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Directions: You are expected to study this section in class. Don’t preview.
Word Pretest
For each italicized word or expression, choose the best meaning below.
1. The vegetable pie is the specialty of this restaurant.
A. a famous dish
B. an ordinary dish
C. a particularly fine dish
2. The house was filled with the aroma of coffee.
A. taste B. color C. smell
3. The seeds are tasty and nutritious.
A. harmful to the body
B. delicious
C. valuable to the body
4. Details of the competition are available from our head office.
A. able to be discussed
B. able to be obtained
C. able to be questioned
5. he worked as a chef in that hotel.
A. cook B. manager C. waiter
6. There’s a distinct possibility that she’ll be appointed as a director.
A. different B. vague C. noticeable
7. The men had gone to hunt wild game.
A. fun
B. wild animals and birds
C. a kind of sport
8. These people deserve recognition for their talents.
A. are proud of
B. are worthy of
C. are in need of
Key
Text
Cultural Background： 
Hamburgers. Apple pie. Potato chips. Foods that helped shape the United States of America.
A Food Tour of the United States
One of the most interesting features of American cooking is its variety. The traveler who crosses the U.S. by bus or by car will find the food as worthy of attention as the scenery — and full of unexpected surprises, too. For American cooking at its best is regional in character.
Except for turkey at Thanksgiving, no single dish has gained wide enough popularity in the U.S. to become a symbol for the country as a whole. Each region sets its table with a different specialty. These regional specialties capture the flavor and aroma and express the character of a particular place. For instance, New Orleans is known for its Jambalaya, a spicy dish of rice, ham, shrimp, and tomatoes. And Boston, where the winters are long and cold, is called “bean town” because of its backed beans, a mixture of dried beans, salt pork, brown sugar, and molasses. Mixed in an iron pot and baked for hours in a slow oven, this dish is hearty and nutritious. Americans say, “It sticks to your ribs.”
Being regional, these dishes are made from the vegetables, fruits, meats poultry, and seafood that are locally available. And since local conditions vary a great deal in the U.S., as might be expected in the world’s fourth largest country, the result is a national food menu on which most of the world’s favorite foods are listed.
Seafood of all kinds can be found in the states that border the oceans or possess lake and river systems. Shrimp, crab, and lobster, as well as fresh fish are all mealtime favorites. Citrus fruit — oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes — are produced in Florida and California. The fruit groves in these states supply most of the frozen juice and sun-ripened fruit that decorate the breakfast tables of the nation. Across the landlocked states in the Midwest stretch endless corn and wheat fields. These grains are used to make bread, cereal, and cooking oil. The region is called “the breadbasket of the nation”. For vegetables, California is America’s most productive state. It is first in the production of broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes, carrots, grapes, lettuce, peaches, and pears, and a variety of other foods. Where is meat produced? In Texas, of course. That’s where you can see all those tender roasts, steaks and chops.
True enough, all these foods are available at your local supermarket. But they have been canned, frozen, or packaged in some way and shipped many miles by rails or by truck. Wouldn’t it be a treat to journey to the source, the point of origin, where the raw materials for great cooking begin? Pulled from the ocean or gathered farm fresh, this produce would be transformed by a local chef into a memorable dish fit for a king.
The traveler who would like to sample the real flavor of American cooking must explore the country as a whole. There are five distinct regions in all. Each has its own characteristic dishes. There is the Northeast, stretching from Maine to Maryland, which is famous for its seafood; the south, which includes Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Illinois, and Kansas which specialize in fine breads and pastries; the Mountain Sates of Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, where wild game such as deer and pheasant are found; and the Southwest states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, where barbecued food is a regional specialty.
Doesn’t each of these regions deserve a visit by the traveler who enjoys good food?
Total words: 621
Total reading time: minutes seconds
The text is based on “American Gastronomy: A food Tour of the United States” in American Topics.
Reading Skill: Context Clues to Word Meaning
With the help of the context clues, write down your own definition of the italicized word in the space provided.
1. Sometimes the host may offer two different kinds of dessert, and will ask people which they would prefer. Then each person will be given a portion, and offered some more when they have finished their first helping.
2. For instance, New Orleans is known for its jambalaya, a spicy dish of rice, ham, shrimp, and tomatoes.
3. Citrus fruit — oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes — are produced in Florida and California.
4. The movement of his camel, the desert heat, and the chemicals in the pouch made the milk separate into curds and whey. The thick part, or curd, was the first cheese.
5. The other ingredients of bread are yeast, sugar, water, salt and fat.
- Reading Comprehension
Circle the letter of the best answer.
1. The best description of American cooking is that .
A. it has no individuality B.it is the same all across the country C.it is regional in character
2. New Orleans is best known for its .
A. baked beans B. jambalaya C. citrus fruit
3. Which of the following are examples of seafood?
A. oranges, grapefruit, lemons B.broccoli, asparagus, lettuce C. shrimp, crab, lobster
4. The Midwest is called the “breadbasket of the nation” because .
A. many baskets are made there B.wheat and corn grow there C. vegetables grow there
5. the state best known for its vegetables is .
A. California B. New York C. Florida
6. The state best known for cattle and meat production is .
A. Oregon B. Michigan C. Texas
7. How many distinct regions are there in the U.S.?
A. four B. five C. six
8. Which of the following states is not in the Northeast region?
A. Maine B. Maryland C. Ohio
Vocabulary Building
①Word Match
Match the following words with their definitions within each group of five words.
flavor any of things that are formed into a mixture
compliment a small group of trees
royal taste
grove praise
ingredient belonging to a king or queen
dessert a set of instructions for cooking a particular type of food
initiative the first movement or action which starts something
barbecue cook food on a metal frame outdoors
recipe food or drink taken to increase the desire for food
appetizer sweet food served after the main part of a meal
revolve flour mixed with water ready for baking
offence enough
portion turn around
dough part of something larger
sufficient cause for displeasure
Complete the sentences by using the words above. Change the forms if necessary.
1. The government is making some fresh to try to solve the dispute.
2. This dish has a strong of cheese.
3. He didn’t follow the and the cake came out all wrong.
4.Imagination and hard work are the of success.
5. We had a on the beach.
6. She said how nice my dress was, so I returned the and said I liked hers.
7. The earth around the sun once a year.
8. $40 should be for a new pair of shoes.
②Prefix
The prefix mis- can be added to nouns or verbs with the meaning “badly” or “wrong(ly)”. The prefix dis- can be added to verbs or nouns with the meaning “not”. Study the examples, and then list some more words with these prefixes in the space provided. And more if you can.
prefixes examples
mis- misbehavior, misdeed, mislead
dis- disapproval, disadvantage, disobey
mis- 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
dis- 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Fill in each of the blanks with the given word in its proper form.
1. His conduct always with his words, so now nobody believes in him (agree)
2. He complains that his wife often him. (understand)
3. We were puzzled by the of our guide. (appear)
4. This news caused a lot of panic in the public. (lead)
5. It’s to his that he lacks initiative. (advantage)
6. Though he was in poverty, he bore his bravely. (fortunate)
7. His advice was meant to her from trying again, but she made two attempts more. (courage)
8. He her silence as giving consent. (interpret)
Glossary
snack potluck buffet refreshments banquet
cafeteria cuisine pork sauce brochettes
barbecue ginger prawn sausage roast
jelly-fish pickles shrimp broth soup
spinach sweetmeat steak pie brown sugar
mutton mince liquor champagne mineral water
pizza mustard pepper cooker frying pan
Cloze
Fill in each of the blanks with a word given below.
final ingredients continues hands factor
rising increase allowed called lastly
Flour forms the basic ingredient of one of the world’s most common foods bread. The other of bread are yeast, sugar, water, salt and fat.
In Europe, bread is usually made in five stages. The first is to make what is
“dough.” The yeast is mixed with sugar and water, and after about fifteen minutes it begins to “eat” the sugar. Flour, fat and salt are then put together and the yeast mixture is added. All these ingredients are then pressed with the for about ten minutes until they form a large ball of dough. After the dough has been made in this way, it is left to “rise.” As the yeast begins to eat the sugar it makes the dough in size, and this second stage of takes about two hours. At the third stage the risen dough is pressed again and pushed into the shape the bread is to be. The dough must then be to rise again, this time for about one hour. It is then ready for the stage of baking, which takes about forty-five minutes in a hot oven.
Key
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