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2016年12月英语四级阅读200篇： British Cuisine: the Best of Old and New

British cuisine (烹饪) has come of age in recent years as chefs (厨师) combine the best of old and new.

Why does British food have a reputation for being so bad? Because it is bad! Those are not the most encouraging words to hear just before eating lunch at one of Hong Kongs smartest British restaurants, Alfies by KEE, but head chef Neil Tomes has more to say.

The past 15 years or so have been a noticeable period of improvement for food in England, the English chef says, citing the trend in British cuisine for better ingredients, preparation and cooking methods, and more appealing presentation. Chefs such as Delia Smith, Nigel Slater, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay made to the public realize that cooking --- and eating --- didnt have to be a boring thing. And now, most of the British public is familiar even with the extremes of Heston Blumenthas molecular gastronomy, a form of cooking that employs scientific methods to create the perfect dish.

Its no longer the case that the common man in England is embarrassed to show he knows about food, Tomes says.

There was plenty of room for improvement. The problems with the nations cuisine can be traced back to the Second World War. Before the War, much of Britains food was imported and when German U-boats began attacking ships bringing food to the country, Britain went on rations (配给).

As rationing came to an end in the 1950s, technology picked up and was used to mass-produce food, Tomes says. And by then people were just happy to have a decent quantity of food in their kitchens.

They werent looking for cured meats, organic produce or beautiful presentation: they were looking for whatever they could get their hands on, and this prioritization of quantity over quality prevailed for decades, meaning a generation was brought up with food that couldnt compete with neighboring France, Italy, Belgium or Spain.

Before star chefs such as Oliver began making cooking fashionable, it was hard to find a restaurant in London that was open after 9 p.m. But in recent years the capitals culinary (烹饪的) scene has developed to the point that it is now confident of its ability to please the tastes of any international visitor.

With the opening of Alfies in April, and others such as The Pawn, two years ago, modern British food has made its way to Hong Kong. With British food, I think that Hong Kong restaurants are keeping up, says David Tamlyn, the Welsh executive chef at The Pawn in Wan Chai. Hong King diners are extremely responsive to new ideas or presentations, which is good news for new dishes.

Chefs agree that diners in Hong Kong are embracing the modern British trend. Some restaurants are modifying the recipes (菜谱) of British dishes to breathe new life into the classics, while others are using better quality ingredients but remaining true to British traditions and tastes.

Tamlyn is in the second camp. We select our food very particularly. We use US beef, New Zealand lamb and for our custards (牛奶蛋糊) we use Birds Custard Powder, Tamlyn says. Some restaurants go for custard made fresh with eggs, sugar and cream, but British custard is different, and we stay true to that.

Matthew Hill, senior manager at the two-year-old SoHo restaurant Yorkshire Pudding, also uses better ingredients such a means of improving dishes. There are a lot of exciting perceptions about British food and so we cant alter these too much. Were a traditional British restaurant so there are some staples (主菜) that will remain essentially unchanged.

These traditional dishes include fish and chips, steak and kidney pie and large pieces of roasted meats. At Alfies, the newest of the British restaurants in town and perhaps the most gentlemens club-like in design, Neil Tomes explains his passion for provenance (原产地). Britain has started to become really proud of the food its producing. It has excellent organic farms, beautifully crafted cheese, high-quality meats.

However, the British dont have a history of exporting their foodstuffs, which makes it difficult for restaurants in Hong Kong to source authentic ingredients.

We can get a lot of our ingredients once a week from the UK, Tamlyn explains. But there is also pressure to buy local and save on food miles, which means we take our vegetables from the local markets, and there are a lot that work well with British staples.

The Phoenix, in Mid-Levels, offers the widest interpretation of British cuisine, while still trying to maintain its soul. The gastro-pub has existed in various locations in Hong Kong since 2002. Singaporean head chef Tommy The Kum Chai offers daily specials on a blackboard, rather than sticking to a menu. This enables him to reinterpret British cuisine depending on what is available in the local markets.

We use a lot of ingredients that people wouldnt perhaps associate as British, but are presented in a British way. Bell peppers stuffed with couscous, alongside ratatouille, is a very popular dish.

Although the ingredients may not strike diners as being traditional, they can be found in dishes across Britain.

Even the traditional chefs are aware of the need to adapt to local at tastes and customs, while maintaining the Britishness of their cuisine.

At Yorkshire Pudding, Hill says that his staff asks diners whether they would like to share their meals. Small dishes, shared with meals and mixing it up is not something commonly done in Britain, but Yorkshire Pudding will bring full dishes to the table and offer individual plates for each diner. That way, people still get the presentation of the dishes as they were designed, but can carve them up however they like, Hill says.

This practice is also popular at The Pawn, although largely for rotisseries (烤肉馆). Tamlyn says, Some tables will arrive on a Sunday, order a whole chicken and a shoulder of lamb or a baby pig, and just stay for hours enjoying everything we bring out for them.

Some British traditions are too sacred (神圣的) to mess with, however, Tomes says. d never change a full English breakfast.

注意:此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

46. The Phoenix in Mid-Levels may not use British ingredients, but presents its dishes in a British way.

47. Yorkshire Pudding is a restaurant which will bring full dishes to the table but offer plates to those diners who would like to share their meals.

48. With culinary improvement in recent years，London’s restaurants are now able to appeal to the tastes of all kinds of overseas visitors.

49. Hong Kong diners welcome new ideas and presentations 9 according to Welsh executive chef David Tamlyn.

50. While using quality ingredients, David Tamlyn insists that the dishes should maintain British traditional tastes.,

51. The food ingredients from Britain are produced on excellent organic farms so Neil Tomes loves it.

52. Tamlyn says that besides importing ingredients from Britain once a week, his restaurant also buys vegetables from the local markets.

53. British food generally known for its bad taste.

54. The Second World War led to an inadequate supply of food in Britain.

55. Britain couldnt compete with some of its neighbouring countries in terms of food in the post-war decades.

参考答案：

46. G)先定位到 G 段 The Phoenix, We use a lot of ingredients that people wouldn’t perhaps associate as British, but are presented in a British way。与题干相符，因此选 G*

47. H)由题干定位到 H 段，At Yorkshire Pudding，Hill says that his staff asks diners whether they would like to share their meals.餐厅之所以在上菜之后再供应碟子，原因就在于可能会有人愿意 和别人分享食物。与题干相符，因此选H。

48. C)由题干关键词culinary定位到原文C段，根据最后一句... its ability to please the tastes of any international visitor.与题干相符因，此选 C。

49. D)先根据David Tamlyn这个人名定位到原文D段，再根据最后一句话Hong Kong diners are extremely responsive to new ideas or presentations,. ??这里的 are extremely responsive to 在意思 上等于题干中的welcome。与题干相符，因此选D。

50. E)根据 Tamlyn is in the second camp，定位到 E 段 Tamlyn is in the second camp. We select our food very particularly. We use U. S. beef. New Zealand lamb and for our custards we use Bird’s Custard Powder， Tamlyn says.Some restaurants go for custard made fresh with eggs，sugar and cream, but British custard is different，and we stay true to that. 与题干相符，因此选 E。

51. F)由 Neil Tomes 定位到原文 F 段，根据最后两句话.? ? It has excellent organic farms, beautifully crafted cheeses, high quality meats 与题干相符，因此选 F。

52. G)由题干定位到 G 段，根据原文，??? which means we take our vegetables from the local markets，. ? ?即除了从英国直接进口，还有部分蔬菜从本地市场购买的。与题干相符，因此选G。

53. A)题干中 generally known for 对应原文 a reputation for，根据原文第一句 Why does British food have a reputation for being so bad? Because it is bad!与题干相符，因此选 A。

54 B)由题干关键词the Second World War可以定位到原文B段，二战之前，英国的食品都是进口 的，二战之后，食品供应船只遭到攻击，只能依靠配给。与题干相符，因此选B。

55. C)由 compete with some of its neighbouring countries 可以定位到原文 C 段，they weren’t looking for... , they were looking for. ? ?，this prioritization of quantity over quality prevailed for decades. 可见他们对数量的追求高于质量，与题干相符，因此选C。

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