中国美食，海外崛起

Ashley Strickland

主题语境：饮食文化 篇幅：348词 建议用时：7分钟

1Hotpot chain Xiabuxiabu recently opened its first overseas store in Singapore, introducing its renowned small-pot individual servings,along with a special sesame sauce (芝麻酱). To meet local customers' preferences, these meals are selected from five options created specifically for the overseas market, including pickled cabbage golden soup and pepper pork stomach and chicken soup. All options are served with a mushroom soup base.

2The chain plans to expand further by opening a total of six overseas stores this year in Singapore and Malaysia. Chinese restaurant businesses are accelerating their expansion plans in foreign markets. Large chains and smaller-sized brands are targeting Southeast Asia—particularly Singapore—as well as North America.

3Such expansion has shifted from targeting overseas Chinese to attracting local customers. It has also transitioned from small-scale fragmented operations to specialized and network-based businesses with local supply chains, reflecting the growing popularity of Chinese cuisine and the global appeal of the nation's culture.

4Coucou, another Xiabuxiabu hotpot brand, launched in Singapore a year ago. For many Chinese restaurant businesses, Singapore is their first choice for overseas expansion,as the country has a sizable Chinese population and a multicultural society that enjoys different types of cuisine.

5Taier Chinese Sauerkraut Fish(酸菜鱼)opened its first overseas store at Changi Airport in Singapore in August 2021, while Meow Barbecue launched its first store on foreign soil in Singapore in September.

6Tanyu, a restaurant chain focusing on roasted fish, has opened five stores in Singapore.Li Xiaoshuai, a spokesman for Tanyu's expansion, said Chinese companies'main consideration when exploring overseas markets is whether it fits the company's customer base of overseas Chinese, including students.Dishes offered by Tanyu feature flavors popular in China,giving overseas Chinese a taste of home.

7Tanyu's stores in Singapore are managed by local teams.Li said the company's headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, arranges online training to maintain consistency with its food produced in China. Annual revenue from a single Tanyu outlet is about 19 million yuan ($2.74 million), and Li said the business plans to expand to 10 to 20 overseas destinations in the next two to three years.

Reading

Check

1.Where did Xiabuxiabu open its first overseas store?

A.In Malaysia.

B.In Singapore.

C.In North America.

D.In Southeast Asia.

2.Why is Singapore a preferred choice for Chinese restaurant expansion?

A.It is a large land country.

B.It has a huge Chinese population.

C.Local customers like Chinese food.

D.Local overseas people like Chinese food.

3.How has the focus of Chinese restaurant expansion changed?

A.Expanding globally.

B.Small-scale operations.

C.Targeting overseas Chinese.

D.Transition to local customers.

4.What can we know about Tanyu from the text?

A.Its food is produced in China.

B.Its stores expand to 10 to 20.

C.It can give overseas Chinese a taste of home.

D.Its dishes feature flavors popular in Singapore.

Language

Study

Ⅰ.Difficult sentence in the text

Li Xiaoshuai, a spokesman for Tanyu's expansion, said Chinese companies' main consideration when exploring overseas markets is whether it fits the company's customer base of overseas Chinese,including students.探鱼拓展业务的发言人李小帅说，中国公司在开拓海外市场时，主要考虑的是它是否适合公司的海外华人客户群，包括学生。

【点石成金】本句中，a spokesman for Tanyu's expansion 是Li Xiaoshuai 的同位语；said后面是一个省略了that的宾语从句；when exploring overseas market 是一个省略句；whether引导的是一个表语从句。

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks with the words and phrases in the box in proper forms.

1.His eyes slowly began to ________what looked like a small dark ball.

2.There was a significant decline in the size of the business as the company________to an intellectual property company.

3.It's because of them that you ________to do it all yourself.

4.She lost her job when the factory closed, ________hundreds of others.

5.The results are entirely ________our earlier research.

6.Watersports enthusiasts should consider hiring a wetsuit ________a life jacket.