Passage Reference: . Chinese local dishes are said to have four, eight and ten culinary schools, depending on which authority is consulted. Canton, Shandong, Sichuan and Yangzhou make up four of them: if you count Hunan, Fujian, Anhui and Zhejiang, you have eight culinary schools; add in Beijing and Shanghai, and that makes ten.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes choose Section C because it talks about food, but that section describes specific cuisines, not the overall regional system. This is a Wrong section trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'four, eight and ten culinary schools' = Statement: 'regional cuisines of China'

Tips: For matching features, look for overview language like numbers and lists. That often signals the correct section.

Key Vocabulary:

• culinary = related to cooking
• region = area

Question Focus: Understanding cultural attitudes, not specific foods

Passage Reference: But they may be less prepared for what the writer Colin Thubron memorably describes as the 'passionate relationship' of the Chinese to food. Folk memories of famine are recent (the last were in the 1960s) and there are still areas where people's diet is limited and poor. Refrigeration is more widespread now, but the Chinese almost never eat 'ready meals'; food is freshly cooked for each meal, and fish, meat and poultry are often killed only a short time before they are cooked. Shopping in the markets or shops is done with immense gusto, and everything is prodded, shaken, sniffed and thoroughly checked before being purchased.

Why this is correct: The answer is Section A because it explains how emotionally and culturally important food is to Chinese people. Phrases like passionate relationship and the detailed description of shopping habits show this clearly.

Common Mistake: Many students choose Section G because it talks about behaviour at meals, but that section is only about smoking. This is a Context shift trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'passionate relationship' = Statement: 'importance of food in Chinese culture'

Tips: When a statement asks about culture, scan for opinions and attitudes, not objects or habits.

Key Vocabulary:

• gusto = strong enthusiasm
• passionate = very strong feeling

Question Focus: Finding social habits described in daily life

Passage Reference: h pub. G. Among men in China, much less so among women, smoking is widespread, and at formal meals cigarettes are almost always offered along with the tea Most Chinese people do not seem to be at all worried about the links between smoking and health problems. It is very hard to escape from other people's cigarettes in restaurants. Young Chinese men set on having a good night out can even be seen holding a lit cigarette in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other-managing to smoke and eat at th

Why this is correct: The answer is Section G because the whole section is about how common smoking is, especially among men, and how it is part of social meals. This exactly matches the statement.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes pick Section E because it mentions tea at meals, but it does not talk about smoking. This is a Wrong section trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'smoking is widespread' = Statement: 'cigarette-smoking in Chinese culture'

Tips: For habits like smoking or drinking, look for sections describing behaviour, not food lists.

Key Vocabulary:

• widespread = very common
• formal meals = special meals

Question Focus: Matching numbers and classification systems

Passage Reference: . Canton, Shandong, Sichuan and Yangzhou make up four of th

Why this is correct: The answer is Section B because it clearly states which cuisines make up four major culinary schools. This is an overview, not detailed cooking methods.

Common Mistake: Some students choose Section C because it talks about cuisines, but it does not explain the four-school system. This is a Partial truth trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'make up four of them' = Statement: 'four regional culinary schools'

Tips: Numbers in the statement should match numbers in the passage exactly.

Key Vocabulary:

• overview = general description
• make up = form

Question Focus: Scanning for beverages instead of food

Passage Reference: r. E. The Chinese drink large quantities of tea (mostly 'green tea', as opposed to the 'black' tea that is more commonly drunk in the West) and they add no milk or sugar. Tea is drunk constantly at meetings and at work, less so in restaurants and at formal meals, though it is always available if asked for. It is usually served in mugs with lids to keep it warm. Teabags and tea strainers are not used, and drinking tea without swallowing a mouthful of tea leaves requires concentration: try using the lid as a strainer when sipping. Tea is divided into green, black, perfumed, white and Wulong tea The most valuable green teas are Longjing and Biluochun; black tea, Qihong and Yunfeng; scented tea, Jasmine; white tea, Yinzhenbaihao, Gongmei and Shoumei; Wulong tea, Dahongpao and Tieguanyin. The Chinese will frequently give beautifully decorated tea caddies of special teas as a present.Other drinks you may be offered are yellow rice wine, served hot in little porcelain cups. It tastes rather like sherry. More lethal is maotai, the Chinese answer to vodka; there are also many light Chinese beers, as well as a growing range of Chinese wines-Great Wall wine is perhaps the best known and has improved considerably since the producers set up a joint venture with a French wine-grower. Soft drinks such as mineral water and Coca Cola are available everywhere, and fruit juices made from the exotic tropical fruits grown in the south of China are delicious.

Why this is correct: The answer is Section E because it lists many drinks, including tea, rice wine, beer, wine, and soft drinks. No other section focuses on beverages.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes choose Section A because it discusses eating habits, but drinks are not the focus there. This is a Context shift trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'drink large quantities of tea' = Statement: 'popular Chinese drinks'

Tips: Underline the key noun in the statement. Here it is drinks, not food.

Key Vocabulary:

• quantities = amounts
• beverages = drinks

Question Focus: Recognising emphasis on vegetables and health

Passage Reference: D. Vegetable dishes have been popular since the Song dynasty (960-1279) and they were greatly developed in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). They were divided into three schools: Monastery Vegetable Dishes, Court Vegetable Dishes and Folk Vegetable Dishes. The main features of vegetable dishes are their unique style and their health benefits. Main materials include green leaf vegetables, fruit, edible mushrooms, and bean-curd products with vegetable oil as a condiment, all of which are delicious in taste, rich in nutrition, easy to digest, and believed to be helpful in preventing cancer.

Why this is correct: The answer is Section D because it explains the long history and importance of vegetable dishes, including their health benefits. This directly matches the statement.

Common Mistake: Students may pick Section C because it mentions ingredients, but it is not about vegetables as a category. This is a Wrong section trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'vegetable dishes have been popular' = Statement: 'importance of vegetable dishes'

Tips: When a statement says importance, look for history, benefits, or long development.

Key Vocabulary:

• dynasty = ruling family period
• nutrition = healthy content

Question Focus: Understanding social and cultural spaces

Passage Reference: ous. F. One interesting development in the 1990s has been the re-emergence of teahouses, traditionally the haunts of the intellectuals and literati, who would idle away hours in stimulating conversation or in composing poems. In workaholic, post-liberation China, such establishments were considered a decadent remnant of the feudal society. But with the emergence of the five-day working week, and with more emphasis on quality leisure time, the traditional teahouse is once again blossoming in major cities. Teahouses have one thing in common: tranquillity-a precious commodity in China. The quiet atmosphere is broken only by leisurely music played on the zheng, a twenty-one- or twenty-five-stringed plucked instrument, in some ways similar to the zither. Conversation tends to be carried out in hushed tones. Teahouses are located at quiet places in beautiful surroundings, often near lakes; most cities have several now. The teahouse has its own slot on TV, too-the British television company Granada has coproduced with Chinese TV a 230-part TV soap called Joy Luck Street, based around the comings and goings in a teahouse; it was inspired by the long-running British TV soap Coronation Street, whose central location is a good old English pub.

Why this is correct: The answer is Section F because it explains why teahouses matter socially and culturally, both in the past and today. It shows their role in leisure, conversation, and calm.

Common Mistake: Some students choose Section D because it is historical, but it is about vegetables, not teahouses. This is a Wrong section trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 're-emergence of teahouses' = Statement: 'importance of teahouses in Chinese culture'

Tips: For places like teahouses, scan for social activities, not food or drink lists.

Key Vocabulary:

• tranquillity = calm
• literati = educated people

General Tips:

• Matching Features questions can jump around the passage. Do not expect answers to follow paragraph order.
• Scan for key nouns first like drinks, smoking, teahouses, or vegetables.
• Do not match just because the topic appears. Match the exact meaning.
• The same section can be used more than once. Do not cross it off.