Dubai has plenty of restaurants, yet many individuals still choose to dine at home — not their own home, but at “supper clubs.” Supper clubs are not restaurants, so they don’t need food licenses, which makes them easy to set up, and also means they aren’t regulated by traditional hygiene (卫生) and safety bodies. They are set-menu dinners hosted by amateur or professional chefs. Diners often won’t know the menu or location of the dinner until after they book. People are encouraged to come alone, or with just one friend, providing a chance to network (建立关系网), and attendees can bring their own drinks. The phenomenon isn’t new, or exists only in Dubai, but it’s reached new heights in the city in the past year with dozens of experiences appearing in the underground dining scene. 

    Palestinian chef Ahmad Halawa started his supper club in 2019, hosting dinners on weekends and having a full-time job in marketing. 

    At first, it was just friends and family coming along. But once word started to spread about Halawa’s delicious dishes, “I had strangers in my house, and people were booking their seats to come and join the experience,” he says. People mostly find Halawa through word of mouth or on Instagram, and his events usually book out within two days. He quit his job in 2021, and now he hosts up to 30 guests twice a week in his backyard, with an elegant banquet (宴会) table, flower arrangements and fairy lights. These strangers pay over $100 per person to enjoy his creative Levantine menus, including his famous knafeh, a traditional Arabic dessert made with fine pasty and sweet soft cheese.

    While great food is key to any dinner party, Halawa suspects that the social aspect of the supper clubs is broadening their appeal in Dubai, where around 90% of the population are foreigners. 

    “Most people are away from home, away from their families. So I wanted to bring people under one roof, at one table, get them to speak without boundaries, and just share a nice meal and conversation,” he says, adding that his dinners are served family style at a communal (共用的) table rather than plated per-person like at a restaurant. “People miss that authenticity,” says Halawa. “Supper clubs provide a more intimate, personal experience for the attendee.”

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1.1.What can we know about supper clubs from the first paragraph?

A They operate in a gray area.

B They don’t offer drinks.

C They originated in Dubai.

D They only serve single guests.

解析：选A。细节理解题。根据第一段的“Supper clubs are not restaurants, so they don’t need food licenses, which makes them easy to set up, and also means they aren’t regulated by traditional hygiene and safety bodies.”晚餐俱乐部不是餐馆，所以它们不需要食品许可证，这使得它们很容易成立，这也意味着它们不受传统卫生和安全机构的监管；以及“the underground dining scene”地下餐厅，由此可知“晚餐俱乐部”在灰色地带经营。故选A。

2.2.What made Halawa’s supper club popular among strangers?

A The reasonably priced meals.

B His excellent cooking skills.

C The comfortable dining environment.

D His effective marketing strategies.

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第三段的“At first, it was just friends and family coming along. But once word started to spread about Halawa’s delicious dishes, ‘I had strangers in my house, and people were booking their seats to come and join the experience,’ he says.”起初，只有朋友和家人一起来。但他说，Halawa的美味菜肴一传开，“我家里就有了陌生人，人们纷纷预订座位来参加体验。”可知，最初Halawa的晚餐俱乐部变得受欢迎是因为他做的菜肴很美味。故选B。

3.3.What is Halawa trying to do through his supper club?

A To promote his cooking talent.

B To attract more foreigners.

C To create a sense of community.

D To prove the importance of family.

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据最后一段的“Most people are away from home, away from their families. So I wanted to bring people under one roof, at one table, get them to speak with no boundaries, and just share a nice meal and conversation”大多数人都离开了家，离开了家人。所以我想把人们聚集在一个屋檐下，坐在一张桌子旁，让他们不受限制地说话，分享一顿美味的晚餐和交谈。并且他的晚餐是家庭式地在公共餐桌上供应，而不是像餐馆那样每人一盘。由此可知，Halawa通过他的晚餐俱乐部来给食客们创造一种社区归属感。故选C。

4.4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A Realizing a restaurant dream.

B Eating at someone’s home.

C Spoiling yourself with cuisines.

D Making a fortune in Dubai.

解析：选B。主旨大意题。本文主要介绍了“晚餐俱乐部”这一种新型就餐地，食客付钱到一个陌生主厨家里去就餐，因此B项的“在别人家里用餐”符合本文大意。故选B。