Đề thi thử Anh Chung vào 10 Chuyên Sư Phạm năm 2026 - Lần 3

GARETH KEOWN ON NEW INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS

Independent restaurants are growing in number and their owners are desperate to make them successful.

A. Nat's Seafood and Grill
Nathanial Evans is known for his light sauces, robust food and technique. Born in a fishing village, Nathanial draws his influences from a childhood spent on the sea with his grandfather. 'I learned to cook when I was eight and my grandmother taught me a few culinary tricks. Of course, fish was a staple in our diet.' Nathanial now has six restaurants and I first tried his dishes in Cornwall, where the food was superb. Here in London though, his newest restaurant has mislaid something in transit. The fish are all headless, tailless and have no eyes. There is no hint of shell or skin, so not a fingerbowl in sight. I quickly came to the conclusion that it is a seafood restaurant for people who do not like seafood. All the essentials are there, but the edge has gone. All the starters are small and pricey, with many of the dishes trying to impress the diner with their colour rather than flavour. All in all, quite a disappointment and I knew from the moment I sat down I would not be returning.

B. Teutel's Café
ter Teutel's first restaurant was an instant success. His second was opened to even greater acclaim. 'The ethos behind our restaurants is to bring different Oriental food to Britain.' He helped free Japanese food from the elite and bring it to the masses, and it should not be forgotten how he introduced a hungry public, who knew nothing about it, to the joys of the noodle. We also should not forget the influence his communal tables and very fast service had on the middle price-range British dining public. He raised the bar for Chinese and Indian dishes before venturing into Thai food in his newest offering. In addition to curries, laksas and grills, there is a large choice of hamburgers, along with a Caesar and a feta salad, evidently because there would be this sort of combination in a real Thai café. I suspect though, that in Thailand they do not have access to the tasty burgers and salads that you can find almost everywhere in Britain. Unfortunately, the place comes across as needy. Its menu is trying to be all things to all men, and somehow it just doesn't work.

C. Tugamotos
This restaurant is the first of its kind in London and I'm sure it is going to be a winner. It offers a dining event with a difference - techno fun fused with Asian food. Tugamotos is stylish and tranquil yet offers something really special - an interactive ordering process, which is great fun. The menu is beamed onto your table through an overhead projector and adds a quirky element to eating out. Diners can spy on the chef, select an interactive tablecloth theme, play games, book a taxi or even theatre tickets, and it's all at your fingertips. There are waiters there to help should you be Amish man or woman and not understand the techy elements of the dining experience, and the food is really top quality. There is a good choice and the prices are more than reasonable, with the dearest dish being just £17.00. From the high-tech devices to the delicious food, Tugamotos puts the fun back into dining out, and is well worth a visit.

D. Daufin
There is a lot to like about this basement restaurant, beige walls, black and white floor and that's about it. The waitress does not write your order down, because she knows the menu and also has a good memory. The loyal clientele know the waitress well, too. With Argentinean owners, beef is prominent on the quite brief menu, but I am fond of places that do fewer dishes but very well. They take their meat very seriously here, but not in a new-age way. 'Our cooks understand that there are things that must be done properly,' says Con, the head chef. 'And we believe in everything being fresh, not frozen or pre-prepared.' That certainly showed in the eating experience. Apart from an abundance of beef, there is also lamb and fish on the menu and a nice choice of unusual salads. The steaks are sold by size, cut thick, and cooked to perfection however you desire them. For a carnivore, this is the ideal place to choose for an evening out. No time limit on how long you can sit at the table, prompt and courteous service and food that leaves you drooling from its divineness.

Laugh to Keep Fit

We all know what an important part exercise plays in our lives, but more and more of us are getting less of it. People are often advised to take 21.1upondownafter a sport, but it can often be hard to choose one that you enjoy. At our local community centre, this is set to change with the new laughter yoga classes on 21.2demandrequestofferdisplay. Laughter yoga is the perfect form of exercise for those who are looking for a fun way to keep fit. You don't need to 21.3ownkeepholdpossess any special skill; just a combination of a positive attitude and a desire for a fun-filled workout. Classes take place every Friday afternoon and involve breathing exercises and controlled laughter. A 21.4plaintypicalnormalstandard session begins with gentle warm-up techniques which include stretching, clapping and body movement; followed by a series of laughter exercises in groups to build confidence. Time passes by very quickly and before you know it, you've done an hour's exercise. Not surprisingly, this method of working out is extremely popular with all ages and attracts people from a wide 21.5selectionmixvarietychoice of backgrounds. Even relatively shy people really enjoy themselves. So, if you have a sense of humour and are looking for a fun way to keep fit, this is definitely the right workout for you.

See Tasmania!

Rich in old-world charm and with magnificent National Parks, Tasmania is well covered by a good road network. Light traffic and wonderful views make driving these roads a pleasure. Though the bus system is reliable, on many routes services may only run once daily. So hire a car and see this beautiful and interesting island at your own speed.

There is a variety of places to stay, and although booking is strongly advised, particularly at peak holiday times, it should not be too difficult to arrange things as you go, if you prefer. We sell you a set of Taz Hotel Pass vouchers and Tasmania is yours. The Taz Hotel Pass offers the visitor a simple and convenient way to stay anywhere in Australia. Each hotel ticket is paid for in advance and is for one night's accommodation. There is no maximum or minimum number of hotel tickets you can buy, and we will give you your money back on unused tickets, less a small administrative charge. Taz Hotels are divided into simple colour categories, with Ruby being the most basic and Diamond representing the highest quality. We recommend that you buy a mixture of tickets, as we cannot give you your money back if you use a higher-value ticket when staying at a lower-value hotel. If you travel to an area where Taz have no hotels, then we will find other reasonably priced accommodation for you in exchange for your Taz tickets.

Here is the planned route for our holiday in Tasmania:

Day 1: Arrive Hobart airport, pick up your car and spend some time in the capital, perhaps driving up to the Old Signal Station on Mount Nelson.
Day 2: Drive through the Derwent Valley, stopping at Russell Falls. Later the scenery becomes even more amazing as you pass Lake St Clair National Park. Spend the night in the fishing town of Strahan.
Day 3: We take you on a half-day cruise from Strahan on the famous Gordon River. Then set off for a leisurely drive to Cradle Mountain National Park.
Day 4: Enjoy the wild beauty of the Park. Go fishing or horse-riding. Or walk around beautiful Dove Lake, from where there are wonderful views of the mountain itself.
Day 5: Explore the fascinating country towns as you drive north and along the coast to Launceston, Tasmania's second-largest city.
Day 6: A pleasant drive through peaceful countryside to Hobart. On route, you pass the charming towns of Ross and Oatlands. Return to the airport in time for your flight.

"The year without a summer" - the Eruption of Mt Tambora, 1815

In 1816, Europe and North America suffered their worst summer in centuries. Cold temperatures brought heavy rains, frosts and snowfalls. Harvests failed, livestock died, and the famine and disease that resulted led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. The year 1816 came to be known as 'the year without a summer.'

Today, we know the cause of this lethal summer. One year previously, the largest and most deadly volcanic eruption in recorded history took place in Indonesia. The sulphur dioxide and dust that the eruption spewed into the atmosphere blocked sunlight and cooled the Earth, leading to a 'volcanic winter'.

Indonesia has more active volcanoes than any country in the world. On 15th April, 1815, Mt Tambora, a volcano which is situated on the island of Sumbawa, erupted. The event was catastrophic. Toxic gases, rocks, and hot ash spread across the island, killing over 12,000 people instantly. 160 cubic kilometres of ash was thrown into the atmosphere, along with 400 million tons of gas. The eruption column reached an altitude of more than 43 km.

To get some idea of the scale of the event: before the explosion, Mount Tambora was 4,300 metres high. After, it measured just 2,851 metres. The explosion was so huge it was heard 2,600 km away, and the sky remained dark for two days in areas up to 600 km from the volcano.

The Tambora eruption was terrifying not only because it was so destructive, but because it happened so suddenly and with such speed. Unlike other more famous eruptions such as at Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD and on the island of Krakatoa in 1883, which had fairly long eruption sequences, Mt Tambora erupted with almost no warning and was extremely quick in reaching its climax.

The loss of life after the eruption was terrible. Famine of extraordinary and severe intensity immediately broke out, taking the lives of thousands. On 3rd August, 1815, a Lt Phillips arrived on Sumbawa and reported: "The extreme misery to which the inhabitants have been reduced is shocking to behold." More than 71,000 people in Indonesia eventually died. Mt Tambora's 1815 eruption killed more people in total than any other known volcanic eruption in history.

Amazingly, despite the fact the Tambora eruption occurred less than 200 years ago and is the most deadly eruption ever to have been observed by humans, few people today have even heard of it. The eruption of Mt Tambora in 1815 remains one of the most overlooked natural disasters in history.