat. If brands are not driving sales through catering, carryout and delivery, they are missing out on income," she said.
1. Why does Fazoli's invest in off-premise channels?| A．Because it wants to see the potential of its consumers. |
| B．Because it wants to keep up with the latest changes. |
| C．Because it wants to survive in the changing consumer landscape. |
| D．Because it wants to communicate and connect with its new consumers. |
| A．it is challenging to maintain quality and integrity of dishes during delivery |
| B．third-party apps cannot offer as good an experience of ordering as restaurants |
| C．third-party apps may get out of control when consumers experience online ordering |
| D．during heavy delivery periods, more staff is always needed to deal with busy dine -in traffic |
| A．Cautious. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Ambiguous. | D．Favorable. |
| A．What challenges off-premise channels create. |
| B．How restaurants are adapting to the rise of takeout. |
| C．Why restaurants are prioritizing off-premise channels. |
| D．How important off- premise channels are for restaurants. |
8 . I still remember my first time going to the Chinese company's canteen. When I stepped onto the elevator, each one was full of people.
When I stood in the doorway, I realized I had to act fast or I would be left behind.
As I was pushed along the line, I saw dishes I didn't recognize and as people cut in line and picked up dishes left and right,
I have been at my company for over a year and a half.
I am still getting used to eating lunch at "lunchtime", but I think the schedule definitely helps keep me on track during the day. I wish there were something like this at offices in my hometown.
| A．I thought I had missed a fire drill. |
| B．There was no emergency; it was just lunchtime. |
| C．I noticed things at lunchtime were a bit different. |
| D．I felt that I needed to make some quick decisions. |
| E．The canteen reminded me of my school lunchroom. |
| F．And now I am glad to say I am more confident in the canteen. |
| G．I was not very familiar with the local food or restaurants in China. |
I always thought people’s taking pictures of their food was kind of silly, but at this new pop-up restaurant in the UK，I’d probably do it too．“The Picture House”is the world’s first pay-by-photo restaurant—you order， click a photo of the food，share on Instagram and eat for free!
The restaurant belongs to frozen food giant(巨人)Birds Eye，who came up with the idea to cash in on people’s addiction with photographing food and sharing the pictures online. They conducted a survey and found out that more than half of the British population regularly took pictures of their meals．So they realized it was a better way to advertise their new dining range．
The pop-up diner was open in Soho，London for three days in May，and is now moving to other major UK cities．They serve two-course meals that customers don’t have to pay for, if they photo and lnstagram it．
The restaurant is a part of Birds Eye’s“Food for Life”campaign，a new marketing project that aims at changing the way people look at frozen food．“Taking photos of food enables people to show off and to share their mealtime moments—from the everyday to the special，”said marketing director Margaret Jobling．
The reaction to The Picture House has been great so far And the pay-by-picture concept has proven to be an effective way．Alternative payment methods are actually gaining popularity among a lot of businesses．Last year in a cafe in Germany customers pay by how much time they spend there，not by what they eat．
1. Instagram probably is______．
| A．a restaurant free of chmge |
| B．a campaign of“Food for Life’’ |
| C．a program used to share photos |
| D．a new marketing project |
| A．Confused | B．Unconcerned |
| C．Opposed | D．Interested |
| A．raise the price of frozen food |
| B．attract more customers |
| C．create a new social media trend |
| D．reward the regular customers |
| A．Pay by Picture | B．The Pop-up Diner |
| C．No Need to Pay | D．Food for Life |
