Garlic is one of the most common flavors in our kitchen. It not only tastes wonderful, but also it’s very good for your body. It is one of Mother Nature’
s most precious gifts to cooks of all levels.
Choose garlic heads that are firm to the touch, with no scars or soft cloves (蒜瓣). If you notice dark, powdery patches under the skin, pass it up because this is an indication of a common mold which will eventually spoil the flesh.
Store unpeeled heads of garlic in an open container in a cool, dry place away from other foods. Do not refrigerate or freeze unpeeled garlic. Properly stored garlic can keep up to three months.
As garlic ages, it will begin to produce green sprouts in the center of each clove. These infant green sprouts can be bitter, so throw them before using the garlic for your recipe. However, if you plant the cloves and let them grow to a height of about six inches, you can use the sprouts like chives (韭黄) in salads and such.
Garlic can also be purchased as peeled whole cloves, both stored in olive or vegetable oil. It is urgent that garlic in oil be stored under refrigeration to avoid potentially-deadly bacteria growth. If you use a lot of garlic and wish to cut your preparation time down, you can pre-peel and store your own in oil in the refrigerator, but the best flavor will come from freshly-peeled cloves. Use garlic powder, garlic salt, and garlic juice only as a last resort.
To peel a garlic clove, place it on a cutting board on its side, and gently press down quickly with the flat side of a butcher knife. The skin should then easily peel off. If you find the skin clinging desperately to the clove, congratulations! You have fresh garlic. As garlic ages, the skin is gradually dried-up, making it easier to peel.
1. The passage is mainly about .
A. how to select, store and peel garlic
B. what garlic tastes and smells
C. where to keep the garlic
D. when to reap the garlic
2. A dark patch under the skin of garlic means .
A. the cloves of garlic are soft
B. the garlic has been kept for long
C. something wrong with the garlic
D. the garlic has been cooked
3. The underlined word “sprouts” means .
A. new parts growing on a plant
B. newly seeds growing on a plant
C. parts belonging to a branching shape
D. thin skin attached to garlic
4. If you want to store garlic, .
A. you can keep it in the refrigerator up to three months
B. you’d better keep the peeled in the refrigerator
C. you may keep frozen unpeeled garlic
D. you can put garlic in vegetable oil
5. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The sprouts of garlic tastes like chives.
B. Garlic juice is better than the freshly-peeled.
C. A cutting board is helpful for peeling garlic.
D. Olive oil is needed when 
cooking garlic.