Culture and Cuisine

The United States is known for jazz and blue jeans.But travel to Paris and ask your average French citizen about American cuisine (烹饪) and he’s likely to answer,“ McDonalds.” Ask the same thing of any American citizen on any American street and I’m afraid you’d get the same answer,or something close to it.

Hamburgers and hotdogs and fries are all fine,but with American malls and other outlets standardizing everything from clothing to food,the sad truth is that American cuisine is becoming more homogeneous―all the same―no matter where you live.True,many Americans are eating more varied foods these days,but these are largely the cuisines of immigrant groups,and they are quite likely to be affected by homogenization of American cuisine.

So what exactly is American cuisine? Well,to some extent it is a reflection of our melting pot culture,meaning that Europeans made huge contributions in the form of wheat,dairy products,pork,beef and poultry.But American cuisine also includes products that once were known only to the New World,including potatoes,corn,pumpkin,sweet potatoes,and peanuts.

The one region of the country where you still find all these things in daily use is the Deep South.The South lost the Civil War,but children of the southerners are winning the battle to preserve and advance their cooking traditions—and in this case one of the few cuisines can truly be called American,which is why we’re pleased to have Low Country cuisine in this issue of food creation.That’s right,grits and gravy are back in a big way in cities like Charleston and Savannah.Truth is,they never really left,but up until a decade ago Low Country cuisine was more common at home than in restaurants.

In fact,a large number of tourists now go to the lower Atlantic region in order to experience this extraordinary cuisine for themselves.Time will tell whether Low Country cuisine becomes popular in other regions of the country in the way that,say,Italian cuisine has,but it’s amazing and heartening to see one of our true cultural treasures enjoying renewed popularity in these increasingly homogeneous times.

1.According to the passage,American cuisine impresses people as being _______.

A.dull and changeless

B.rich and various

C.popular and delicious

D.disagreeable and unpleasant

2.It can be seen that the writer feels regretful that _______.

A.cuisines of other countries play a more important role in America

B.American cuisine has become increasingly lacking in variety

C.American cuisine tends to vary because of immigration

D.American cuisine is being changed by foreign cuisines

3.From the passage,we know that grits and gravy _______.

A.were cooked with new materials after the Civil War

B.are gaining popularity in the south of America

C.were more popular over ten years ago

D.are seldom served in restaurants

4.What’s the writer’s attitude towards the renewal of Low Country cuisine in America?

A.Concerned and cautious.

B.Hopeless and doubtful.

C.Positive and supportive.

D.Critical and disapproving.

阅读下面短文,然后按要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

“When should I begin to acquire good habits?”a young boy asked his teacher.

“How old are you?” asked the teacher.

“Eight years old, sir.”answered the boy.

“Then you have just lost eight years,”the teacher replied.

There is no doubt that habits are formed at a very early age.When one is young, it is easy to acquire good habits.

Good habits are practices that help us in our daily life.The habit of brushing one’s teeth in the morning, for instance, keeps one’s teeth clean and prevents a bad smell which is unpleasant to others.Bad habits such as sticking one’s tongue out, biting one’s fingernails and picking one’s nose, are undesirable ways of behaving in front of others.If we want people to enjoy being with us, we should try to develop habits that are pleasant.

It is said, “We sow an act; we reap a habit.We sow a habit and we reap a character.” The habits we formed at an early age shape our character.Habits are like tributaries(支流) which flow into a river.The river is made up of all its tributaries; a person’s character is made up of all the habits that he or she has acquired over the years.

【写作内容】

1.以约30个词概括本文内容;

2.以约120个词谈谈你对好习惯养成的看法,并包括以下要点:

(1)你认为好习惯重要吗,为什么?

(2)你身上有哪些好习惯,它们对你的学习或生活有什么影响?

(3)怎样才能养成良好的习惯?

【写作要求】

1.作文中可以使用亲身经历或虚构的故事,也可以参照阅读材料的内容,但不得直接引用原文的句子。

2.作文中不得出现真实姓名和学校名称。

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根据短文内容,从选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中两项为多余选项。

A good book can be satisfying. If reading is a habit you’d like to get into, there are some ways to develop it.

Realize that reading is enjoyable if you have a good book. If you have a difficult book and you are forcing yourself through it, it will seem like a task. ___1.__

Set time. You should have some time during every day when you’ll read for at least 5 to 10 minutes. ___2.___ For example, make it a habit to read during breakfast and lunch and even dinner if you eat alone.

Always carry a book. ___3.___When I leave the house, I always make sure to have my car keys and one book at hand. The book stays with me in the car, and I take it into the office and to appointments and pretty much everywhere I go.

___4.__ Find a place in your home where you can sit in a comfortable chair. Don’t lie down unless you’re going to sleep. There shouldn’t be a television or a computer near the chair, and no music or no noisy family members/ roommates. If you don’t have a place like this, create one.

Reduce television/ the Internet. If you really want to read more, try cutting back on time on TV or the Internet. __5.___But remember: every minute you reduce of the Internet/ TV, you could use for reading. This could create hours of book reading time.

A. Wherever you go, take a book with you.

B. Go to bookstores.

C. Have some good tea or coffee while you read.

D. Find a quiet place.

E. This may be difficult for some people.

F. If this happens, give up the book and find another one that you’ll really love.

G. It means you will read no matter how busy you are.

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