舌尖上的新西兰

陕西 苟德军

新西兰的美味小吃牵动着新西兰南岛底部许多人的味蕾与情感，在新西兰南岛，小吃是当地人的至爱。

主题语境：饮食 篇幅：360词 建议用时：6分钟?

A cheese roll may seem simple: it's basically a slice of bread with cheese-based filling, rolled up and toasted until slightly crispy. Yet these snacks hold a special place in the hearts of many people at the bottom of the South Island.

Margaret Peck remembers her first cheese roll. She was a teenager on the beach near Invercargill, almost at the end of the South Island and New Zealand's southernmost city—it's also home to the world's southernmost Starbucks and McDonald's outlets. Her husband Mark Peck remembers his first, too. It came after his arriving as a kid from Kentucky.

Decades later, there's a reason why their memories are so clear. “The cheese roll means celebrations, events, gatherings, homecomings and fundraisers,” explains Donna Hamilton, who makes cheese rolls at The Batch in Invercargill, which she co-owns with her husband Gareth. “It means people, family and laughter.”

According to Helen Leach, a food specialist, the first recipes for a version of cheese rolls appeared in South Island cookbooks in the 1930s. They gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, as sliced bread became more common in New Zealand, becoming a staple （主食） at school.

But cheese rolls are a distinctly regional cuisine （菜肴）. Leach's research showed the first recipe for an authentic cheese roll with a pre-cooked cheese filling did not appear in a cookbook in the more populous North Island until 1979. Even now, it's unwonted to find cheese rolls at North Island cafes.

Yet the Pecks wanted to offer them in the capital when they opened Little Peckish in 2009. “I'm a Southlander,” explains Margaret Peck, who grew up in the north. “I wanted to have something that's part of my identity.” There was an adjustment, though—at first,customers were eating cheese rolls with a knife and fork.

Cheese rolls continue to play an important part in the story of the South Island. “As long as there are people in Southland, the cheese roll will live on forever,” says Mark Heffer, who makes cheese rolls at his cafe. Hamilton adds, “The gathering of people,friendship and support need more cheese rolls.”

Reading Check

1. What does the author intend to express in paragraph 2?

A. The cheese roll counts in daily life.

B. The cheese roll has a long history.

C. The cheese roll is a memory of the past.

D. The cheese roll is very delicious.

2. When did the cheese roll become popular?

A. In the 1930s. B. In the 1950s.

C. In 1979. D. In 2009.

3. What does the underlined word “unwonted” mean in paragraph 5?

A. Easy. B. Amazing.

C. Rare. D. Interesting.

4. What does Mark Heffer think of the cheese roll's future?

A. Hopeful. B. Doubtful.

C. Uncertain. D. Unique.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentence in the text

They gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, as sliced bread became more common in New Zealand, becoming a staple at school. 二十世纪五六十年代，随着切片面包在新西兰变得越来越普遍，它成为学校的主要食物并开始流行起来。

【点石成金】本句中的as sliced bread became more common in New Zealand为时间状语从句；becoming a staple at school为现在分词作结果状语。

Ⅱ. Text-centered chunks

at the bottom of 在……底部

be home to ……的所在地

play an important part in 在……中起着重要作用

as long as 只要