Singapore’s tradition of eating out in places called hawker centers is now recognized by the United Nations for its cultural importance.

A hawker is a person who sells food or goods and advertises by shouting at people walking by on the street. Hawkers are an important part of Singaporean culture. Open-air eating areas where hawkers sell their goods are very popular. Famous chefs, such as Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay have praised them.

On Wednesday, the United Nations, cultural agency, UNESCO, added the city’s “hawker culture,” to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Singapore sought to have hawker culture added to the list about two years ago. Now that it has been recognized, Singapore must provide a report every six years to UNESCO. The report must show efforts the city-state has made to save and support its hawker culture.

“These centers serve as ‘community dining rooms’, where people from diverse backgrounds gather and share the experience of dining over breakfast, lunch and dinner,” UNESCO said.

In the 1970s, Singapore cleaned up its streets so the city moved street hawkers to new eating centers. These areas were part of an effort to improve the island. Now, the centers offer many different low-cost meals for local people and provide a pleasing social setting. The 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians showed its stars enjoying meals at a famous night market. Some sellers even received Michelin stars from a famous restaurant rating system for their meals costing only a few dollars.

But, now the average age of a hawker in Singapore is 60 years old. Younger Singaporeans now want to work in offices. They are less interested in working in small restaurants. The COVID-19 health crisis also hurt sales, preventing foreign visitors and locals from eating out.

1 ． What do we know about hawkers from paragraph 2?

A ． They sell goods in the open-air area.

B ． They are famous chefs.

C ． They are Singapore natives.

D ． They are popular all over the world.

2 ． Why is hawker culture added to UNESCO’s list?

A ． For the efforts Singapore has made.

B ． For its importance in showing Singapore’s culture.

C ． For the report Singapore provided.

D ． For the recommendation by UNESCO.

3 ． Why is the film Crazy Rich Asians mentioned?

A ． To advertise the film.

B ． To introduce the stars.

C ． To show the popularity of hawker centers.

D ． To help the sellers receive Michelin stars.

4 ． What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A ． The difficulties hawker culture are facing.

B ． The average age of hawkers.

C ． The effect caused by COVID-19.

D ． The future of the hawker culture.

答案

1 ． A

2 ． B

3 ． C

4 ． A

【分析】

这是一篇说明文。文章讲述了新加坡叫卖小贩文化以及其存在的意义，同时还提及其目前的困境。

1 ．

细节理解题。根据第二段中的 “Open-air eating areas where hawkers sell their goods are very popular.( 开放的吃饭地，是叫卖小贩们卖东西的受欢迎地方 )” 可知，叫卖小贩们通常会选择开放的地带卖东西。故选 A 。

2 ．

细节理解题。根据第一段 “Singapore’s tradition of eating out in places called hawker centers is now recognized by the United Nations for its cultural importance. ( 新加坡人的这种在小贩聚集中心吃饭的传统，近日得到联合国的认可，因为它文化的重要性 )” 可知，联合国的文化机构把新加坡的这种传统加入它的列表，是因为承认其在文化方面的重要性。故选 B 。

3 ．

推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的 “Now, the centers offer many different low-cost meals for local people and provide a pleasing social setting. The 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians showed its stars enjoying meals at a famous night market.( 现在，这些中心为当地人提供许多不同的廉价食物，并提供一个令人愉快的社交环境。在 2018 年的电影《摘金奇缘》中，明星们在一个著名的夜市享受美食 )” 可知，本段在讲这些小贩聚集中心的好处，作者提到电影《摘金奇缘》是为了证明小贩聚集中心的受欢迎程度。故选 C 。

4 ．

主旨大意题。根据最后一段中的 “But, now the average age of a hawker in Singapore is 60 years old. Younger Singaporeans now want to work in offices. They are less interested in working in small restaurants. The COVID-19 health crisis also hurt sales, preventing foreign visitors and locals from eating out. ( 但是，现在新加坡小贩的平均年龄是 60 岁。年轻的新加坡人现在想在办公室工作。他们对在小餐馆工作不太感兴趣。 COVID-19 健康危机也影响了销售，阻止了外国游客和当地人外出就餐 )” 可知，本段主要讲述了目前小贩经济的困境。故选 A 。