快速阅读材料2.doc

Caught in the Web 2010.6
　　A few months ago, it wasn't unusual for 47-year-old Carla Toebe to spend 15 hours per day online. She'd wake up early, turn on her laptop and chat on Internet dating sites and instant-messaging programs – leaving her bed for only brief intervals. Her household bills piled up, along with the dishes and dirty laundry, but it took near-constant complaints from her four daughters before she realized she had a problem.
　　"I was starting to feel like my whole world was falling apart – kind of slipping into a depression," said Carla. "I knew that if I didn't get off the dating sites, I'd just keep going," detaching (使脱离) herself further from the outside world.
　　Toebe's conclusion: She felt like she was "addicted" to the Internet. She's not alone.
　　Concern about excessive Internet use isn't new. As far back as 1995, articles in medical journals and the establishment of a Pennsylvania treatment center for overusers generated interest in the subject. There's still no consensus on how much time online constitutes too much or whether addiction is possible.
　　But as reliance on the Web grows, there are signs that the question is getting more serious attention: Last month, a study published in CNS Spectrums claimed to be the first large-scale look at excessive Internet use. The American Psychiatric Association may consider listing Internet addiction in the next edition of its diagnostic manual. And scores of online discussion boards have popped up on which people discuss negative experiences tied to too much time on the Web.
　　"There's no question that there're people who're seriously in trouble because they're overdoing their Internet involvement," said psychiatrist (精神科医生) Ivan Goldberg. Goldberg calls the problem a disorder rather than a true addiction.
　　Jonathan Bishop, a researcher in Wales specializing in online communities, is more skeptical. "The Internet is an environment," he said. "You can't be addicted to the environment." Bishop describes the problem as simply a matter of priorities, which can be solved by encouraging people to prioritize other life goals and plans in place of time spent online.
　　The new CNS Spectrums study was based on results of a nationwide telephone survey of more than 2,500 adults. Like the 2005 survey, this one was conducted by Stanford University researchers.About 6% of respondents reported that "their relationships suffered because of excessive Internet use." About 9% attempted to conceal "nonessential Internet use," and nearly 4% reported feeling "preoccupied by the Internet when offline."
　　About 8% said they used the Internet as a way to escape problems, and almost 14% reported they "found it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time."
　　"The Internet problem is still in its infancy," said Elias Aboujaoude, a Stanford professor. No single online activity is to blame for excessive use, he said. "They're online in chat rooms, checking e-mail, or writing blogs. [The problem is] not limited to porn (色情) or gambling" websites.
　　Excessive Internet use should be defined not by the number of hours spent online but "in terms of losses," said Maressa Orzack, a Harvard University professor. "If it's a loss [where] you're not getting to work, and family relationships are breaking down as a result, then it's too much."
　　Since the early 1990s, several clinics have been established in the U. S. to treat heavy Internet users. They include the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery and the Center for Internet Behavior.
　　The website for Orzack's center lists the following among the psychological symptoms of computer addiction:
　　● Having a sense of well-being (幸福) or excitement while at the computer.
　　● Longing for more and more time at the computer.
　　● Neglect of family and friends.
　　● Feeling empty, depressed or irritable when not at the computer.
　　● Lying to employers and family about activities.
　　● Inability to stop the activity.
　　● Problems with school or job.
　　Physical symptoms listed include dry eyes, backaches, skipping meals, poor personal hygiene (卫生) and sleep disturbances.
　　People who struggle with excessive Internet use maybe depressed or have other mood disorders, Orzack said. When she discusses Internet habits with her patients, they often report that being online offers a "sense of belonging, and escape, excitement [and] fun," she said. "Some people say relief…because they find themselves so relaxed."
　　Some parts of the Internet seem to draw people in more than others. Internet gamers spend countless hours competing in games against people from all over the world. One such game, called World of Warcraft, is cited on many sites by posters complaining of a "gaming addiction."
　　Andrew Heidrich, an education network administrator from Sacramento, plays World of Warcraft for about two to four hours every other night, but that's nothing compared with the 40 to 60 hours a week he spent playing online games when he was in college. He cut back only after a full-scale family intervention (干预), in which relatives told him he'd gained weight.
　　"There's this whole culture of competition that sucks people in" with online gaming, said Heidrich, now a father of two. "People do it at the expense of everything that was a constant in their lives." Heidrich now visits websites that discuss gaming addiction regularly "to remind myself to keep my love for online games in check."
　　Toebe also regularly visits a site where posters discuss Internet overuse. In August, when she first realized she had a problem, she posted a message on a Yahoo Internet addiction group with the subject line: "I have an Internet Addiction."
　　"I'm self-employed and need the Internet for my work, but I'm failing to accomplish my work,to take care of my home, to give attention to my children," she wrote in a message sent to the group."I have no money or insurance to get professional help; I can't even pay my mortgage (抵押贷款) and face losing everything."
　　Since then, Toebe said, she has kept her promise to herself to cut back on her Internet use. "I have a boyfriend now, and I'm not interested in online dating," she said by phone last week. "It's a lot better now."
　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
　　1. What eventually made Carla Toebe realize she was spending too much time on the Internet?
　　A) Her daughter's repeated complaints.
　　B) Fatigue resulting from lack of sleep.
　　C) The poorly managed state of her house.
　　D) The high financial costs adding up.
　　2. What does the author say about excessive Internet use?
　　A) People should be warned of its harmful consequences.
　　B) It has become virtually inevitable.
　　C) It has been somewhat exaggerated.
　　D) People haven't yet reached agreement on its definition.
　　3. Jonathan Bishop believes that the Internet overuse problem can be solved if people ______.
　　A) try to improve the Internet environment
　　B) become aware of its serious consequences
　　C) can realize what is important in life
　　D) can reach a consensus on its definition
　　4. According to Professor Maressa Orzack, Internet use would be considered excessive if ______.
　　A) it seriously affected family relationships
　　B) one visited porn websites frequently
　　C) too much time was spent in chat rooms
　　D) people got involved in online gambling
　　5. According to Orzack, people who struggle with heavy reliance on the Internet may feel __.
　　A) discouraged
　　B) pressured
　　C) depressed
　　D) puzzled
　　6. Why did Andre Heidrich cut back online gaming?
　　A) He had lost a lot of money.
　　B) His family had intervened.
　　C) He had offended his relatives.
　　D) His career had been ruined.
　　7. Andrew Heidrich now visits websites that discuss online gaming addiction to ______.
　　A) improve his online gaming skills
　　B) curb his desire for online gaming
　　C) show how good he is at online gaming
　　D) exchange online gaming experience
　　8. In one of the messages she posted on a website, Toebe admitted that she ______.
　　9. Excessive Internet use had rendered Toebe so poor that she couldn't afford to seek ______.
　　10. Now that she's got a boyfriend, Toebe is no longer crazy about ______.
British Cuisine: the Best of Old and New 2011.6
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 Kong's smartest British restaurants, Alfie's 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. Chef such as Delia Smith, Nigel Slater, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay made the public realise that cooking - and eating - didn't have to be a boring thing. And now, most of the British public is familiar even with the extremes of Heston Blumenthal's molecular gastronomy, a form of cooking that employs scientific methods to create the perfect dish.
"It's 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 nation's cuisine can be traced back to the Second World War. Before the war, much of Britain's 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 weren't looking for cured meats, organic produce or beautiful presentation; they were looking for whatever they could get their hands on, and this prioritisation of quantity over quality prevailed for decades, meaning a generation was brought up with food that couldn't compete with neighbouring 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 9pm. But in recent years the capital's 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 Alfie's 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 restaurant are keeping up," says David Tamlyn, the Welsh executive chef at The Pawn in Wan Chai. "Hong Kong 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 other are using better quality ingredients but remaining true to British traditional 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 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."
Matthew Hill, senior manager at the two-year-old SoHo restaurant Yorkshire Pudding, also uses better ingredients as a means of improving dishes. "There are a lot of existing perceptions about British food and so we can't alter these too much. We're 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 Alfie's, the newest of the British restaurants in town and perhaps the most gentlemen's club-like in design, Neil Tomes explains his passion for provenance(原产地). "Britain has started to become really proud of the food it's producing. It has excellent organic farms, beautifully crafted cheeses, high-quality meats."
However, the British don't 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 Teh 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 wouldn't 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 tastes and customs, while maintaining the Brutishness of their cuisine.
At Yorkshire Pudding, Hill says that his staff asks diners whether they would like to share their meals. Small dishes, shared meals and "mixing it up" is not something commonly done in Britain, but Yorkshire Pudding will bring full dished to the table and offer individual plates for each dinner. "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 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. "I'd never change a full English breakfast."
1. What is British food generally known for?
A) Its unique flavor. B) Its bad taste.
C) Its special cooking methods D) Its organic ingredients.
2. The Second World War led to ____ in Britain.
A) an inadequate supply of food B) a decrease of grain production
C) an increase in food import D) a change in people's eating habits
3. Why couldn't Britain compete with some of its neighboring countries in terms of food in the post-war decades?
A) Its food lacked variety. B) Its people cared more for quantity.
C) It was short of well-trained