新编大学英语自主听力 4Unit 7

[17:28.46]Besides sections of the cities, there are regions which are well known for certain food because of the people who settled there.
[17:41.10]For example, southern California has many Mexican restaurants, and Louisiana has a strong Creole accent to its food.
[17:55.50]Health food gained popularity when people began to think more seriously about their physical wellbeing.
[18:04.64]Health food is fresh, natural, uNPRocessed food. It does not contain preservatives to make it last longer or chemicals to make it taste or look better.
[18:20.45]Fast-food restaurants are now expanding rapidly all over the country.
[18:27.94]In the United States, speed is a very important factor. People usually have a short lunch break or they just do not want to waste their time eating.
[18:42.23]Fast-food restaurants are places which take care of hundreds of people in a short time.
[18:50.40]There is usually very little waiting, and the food is always cheap.
[18:57.10]The traditional big breakfast and dinner at 6:00 p.m. are losing popularity.
[19:05.34]Like so many people in other cultures, many Americans are taking time to relax and enjoy the finer tastes at dinner,
[19:17.11]even if they still rush through lunch at a hamburger stand. (312 words)
[19:22.40]Exercise 2:Directions:Listen to the passage again and complete the following table with the information you get from the recording.
[19:37.85]Exercise 3:Directions:Listen to the passage for the third time and answer the following questions briefly.
[19:52.21]Practice Two What is a Pub?
[19:56.96]Words You Need to Know
[19:59.30]inn    greyhound    symbol
[20:05.35]brewery      ale
[20:09.28]Exercise 1:Directions:Listen to the conversation and tick ( ) the information mentioned in the conversation.
[20:22.31]An American traveler, John Smith, has just arrived in Britain.
[20:28.39]He wants to know something about British pubs, so he is talking with a British pub owner.
[20:38.47]Smith:Pub seems a funny word. Why are they called pubs?
[20:42.43]Pub Owner:Yes, it is an odd word but really it's just short for public house, a place that has a special license to see drinks to people.
[20:55.14]Smith:Why do most pubs have signs hanging outside them?
[20:58.34]Pub Owner:Because up to the beginning of this century, most people couldn't read, so a picture was the easiest way to show travelers where they could get a drink.
[21:11.52]Smith:Ah, I see, but one thing I've noticed in Britain is that a lot of the pubs have the same name.
[21:18.29]I've seen at least three called The Red Lion. Why is this?
[21:23.00]Pub Owner:Well, many years ago, huge areas of Britain were owned by a small number of families,
[21:32.08]and clever innkeepers named their pubs after these families who each had their own family symbol.
[21:41.11]For example, a Red Lion was the Gaunt family's symbol. The Tudors had a greyhound, that's why so many pubs all over the country have the same name.
[21:56.41]Other pubs got their names from religious events, ways of travelling, sports, jobs, famous people, famous battles and so on...
[22:11.35]so you see - studying pub names is a really good way of learning a bigt about our history.
[22:21.18]Smith:I noticed when I came in that your pub's called a "free house". What does that mean?
[22:26.40]Pub Owner:Unfortunately it doesn't mean that the drinks are free! It's just that most pubs are owned by big breweries like Watneys or Charringtons and so they sell only their own beer.
[22:43.14]But some landlords, like me, are lucky enough to own their own pubs and so they're free to sell any beer they like from any brewery.
[22:56.46]Smith:Really... well this beer is lovely, it's very different.
[23:00.64]Pub Owner:Yes, it's what we call real ale.
[23:05.03]Smith:What's that?
[23:06.47]Pub Owner:Ah, that's a good question - and one that confuses a lot of tourists.
[23:13.34]Real ale's usually made by small local breweries so each type has a different taste.
[23:22.13]It's normally much stronger than the beer made by big breweries - when you're travelling round England you should try to taste some of the different types. (340 words)