随着美国人生活节奏的加快，快餐食品应运而生。其快餐连锁店遍及世界各地，大多数快餐店供应的快餐食品有：汉堡包、烤牛肉、牛排、火腿、三明治、油炸土豆片、烘馅饼、冰淇淋以及各种碳酸饮料等。

　　Fast Food 快餐食品

　　Fast-food chains, American-style, are currently on the increase all over the world. Most of these places work on a similar principle. There is a long counter, above which is displayed a list(often with pictures) of the items available, and behind which several people(often students working for the minimum wage)are serving. Individual queues form in front of each assistant. You receive what you order more or less immediately and take it on a tray to a table, picking up things like straws[1], pepper, salt, ketchup[2], pickles[3] and napkins(usually paper napkins)on the way. If you can't see any knives and forks, this means you are supposed to eat with your hands. If you can't see any straws，that's because they are hiding in the straw dispenser[4] that you have to fiddle[5] with the bottom of it to get a straw(one at a time)to emerge.When you've finished, you yourself throw away everything except the tray.

　　Many fast-food places have drive-in facilities. You place your order from your car via a microphone and then drive round to a special window to pay and pick it up. You may even encounter places where a waitress bring your meal out，and you sit and eat it in the car from a tray hooked over the door through the open window.

　　You may be asked if your order is “for here” or “to go ”(i. e. to take away.) In some states there is no sales tax on food consumed.

　　Types of Fast Food Restaurants 快餐店的种类

　　The most widespread type of fast-food restaurant is that serving hamburgers, such as the chains of MacDonald. All the different chains have their own specialties. Arby's restaurants serve large roast beef，ham and cheese, and turkey “sandwiches”. Some restaurant chains specialize in serving steaks quickly and cheaply. And then there's Kentucky Fried Chicken.

　　Chips 油炸土豆片

　　Chips in America are called “French fries” or “fries” for short.(Note that in the USA “chips” mean crisps.)“French fries” are normally thinner than chips. Americans generally put ketchup on their chips, and you will not normally find vinegar.

　　Pizza(意大利式)烘馅饼

　　There are many specialty pizza restaurants in America, and many of them take telephone orders and deliver pizzas to your home, which can often be convenient. They come in different sizes, and a large one can be big enough for a party of four people. If you want to share a pizza but can't agree on the ingredients, it is possible to order two different sets of toppings, one set on each half.

　　Icecream 冰淇淋

　　Shops selling large number of different flavors of icecreams are very common in America. If you are not sure what flavor you want, generally you can sample a small spoonful of a particular flavor to see if you like it. You can either have your icecream in a “plain cone” [6] or in a “sugar cone” [7].

　　Soft Drinks 软饮料

　　Fast-food restaurants do not serve alcohol. The soft drinks most often sold are Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola，plus fizzy drinks (which are like lemonade)and root beer(which is like cough medicine). Fizzy drinks are known as “carbonated beverages” or, more colloquially,“soda”，“pop”，“soda pop”，and “soft drinks”.

　　All these drinks come with lots of ice. In fact, you will probably find as much ice as drink in your drink. If you ask for a soft drink without ice, they will think you are funny but will probably oblige.(They may charge you a bit extra, for ice is cheaper than Coke.)

　　Notes: 1. 吸管 2. 蕃茄酱 3. 泡菜 4. 分配器 5. 拨弄 6. 普通型锥形物 7. 甜脆型锥形物

　　(文/单祝堂；英语辅导报 大学一年级版 04～05学年第25期； 版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)