When I was 13 years old, I became a vegetarian and quickly realized that I would have to learn how
to cook for myself. The first thing I ever asked my mom to teach me how to make was bean soup."Oh,
that's easy!" She told me. She started by explaining: "Almost every soup starts with onions and carrots."
     My mom is a chef who is able to cook delicious meals. She also told me that the very first thing she
had learned in cooking school was to make soup stock (拼盤)----followed by soup. Her teacher had told
the class: "If you learn anything here, it should be soup."
    In the US, soup isn't so much a part of a meal as a meal in itself. Soups are often made from the
leftovers (剩菜) of last night's dinner----a baked chicken or turkey can easily be made into a new meal by
adding broth (肉湯) and some vegetables. Soups are accompanied (伴隨) by bread and topped with cheese.
    It was easy to impress my college roommates with my mom's great soup recipes (菜譜). Bean soup,
vegetable noodle soup, mushroom soup… For only a few dollars, three or four of us could eat well from
the same pot of soup for a whole week. Add a loaf of bread and some cheese, and our soup became a proper
feast (盛宴).
    I'm not a vegetarian any more, but I still make bean soup. It fills the house with lovely smells and reminds
me of my mom, and my home.

1. The first thing that the writer learnt to make was _______.

A. bean soup
B. vegetable noodle soup
C. mushroom soup
D. beef soup

2. What is the writer's mother's job?

A. teacher
B. officer
C. chef
D. secretary

3. According to the writer's mother, almost every soup has _______.

A. onions and carrots
B. celery (芹菜) and chili (辣椒)
C. carrots and mushroom
D. bread and cheese

4. Which of the statements is TRUE?

A. Soup is as important as a meal in America.
B. Americans don't like to make soup from leftovers.
C. Americans think it is difficult to make soup.
D. Americans like to add cheese to soup.

5. From this passage, we can learn that _______.

A. in the US, soup isn't part of every meal
B. you can't make soup with a baked chicken or turkey
C. the writer often made different kinds of soup at home with her roommates
D. the writer doesn't make bean soup any more because she isn't a vegetarian