Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Home Cooking & Ingredients

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Which person eats food that was cooked the evening before?

     (A) Toby   (B) Nina   (C) Leo

2   Which person does not put any meat in their lunchbox?

     (A) Toby   (B) Nina   (C) Leo

3   Which person has a sweet treat after their main meal?

     (A) Toby   (B) Nina   (C) Leo

4   Which person gets out of bed early to make their lunch?

     (A) Toby   (B) Nina   (C) Leo

5   Which person likes having water with their food?

     (A) Toby   (B) Nina   (C) Leo

6   Which person gets help from another person to get their lunch ready?

     (A) Toby   (B) Nina   (C) Leo

7   Which person has a completely different dish to eat every day?

     (A) Toby   (B) Nina   (C) Leo

Healthy School Lunches

Toby

I hate waking up early, so I do not cook anything in the morning. Instead, my older brother and I get our boxes ready together before we go to sleep. We usually make chicken sandwiches with brown bread. My brother drinks water, but I prefer taking milk with my meal because it gives me energy for my afternoon classes. Because I eat healthy food, my parents let me have a little dessert. I always pack a lovely piece of chocolate cake to finish my lunch. It is the best part!

Nina

I want my food to be as fresh as possible, so I leave my bed at six o’clock to prepare everything. I have exactly the same salad every afternoon, but I never get bored of it. A year ago, I decided to stop eating chicken and beef. Now, my lunchbox is full of green leaves, tomatoes, and cheese. I do not bring cake or chocolate because they have too much sugar in them. To drink, I always bring a large bottle of fresh apple juice.

Leo

My school lunches are never boring because I do not bring the same dish twice in one week. My mum makes wonderful dinners, so I just save a little bit of our evening meal for the next day. Sometimes it is fish and rice, and other times it is pasta. I always pack my bag by myself. Lots of students buy sweet fruit drinks at the school café, but I prefer a simple bottle filled from the cold tap. I think it is the healthiest choice.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Which person had to buy something new to bake their cake with?

     (A) Emma   (B) Liam   (C) Chloe

2   Who made a cake that did not look how they wanted it to?

     (A) Emma   (B) Liam   (C) Chloe

3   Which person had another person help them make the dessert?

     (A) Emma   (B) Liam   (C) Chloe

4   Who baked a birthday cake for an older relative?

     (A) Emma   (B) Liam   (C) Chloe

5   Which person didn’t put a necessary food item into their cake?

     (A) Emma   (B) Liam   (C) Chloe

6   Who says their cake was ready to eat quite quickly?

     (A) Emma   (B) Liam   (C) Chloe

7   Which person used their computer to find instructions for their cake?

     (A) Emma   (B) Liam   (C) Chloe

Baking a Birthday Cake

Emma

I decided to make a big chocolate cake for my little sister’s fifth birthday. I found the instructions in my grandmother’s old cookery book. The whole process took me almost three hours because I am a very slow cook! When I took the cake out of the oven, its shape was completely strange and flat. It definitely wasn’t beautiful! Later, when we ate it, it wasn’t sweet enough. I suddenly remembered that I left the sugar on the kitchen table! However, my sister still loved it.

Liam

It was my grandfather’s seventieth birthday last weekend, so I wanted to do something special for him. I searched online and watched a brilliant video showing how to make a dark chocolate cake. I realised I didn’t have the right round metal tin to put in the oven, so I had to go to the shop to get one. I prepared the whole dessert by myself while my parents were at work. I followed every step carefully, and the final result was absolutely delicious!

Chloe

My twin brother loves chocolate, so I baked him a wonderful cake for our shared birthday. Luckily, my mum stayed in the kitchen to mix the eggs and flour with me, which made things much easier. We put everything into the hot oven, and it was fully cooked in just twenty-five minutes! I was so happy because we didn’t have to wait long at all. We carefully checked that we used every item on our shopping list. When we finished, the cake was beautiful and round, exactly like the photograph!

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

1   Which person had to ask a family member for help?

     (A) Carlos   (B) Anna   (C) David

2   Which person used a different ingredient instead?

     (A) Carlos   (B) Anna   (C) David

3   Which person couldn’t finish making their meal?

     (A) Carlos   (B) Anna   (C) David

4   Which person says traditional food needs a lot of time to cook?

     (A) Carlos   (B) Anna   (C) David

5   Which person bought the wrong thing at the supermarket?

     (A) Carlos   (B) Anna   (C) David

6   Which person was making food for a special event?

     (A) Carlos   (B) Anna   (C) David

7   Which person thinks some spices are too expensive?

     (A) Carlos   (B) Anna   (C) David

Missing the Right Spices

Carlos

I wanted to make my country’s famous meat stew yesterday. I went to the supermarket in the morning to get everything I needed. However, when I started cooking, I saw I had the incorrect little bottle from the shop. I didn’t have the red chili powder I needed! Because of this, I couldn’t complete the meal. I had to turn off the cooker and order some fast food instead. My mother was working, so I couldn’t ask her for advice. It wasn’t for a party, but I was still sad.

Anna

Last week, I tried making a famous soup from my home country. I went to the market to find some special dry yellow leaves. I found them, but they cost a lot of money, so I didn’t buy them. When I started cooking, I wasn’t sure how to make it taste good. I phoned my grandmother to ask what I should do. I didn’t want to use another ingredient and ruin it. She gave me great advice and also said that these old recipes mean you must wait many hours for the meal to be ready.

David

Last night, I was cooking a large meal to celebrate my father’s new job. I wanted to make traditional chicken and rice. The recipe needs a strong yellow powder to give it the right taste. I looked in my cupboard, but it was empty! The supermarket was closed, so I couldn’t go shopping. I decided to put a different green plant in the pan instead. It was very cheap to use! Thankfully, I finished the dish on time. The food tasted unusual, but my family still loved it.

Exercises:   12345