Ahlam Sarai,a 54-year-old Syrian woman,finally realized her dream of opening the first vegetarian(素食的)restaurant in her hometown of Sweida.
Sarai’s dream began more than 1l years ago, when she was inspired by her two children, who had decided to become vegetarians, and tried to cook appealing food without meat or other animal products. After becoming a master cook of vegetarian dishes, an idea came to her mind, which was “Why don’t I open a restaurant to cook vegetarian dishes for people?”
However, Sarai tried running the business from home at first due to a lack of money and resources needed to open a restaurant. She promoted her home-made vegetarian dishes on social media and delivered the food by bus. When Sarai’s business grew, she met her current partner and opened a restaurant which has grown larger in the past year and attracted more customers. She also brought in a young dessert chef, a vegetarian who makes desserts with natural sweeteners(甜味剂)such as grapes and molasses(糖浆). Now every morning,Sarai comes to the kitchen, puts on a head covering and gloves,and cooks various vegetarian dishes for her customers.
The Syrian woman hopes to spread the idea of vegetarianism in her country, where meat is the main ingredient in the majority of the local cuisines, by creating a special place for vegetarians who may feel uncomfortable when dining out with friends.
Zeir Atrash, a 22-year-old regular customer of Sarai’s restaurant, said that she felt a sense of belonging after the vegetarian restaurant was opened in Sweida, as she used to feel embarrassed when going to normal restaurants with her friends.
Nowadays, even restaurants in the capital Damascus have started to order food from Sarai’s restaurant in Sweida to cater to(迎合)the vegetarians and other customers curious about this kind of food. It is worth noting that non-vegetarian eaters are attracted partly by the much lower prices Sarai’s restaurant offers, since many are struggling with their livelihoods in the tough economic situation.
【小题1】Why does the author write the second paragraph?| A．To explain what food a vegetarian tends to consume. |
| B．To emphasize how Sarai would open a vegetarian restaurant. |
| C．To reveal the inspiration for Sarai to open a vegetarian restaurant. |
| D．To praise Ahlam Sarai for her determination to realize her childhood dream. |
| A．By following the time order. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By analyzing causes and effects. | D．By giving examples. |
| A．To increase her children’s appetite. |
| B．To expand her business in a short time. |
| C．To improve the health of the local population. |
| D．To raise awareness of vegetarianism in Syria. |
| A．It charges much less money. | B．It offers online reservations. |
| C．It provides a home delivery service. | D．It serves desserts with natural sweeteners. |
