POTATOES

梁淑荣

Do potatoes play a small role on your dinner table？ If so， get ready for a big change！

Potatoes are becoming China's fourth staple food （主食） after rice， wheat and corn. Using potatoes as a staple can make our diets healthier and more balanced（均衡的）. They are good for us in many ways.

Potatoes are nutritious （有營养的）. They are rich in vitamin C. A potato's vitamin C is as rich as 10 apples. Potatoes are also low in calories （卡路里）-they have just 75 percent of the amount of calories that wheat and corn have.

Also， potatoes are easy to grow. People can grow them in almost every part of China. Potatoes don't need much water to grow. China is facing water shortage（不足） problems， so potatoes are a good choice.

Many Chinese people think potatoes are like vegetables. They cook potatoes along with other ingredients（原料）. But as a staple， potatoes can be cooked differently. People have found ways to make potato noodles and other staple foods， just like how we use rice or wheat.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。

1. What does the phrase “a big change” in Paragraph 1 mean？

A. Potatoes play a small role on the dinner table. B. Potatoes will be eaten more often.

C. People will stop eating potatoes.

D. There will be many new kinds of potatoes.

2. Which of the following plants is China's fourth staple food？

3. Why are potatoes better than other staple foods？

A. Because they are low in vitamin C.

B. Because they do not have very many calories.

C. Because they are heavier than other staple foods.

D. Because they can make people feel full more easily.

4. What can we learn from Paragraph 4？

A. Potatoes can be grown all over the country. B. Potatoes is easy to cook.

C. China doesn't have much water. D. Potatoes are easy to grow.

5. How do Chinese people usually cook potatoes？

A. They make potato noodles. B. They cut up and fry them.

C. They cook them along with other things. D. They usually make potato pancakes.