Reading 1/2:
Read the passage and answer the given questions.
Cultural historian and researcher Trinh Quang Dũng believes that the popularization and origins of modern pho
stemmed from the intersection of several historical and cultural factors in the early 20th century. These include
improved availability of beef due to French demand, which in turn produced beef bones that were purchased by
Chinese workers to make into a dish similar to phò called nguu nhục phấn. The demand for this dish was initially the
greatest with workers from the provinces of Yunnan and Guangdong, who had an affinity for the dish due to its
similarities to that of their homeland, which eventually popularized and familiarized this dish with the general population.
Pho was originally sold at dawn and dusk by itinerant street vendors, who shouldered mobile kitchens on carrying poles
(gánh phò). From the pole hung two wooden cabinets, one housing a cauldron over a wood fire, the other storing
noodles, spices, cookware, and space to prepare a bowl of pho. The heavy gánh was always shouldered by men. They
kept their heads warm with distinctive felt hats called mũ pho.
Hanoi's first two fixed pho stands were a Vietnamese-owned Cát Tuong on Câu Gỗ Street and a Chinese-owned stand
in front of Bò Ho tram stop. They were joined in 1918 by two more on Quat Row and Đồng Row. Around 1925, a Vân Cù
villager named Van opened the first "Nam Định style" pho stand in Hanoi. Gánh phò declined in number around
1936-1946 in favor of stationary eateries.
1) Cultural historian and researcher Trinh Quang Dũng believes that the popularization and origins of modern pho
stemmed from the intersection of several historical and cultural factors in the early 20th century.
What does the word "stemmed" mean?
A. deleted
B. ended
C. continued
D. began
2) The dish from the two provinces of China was famous among....
A. historians
B. French
C. homeland
D. workers
3) How did French demand for beef contribute to the ingredients in pho?
A. It increased the availability of beef bones
B. It increased the availability of chicken
C. It had impact on the availability of beef bones
D.
FUed the availability of beef bones
