Walk in London’s cobblestoned streets, cross centuries-old bridges and wander through covered markets — before the morning drizzle (毛毛雨) has given way to afternoon sun, history will become alive before you. The city’s old buildings, black taxis and red double-decker buses all have long and complicated stories that are deeply rooted in London’s traditions. So do fish and chips. Apart from being a fast-food favourite, fish and chips are also typically served as a Friday meal, in schools for lunch and at home for dinner. Former British prime minister Winston Churchill famously called fish and chips “the good companions”.

More than 229 million portions of white fish fillets are sold each year in England, each one coated in a light batter (面糊) and deep-fried, and served alongside fat fried slices of potatoes. For many English people, fish and chips are best served wrapped in newspapers and wolfed down with a combination of a wooden fork and greasy fingers, preferably seaside.

Most historians agree that it was in London, not on the coast, that the first fish and chip shop opened its doors. It was here too that the city’s working class pushed the dish into popular cooking culture. And it is in London that one of the oldest surviving chippies still stands today.

This is an understandable source of despair for nutritionists: Fish and chips may contain an abundance of vitamins and minerals, but both main ingredients are also deep-fried in oil that often contains unhealthy saturated fats. For all its traditional popularity, however, according to a 2016 study by the U. K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, fish and chips consumption has lost significant market share in recent years to other takeaway items such as pizza and kebabs.

Apple’s vitamin and mineral content, its easy availability, and its inexpensiveness are the reasons why it’s the second most-consumed fruit in the world.【小题1】 But what about the calories and nutritional value in it? Can we consume apples in endless numbers and still stay fit?

A medium-sized apple contains up to 95 calories. However, the sugar content—about 19g—is still less than the 21g you get in a regular-sized chocolate bar.【小题2】 The fiber present in fruits and vegetables helps control blood sugar levels naturally. It slows down digestion and stops the blood sugar levels from rising as they would after you consume candy.

Eating one medium-sized apple gives you your daily dose of 14% vitamin A and 11% of vitamin C, both that your immune system needs the most. Antioxidants like vitamin A and C save the body from damage caused by unstable atoms. 【小题3】   If we consume darker apples more, we can get an antioxidant that protects the body from diseases and a good amount of indigestible fiber our gut’s good bacteria feed on, so it’s a win-win deal!

【小题4】 Consuming one or two apples on a daily basis is good for your health. But if you’re diabetic, you should restrict the consumption to not more than a small-sized apple a day as apples are a high-sugar fruit. If you stay alert and take a proper diet, your body will benefit a lot. But if you eat endlessly, even the healthiest food in the world would damage your body and increase the number of doctor visits.【小题5】

The History Of Chocolate

The Theobroma Cacao tree provides us with one of the world’s mest delicious foods—chocolate. The tree originally comes from the Amazon region of South America. Hand-sized pods（菜）that grow on the tree contain cacao seeds-often “cocoa heans. ”【小题1】

The earliest use of cacao beans dates back to around 1000 B. C. when the Mayan people used cocoa as a drink. It is believed that drinking cups of cocoa was important on occasions such as wedding ceremonies. 【小题2】 In Peru, for example, eating or drinking a mixture of chocolate and chili was said to be good for the stomach.

Christopher Columbus, the famous Spanish explorer, made his fourth voyage across the Atlantic in the early 1500s and arrived in-Central America. 【小题3】   Cocoa beans were used as money in many parts of Central America.

In the sixteenth century, chocolate was taken back to Spain by Hernando Cortez, another explorer. 【小题4】 It later spread to France in the seventeenth century. The popularity of chocolate continued to spread further across Europe and the Americas. The only Asian country to accept it at that time, though, was the Philippines, which the Spanish invaded in the sixteenth century.

【小题5】 Slaves’ were brought to the Americas from Africa to farm the cocoa. Eventually, the cacao tree was taken to Africa. Today. Africa provides almost seventy percent of the world’s cacao, compared with one and a half percent from Mexico. Who would have thought that chocolate bars had so much history?