— Wht do you think of KFC —The food there is very . In fct, it hs food in the world

In the United States, the biggest change in spending has been in the amount spent on food, which has decreased from 46% of the total family budget in 1901 to 19% of present day totals. This is due to the fact that people are now able to buy more and better foods at lower prices. As a result of the growth in fast food restaurants (for example, McDonald's or KFC), more people are also eating out. Thus about 30% of today's food budget goes on meals eaten outside the home while a hundred years ago it was only 3%.

At the beginning of the 20th century, few people owned their homes (only around 19% of working families) or cars (at about ＄ 1,000 per ear this was well above the average family income of ＄ 650 per year), as most people were unable to borrow money. But there was a rapid rise in both home and car ownership during the mid-1900s.

Free time increased considerably following the shortening of the working week, i.e. from six days to five, and from 10 hours to eight hours a day. In fact, the working clay couldn't be too long, otherwise people wouldn't have the time to spend their money. The amount of a family's budget spent on outside entertainment, such as parties, films and concerts has increased from just under 6% in Ford's day to about 9% today. On the other hand, we spend only a quarter of what our great-grand-parents paid for reading materials.

It is difficult to see how our spending patterns may change in the future. We already know that our population is aging and this will have an effect on the amount of money we spend on medicalcare.

What is the subject discussed in the text?

A．Increase in family income.

B．Changes in family planning.

C．Changing patterns in spending.

D．Decrease in food demand.

American consumers like convenience very much. During the last 50 years, there has been a dramatic increase in such labor-saving devices as automatic washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, food processors, microwave ovens, garbage disposals and power lawn mowers. Today, all of these and many more, are found in a typical suburban home. These labor-saving devices are designed to reduce the time spent on housework. However, the time that Americans save is quickly spent on other activities. The American desire for convenience also created the concept of fast-food restaurants, found in every city and almost every small town in the United States, and now exported all over the world. These fast-food restaurants, such as McDonalds and KFC, serve sandwiches, salads, fried chicken, seafood, and other food to hurried customers in five minutes or less, often at a drive-up window. There are also a wide variety of restaurants that will deliver Chinese food, pizza, and other dishes to peoples homes in about a half-hour. In many areas there are "take-out taxis" that will deliver food from the menus of 20 or 30 different restaurants for a small charge. For those who prefer to prepare their food at home, American grocery stores are full of convenience foods that are packaged and ready to cook or even precooked. Like microwave ovens and dishwashers, fast-food and take-out restaurants are convenient because they save the American consumer time that would otherwise be spent fixing meals or cleaning up. More than half of all the women in the United States are currently employed. This includes mothers with children under the age of 18. More than half the women with little children under the age of six hold jobs. Sixty-eight percent of the women who have school-age children are employed. Families with working mothers need all the time-savers they can get. Thus, the conveniences that Americans desire reflect not so much a leisurely lifestyle. as a busy lifestyle. in which even minutes of time are too valuable to be wasted. Alexis de Tocqueville was one of the first to see in this a curious paradox (自相矛盾) in the American character. He observed that Americans were so busy working to acquire comforts and conveniences that they were unable to relax and to enjoy leisure time when they had it. Today, many Americans have what one medical doctor has called "the hurry sickness".

The increase in labor-saving devices in the last 50 years reflected______.

A．a shortage of labor force in America

B．people"s need to reduce the time spent on housework

C．Americans" interest in doing housework

D．the quick change of American family life

A. She is tired of the food in the canteen.

B. She often eats in a French restaurant.

C. She usually takes a snack in the KFC.

D. She is very fussy about what she eats.

听力原文：M: Mum, what will we have for dinner?

W: Maybe fish, chicken soup and what do you want to eat?

M: Mum, why don't we eat out for a change?

W: Oh, that's a good idea. Actually I'm very tired today.

M: Mm, let's go to KFC this time.

W: Ok, then, you'll drive, won't you?

M: Ok, ok. Ah, here we are. Mum, what would you like to have? I'd like a hamburger.

W: I want one, too. And some desserts and beverages?

M: Yeah, a glass of Pepsi, an ice-cream cone and an apple pie.

W: Ok, you go and find the seats.

Why did Mum agree to go for dinner?

A．Because she was tired today.

B．Because nobody cooked.

C．Because she was bored with the home-made food.

听力原文：W: John, I' m really hungry !

M: Just get anything you want, it' s on me today. I' m thinking about a hamburger and some chicken McNuggets.

W: Thanks, man. That sounds good. I love milkshakes here.

M: Me, too. The formula of McDonald' s is really special.

W: Right. And no matter where you go in the world, you can always see similar menu items and the same high level of quality in McDonald' s.

M: It' s true. They also do well because of diversity. I mean, they sell different products according to people' s tastes and preferences in different areas.

W: Right. Like the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and Seafood Soup that they sell in China. They could never sell that here!

M: But I' ve heard that McDonald' s is really losing market share in the States now, and has closed down some restaurants.

W: Yeah. It' s just so difficult to stay competitive when there are so many fast food chains in the States. I mean there are KFC, Pizza Hut, and A&W, just to name a few.

M: It seems that they' re doing better overseas, ' because they' re really able to sell American culture.

W: Yeah. They use all the media they can, and they do a good job.

(20)

A．A hamburger, some chicken McNuggets, and the milkshakes

B．Spicy Chicken Sandwich

C．Seafood Soup

D．Shakes