Many of China’s dishes come with stories. They are part of China’s long and fascinating history. Let’s learn about the interesting origins of some famous dishes.
Dumplings’ history goes back over 1,800 years. They were first used as medicine. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, one winter, many poor people were frostbitten, especially their ears.
Zhang Zhongjing made some ear-shaped food with some Chinese medicine in it. He called these creations jiao’er, which means “tender ears” in English. After eating the jiao’er, people felt warm all over. Then, over time, the frostbite disappeared.
Zhang Zhongjing continued to give out jiao’er to poor, hungry people until the Eve of the Spring Festival. To celebrate the Spring Festival and their recovery, people made their own jiao’er. This kind of ear-shaped food is the later “dumpling”. Today, in northern China, people eat dumplings in most traditional Chinese festivals and celebrations.
The dingsheng cake is a popular snack in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. It is made with rice flour and sweet fillings, such as red bean paste or nuts.
It is said that people in Southern Song Dynasty made the cakes to inspire Yue Fei’s army to win the fights. They engraved on the surfaces of cakes with two Chinese characters “Ding Sheng”, which means “must-win” or “victory” in English. Today, the dingsheng cake has become a popular gift. It often appears in traditional Chinese celebrations and important events, such as big exams and elderly people’s birthdays.
题目纯文字版
1. Why did Zhang Zhongjing make jiao’er?
A. To offer food to hungry people.
B. To celebrate the Spring Festival.
C. To provide people with medicine.
2. What was the dingsheng cake first made for?
A. Welcoming the army.
B. Encouraging the army.
C. Serving food for the army.
3. Why do you think the dingsheng cake has become a popular gift?
A. Because it brings a taste of home.
B. Because it is a symbol of success and good luck.
C. Because it is a kind of delicious and sweet snack.
4. What do the two kinds of food have in common?
A. They are popular in the south of China.
B. They first appeared in the same dynasty.
C. They are eaten in traditional celebrations.
5. What do you think is the best title of the passage?
A. Stories behind Chinese tastes
B. Stories behind Chinese customs
C. Stories behind Chinese festivals
一、体裁、结构与主旨分析
1. 体裁：这是一篇说明文，以客观陈述的方式介绍了饺子和定胜糕两种中国特色美食的起源与文化意义，兼具知识性和文化性。
2. 结构：文章采用“总—分”结构，开篇总述中国菜肴承载着历史故事，是中国悠久历史的一部分，引出对著名菜肴起源的介绍；随后分两部分分别介绍饺子和定胜糕，每部分都按照“历史起源→发展过程→现代意义”的逻辑展开，层次十分清晰。
3. 主旨：通过讲述饺子和定胜糕的起源故事，展现出中国美食背后蕴含的深厚历史底蕴与独特文化内涵，说明美食是中国历史文化不可或缺的组成部分。
二、词汇与长难句
（一）核心词汇
• fascinating /ˈfæsɪneɪtɪŋ/：形容词，意为“迷人的；吸引人的”，常用来修饰history、stories等名词。
• origin /ˈɒrɪdʒɪn/：名词，意为“起源；源头”，复数形式是origins，常与介词of搭配使用。
• frostbite /ˈfrɒstbaɪt/：名词，意为“冻伤”，be frostbitten是其被动形式，用来表示“被冻伤”。
• inspire /ɪnˈspaɪə(r)/：动词，意为“鼓舞；激励”，常用搭配是inspire sb to do sth（鼓舞某人做某事）。
• engrave /ɪnˈɡreɪv/：动词，意为“雕刻”，后接on/upon加宾语，表“在……上雕刻”。
• recovery /rɪˈkʌvəri/：名词，意为“痊愈；恢复”，对应的动词是recover。
（二）长难句分析
1. Zhang Zhongjing continued to give out jiao’er to poor, hungry people until the Eve of the Spring Festival.
◦ 结构解析：该句是主谓宾结构，“continue to do sth”是固定用法，意为“继续做某事”；“give out”表示“分发”；“poor, hungry”是并列形容词，用来修饰people；until引导时间状语，强调动作持续到除夕这个时间点。
◦ 译文：张仲景一直向穷苦饥饿的人们分发娇耳，直到除夕。
2. It is said that people in Southern Song Dynasty made the cakes to inspire Yue Fei’s army to win the fights.
◦ 结构解析：句中It作形式主语，真正的主语是that引导的从句；不定式to inspire作目的状语，“It is said that...”是固定句型，意为“据说……”；“inspire sb to do sth”表示“鼓舞某人做某事”。
◦ 译文：据说南宋时期的人们制作这种糕点，是为了鼓舞岳飞的军队赢得战斗。
三、试题简单解析
第1题：答案为C。原文明确提到饺子最初被用作药物，张仲景制作娇耳是为了治疗人们的冻伤，并非单纯给饥饿的人提供食物，也不是为了庆祝春节。
第2题：答案为B。原文中“inspire Yue Fei’s army”的意思是“鼓舞岳飞的军队”，与选项B中的“Encouraging the army”表意一致，而不是欢迎军队或为军队提供食物。
第3题：答案为B。定胜糕的表面刻有“定胜”二字，象征着胜利与好运，这是它成为受欢迎礼物的核心原因，而非仅仅因为它能带来家乡味或者味道香甜。
第4题：答案为C。饺子在中国北方的传统庆典中食用，定胜糕也常出现在各类传统庆祝活动里；饺子主要流行于北方，定胜糕流行于江浙地区，二者地域不同，且饺子起源于东汉，定胜糕起源于南宋，朝代也不同。
第5题：答案为A。文章主要围绕中国美食（tastes）的起源故事展开，而不是中国习俗或节日的故事，因此A选项最贴合主旨。
全文翻译
中国的许多菜肴都有典故，它们是中国悠久而迷人历史的一部分。我们来了解一些著名菜肴的有趣起源。
饺子的历史可以追溯到1800多年前，最初被用作药物。东汉末年的一个冬天，许多穷人受了冻伤，尤其是耳朵部位。
张仲景用一些中草药制作了形似耳朵的食物，他将这种食物命名为“娇耳”，英文意为“柔嫩的耳朵”。人们吃了娇耳后，全身都感到温暖，久而久之，冻伤就痊愈了。
张仲景一直向穷苦饥饿的人们分发娇耳，直到除夕。为了庆祝春节和身体康复，人们开始自己制作娇耳。这种形似耳朵的食物就是后来的“饺子”。如今，在中国北方，人们在大多数传统节日和庆典中都会吃饺子。
定胜糕是江浙地区的特色小吃，由米粉和红豆沙、坚果等甜馅制成。
据说南宋时期的人们制作这种糕点，是为了鼓舞岳飞的军队赢得战斗。他们在糕点表面刻上“定胜”两个汉字，英文意为“必胜”或“胜利”。如今，定胜糕已成为受欢迎的礼物，常出现在中国传统庆典和重要场合中，比如大型考试、老人寿宴等。
