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Shrimp are a popular source of protein, but cooking them well is not easy. One extra minute in the pan can turn them rubbery. Because shrimp cook so quickly, cooks have little time to react. One simple trick, however, makes the result more reliable.

The trick is a “dry brine” (干腌) — powders only, with no water. Before cooking, cooks cover the shrimp with baking soda and salt — two cheap ingredients most kitchens have. They need only about fifteen minutes — enough time to prepare the other ingredients — and can stay in the mixture for up to an hour. Anything longer than a few minutes needs a fridge to keep them fresh. The suggested amount is about one teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of baking soda per pound of shrimp.

Why does this work? According to the food writer Daniel, salt and baking soda both help shrimp hold water. Salt dissolves a muscle protein called myosin (肌球蛋白), so the protein pulls together less. Baking soda has a similar effect, so the proteins bond even less. With fewer bonds, the shrimp shrink less and stay plumper.

The method is not a magic solution: Daniel notes that brined shrimp still overcook if left too long, so cooks must keep watching. He also points out a trade-off: the result is juicy and firm, but not very tender. He compares it to a “tightly-filled water balloon” — a result not every dish wants. The cook Tim Chin even skipped the brine in a fried rice recipe. The brine would have kept the shrimp too wet for the dry result he wanted, and it would have made the cooking time longer.

For home cooks, the dry brine is still worth keeping in mind: it cannot guarantee perfect shrimp, but it reduces the risk.

1.1.The ingredients of a dry brine are ________.

A mixed with water

B hard to buy

C added after cooking

D common at home

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第二段的“two cheap ingredients most kitchens have”可知，干腌的用料是小苏打和盐——家家厨房都有的两样便宜东西，“common at home”（家里就有）正是这句话的同义转述。A与原文相反，第二段一开始就说明干腌是“powders only, with no water”，是纯粉末、不加水；B说“很难买到”与“cheap”“most kitchens have”直接抵触；C说“烹饪后加”与文中“Before cooking, cooks cover the shrimp...”的先后顺序不符。故选D。

2.2.What is the longest time the shrimp can stay in the mixture?

A About five minutes.

B About fifteen minutes.

C About an hour.

D About half a day.

解析：选C。C数字细节题。题干问的是虾在混合物里最长能放多久，根据第二段的“can stay in the mixture for up to an hour”可知上限是一个小时，“up to”正是“最多”。A 项把 a few minutes 误读为约五分钟；B 的“about fifteen minutes”对应“They need only about fifteen minutes”，那只是“只需约十五分钟即可”的腌制时间，并非最长时限；与题干“longest time”不符；D文中根本没有提到半天。故选C。

3.3.What does the underlined word “dissolves” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A Takes in.

B Breaks down.

C Holds onto.

D Slows down.

解析：选B。B 词义猜测题。线索在考点词的下一句：“Salt dissolves a muscle protein called myosin (肌球蛋白), so the protein pulls together less.”盐把肌球蛋白dissolves之后，这种蛋白在加热时聚合收缩得就更少——盐作用于蛋白、使它不再成团结块，正是“breaks down”的意思，且与下句的因果（so）严密对接。A“takes in”（吸收）放进去接不上后文“收缩更少”的结果；C“holds onto”（抓住）方向相反，原文说的是蛋白之间的结合减少；D“slows down”讲的是速度变慢，而原文“pulls together less”讲的是程度变小，两者并不等同。此处 dissolves 指盐使肌球蛋白溶解/分解，从而减少蛋白聚集；四个选项中 breaks down 最接近。故选B。

4.4.Why does the writer mention the cook Tim Chin?

A To introduce a rice dish.

B To prove the brine is new.

C To explain how to brine.

D To show the brine’s limits.

解析：选D。D写作意图题。第四段段首就点明“The method is not a magic solution”，接着作者指出“a trade-off”（多汁紧实但不够嫩），并用“a result not every dish wants”收束；举厨师Tim Chin 正是给这个判断配一个实例——他为做炒饭要的干爽效果干脆“skipped the brine”，因为 “The brine would have kept the shrimp too wet for the dry result he wanted”。可见举例的目的在于说明这方法有它不合用的场合，即它的局限。A文中确有炒饭这道菜，但作者不是要介绍菜谱，而是借这道菜说明有人主动不用干腌，属答非所问；B第二段强调的是用料“two cheap ingredients most kitchens have”，文章从未说这个办法“新”，与原文相反；C“how to brine”（怎么腌）的做法第二段已经讲完，第四段讲的是局限，属张冠李戴。故选D。