Read and answer the questions based on the passage.

Chinese culinary arts has a long history, famous all over the world. Chinese cuisine has developed and matured over the centuries, forming a rich cultural content. It is characterized by fine selection of ingredients, precise processing, particular care to the amount of fire, and substantial nourishment.

The diversity of geography, climate, costumes and products have led to the evolution of what are called the “Four Flavors” and “Eight Cuisines” but as catering is a living art sub-classifications continue to increase. Cuisine in China is a harmonious integration of color, redolence, taste, shape and the fineness of the instruments. For the cooking process, chefs pick choice and various ingredients and seasonings while employing unparalleled complicated skills handed down from their fathers, ever aspiring to their ideal of perfection for all the senses. Among the many cooking methods they use are boiling, stewing, braising, frying, steaming, crisping, baking, and simmering and so on. When they finish their masterpieces they are arranged on a variety of plates and dishes so that they are a real pleasure to view, to smell and ultimately to savor.

Beijing cuisine combines the best features of different regional styles. Shangdong cuisine leads the Northern dishes. Shangdong cooks are good at cooking seafood. Sichuan cooks specialize in chilies and hot peppers and Sichuan dish is famous for aromatic and spicy sauces. Guangdong cooking makes use of many ingredients. They look for fresh, tender, crisp textures. Huai Yang cuisine stresses the natural flavors. Dishes are strong but not greasy, and light but delicate. Tan cuisine is both sweet and salty. There is a saying that “southerners have a sweet tooth, and northerners crave salt”, but Tan dishes manage to satisfy both. Because China’s local dishes have their own typical characteristics, Chinese food can be divided into eight regional cuisines, the distinction of which is now widely accepted.

【小题1】What does the underlined word “ characterized” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
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【小题2】What does the passage mainly tell us??
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【小题3】What caused the diversity of Chinese cuisine?
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【小题4】What is typical of Sichuan dishes?
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【小题5】How do the cooks perfect their masterpieces besides cooking according to passage?
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