1 . Cooking Robots Are Gaining Public Attention
The smart restaurant at the Main Media Center of Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games was once a hot topic during the 2022 Winter Olympics, attracting much attention online. In this restaurant, there was no chef or waiter to serve dishes. Chinese food, western food and cocktail were all prepared by robots. Customers could scan the QR code on the dining table to order, and the dishes would be transported to the table through the cloud rail system above, and then the cable would be lowered to put the dishes in front of the customer. Many Chinese and foreign journalists came to take pictures and videos of the process. Some videos shot by foreign journalists have gone viral on the Internet, making viewers around the world terribly amazed.
Yan Weixin, doctoral supervisor and associate researcher of the Robotics Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, has been developing Chinese cuisine-cooking robots for over 17 years, and has developed more than 60 catering service robots. “Intelligent robot technology can operate according to a standardized Chinese food cooking process, which I believe has a promising prospect in application,” said Yan Weixin.
It’s quite accidental for Yan to start studying cooking robots. When he was choosing his doctoral research project in 2005, the one that he had planned to take was chosen by someone else. Yan’s supervisor made a joke in his office that an overweight man may be suitable for the development of cooking robots. Thanks to his words, by now, Yan has developed more than 60 catering service robots, including four types of functional components: pots and pans, other tools, firepower controllers and feeding tools, and has been granted nearly 30 patents.
Since the advent, these Chinese cuisine cooking robots have been soon used in restaurants and canteens, showing prominent advantages in using standardized cooking process, lowering labor costs, and reducing food safety risks through unmanned operation. And robots also help to inherit and spread Chinese cooking culture. “We have worked with a number of culinary masters to record their use of cooking ingredients and heat control, turn it into standardized recipes and then input them into the robot control systems so as to reproduce the culinary skills of the masters,” said Yan.
To the delight of this robot expert, a take-out company recently came to him to negotiate about cooperation in developing a series of special cooking robots so as to improve the cooking efficiency and reduce the labor costs. In the foreseeable future, the standardized Chinese food cooked by robots may reach thousands of households through take-out.
1. The underlined phrase “go viral” in the first paragraph probably means “________”.| A．gain popularity | B．become controversial |
| C．earn money | D．change for the better |
| A．It did not need any employees thanks to the advanced robotic technology. |
| B．With a smartphone in hand, customers could get what they wanted to eat in it. |
| C．The cooking robots in it were all developed by a researcher from Shanghai. |
| D．It is 17 years since the cooking robots applied in it was put into practical use. |
| A．Yan Weixin’s supervisor | B．Yan Weixin |
| C．Bing Dwen Dwen | D．a Chinse cuisine lover |
| A．Negative | B．Neutral | C．Supportive | D．Cautious |
2 . 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. |
3 . What will restaurants look like in the future? What would your dinner taste like if a robot cooked it? A robot restaurant in Tianjin may give you the answers.
Covering an area of over 400 square meters with a total of 112 seats, the X Future Restaurant is a robot restaurant opened in November 2018. The restaurant has amazed customers with its fully-automated technology, which covers every step of the dining experience, from ordering to cooking to serving the dishes and even taking payment.
Entering the restaurant, one can order dishes by simply scanning the QR codes on the table. There are over 40 choices of dishes. After taking the order, “robot cooks” prepare dishes using fixed time, temperature and ingredients designed by famous Chinese cooks.
“As the cooking is controlled by a computer system, the taste and quality of dishes can be good,”said Li Xiaokui, manager of the X Future Restaurant.
Robots also complete the delivery of dishes. Without following any designed route, the robot waiters serve meals thanks to automated driving technology, which helps each robot timely change its route when something is in the way.
These eye-catching technologies have received wide praise from customers. “The dishes taste surprisingly good. I couldn’t believe that they were made by robots, especially dishes that were difficult to cook”, one customer said. “The application of robots has increased our efficiency and cut down our costs,” Li said, “I think robot restaurants will develop fast and have a bright future.”
1. What do we know about the X Future Restaurant?| A．It covers over 112 square meters with 400 seats. |
| B．Customers could enjoy fully-automated services |
| C．Robot waiters deliver dishes following fixed routes. |
| D．Robot cooks design dishes by themselves. |
| A．They are prepared by human cooks. | B．They are not accepted by customers. |
| C．They are ordered by scanning QR codes. | D．They are not easy for robots to prepare. |
| A．Worried | B．Doubtful. | C．Puzzled. | D．Hopeful. |
| A．A Robot Restaurant Was Opened in Tianjin. | B．Robots Cook Delicious Dishes like Humans. |
| C．The X Future Restaurant Has Become Popular. | D．Robots Are Helpful in Many Restaurants. |
4 . I still remember my first time going to the canteen.
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
I am still getting used to eating lunch at “lunch time”, but I think the schedule definitely helps keep me on track during the day. I wish there was something like this at offices in my hometown.
| A．I was not very familiar with the local food or restaurants in China. |
| B．only being open a few hours per day. |
| 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 lunch room. |
| F．And now I am glad to say I am more confident in the canteen. |
| G．I thought I had missed a fire drill or an emergency evacuation. |
5 . 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 |
6 . 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. |
7 . Social media promotion (促销) has become so important nowadays that businesses are offering freebies to anyone with a certain following on popular social networks. Case in point, this Milan-based restaurant that offers free sushi to people with a bit of influence on Instagram.
Matteo and Tomaso Pittarello, the owners of the “This Is Not a Sushibar” restaurant in Milan, are well aware of the potential (潜力) of social networks like Instagram, and they’re more than willing to give away some sushi, if it means getting some exposure (曝光). At their restaurant, people have the classic payment choices-cash or card-plus a novel one, paying in Instagram followers. ① The idea is pretty simple: the more followers you have, the more you can eat without having to spend a cent.
It makes sense that Instagram stars with hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers get the most free food, but even a few 1,000 followers on the photo-sharing platform will get you a free bit to it Customers who have between 1,000 and 5,000 followers will get a free sushi plate. 5,000 to 10,000 followers get you two free plates, 10,000 to 50,000, four free dishes, 50,000 to 100,000 followers, eight dishes, and people with 100,000 Instagram followers get a free full lunch or dinner.
② Just having a lot of followers isn’t enough, customers also have to publish a post on their Instagram account and tag @thisisnotasishibar and include the hashtag #thisisnotasushibar. will only receive their free sushi after showing the publish post at the counter.
③ “Today, advertising (广告) on social networks and, in particular, Instagram, is what works best,” the Pittarello brothers said, adding that the aim of their Instagram payment method is twofold--by involving Instagrammers both big and small, the business will get bigger exposure, and it will also make customers feel engaged in the project.
“This Is Not a Sushibar” introduced the payment alternative (选择), but we’ll have to wait and see how long it will exist for. ④ . Without a set limit of daily Instagram payments, I think the restaurant may start recording losses pretty soon. After all, 1,000 followers on Instagram are not that hard to get, and people will rarely say no to a free lunch.
1. The underlined word “novel” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ________.| A．free | B．new |
| C．fun | D．easy |
| A．Customers prefer to pay by Instagram rather than in cash or by bank card. |
| B．Thousands of Instagram users have enjoyed the restaurant’s free sushi. |
| C．The Pittarello brothers don’t want to advertise through traditional media. |
| D．Asking customers to publish a post benefits both businesses and customers. |
| A．① | B．② |
| C．③ | D．④ |
| A．Concerned. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Objective. |
8 . Instagram is containing so many photos of food — now a pop-up diner in London is taking advantage of this new trend by letting people settle the bill for their meals simply by uploading photos of their dishes to social networks.
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 to photographing food and sharing the pictures online. They conducted a survey and found 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 Instagram it.
The restaurant is a part of Birds Eye's 'Food for Life' campaign(活动), 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.
1. Instagram probably is ____.| A．a restaurant free of charge | B．a new marketing project |
| C．a project used to share photos | D．a campaign of “Food for Life” |
| A．attract more customers | B．raise the price of frozen food |
| C．create a new social media trend | D．reward the regular customers |
| A．negative | B．neutral (中立的) |
| C．positive | D．angry |
| A．No Need to Pay. | B．The Pop-up Diner. |
| C．Food for Life. | D．Pay by Picture. |
Cathedral City
The Indian Oven in the city will give you a high-quality dining experience. It’s a restaurant with traditional Indian dishes. All of the lunch specials are $5.95 and are served from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm. The windows of the restaurants give you the beautiful views of desert mountain scenes. You need to call 92234(760)770-3918 to book a table.
Palm Desert
Palm Desert, a city in Riverside County, has a number of free desert hiking trails(小径). They are named after famous Western Hollywood cowboys. The trails are fun to hike on. At some points they go up very high and you can get a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding desert cities. The paths are dusty, so bring some good hiking boots and hats. Do bring some water and your phone. It’s great for an afternoon hike after 2 pm. Call 92260(760)340-0574 or 92253(760)564-4712 to learn more.
Lake Cahuilla
Away from the busy streets of the city of Palm Springs, Lake Cahuilla is a great recreational(娱乐的) area you can visit in La Quinta. It is at the foot of the Santa Rosa Mountains. It costs $3.00 for per person to enter the area, but a half for kids under 7. The activities include: camping, fishing, bicycling, and horseback riding. If you want to save on rooms, you can stay in an RV. Call 92278(760)664-7215 and you’ll learn something else.
1. The desert hiking trails__________.
| A．are named after some famous people |
| B．reach the top of some high mountains. |
| C．provide visitors with free water and food. |
| D．have attracted many well-known cowboys. |
| A．92260(760)340-0574 | B．92278(760)664-7215 |
| C．92234(760)770-3918 | D．92253(760)564-4712 |
| A．the Indian Oven must be a well-known restaurant in India. |
| B．kids enjoy the hiking trails in Palm Desert at half price. |
| C．Palm Desert has been badly polluted by human activities. |
| D．staying in an RV costs less than staying in a hotel room. |
