So you thought the hamburger was the world’s most popular fast food? After all, McDonald’s Golden Arches span the globe. But no, there is another truly universal fast food, the ultimate（极好的）fast food. It’s easy to make, easy to serve, much more varied that the hamburger, can be eaten with the hands, and it’s delivered to your front door or served in fancy restaurants. It’s been one of America’s favourite foods for over 50 years. It is, of course, the pizza.  

It’s kind of silly to talk about the moment when pizza was “invented”. It gradually evolved over the years, but one thing’s for certain―it’s been around for a very long time. The idea of using pieces of flat, round bread as plates came from the Greeks. The called them ‘plakuntos’ and ate them with various simple toppings such as oil, garlic, onions, and herbs. The Romans enjoyed eating something similar and called it ‘picea’. By about 1000 a.d. in the city of Naples, ‘picea’ had become ‘pizza’ and people were experimenting with more toppings: cheese, ham, anchovies, and finally the tomato, brought to Italy from Mexico and Peru in the sixteenth century. Naples became the pizza capital of the world. In 1889, King UmbertoⅠand Queen Margherita heard about pizza and asked to try it. They invited pizza maker, Raffele Esposito, to make it for them. He decided to make the pizza like the Italian flag, so he used red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese, and green basil leaves. The Queen loved it and the new pizza was named ‘Pizza Margherita’ in her honour.  

Pizza migrated to America with the Italians at the end of the nineteenth century. The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in 1905 at 53 Spring Street, New York City, by Gennaro Lombardi. But the popularity of pizza really exploded when American soldiers returned from Italy after World WarⅡ and raved about ‘that great Italian dish’. Americans are now the greatest producers and consumers of pizza in the world.  

46. When did pizza become really popular in the United States?  

A. after 1945         B. at the end of nineteenth century    C. in 1905                     D. in 1889  

47. What do the Italian flag and a Pizza Margherita have in common?  

A. There is a picture of a Pizza Margherita on the flag.  

B. They have the same colours.  

C.      Both of them represent Italy.  

D.     They are as popular as each other in Italy.  

48. Which one is the correct timeline of the evolvement of pizza?  

A.      pizza, plakuntos, picea  

B.      picea, plakuntos, pizza  

C.      plakuntos, pizza, picea  

D.     plakuntos, picea, pizza  

49. Why are Mexico and Peru important in the development of pizza?  

A.  Because pizza was invented in these countries.  

B.  Because the people in these countries are the greatest consumers of pizza in the world.  

C.  Because one kind of toppings was brought to Italy from these countries.  

D.  Because pizza first became popular in these two countries.  

50. Which one is the best title for the passage?  

E.      McDonald’s and Pizza  

F.      The Popularity of Pizza in the United States  

G.     Global Pizza  

H.      How to Make Pizza  

So you thought the hamburger was the world’s most popular fast food? After all, McDonald’s Golden Arches are found everywhere in the world. But no, there is another truly universal fast food, the best fast food. It’s easy to make, easy to serve, much more varied than the hamburger, can be eaten with the hands, and it's delivered to your front door or served in fancy restaurants. It has been one of America’s favourite foods for over 50 years. It is, of course, the pizza.

It’s kind of silly to talk about the moment when pizza was “invented”. It gradually developed over the years, but one thing is for certain—it has been around for a very long time. The idea of using pieces of flat, round bread as plates came from the Greeks. They called them “plakuntos” and ate them with various simple toppings such as oil, Garlic, onions, and herbs. The Romans enjoyed eating something similar and called it “picea”. By about 1000 A. D．in the city of Naples, “picea” had become “pizza” and people were experimenting with more toppings: cheese, ham, anchovies and finally the tomato; brought to Italy from Mexico and Peru in the sixteenth century. Naples became the pizza Capital of the world. In 1889, King Umberto I and Queen Marguerita heard about pizza and asked to try it. They invited pizza maker, Raffle Esposito, to make it for them. He decided to make the pizza like the Italian flag, so he used red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese, and green basil leaves. The Queen loved it and the new pizza was named “Pizza Marghcrita” in her honor.

Pizza migrated to America with the Italians at the end of the nineteenth century. The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in 1905 at 53 Spring Street, New York City, by Gennaro Lombardi. But the popularity of pizza really exploded when American soldiers returned from Italy after World War II and talked excitedly about “that great Italian dish”. Americans are now the greatest producers and consumers of pizza in the world.

1．What do the Italian flag and a Pizza Marguerites have in common?

       A．They are as popular as each other in Italy.

      B．They have the same colures.

      C．Both of them represent Italy.

      D．There is a picture of a Pizza Marguerites on the flag.

2．Which one is the correct timeline of the development of pizza?

      A．pizza→plakuntos→picea                       B．picea→plakuntos→pizza

      C．plakuntos→pizza→picea                       D．plakuntos→picea→pizza

3．Why are Mexico and Peru important in the development of pizza?

      A．Because pizza was invented in these countries.

      B．Because pizza first became popular in these two countries.

      C．Because the people there are the greatest consumers of pizza in the world.

      D．Because one kind of toppings was brought to Italy from these countries.

4．What is the passage mainly about?

      A．Different kinds of pizza.                   B．The popularity of pizza in US.

      C．The history of pizza.                      D．The ways to make pizza.