Lesson 90 What's for supper?

Text:

Fish and chips has always been a favourite dish in Britain, but as the oceans have been overfished, fish has become more and more expensive. So it comes as a surprise to learn that giant fish are terrifying the divers on North Sea oil rigs. Oil rigs have to be repaired frequently and divers, who often have to work in darkness a hundred feet under water, have been frightened out of their wits by giant fish bumping into them as they work. Now they have had special cages made to protect them from these monsters. The fish are not sharks or killer whales, but favourite eating varieties like cod and skate which grow to unnatural sizes, sometimes as much as twelve feet in length. Three factors have caused these fish to grow so large: the warm water round the hot oil pipes under the sea; the plentiful supply of food thrown overboard by the crews on the rigs; the total absence of fishing boats around the oil rigs. As a result, the fish just eat and eat and grow and grow in the lovely warm water. Who eats who?

Words & Expressions:

*frightened/scare out of one's wits 惊吓

*favourite eating varieties深受喜爱的食用品种

*unnatural 不自然的，反常的

--There are almost 200 million unnecessary illnesses and 60, 000 unnatural deaths due to water problems.

Pronunciations:

*bin /bɪn/ 之前一直发的长音i:，美音是短i

*frightened ['fraɪtnd]

*unnatural [ʌn'nætʃrəl]

How to cook? ----From Wikihow

Anyone can cook, but there is more to cooking than simply throwing ingredients together and hoping for the best. You have to understand basic cooking terms and techniques. Knowing how to prepare meals, and in what order, can help you get the timing just right, and prevent things from cooling too quickly. Once you have the basics down, you can improve the flavor and texture of your meals with various sauces, herbs, and other seasonings.

1-Consult different recipes.This is optional, of course, but is the recommended route if you're learning how to cook. First, have a general idea of what it is you'd like to cook, then consult different cookbooks and online recipes to get an idea of the different variations on that dish.

2-Gather the ingredients.Once you have decided on a recipe, it's time to start gathering the ingredients. Some you might have in your kitchen already - like spices, herbs, canned tomatoes and stock cubes - but others will require a trip to the grocery store.

3-Prepare the food for cooking.The practice of getting all of your tools and ingredients together, prepared, and measured is called"mise en place"by professional chefs, and is considered essential to efficient cooking. Your"mise en place"should be ready and close at hand before the stove is turned on.

4-Preheat any cooking equipment.There are some small details in this step that are often overlooked.

Basic cooking techniques:

-boiling煮沸

-sauteing炒/scrambled eggs

-frying煎

-broiling & grilling烤肉（烤架）grill a steak

-microwaving微波

-roasting烤肉(烤箱) roast a chicken

-steaming蒸 steam vegetables

-braising炖

-baking烘培 bake a cake