1 . As a little girl, I’d sit in the kitchen and watch my mother cook, but I didn’t really get into cooking. When I graduated from college and moved lo Washington DC, I left all of my friends behind. There were no new roommates. I was on my own and felt lonely. Home-cooked meals were my best attempt at changing my condition.
So, I started calling my mom and asking for the recipes (食谱) for my favorite dishes. It turned out that my mom didn’t have any recipes. She couldn’t give me a single measurement (计量) for any dish. She grew up in the kitchen with her mom too, and my grandma shared her knowledge through oral (口头的) tradition. Then it was my turn. My mom taught me how to “measure with my heart” when cooking. I learned to cook by tasting and feeling my food. And my food was pretty good. Soon enough, everyone was asking me for the recipes. That was why Bun Bo Bae, my cooking blog, came into being in 2019.
Bun Bo Bae was a space for me to put what I learned into writing. I didn’t want all of the secret knowledge behind dishes like my mom’s noodles and my dad’s tomato soup to disappear if the oral tradition ended one day. I wanted to write down every piece of advice I was given in detail.
These days, I experiment more. I’m not as strict with myself about recreating the dishes exactly as I remember about eating them. I use seasonal food materials when I can’t find some items. My food blog and flower count grew, and so did my confidence in the kitchen.
Bun Bo Bae also increased my confidence at work and gave me a space to write about what I love. It has connected me to countless new Internet friends.
Most importantly, writing for Bun Bo Bae has taught me that celebrating my culture doesn’t have to be about perfectly recreating my parents’ tradition. It’s about mixing what I’ve been taught with my own experiences, and cooking up something entirely new.
1. Why did the author begin her home-cooked meals?A.To lead a healthy lifestyle. | B.To get rid of her loneliness. |
C.To try out her mother’s recipes. | D.To improve her cooking skills. |
A.She had trouble creating new recipes. |
B.She followed strict measurements in cooking. |
C.She made tastier dishes than her mom and grandma. |
D.She mastered cooking skills under her mom’s oral guidance. |
A.To bring her family members together. |
B.To discuss local fine foods with followers. |
C.To keep a record of her family’s cooking tradition. |
D.To encourage people to develop healthy eating habits. |
A.It’s important to learn a basic living skill, |
B.It’s necessary to share her food knowledge online. |
C.It’s better to understand different cooking cultures. |
D.It’s wise to connect traditional cooking methods with new ideas. |
2 . The benefits of cooking games for children
Various cooking games for children that are available online are more than just a fun pastime activity.
Online cooking games promote math and reading skills. The act of cooking, whether virtual or in the real world, requires a lot of counting and measuring, which promotes the development of fundamental mathematical abilities. Additionally, many free cooking games online require kids to read the recipes or lists of ingredients and then follow the directions.
Cooking games boost confidence and independence. When kids finish a task actively, they feel good about themselves and proud of what they’ve done. For example, some creative games allow kids to experiment with a chef’s role.
Cooking games improve social skills. Playing multiplayer games allows children to interact with others, solve problems in cooperation, and so on.
A.Cooking games enhance creativity. |
B.Cooking games stimulate children’s interest. |
C.So it’s advisable to play such online games with your friends. |
D.Thus kids can be taught to read and improve their vocabulary. |
E.Kids can master their cooking skills in the world of imagination. |
F.They provide a number of developmental and educational benefits as well. |
G.This is especially convenient for those kids lacking interpersonal skills in the real world. |
3 . Growing up in Philadelphia, Lieberman started cooking with his stay-at-home dad when he was seven. His food-loving family had two kitchens, and he quickly learned what was the best way to bake his cakes. Lieberman improved his kitchen skills greatly during a year abroad before college, learning from a cook in Italy and studying local specialties (地方特色菜) in Germany, Spain and France. At Yale, he was known for throwing dinner parties, single-handedly frying and baking while mixing drinks for dozens of friends. Just for fun, he and some friends decided to tape a show named Campus Cuisine about his cooking. Lieberman was a real college student showing his classmates how to do things like making drinks out of dining-hall fruit. That helped the show become very popular among the students. They would stop Lieberman after classes to ask for his advice on cooking. Tapes of the show were passed around, with which his name went beyond the school and finally to the Food Network.
Food Network producer Flay hopes the young cook will find a place on the network television. He says Lieberman’s charisma is key. “Food TV isn’t about food anymore,” says Flay. “It’s about your personality and finding a way to keep people’s eyeballs on your show.”
But Lieberman isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket. After taping the first season of the new show, Lieberman was back in his own small kitchen preparing sandwiches. An airline company was looking for someone to come up with a tasteful, inexpensive and easy-to-make menu to serve on its flights; Lieberman got the job.
1. What does the word “charisma” underlined in the text refer to?A.A natural ability to attract others. | B.A way to show one’s achievement. |
C.Lieberman’s after-class interest. | D.Lieberman’s fine cooking skill. |
A.He could prepare meals in a small kitchen. | B.He was famous for his show on Food TV. |
C.He was good at using eggs to make sandwiches. | D.He could cook cheap, delicious and simple meals. |
A.He is clever but lonely. | B.He is friendly and active. |
C.He enjoys traveling around. | D.He often changes his menus. |
4 . Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid is used to grilling guests on the sofa every morning, but she is cooking up a storm in her latest role — showing families how to prepare delicious and nutritious meals on a tight budget.
In Save Money: Good Food, she visits a different home each week and offers top tips on how to reduce food waste with the help of chef Matt Tebbutt, while she is preparing recipes for under £5 per family a day. And the Good Morning Britain presenter says she’s been able to put a lot of what she’s leant into practice in her own home, preparing meals for sons, Sam, 14, Finn, 13, and Jack, 11.
“We love Mexican churros, so I buy them on my phone from my local Mexican takeaway restaurant,” she explains. “I pay £5 for a portion (一份), but Matt makes them for 26p a portion, because they are flour, water, sugar and oil. Everybody can buy takeaway food, but sometimes we’re not aware how cheaply we can make this food ourselves.”
The eight-part series (系列节目), Save Money: Good Food, follows in the footsteps of ITV’s Save Money: Good Health, which gave viewers advice on how to get value from the vast range of health products on the market.
With food our biggest weekly household expense, Susanna and Matt spend time with a different family each week. In tonight’s Easter special they come to the aid of a family in need of some delicious inspiration on a budget. The team transforms the family’s long weekend of celebration with less expensive but still tasty recipes.
1. How does Matt Tebbutt help Susanna?A.He buys cooking materials for her. | B.He prepares food for her kids. |
C.He assists her in cooking matters. | D.He invites guest families for her. |
A.Summarize the previous paragraphs. | B.Provide some advice for the readers. |
C.Add some background information. | D.Introduce a new topic for discussion. |
A.Keeping Fit by Eating Smart | B.Balancing Our Daily Diet |
C.Making Yourself a Perfect Chef | D.Cooking Well for Less |
5 . Advice for Cooking on a Tight Schedule
From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don’t cook more often: ability, money, and time.
Think ahead. I usually think cooking is a pain when I’m already hungry and there is nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials already?
Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread?
Hopefully that gives you a good start.
A.Try new things. |
B.Ability is easily improved. |
C.Make three or four instead. |
D.Understand your food better. |
E.Cooking is a burden for many people. |
F.Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden. |
G.A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on. |
6 . CREAMY POTATO SALAD WITH CABBAGE
Ingredients ◎1.5 kg red potatoes ◎1 red onion ◎1/4 cup red wine vinegar ◎1 cup sour cream ◎l/2 cup kimchi (朝鲜泡菜) ◎Salt and pepper |
Method 1. Slice potatoes (skin left on) into 2cm thick slices. 2. Place potatoes in a medium pan, cover with cold water, and put some salt. 3. Cook until potatoes are soft but still holding their shape. 4. Let cool. 5. While the potatoes are cooking, cut the onion into rings. Put them in a small mixing bowl with the red wine vinegar. Stir (搅拌) every few minutes, until the onion rings are bright pink, about 20 minutes. 6. Mix the sour cream with kimchi together in a bowl, and add salt and pepper. 7. Gently stir the sour cream into the cooled potatoes until slices are well coated. Serve straight away, or refrigerate up to 8 hours before serving. |
A.Once. | B.Twice. | C.Three times. | D.Four times. |
A.Boiling water and cutting potatoes. |
B.Stirring cream and cooling potatoes. |
C.Boiling potatoes and cutting the onion. |
D.Cooking red wine vinegar and softening potatoes. |
A.The onion should be cut into bars. |
B.Potatoes should be cooled before mixing. |
C.The dish must be kept in fridge for 8 hours. |
D.Potatoes should be cooked with boiling water. |
7 . It’s funny—as a writer, it’s easy to share your knowledge, or your personal stories with an unknown listener of many. You think your friends and family may not read your articles. But as I began to talk more openly about Chinese traditions and food, I learned that they were interested, curious and really hungered for it. Their interest and curiosity grew and the culmination of their interest and curiosity was this past Spring Festival. They would like to spend the Spring Festival with me. It was an inconvenient Monday. I’d never had the Spring Festival when anyone but my father cooked.
I took the day off work in a madness of last-minute preparation. I drove 45 minutes out of town to a Cantonese BBQ shop where I bought a whole roast duck (烤鸭) and watched, fascinated, as it was changed into bite sizes. I shopped at a faraway international market like madwoman, looking for Chinese vegetables and other foods that would be new for my guests I called my dad, asking for six-second pointers on how to make dishes I’d never made. I texted him pictures of the sea fish I picked out, and the red clothing they threw on for luck.
In just a few hours, I cooked a dinner of 15 dishes for six friends who cared enough about me and my culture to come over on a cold winter Monday night to celebrate my tradition with me. We drank, ate and toasted the beautiful night. And that night, I felt what it was to be loved for my culture as well as our food.
1. What does the underlined word “culmination” mean in paragraph 1?A.Top. | B.Celebration. | C.Tradition. | D.Trouble. |
A.She ate a whole roast duck. | B.She took a roast duck. |
C.She asked to cook a duck herself. | D.She took beautiful photos of the duck. |
A.The shops the author went to. | B.The author’s love of Chinese food. |
C.The author’s preparation for dinner. | D.The suggestions the author’s father gave. |
A.She is living with her father. | B.She is a madwoman. |
C.She is a world famous writer. | D.She is proud of Chinese culture. |
8 . Cheesy Pizza Stuffing
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Time: 45 minutes, plus drying bread
Ingredients:
• 1 (12-to 14-ounce) loaf brioche (黄油面包), torn into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more softened butter
• 1 large yellow onion
• Salt and black pepper and 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 1 large egg and 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella (马苏里拉奶酪)
Directions:
The night before serving, spread the bread pieces on a sheet pan and let sit on the counter to dry out. Alternatively, you can bake them at 250 degrees until completely dried out and no longer soft, 20 to 30 minutes.
When ready to make the stuffing, transfer the bread to a large bowl. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-by-13-inch or 8-by-11-inch baking dish with softened butter. Melt the 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high and add the thinly sliced onion. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook until fragrant, about I minute.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg with a fork, then beat in the milk. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and toss with two spoons until evenly coated. Add 1 cup mozzarella and toss again until well combined. Let sit until the bread fully absorbs the liquid, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the stuffing and any accumulated liquid to the greased baking dish, spread out evenly and top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella. (To make ahead, you can stop at this stage, cover the dish and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
Bake, uncovered, until heated through and the cheese is melted, 15 to 25 minutes. (You may need to add a few minutes to the bake time if the stuffing has been refrigerated.)
1. Which ingredient is unnecessary for the dish?A.Tomato. | B.Milk. |
C.Butter. | D.Salt. |
A.The onion used should be thickly cut. |
B.The bread pieces should be softened before serving. |
C.Two cups of mozzarella should be added respectively. |
D.The stuffing which has been refrigerated should be baked for 24 hours. |
A.By giving examples. | B.By offering analyses. |
C.By presenting findings. | D.By following time order. |
9 . Cooking with steam is of great importance in Chinese cuisine. It's one of the best ways to lock the original flavors in the ingredients.
Vegetables are healthy and full of fiber, and steaming is a quick way to cook them without using much oil. Chinese cabbage is a perfect vegetable to steam: crunchy, tender, less fibrous and mildly sweet. The tender cabbage can be steamed directly with a simple sauce consisting of garlic paste, soy sauce and sugar. Root vegetables like sweet potatoes are also great for steaming. They can be cut into thick sticks or slices and then steamed until the center becomes soft. Thin pieces of carrots, fresh sophora flowers (槐花) can be coated with dry flour and then steamed. This quick dish is usually served with a garlic paste and vinegar sauce.
Steaming fish, shrimp and crabs, is all about preserving the original taste, so freshness is the absolute No. 1 rule when we shop for seafood to be steamed For fine foods from a river, lake or sea, they must be freshly caught the day you buy them. Frozen fish is seldom steamed directly, because there can be a stronger fishy smell and taste. With all the internal organs and scales removed and blood cleaned, the fish is packed with slices of ginger and scallions (姜和葱) that can neutralize the fishiness. It's then placed in a steamer that has been preheated to boil, and cooked for 8 to 10 minutes depending on the size of the fish. The final step is to place scallions on top of the steamed fish. Then, in a small pot, heat up some oil and pour it across the body of the fish to help the flavor release. Next, drizzle (浇) a couple spoons of seasoned soy sauce for seafood around the plate and serve. When eating the fish, it's best to dip it in the sauce for the sweet taste.
1. What is the advantage of steaming according to the passage?A.Low cost. | B.Sweet taste. |
C.Shining appearance. | D.Original flavor. |
A.Waste. | B.Add. | C.Reduce. | D.Gain. |
①Clean the fish. ②Steam the fish. ③Drizzle some sauce. ④Pour some hot oil onto the fish.
⑤Pack the fish with some ginger and scallions.
A.①②③④⑤ | B.①④⑤②③ | C.①⑤④③② | D.①⑤②④③ |
A.Cooking meals with steam. | B.Cooking seafood in a new way. |
C.Advantages of cooking with steam. | D.Tips for cooking some delicious dishes. |
10 . If you’d like to learn how to bake bread, here’s a wonderful place to start. This easy white bread recipe bakes up deliciously golden brown.
Makes
● 2 loaves (16 slices each)
Ingredients
● 1 package (7g) active dry yeast
● 2-1/4 cups warm water
● 3 tablespoons sugar plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
● 1 tablespoon salt
● 2 tablespoons canola oil
● 6-1/4 to 6-3/4 cups bread flour
Directions
● In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in warm water; let stand until bubbles form on surface. Stir together 3 tablespoons sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Stir oil into yeast mixture, pour yeast mixture into flour mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form a soft dough.
● Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
● Punch dough down. Turn into a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Shape each into a loaf. Place in two greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
● Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped or has reached an internal temperature of 200 degrees, 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.
Kitchen Tips
● Be careful that your water isn’t too hot when proofing yeast.
● You can store homemade bread in a plastic bag or a bread box for maximum freshness.
Nutrition facts
1 slice: 102 calories, 1g fat, 0 cholesterol, 222mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate, 3g protein.
Reviews
☆ Helen
Mar 12, 2021
Fantastic recipe! I followed the directions, and it turned out perfect. Very good flavor and great for beginners. I really liked it and so did my friends.
☆ Mary
Mar 31, 2021
I was super excited to try this bread recipe, but the process was a bit frustrating. The end result was good though. It might be more helpful if it is made into a video.
1. How much sugar is dissolved with yeast?A.Half of a teaspoon. | B.3 teaspoons. |
C.Half of a tablespoon. | D.3 tablespoons. |
A.It should be kneaded on a greased surface. |
B.It takes 8-10 minutes to rise to double its size. |
C.It needs to be put in a cool place to become softer. |
D.It should be baked at 375 degrees for about half an hour. |
A.It is not easy to follow. | B.It is great for beginners. |
C.It is not as good as she expected. | D.It is the best recipe she has tried. |