EATING OUT

1. Four people are talking about eating out.

1. The last time I went to a restaurant was about 2 months ago. My wife and I wanted to celebrate our wedding anniversary with a good meal so we went to an expensive Italian restaurant in downtown Lisbon. We both had pasta to start and for the main course my wife ordered a steak and I chose fish. For dessert we both ate chocolate cake topped with fresh cream. Delicious!

2. I went to a restaurant yesterday evening with my sister's children. It wasn't very expensive and the menu was very limited. We all had a burger and French fries, and drank cola. It wasn't very good.

3. My boyfriend loves spicy food so this restaurant was perfect. The waiters were all really friendly and polite, and they played traditional sitar music which was very relaxing. The menu offered vegetarian dishes as well as meat dishes served with rice and a sauce – it depended on how hot you wanted it! I chose a mild beef curry but my boyfriend had a lamb 'vindaloo' – he also drank 2 liters of water!!

4. My class at the university went there last weekend. It's a very popular type of restaurant in my country. It generally offers one type of food (a kind of bread with cheese and tomato sauce) which you then choose what ingredients to add on top of it. I asked for ham and mushrooms on mine and my classmates each had something different so we could taste a piece of each person's meal.

2. Answer each question with a paragraph number (1 – 4).

THE DINNER PARTY

1. Read the story by N. Monsarrat.

Thirty years ago I was fifteen. My uncle Octavian was then (in 1925) a very rich man. He was a charming host whose villa on the Cote d’Azur was a meeting place of the rich, and he was a very hospitable man, until January 3, 1925.

There was nothing special about that day in the life of my uncle Octavian, except that it was his fifty-fifth birthday. As usual on such a day he was giving a dinner party, for twelve people. All of them were old friends; two of them, indeed, where what they call them “old flames”. It was exciting for me to be in such company, which included besides the two “old flames”, and their husbands, a newspaper proprietor and his American wife; a recent prime-minister of France and a well-known statesman of post-war Germany, and a Habsburg prince and princess.

At that age, you will guess, I was dazzled. Even today, 30 years later, one may fairly admit that the company was distinguished. But I should also stress that they were all old and intimate friends of my uncle Octavian.

Towards the end of a wonderful dinner, when the servants had left, my uncle leaned forward to have a look at a beautiful diamond ring on the princess's hand. She turned her hand gracefully towards my uncle.

Across the table, the newspaper proprietor leant across and said: "May I also have a look, Therese?" She smiled and nodded. Then she took off the ring and held it out to him. "It was my grandmother's", she said. "I have not worn it for many years. It is said to have once belonged to Genghis Khan."

There were exclamations of surprise. The ring was passed from hand to hand. For a moment it was in my hand. Then I passed it on to my next-door neighbour. As I turned away again, I thought I saw her pass it on. At least I was almost sure I saw her.

It was some twenty minutes later when the princess stood up and said: "Before we leave you, may I have my ring back?"

There was a pause, while each of us looked expectantly at his neighbour. Then there was silence.

When no one answered her, and the silence continued, I still thought it could only be a joke, and that one of us – probably the prince himself – would produce the ring with a laugh. But when nothing happened at all, I knew that the rest of the night would be awful.

I am sure you know what followed. There was the awkwardness of the guests – all of them old friends. There was the fact that no one would meet anyone else’s eye. The guests overturned the chairs, examined the carpet and then the whole room.

The ring had vanished.

No servants had entered the room. No one had left it for a moment. The thief was one of us, one of my uncle Octavian's old friends.

I remember it was the French cabinet minister who wanted to be searched, indeed, he had already started to turn out his pockets, before my uncle held up his hand and stopped him.

Uncle Octavian’s face was pale when he said: "There will be no searching. Not in my house. You are all my friends. The ring can only be lost. If we do not find it" – he bowed towards the princess – "I will make amends myself."

My uncle Octavian remained true to his words that no one was to be searched. I myself went to England, ad school, a few days later, I was very glad to leave the place. I couldn’t bear the sight of my uncle’s face and the knowledge of his overturned world. All that he was left with, among the ruins of his way of life, was a question mark: which of his friends was the thief?

I do not know my uncle “made amends”. I know that, to my family’s surprise, he was rather poor when died. He died, in fact, a few weeks ago, and that’s why I feel I can tell the story.

It would be wrong to say that he died a broken man, but he did die a very sad man who never gave a single lunch or dinner party for the last thirty years of his life.

2. Choose the correct answer.

1. According to the text

a. the princess showed the ring unwillingly

b. the nephew of uncle Octavian was the last person to hold the ring.

c. the princess never took the ring off.

d. it was expected that the prince would make the ring appear from somewhere.

2. The day was special because …

a. the host of villa was given a party.

b. a Habsburg princess was among the guests.

c. it was Octavian’s birthday.

d. a diamond ring was stolen.

3. The word “proprietor” may be best replaced with …

a. scribbler.

b. owner.

c. reviewer.

d. sponsor.

4. Everything is true, except all of the guests …

a. felt ill at ease

b. averted their eyes

c. were turned out.

d. felt the tension in the room.

5. The phrase “old flame” is closest in meaning to …

a. a silly and annoying old person.

b. a woman who has never been married and is now no longer young.

c. a person who has been in prison many times.

d. a former mistress.

6. The hardest thing for Octavian, in fact, was …

a. to overturn his outlook.

b. to bear the fact that one of his friends was a thief.

c. to permit the guests to be searched in his house.

d. “to make amends”.

HOW TO SAVE THE PLANET (AND YOURSELF)

1. Read the text.

GIY stands for grow it yourself and is about a new fashion for growing your own food.

There are a lot of reasons why growing your own food is a good idea.

1.___________________________________________________________________. Your carbon footprint is the quantity of carbon dioxide gas, or CO2, you make go into the atmosphere. Too much CO2, causes global warming and climate change. Food in supermarkets travels a long way in ships and lorries which produce a lot of CO2. When you buy food from a supermarket, you need to ask, “How many food miles does it have?”

2.___________________________________________________________________. If you buy as much food as you can in season from your region, you help save the planet. If you grow as many vegetables as you can at home, then you are helping a lot more because you use a lot less water.

Vegetables you grow yourself are also good for your body because they contain a lot more minerals, nutrients and antioxidants than supermarket vegetables and they don't contain any chemicals such as fungicides, insecticides or chemical fertilizers either. 3. _____________________________________________________________. If you GIY, you learn a lot about plants and farming and it can be very useful for teaching children about nature and where food comes from too.

How much money can you save? To begin with, seeds are a lot cheaper to buy than vegetables. Then, there are two ways to save even more. Firstly, plant the most expensive vegetables such as leeks. Secondly, plant the most productive. One courgette plant produces so many courgettes that you can give a lot of them to friends and neighbours, which makes you very popular.

4.___________________________________________________________________. Herbs are expensive to buy so you can never grow too much basil, mint, parsley, rosemary or thyme. 5. ___________________________________________________.

Don't worry if you don't have much space. To GIY, you don't even need a garden. You can use pots on your balcony for growing aubergines, broad beans, peppers and tomatoes. 6. __________________________________________________________. In that case you can plant endives, lettuce, peas, radicchio and spinach.

Basically, growing your own vegetables is a win-win situation. You are richer, you have a healthier planet, a healthier social life and a healthier body and mind.

2. Choose the most suitable sentence from the list A – G for each part (1 – 6) of the article. There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

A. Your vegetables are also the freshest and the tastiest you can get.

B. What's more, don't worry if your space doesn't get much sun.

C. Also, buying vegetables grown in heated greenhouses increase your carbon footprint a lot.

D. Growing your own vegetables is both fun and rewarding.

E. Experts say it is best to buy cheap vegetables like onions and potatoes directly from local farmers.

F. GIY cuts down your carbon footprint.

G. Cucumbers, green beans, peas, raspberries, strawberries and of course tomatoes are great too and they are all very easy to grow.

Level B 1

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD

We asked some people to tell us about their eating habits.

1. Read an article in which people talk about their eating habits.

A. Anne

I like my food, though when it comes to being in the kitchen I’m a bit like a fish out of water. I can manage omelettes, but that’s about as far as it goes. Anyway, who needs culinary expertise when there’s the old microwave? Pop your dish in the oven and two minutes later it’s ready to be served. That’s what I call cooking. I don’t know what I’d do without it. I’d probably be having a takeaway most nights, which would undoubtedly cost the earth. I much prefer staying in.

B. Beatrice

They say you are what you eat, so I try and keep an eye on my diet. Although I’m an accountant, I actually graduated as a nutritionist, so I know my stuff. I’m no fanatic but

I think it’s crucial to avoid eating too much red meat and processed foods because of the risks involved. I’m also keen on using olive oil and I’m a big fan of Mediterranean cuisine in general. Last year we went to the south of France. The fish we had there was absolutely fantastic.

C. Clive

I wouldn’t say that I was difficult to please. I like my meat and two vegetables just like my father and his father before him. I’m not into all these recent fashions. Organic food, low cholesterol dishes and the like all pass me by. My wife, on the other hand, is fond of oriental cooking like Chinese, Thai and even Japanese sushi. She keeps asking me to give it a try but I’m hardly the adventurous type, if you know what I mean. I’ll be sticking to my sausages, mashed potato and peas.

D. David

I don’t believe in eating to live. I think we should live to eat. That’s really been the guiding principle of my career. I’m very fortunate in that not everybody has the opportunity to sample wonderful creations virtually every day. Take this evening, for example, I’ll be dining in one of the most exclusive seafood restaurants in this part of Europe. They’ve invested a lot of money in their enterprise and will be hoping for a good review from me.

E. Emily

As a student, I couldn’t stand cooking, and was pretty useless at it. I’d nearly always eat in the canteen. I was also very conservative in my choice of food. However, circumstances can soon alter the way you see things. Nowadays I consider it as a kind of therapy for escaping my job as a business executive and all the stress of the rush hour. I’m particularly keen on Italian dishes. I’d quite like to open up a really top class restaurant one day. I think that would really have to be my ambition.

F. Frank

I simply love everything connected with food. I’ve never been against trying new things and maybe I’ve been a bit relaxed over what I eat. Two weeks ago, though, I was diagnosed as a migraine sufferer, which means I have been obliged to look carefully at my approach to food. Dairy products were the first thing to go, and I’m a big cheese fan, so it’s been something of a challenge. I’ve also been told that it might be best if I cut out the chocolate as well. At least I’ll be saving some money.

2. Choose from the people A – F. Write the letter next to each extract on the right.

THE AMERICAN PEPPER

1. Read the story.

"Mummy! Mummy!" shouted little Murna racing from the front door through to the kitchen. "There's a parcel. The postman's brought a parcel!"

Her mother, Savni, looked at her in surprise. She had no idea who could have sent them a parcel. Maybe it was a mistake. She hurried to the door to find out. Sure enough, the postman was there, holding a parcel about the size of a small brick.

"From America, madam," he said. "See! American stamps."

It was true. In the top right-hand corner of the brown paper parcel were three strange-looking stamps, showing a man's head. The package was addressed to Savni, in big, clear black letters.

"Well, I suppose it must be from Great-Aunt Pasni," said Savni to herself, as the postman went on his way down the street, whistling. "Although it must be twenty years since we heard anything from her. I thought she would have been dead by now."

Savni's husband Jornas and her son Arinas were just coming in from the garden, where Murna had run to tell them about the parcel. "Well, open it then!" said Arinas impatiently. "Let's see what's inside!"

Setting the parcel down in the middle of the table, Savni carefully began to tear open the paper. Inside, there was a large silver container with a hinged lid, which was taped shut. There was also a letter.

"What is it? What is it?" demanded Murna impatiently. "Is it a present?"

"I have no idea," said Savni in confusion. "I think it must be from Great-Aunt Pasni. She went to America almost thirty years ago now. But we haven't heard from her in twenty years. Perhaps the letter will tell us." She opened the folded page cautiously, then looked up in dismay. "Well, this is no help!" she said in annoyance. "It's written in English! How does she expect us to read English? We're poor people, we have no education. Maybe Pasni has forgotten her native language, after thirty years in America."

"Well, open the pot, anyway," said Jornas. "Let's see what's inside."

Cautiously, Savni pulled the tape from the neck of the silver pot, and opened the lid. Four heads touched over the top of the container, as their owners stared down inside.

"Strange," said Arinas. "All I see is powder." The pot was about one-third full of a kind of light-grey powder.

"What is it?" asked Murna, mystified.

"We don't know, darling," said Savni, stroking her daughter's hair. "What do you think?" Murna stared again into the pot.

"I think it's coffee," she announced, finally. "American coffee."

"It's the wrong colour for coffee, darling," said Jornas thoughtfully. "But maybe she's on the right track. It must be some kind of food." Murna, by now, had her nose right down into the pot. Suddenly, she lifted her head and sneezed loudly.

"Id god ub by doze," she explained.

"That's it!" said Arinas. "It must be pepper! Let me try some." Dipping a finger into the powder, he licked it. "Yes," he said, "it's pepper all right. Mild, but quite tasty. It's American pepper."

"All right," said Savni, "we'll try it on the stew tonight. We'll have American-style stew!"

That evening, the whole family agreed that the American pepper had added a special extra taste to their usual evening stew. They were delighted with it. By the end of the week, there was only a teaspoonful of the grey powder left in the silver container. Then Savni called a halt.

"We're saving the last bit for Sunday. Dr. Haret is coming to dinner, and we'll let him have some as a special treat. Then it will be finished."

The following Sunday, the whole family put on their best clothes, ready for dinner with Dr. Haret. He was the local doctor, and he had become a friend of the family many years before, when he had saved Arinas's life after an accident. Once every couple of months, Savni invited the doctor for dinner, and they all looked forward to his entertaining stories of his youth at the university in the capital.

During dinner, Savni explained to the doctor about the mysterious American pepper, the last of which she had put in the stew they were eating, and the letter they could not read.

"Well, give it to me, give it to me!" said the doctor briskly. "I speak English! I can translate it for you."

Savni brought the letter, and the family waited, fascinated, as the doctor began to translate.

"Dear Savni: you don't know me, but I am the son of your old Great-Aunt Pasni. She never talked much to us about the old country, but in her final illness earlier this year, she told us that after her death, she wanted her ashes to be sent back home to you, so that you could scatter them on the hills of the country where she was born. My mother died two weeks ago, and her funeral and cremation took place last week. I am sending her ashes to you in a silver casket. Please do as she asked, and spread them over the ground near where she was born. Your cousin, George Leary."

2. Choose the correct answer.

1. Where does this story take place?

a. America.

b. Arinas.

c. India.

d. The text doesn't say.

2. How was the parcel wrapped?

a. In brown paper.

b. In silver paper.

c. In grey paper.

d. In tape.

3. Who was Savni?

a. A little girl.

b. The Great-Aunt.

c. The mother of the family.

d. The son of the family.

4. Why don't the family read the letter?

a. They are too impatient to look in the container.

b. It is addressed to the doctor.

c. It is in English.

d. It is missing.

5. What does Murna think is in the pot?

a. Dust.

b. Ashes.

c. Coffee.

d. Pepper.

6. Why does Arinas think that the powder is pepper?

a. It tastes very hot.

b. It makes Murna sneeze.

c. It is written on the pot.

d. The letter says so.

7. What does the family do with the powder?

a. They keep it to give to the doctor.

b. They send it back to America.

c. They make drinks with it.

d. They put it on their food.

8. Why does Savni save the last bit of the powder?

a. As a souvenir.

b. For Dr. Haret.

c. To analyse it.

d. To spread it on the hills.

9. How does Dr. Haret solve the mystery?

a. He analyses the powder.

b. He recognizes the powder.

c. He is a friend of Pasni.

d. He translates the letter.

10. What was really in the pot?

a. Coffee.

b. Great-Aunt Pasni.

c. Dust.

d. Special American pepper.

Date: 2015-04-20; view: 2240