Question

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．

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.B

4.C

【解析】

1.根据第一段，人们对美国烹饪是印象是以麦当劳为标志的类似烹饪类型（“he’s likely to answer，‘ McDonalds’… I’m afraid you’d get the same answer，or something close to it．”）。因此对美国烹饪的印象是乏味的、不变的（“dull and changeless”）。

2.根据第二段，作者感到悲哀的原因是美国烹饪变得越发类同（“the sad truth is that American cuisine is becoming more homogeneous”）。即美国烹饪变得越发缺少多样性（“American cuisine has become increasingly lacking in variety”）。

3.根据第四段，粗燕麦粉和肉汁在像查尔斯顿、萨凡纳这样的大城市中复兴起来（“grits and gravy are back in a big way in cities like Charleston and Savannah”）。即粗燕麦粉和肉汁在美国南部受到欢迎（“are gaining popularity in the south of America”）。

4.根据第五段，如果文化传统重新受到欢迎，作者会感到很奇妙、很鼓舞人心（“it’s amazing and heartening to see one of our true cultural treasures enjoying renewed popularity”）。作者对低地烹饪复兴的态度是乐观的、支持的（“positive and supportive”）。