在忙碌的工作日中午休息一小段時間固然可以放松身心，然而很多人在午休前都面臨一個難題——到底該吃什麼？由於工作緊張而繁忙，大部分上班族都會在中午吃同一類食品，其實我們最好偶爾換一換口味。本季《隨身英語》探討可供選擇的幾種常見午餐類型。
課文內容
Vocabulary: food 詞匯: 食物
Whether at school, college or work, most of us take some sort of lunch break. It’s a good time to have a rest, catch up with friends and eat some food – but here lies the dilemma – what to eat? There are a feast of options but because of limited time or money, many of us stick to what we know – usually the humble sandwich.
Some of us make our own sandwiches in the morning before heading out, whilst those in a rush tend to grab-and-go at a snack bar or a cafe or buy a meal deal at a supermarket. A packet of crisps may be an additional staple to our predictable lunch. What we eat is usually the same everyday. Sheila Dillon from the AYYBLOG Food Programme says more than a third of office workers have eaten the same midday meal for the last nine months.
In the UK, bread has become the mainstay of our lunchtime snack, sometimes eaten at your desk – a style known as ‘al-desko‘. Bread is cheap and fills you up and with average lunch hours now reduced to 25 minutes, 24 seconds, it’s quick and convenient to eat. But it’s also boring! Some people have broken the mould by bringing in leftovers from their previous night’s dinner, which they then heat up in a microwave but even that isn’t very exciting.
We are creatures of habit but philosopher Julian Baggini says “we’re never going to break out of our midday malaise unless we think outside the box.” There are alternatives that will fill you up. With just a microwave and a kettle, there a number of hot satisfying meals than can be made such as soups and jacket potatoes served with a dollop of baked beans or cheese. And then there are the ubiquitous instant noodles in a pot – although you may question how nutritious they are.
If you’ve got time for more exotic munchies, then look out for trendy ‘Ottolenghi’ style food such as fava bean salad wrap. There is also the healthy Japanese style ‘bento box’ or lunchbox that normally contains a mix of carbohydrate, protein and vegetable. And of course another healthy Japanese treat is sushi.
But if I’ve got time for a proper lunch, I head to my local greasy spoon and tuck into a fry-up. Not very healthy but delicious and it sets me up for an afternoon of hard work. Then it’s time for the next dilemma – what to have for dinner?! What do you usually eat for lunch?
詞匯表
a feast of 豐盛的，一應俱全的
humble 簡單而普通的
grab-and-go 帶走即食
meal deal 優惠套餐
staple 主食
mainstay 必備品，事物的主要依靠
al-desko 在桌邊吃飯
break the mould 打破常規
leftover 剩飯剩菜
malaise 昏昏沉沉，低迷不適
think outside the box 跳出思維定式，跳出固有模式思考
satisfying 令人滿足的
dollop （食物的）一小份，一小勺
ubiquitous 隨處可見的
nutritious 營養價值高的
munchies 小吃，零食
carbohydrate 碳水化合物
protein 蛋白質
sushi 壽司
greasy spoon （供應油膩食物的）便利廉價的小飯館
fry-up （肉、菜、蛋等的）油煎菜拼盤
測驗與練習
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. How many different things have a third of office workers eaten for lunch in the last nine months?
2. Name one advantage of eating bread for lunch.
3. What piece of equipment do you need to make instant noodles?
4.True or false? Sushi is a delicious but unhealthy treat you can have for lunch.
5. Which word used in the article means ‘easy to use or suitable for a particular purpose’.
2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。
1. Because of the hurricane, shops are running out of ______ such as rice and cooking oil.
staple staples stapled stapables
2. A sandwich, crisps and a drink for a dollar?! That’s the best ______ I’ve ever seen!
grab-and-go fry-up meal deal al-desko
3. I like a healthy and ______ salad for my lunch and then maybe a cake as a treat afterwards!
nutritious protein humble dollop
4. Jane had the ______ so she popped out and bought a packet of biscuits.
munchings malaise leftovers munchies
5. Sheep farming is the ______ of the country’s economy.
mainstay ubiquitous satisfying protein
答案
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. How many different things have a third of office workers eaten for lunch in the last nine months?
None. More than a third of office workers have eaten the same midday meal for the last nine months.
2. Name two advantages of eating bread for lunch.
It’s cheap and it fills you up.
3. What piece of equipment do you need to make instant noodles?
Something to boil water in such as a kettle.
4.True or false? Sushi is a delicious but unhealthy treat you can have for lunch.
False. Sushi is delicious but also healthy.
5. Which word used in the article means ‘easy to use or suitable for a particular purpose’.
Convenient.
2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。
1. Because of the hurricane, shops are running out of staples such as rice and cooking oil.
2. A sandwich, crisps and a drink for a dollar?! That’s the best meal deal I’ve ever seen!
3. I like a healthy and nutritious salad for my lunch and then maybe a cake as a treat afterwards!
4. Jane had the munchies so she popped out and bought a packet of biscuits.
5. Sheep farming is the mainstay of the country’s economy.
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