Unit 1 Food for Thought 主题类文拓展阅读（配套教参Word）-【步步高】2025-2026学年高一英语必修第二册学习笔记（外研版·新教材）

(节选自译林版选择性必修第一册 Unit 1)

Comfort food

Whenever I feel lonely，I have a secret recipe that never fails：rice，milk and sugar，cooked low and slow.No matter how bad my mood is，that perfect combination is always enough to lift my spirits.Sometimes the smell alone can do the trick，not to mention the lovely creamy flavour，which works like a time machine immediately transporting me back to my sunny childhood.With pleasure，I remember the lazy Sunday afternoons I used to spend in the warmth of my grandma’s flat，listening to her wonderful stories and greedily eating bowl after bowl of her delicious rice pudding.I take my time over every spoonful，gently rolling the silky dessert around my mouth and enjoying the perfect marriage of rice and milk.Before I know it，I’m happy again.

My experience with rice pudding illustrates the unique power of “comfort food”．In its broadest sense，comfort food refers to any food that makes us feel better.In this article，we will talk about a particular type of comfort food whose power mainly lies in the associations it calls to mind.It often makes up for bad feelings by helping us recall happy memories of the people，things or places we love.

Our comfort foods are highly individual.They vary from person to person，depending on our own unique experiences that have shaped our lives.If we grow up eating certain foods in our family，then those foods tend to be linked with positive emotions.For example，we often connect chicken soup with a happy childhood and its flavour becomes tied up with the feeling of being taken care of.When we eat it again，we unlock memories of a time when we were loved and looked after，and this cheers us up.

The feeling of happiness and sense of belonging can become particularly important for people who move away from their home country.According to some food experts，there are some aspects of culture that people will lose right away，but with food，there are more opportunities to connect to memory，family and place.It is hardest to give up the food that you grow up with.Of course，each person’s comfort food largely depends on where they come from—for a Chinese it might be a plate of dumplings with a saucer of vinegar，and for a native of the UK it might be the classic fish and chips，served hot，salty and sour.One mouthful of comfort food takes us back to our cultural roots，giving us the “taste of home” that we cry out for and relieving feelings of homesickness.

1．What is “comfort food”？

A．It is food that is delicious. 

B．It is food that is unique to someone.

C．It is food that can make you feel better. 

D．It is food that can bring you back to the past.

答案　C

2．Why does the writer like rice pudding?

A．Because it has a good taste. 

B．Because she likes its creamy flavour.

C．Because it reminds her of her perfect marriage. 

D．Because it reminds her of her childhood.

答案　D

3．What might be comfort food for a British person in China?

A．A plate of dumplings.   B．The classic fish and chips.

C．Chicken soup.   D．A spicy hot pot.

答案　B

4．What is the main purpose of the article?

A．To introduce different types of comfort food around the world.

B．To explain the process of making rice pudding.

C．To emphasize the power of comfort food in evoking memories and emotions.

D．To compare comfort foods of different cultures.

答案　C

这篇文章属于“人与社会”主题语境下的“饮食与文化”“情感与记忆”子主题。文章围绕 “慰藉食物(comfort food)”展开，探讨了其独特的力量。主旨是说明慰藉食物不仅能改善人的情绪，还能唤起人们对所爱之人、事、物的美好回忆，并且这种慰藉食物因人而异，尤其对于远离家乡的人来说，它能带来幸福感、归属感，缓解思乡之情。