Although travelers can try dishes from around China and the globe in well-known food cities like Beijing and Shanghai, it is outside these major metropolises where a world of exciting Chinese cuisine(中国菜) awaits the true foodie(美食家). With this in mind and after three years of living in China and writing about Chinese food, I started a six-month journey with my husband and two daughters.
Here are four of the eight most amazing Chinese food cities I’ve come across so far. The list is in no particular order.
1. Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Crowned as Asia’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy(美食学) in 2010, Chengdu is best-known for its fiery hot pot and spicy dishes, which are characterized by the use of Sichuan pepper and are usually layered with salty, sour and sweet flavors. There are also dishes that aren’t spicy at all, such as beer-braised duck.
Hot pot is as ubiquitous in the city as the smell of chili. At Zigong Delicious Hotpot, the house specialty(招牌菜) tiaoshui wa is a cauldron(大锅) of fiery chili(辣椒) to which vegetables, noodles or other meats can be added.
For a real taste of Sichuan’s signature（招牌）pepper, hua jiao, spend a morning at the Chengdu Spice Market where the locals sell and buy it by the sack.
2. Lanzhou, Gansu Province
Synonymous in the minds of food-lovers with hand-pulled beef noodles, Lanzhou also has one of the liveliest street food night markets in China.
Just west of the city center, the buzzing Zhengning Road bazaar（集市）houses more than 100 street food stalls. Available is a broad selection of hot and cold dishes with emphasis on local Hui cuisine.
No trip to Lanzhou is complete without feasting on noodles at Wumule Penhui, the 2012 winners of Lanzhou’s annual pulled noodle competition. The halal restaurant makes noodles spicy enough to satisfy even the most hardened heat-seekers.
3. Guangzhou, Guangdong Province
The birthplace of Cantonese food, Guangzhou is thought by many as the best place to eat in China. The city of 12 million has a passionate food culture, with equal excitement reserved for the opening of a hole-in-the-wall congee joint（粥店）and a high-end restaurant.
The local cuisine is characterized by fresh clean flavors（口味）, seafood, barbecued meats and the wonderful tradition of yum cha, which is tea drinking accompanied by dumplings and small dishes.
Congee is the way locals love to start their day, and one of the most popular vendors is Ru Xuan Sha Guo Zhou. Here, one can get a bowl of signature seafood congee any hour of the day.
Roast meats are Bing Sheng’s most popular order—their roast goose is marinated（腌制）with five-spice, boiled, air-dried, then roasted by a flame oven to give a crisp skin.
For something more home style and removed from the madness of downtown, head to Ji Cun for steamed chicken and simple farmer-style dishes.
4. Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province
This ancient canal city is home to huangjiu, an amber-colored rice wine that’s important in Chinese cooking.
Open since 1894, the dining chain is known by almost every Chinese for its appearance in early 20th century novels by Chinese literati Lu Xun.
Xianheng’s delicacies（佳肴）include crispy-skinned chicken, smoked red dates in rice wine, beans flavored with fennel(茴香), and crispy bream in rice wine.
Fried fermented（发酵的）tofu is also a local specialty, which is available all over town at small street stalls including one just outside Xianheng.
1.The writer’s purpose of the passage is to ____________.
A. express her preference for fiery hot pot
B. tell readers how to comment on amazing Chinese food cities
C. talk the readers into enjoying the signature food such as hand-pulled noodles
D. share her story and impression on Chinese cuisines and spicy dishes in Chengdu.
2. The underlined word “ubiquitous” can be replaced by ____________.
A. charming and attractive
B. common and popular
C. smelly and disgusting
D. fiery and spicy
3.If a fresh clean flavor is to a foodie’s taste, which couple of cities is he likely to make a trip to?
A. Chengdu, Lanzhou B. Lanzhou, Guangzhou
C. Guangzhou, Shaoxing D. Shaoxing, Chengdu
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
If you haven’t heard of the expression, you must have been living under a rock for the past year，because“the world is big, and I owe it a visit” was all over the Internet last year.
This expression was chosen as one of 2015’s “popular cyber phrases” in China. When a year comes to an end, many institutions, including the National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center, People’s Daily Online and CCTV, put together their lists of the Internet’s most used words and phrases.
Most of the selected words and phrases may seem funny and playful, but they can show lifestyle changes. The term “duoshoudang” meaning shopping addicts is a good example. The past year saw record-high online shopping sales in China, the world’s largest e-commerce market. In fact, according to Xinhua, e-commerce (电子商务) is “a new engine” for China’s economic development.
Meanwhile, although phrases like “xiasibaobaole” meaning “you scared the pants off me”may be a fun expression, they reflect the desire for attention now that social networking sites and apps such as weibo and WeChat have become part of people’s lives. “People now have a need to express emotion in bite-size, 140-character bits,” wrote The New York Times.
Here, Teens has picked some phrases from last year’s popular “cyber words” lists. Did you use them often?
The world is big, and I owe it a visit.
Seeing more of the world has become a hot topic for Chinese people in recent years. But never before had someone used it as an excuse to quit a job until Gu Shaoqiang did. The 35-year-old middle school teacher in Henan province struck a chord with (产生共鸣) the nation by posting her 10-word resignation letter: “The world is big, and I owe it a visit.”
The letter’s simplicity, honesty and bravery are what made it one of 2015’s top catchphrases (流行语), wrote Zhang Shixuan, a commentator for People’s Daily.
A pretty face can feed you, yet you choose to make a living off your talent.
Comedian Jia Ling is well known for her funny performances as well as her plump figure. So it came as a great surprise when a photo of her surfaced online, showing how slim and pretty she was in her younger years. In response, true to her humorous nature, Jia wrote this on Sina Weibo: “My story shows that I could totally have lived on my pretty face, yet I chose to rely on my talent.” Since then, the words have become popular when describing good-looking people who are still hardworking.
Other popular “cyber words” include “it’s your charm that matters”, “important things should be stressed three times”, “makers” (创客), “memeda”, a phrase to show cuteness and affection and “xiaoxianrou” referring to young and pretty men.
1.Which is the most popular network buzzword of 2015?
A. It scared me to death.
B. It’s your charm that matters.
C. Important things should be stressed three times.
D. It is not mentioned in the passage.
2.The underlined phrase“ living under a rock” is closest in meaning to ____________.
A. living far from satisfaction
B. living out your fantasy
C. living up to others’ expectation
D. living unexposed to the world
3.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Gu Shaoqiang resigned because of financial and mental pressure.
B. If you think Jia ling is fat and humorous, you may get the wrong end of the stick.
C. New words are a reflection of changing technology, politics, morals, and worldviews.
D. Hot online words basically bring more harm than good to Chinese culture.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Should we say goodbye to chivalry (骑士精神) in the age of sex equality?
Chivalry began as a response to the violence of the Middle Ages. PierMassimo Forni, the founder of the Civility Institute, says chivalry “as a form of treatment inspired by the sense that there was something special about women and that they deserve added respect.”
Today “chivalry” is often used as a term for “gentlemanly” behavior, related to “fair sex”, honor, courage and loyalty.
But we can hardly see chivalry nowadays with many women demanding to be treated equally in the workplace.
According to a 2013 survey carried out by the British Daily Mail, only one in seven men will offer their seat to a woman on a bus or train; over three-quarters of men don’t offer to help carry a heavy bag or suitcase for women.
In many cases, it’s not because these men are being insensitive, but on the contrary, they say they are unwilling to help women because they are worried about making them embarrassed.
These men may worry too much. According to the same survey, only seven percent of women view acts like holding open doors as unpleasant.
“Men seem confused by the modern ‘sex equality’ message”, psychologist and relationship expert Donna Dawson told the Daily Mail.
“This message was meant for the workplace and was never meant to replace good manners. Men will always be the stronger sex physically, so it is natural for them to show consideration for women.”
So, should the acts of chivalry be brought back? US writer Emily Smith says chivalry is what we should all long for. Many people are predicting the death of chivalry, but chivalry is not dead yet. Slowly but surely, chivalry is making a come-back.
1.The question at the very beginning of the passage is used to _____.
A. express the author’s curiosity
B. cause a heated discussion
C. introduce a controversial topic
D. solve a serious social problem
2.Which is NOT part of “chivalry”?
A. Violence. B. Loyalty. C. Courage. D. Honor.
3.Some men are not willing to help women because _____.
A. they are not sensitive enough
B. they had no good manners
C. they are afraid of women
D. they misunderstood “sex equality”
4.Emily Smith holds the view that _____.
A. some messages can make men confused
B. men should show consideration for women
C. chivalry is quite good and sure to come back
D. “sex equality” will never replace good manners
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
When people first walked across the Bering Land Bridge thousands of years ago, dogs were by their sides, according to a study published in the journal Science.
Robert Wayne of the University of California, Los Angeles, and Jennifer Leonard of the Smithsonian Institute, used DNA material—some of it unearthed by miners in Alaska—to conclude that today’s domestic dog originated in Asia and accompanied the first humans to the New World about 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. Wayne suggests that man’s best friend may have enabled the tough journey from Asia into North America. “Dogs may have been the reason people made it across the land bridge,” said Wayne. “They can pull things, carry things, defend you from fierce animals, and they’re useful to eat.”
Researchers have agreed that today’s dog is the result of the domestication(驯化) of wolves thousands of years ago. Before this recent study, a common thought about the precise origin of North America’s domestic dog was that Natives domesticated local wolves, the descendents(后代) of which now live with people in Alaska, Canada, and the Lower 48.
Dog remains from a Fairbanks-area gold mine helped the scientists reach their conclusion. Leonard, an evolutionary biologist, collected DNA from 11 bones of ancient dogs that were locked in permafrost(永冻层) until Fairbanks miners uncovered them in the 1920s. The miners donated the preserved bones to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where they remained untouched for more than 70 years. After borrowing the bones from the museum, Leonard and her colleagues used radiocarbon techniques to find the age of the Alaska dogs. They found the dogs all lived between the years of 1450 and 1675 A.D., before Vitus Bering and Aleksey Chirikov who were the first known Europeans to view Alaska in 1741. The bones of dogs that wandered the Fairbanks area centuries ago should therefore be the remains of “pure native American dogs,” Leonard said. The DNA of the Fairbanks dogs would also expose whether they were the descendents of wolves from North America.
Along with the Fairbanks samples, the researchers collected DNA from bones of 37 dog specimens(标本) from Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia that existed before the arrival of Columbus. In the case of both the Alaska dogs and the dogs from Latin America, the researchers found that they shared the most genetic material with gray wolves of Europe and Asia. This supports the idea of domestic dogs entering the New World with the first human explorers who wandered east over the land bridge.
Leonard and Wayne’s study suggests that dogs joined the first humans that made the adventure across the Bering Land Bridge to slowly populate the Americas. Wayne thinks the dogs that made the trip must have provided some excellent service to their human companions or they would not have been brought along. “Dogs must have been useful because they were expensive to keep,” Wayne said. “They didn’t feed on mice; they fed on meat, which was a very guarded resource.”
1. The underlined word “remains” is closed in meaning to ______.
A. leftover food B. dead bodies
C. animal waste. D. living environmet
2.According to the study described in Paragraph 4, we can learn that ______.
A. the bones studied were not from dogs brought into North America by Europeans
B. the 11 bones of ancient dogs are not from native American dogs
C. the bones discovered by the gold miners were from North American wolves
D. ancient dogs entered North America between 1450 and 1675 AD
3.What can we know from the passage?
A. Native Americans domesticated local wolves into dogs.
B. Ancient dogs entered North America across the Bering Land Bridge.
C. Latin America’s dogs are different from North America’s in genes.
D. Scientists discovered some ancient dog remains in 1920s.
4.The first humans into the New World brought dogs along with them because ______.
A. dogs fed on mice
B. dogs were easy to keep
C. dogs helped protect their resources
D. dogs could provide excellent service
5.The passage mainly talks about ______.
A. the origin of the North American dogs
B. the DNA study of ancient dogs in America
C. the reasons why early people entered America
D. the difference between Asian and American dogs
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Mountain biking is a great way to explore the outdoors, stay in shape, or just have fun. 1._________ Even though it’s dangerous, if you ride with caution, it can be enjoyed by the entire family.
Mountain biking can best be characterized into three different styles --- downhill, free riding, and cross country. Even though the different styles are similar in some ways, they still require different skills. 2.___________
You can find groups that have mountain bike rides and competitions. You can look on the Internet or even in a local paper and see exactly what’s available in your area. 3.__________ Like all other sports, it takes time and practice. Those just beginning will have to get past the bumps and bruises from falling off the bike.
The bike you select is more of a personal choice, and a big determining factor on the type of riding you will be doing. Bikes come in all styles, shapes, and prices, which will make selecting one for yourself very difficult indeed. 4.__________ A great mountain biker will become one with his or her own bike. When buying, make sure you check for comfort, how it fits, even how it is geared.
5.__________ Anytime you are riding, you should wear a helmet, along with knee and elbow pads. If you are following a group or riding in the woods you should strongly consider a pair of goggles as well. Safety should be your top priority and never taken lightly anytime you are mountain biking.
A. To buy a bike for mountain biking, you should mainly consider how much the bike costs you.
B. It takes practice to succeed for a great mountain biker.
C. Racing down the side of a mountain is a lot of fun indeed, although it can also be quite dangerous.
D. The style that you pick will determine the type of bike you get.
E. You may be able to find groups for the more advanced riders as well as beginners.
F. Mountain bike riding on unpaved roads can be very dangerous, as mentioned earlier.
G. Before you buy a bike, always ask to try it out first.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
语法填空
阅读下列材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(一个词)或括号内单词的正确形式
In 2015, Adele Adkins（阿黛尔·阿德金斯）said “hello” to her greatest achievement yet. Despite giving every other musician an 11-month head start, she had no trouble ___1.___(beat) the competition, ___2.___ (become) not only the year’s most talked-about artist, but also its ___3.___ successful one. Her third album, 25, ___4.___ ( release) on Nov 20, not only broke a record for one-week album sales in just over three days, but also sold more than US singer Taylor Swift’s 1989 to become ____5.___ best-selling album of 2015. No ___6.___ USA Today named Adele “Musician of the Year” on Dec 28.
So what is behind the album’s ___7.____ (popular)? First and foremost, the 27-year-old British singer has “an awe-inspiring voice that shows her genuine talent”, wrote The Christian Science Monitor. But her directness is also a huge part of her appeal（魅力）. As the Chicago Tribute commented, “Adele sings about her personal struggles” with emotional lyrics (歌词) that invite everyone into her world.
Take the album’s hit single Hello ___8.____ an example. Adele has connected with people this tear-stained（泪痕斑斑的）song because, as the Chicago Tribute （芝加哥论坛报） put it, “who doesn’t need a good cry once in a while?” Music, after all, is __9._ Chris Ferguson, an associate professor of psychology at Stetson University in Florida called “a social event.” The pain in her songs satisfies everyone’s need for love. “It is this sense of ‘we’ve been here before’ _10.___ makes Adele,” said the Chicago Tribute.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
完形填空
阅读下面短文，从敌后后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I was born in New York City . My first seven years were spent in Manhattan , and then we moved to the Bronx . As a child with a strong _________ for knowledge , I went to a public school and received a good_________ education there .
At the end of my high school I decided to major in science and , in particular , _________ . One of the_________ factors may have been that my grandfather , whom I loved dearly , died of cancer when I was 15 . I was _________ motivated to do something that might eventually _________ a cure for this terrible disease .
With great efforts and help from my parents , I _________ graduate school at New York University in 1939 . I was the only female in my graduate chemistry class , and_________ my Master of Science degree in chemistry in 1941 .
I was doing my research into _________ with other scientists . When we began to see the results of our _________ in the form of new drugs which filled real _________ needs and benefited patients in very _________ ways , our feeling of _________ was immeasurable .
Over the _________ , my work became both my vocation(职业) and avocation（业余爱好）. _________ , I became an enthusiastic photographer and _________ . I have traveled fairly widely over the world , but there still remain many places for me to explore . _________ major interest is music and I am an opera lover . I also _________ concerts , ballet and theater .
In my _________ career I was promoted frequently , and in 1967 I was appointed Head of the Department of Experimental Therapy , a position which I _________ until I retired in 1983 .
1.A. feeling B. desire C. taste D. worry
2.A. further B. higher C. basic D. adult
3.A. politics B. physics C. math D. chemistry
4.A. deciding B. typical C. interesting D. available
5.A. primarily B. racially C. highly D. unwillingly
6.A. make up B. result from C. account for D. lead to
7.A. entered B. left C. searched D. built
8.A. dropped B. gained C. exchanged D. used
9.A. music B. photography C. history D. drugs
10.A. games B. accidents C. efforts D. behaviors
11.A. medical B. immediate C. luxurious D. extra
12.A. dangerous B. noticeable C. kind D. common
13.A. safety B. guilt C. tiredness D. reward
14.A. weekends B. months C. years D. holidays
15.A. Consequently B. However C. Otherwise D. Similarly
16.A. writer B. dancer C. traveler D. composer
17.A. Other B. Another C. The other D. Some
18.A. enjoy B. dislike C. direct D. plan
19.A. acting B. amateur C. teaching D. professional
20.A. held B. chose C. changed D. found
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
短文中有10处语言错误。请在有错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。
增加：在缺词处加一个符号（^），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意： 1. 每句不超过两个错误；
2. 每处错误及其修改均只限一词；
3. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last Wednesday, we were having our English class when a teacher suddenly slipped and fell. We are all worried about him. One of the boy carried him on the back, with the help of some others, to the clinic immediate. It turned out that her right leg was broken but he had to stay in hospital. The following day, we went to visit him with flowers and fruit. Seen him lying in bed with his leg wrapped in bandages, so we felt sorry for him and hoped that he would recover soon. This Thursday, he returned the class on a wheelchair to give us lessons. We were all deeply moved and proud with having such a responsible teacher.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
假定你是李华，你在网上看到你所在城市的一个英语培训中心拟招收暑期助教，请根据以下要点写一封英语申请信。内容包括：1．申请原因；2．自我优势（口语能力，组织能力，沟通能力）；3．希望获准。
注意：1．词数100左右：
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：助教 teaching assistant
Dear Sir/Madam,
I’m glad to see your advertisement on the Internet.
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Yours sincerely，
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析