Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions which follow . Complete sentences are not necessary but your answers must be accurate!
The English are not particularly famous for their tasty food.
However, there are occasions when even the English do
themselves proud, and one of these is Christmas. Christmas for
the English is a time of "goodwill and peace to all men", a time
when children are spoilt silly and stay up all night, and grown
ups have no guilt feelings about being extra lazy and selfÂ
indulgent. It is a time when relations are nice to each other,
when they sing carols together and eat, drink, and make merry
to their heart's content.
Preparations for the next Christmas begin almost as soon as the
last one is over. The famous Christmas pudding, which consists
of raisins, dates and an assortment of nuts and brandy, is made
immediately after the previous Christmas and is left to mature
for a whole year. The goose, turkey or duck - most people have
turkey these days, is bought some days in advance and hung to
allow it to become tender and acquire flavour. On Christmas
day, it is thoroughly cleaned and then stuffed. Two stuffmgs are
generally used; a herb stuffmg, consisting of bread mixed with
herbs, spices and onions, and a chestnut stuffmg. The bird is
placed in a hot oven and allowed to roast slowly for between
three and six hours. The pudding is steam-boiled in water for
about an hour.
After a glass of sherry or mulled wine, heated red wine with
sugar, cloves and a little brandy, the meal proper begins. The
first course is something light, either sliced melon or grapefruit,
often with a sugared sherry on top. This whets the appetite and
prepares the palate for the main course. The bird, which by this
stage should be crisp and brown, is cut into slices and served
with stuffmg, roast potatoes and a variety of vegetables, the
favourites being Brussels sprouts and carrots. All this is
accompanied by a rich brown gravy poured over everything.
Then comes the pudding. It is taken out of its bowl, steaming
hot, and brandy is poured over it and lit, so that the pudding,
often with a bit of holly stuck in the top, arrives at the table
flambe. It is served with brandy butter (brandy mixed with
butter) and whipped cream. Those who still have an empty
corner somewhere finish off with cheese - Stilton or Cheddar,two famous English cheeses. Throughoutthe meal, of course, red or white wine is drunk.
When the meal is over, people retire to the sitting- room for
brandy, liqueurs or coffee to gather strength for the washing-up.
Finally, the assembled company is jolted back to reality by the
lady of the house who reminds everyone about the washing-up.
Traditionally, this was done by the ladies, but today everybody,
regardless of age or status, pitches in. Some gather the dirty
dishes while others wash, dry and put away. Christmas day is
perhaps the only day of the year when noone begrudges lending a hand with the washing up.
1. What's Christmas like for the English?
2. What does Chistmas pudding consist of?
3. Why is the bird hung a few days before Christmas?
4. What's mulled wine?
5. What's the stuffing for the bird?
6. How does the Christmas pudding arrive at the table?
7.What's the gravy for?
8. What do the English eat after Christmas lunch if the 've still got an empty corner?
9. What do people do after the meal is over?
10. Who does the washing up?
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
