Question

    It’s said that every Irish “mammy” has her own way to cook Irish stew(炖菜). Simple but satisfying, it has fed the poor over centuries, which makes it a national dish.

The ingredients tell the story. First up, there’s the “spud”, as the Irish call the potato. First brought to Ireland in the 16th century, it was an unbelievable food, providing bumper crops that could be stored over the cold winter months. Soon, everyone was eating it — for breakfast, lunch and tea.

With the arrival of the spud, the population increased from one million to eight million in less than three centuries. But this dependence on the vegetable would prove disastrous when crops were struck by disease in the 1840s. The great famine(饥荒)that followed killed over a million people — and forced millions more to run to other countries. It’s hard to believe that during the years of famine, Ireland continued to export huge quantities of food to Great Britain, its colonial master at the time.

Today, Ireland is an independent nation. Nobody thinks about the potato famine as they enjoy their Irish stew but there’s a bone-deep awareness of the country’s long connection with the spud.

Potatoes are all well and good, but the stew gets its taste from the meat. It used to be made with mutton as it was the only meat available to the poor. However, the only way to make it good enough to eat was to stew it in the pot for hours.

Today, most people use lamb. However, this remains slightly traditional among purists, who also criticize(批评)the addition of ingredients like carrots, parsnips, thyme and supermarket-bought materials.

1.Why was the potato called an unbelievable food in the 16th century?

A.It could be accepted by both the poor and the rich. B.It could be cooked into many delicious dishes.

C.It could be kept for a long time. D.It could grow in winter in Ireland.

2.What did the dependence on the potato lead to in the 1840s?

A.The growing population. B.A very serious famine.

C.A war between Ireland and Britain. D.Millions of people rushing to Ireland.

3.What is the most important step when cooking Irish stew?

A.Stewing the dish for hours. B.Using enough potatoes.

C.Picking up the high-quality lamb. D.Adding different kinds of ingredients.

4.What is this text mainly about?

A.Ways to cook Irish stew. B.The present situation of Irish stew.

C.The importance of potatoes. D.An Irish national dish about potatoes.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。据说每个爱尔兰“奶妈”都有她自己做爱尔兰炖菜的方法。文章主要介绍了爱尔兰与土豆有关的国菜，土豆在历史上发挥的重要的影响和作用以及国菜的烹饪方法。

1.

细节理解题。根据第二段中First brought to Ireland in the 16th century, it was an unbelievable food, providing bumper crops that could be stored over the cold winter months.可知它在16世纪首次被带到爱尔兰，是一种令人难以置信的食物，可以提供大丰收的作物，可以储存到寒冷的冬天。由此可知，马铃薯在16世纪被称为不可思议的食物，因为它可以保存很长时间。故选C。

2.

细节理解题。根据第三段中But this dependence on the vegetable would prove disastrous when crops were struck by disease in the 1840s. The great famine(饥荒)that followed killed over a million people — and forced millions more to run to other countries.可知但是，这种对蔬菜的依赖在19世纪40年代农作物遭受病害袭击时，却带来了灾难性的后果。随后发生的大饥荒导致100多万人死亡，并迫使数百万人逃往其他国家。由此可知，19世纪40年代对马铃薯的依赖导致了非常严重的饥荒。故选B。

3.

细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中However, the only way to make it good enough to eat was to stew it in the pot for hours.可知然而，让它好吃的唯一方法是在锅里炖几个小时。由此可知，做爱尔兰炖菜最重要的步骤是炖好几个小时。故选A。

4.

主旨大意题。根据第一段It’s said that every Irish “mammy” has her own way to cook Irish stew(炖菜). Simple but satisfying, it has fed the poor over centuries, which makes it a national dish.可知据说每个爱尔兰“奶妈”都有她自己做爱尔兰炖菜的方法。虽然简单但令人满意，几个世纪以来，它一直为穷人提供食物，这也使它成为一种民族美食。结合文章主要介绍了爱尔兰与土豆有关的国菜，土豆在历史上有重要的影响和作用和国菜的烹饪方法。由此可知，这篇文章的主要内容是和土豆有关的爱尔兰国菜。故选D。