VOA慢速英语2020--美式早餐

Today we answer a question from Levgenii, who was born in Ukraine. He writes:

Question:

Good Day,

I wonder how the usual American breakfasts go. What do Americans prefer to eat in the morning?

Have a nice day – Levgenii.

Answer:

Dear Levgenii,

Thank you for writing to us. The United States has a rich culture when it comes to the morning meal. Let us explore what Americans have for breakfast.

The usual breakfast

During the work week, many Americans have a light breakfast. In fact, nearly 40 percent will not have anything at all. Americans usually save larger breakfasts for the weekend, when they have more time in the morning to cook.

The most popular breakfast food is eggs. Americans prepare eggs in many ways. Most people have a preference for how they are cooked. Some Americans eat their eggs with bacon or sausage, meat products that often come from pigs.

Another popular breakfast food is cereal¹ – a product manufactured² from processed cereal grains. It is usually eaten with milk poured over it.

Another favorite is hot coffee. Many people have this with a bagel or a donut. A bagel is a baked good made in the shape of a circle or ring. It is heated until the bread is somewhat³ hard on the outside, but soft on the inside. Donuts, like bagels, are ring-shaped. But they are cooked in oil and have a sweet taste.

The United States is culturally diverse⁴, and you can find so many kinds of food. So, while eggs and meat are popular, millions of Americans eat other things for breakfast.

Brunch⁵

On weekends, people have more time to cook and eat. Many Americans may enjoy a meal we call "brunch" on a weekend day. That word combines "breakfast" and "lunch" – the term for a mid-day meal. Brunch is usually a larger meal than the weekday breakfast.

Americans have coffee, fruit juice and sometimes even alcoholic⁶ drinks with brunch. Popular foods include waffles and pancakes – two kinds of cake. French toast is also popular. It is made from bread combined with a sweet, milky⁷ egg mixture, which is then cooked.

I hope that helps to answer your question, Levgenii.

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Words in This Story

prefer – v. to like someone or something better than others

diverse – adj. very different

juice - n. the liquid found in or gathered from vegetables and fruits

cake - n. a soft, sweet food made from a heated mixture of flour, sugar, eggs and butter.

1 cereal   

n.谷类，五谷，禾谷

参考例句：

• I have hot cereal every day for breakfast.我每天早餐吃热麦片粥。
• Soybeans are handled differently from cereal grains.大豆的加工处理与谷类的加工处理不同。

2 manufactured   

adj.人造的v.（大规模）制造( manufacture的过去式和过去分词 )；捏造；加工；粗制滥造（文学作品）

参考例句：

• a news story manufactured by an unscrupulous journalist 一位不道德的记者编造的一篇报道
• We want the machine manufactured to our own spec. 我们要求这台机器按我们自己的规格来制造。

3 somewhat   

pron.一些，某物；adv.多少，几分

参考例句：

• The cake we made was somewhat of a failure.我们做的蛋糕不大成功。
• The two office buildings are somewhat alike in appearance.这两座办公楼在外形上有点相似。

4 diverse   

adj.不同的；相异的；多种多样的；形形色色的

参考例句：

• Spain is a composite of diverse traditions and people.西班牙是一个汇集了多种传统和民族的国家。
• Society is now much more diverse than ever before.当今社会较之以往任何时候都要丰富多彩得多。

5 brunch   

n.早午餐

参考例句：

• They eat much the same thing for brunch every day.每天早午餐他们总是吃同样的东西。
• What did you have for your brunch?你早午饭都吃些什么？

6 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

7 milky   

adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的

参考例句：

• Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
• I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。