Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Culinary Arts & Food Business 2
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Winning Thai Recipe
Fifteen-year-old Leo has always loved food. While his friends spend their weekends playing football, Leo prefers being in the kitchen. He usually cooks with his grandmother. She is from Thailand and knows many amazing dishes. Leo doesn’t learn from videos on the internet. Instead, his grandmother teaches him all her family’s secret recipes.
Last month, Leo’s school organised a cooking competition for the students. Many children wanted to make easy things like pizzas or burgers. But Leo wanted to do something different. He chose to make his grandmother’s traditional Thai green curry. He practised making it every Sunday evening, and his parents enjoyed eating it for dinner.
On the day of the competition, Leo felt really nervous. He had all his pots and bowls, but he suddenly saw a big problem. He left a very important vegetable on his kitchen table at home! Luckily, his science teacher had some in the school garden and gave one to him.
Finally, it was time for the judges to taste the meals. They loved Leo’s curry because it was so delicious. When they said his name, Leo couldn’t believe it! He won first prize and got a beautiful new cooking set. Now, Leo is sure about his future. He is going to open his own Thai restaurant when he is older.
1 How does Leo usually learn to cook?
(A) He watches videos on the internet.
(B) An older family member shows him what to do.
(C) He plays football with his friends.
2 What did Leo do to prepare for the competition?
(A) He made easy things like pizzas or burgers.
(B) He went out for dinner with his parents.
(C) He cooked his chosen meal once a week.
3 Why was Leo worried on the day of the competition?
(A) He forgot to bring something he needed for his dish.
(B) He couldn’t find his pots and bowls.
(C) He had to work in the school garden.
4 What do we learn about Leo at the end of the story?
(A) He is going to buy a beautiful new cooking set.
(B) He wants to have a business making food one day.
(C) He is going to eat at a Thai restaurant.
5 What is the best title for this text?
(A) A young chef’s competition success
(B) How to make a traditional Thai curry
(C) The best food to cook for your family
ANSWER KEY
1 B 2 C 3 A 4 B 5 A
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Schoolboy Who Writes About BBQ Food
Sixteen-year-old Sam loves eating out. Last year, he started a blog on the internet about Asian BBQ buffets in his city. His family always enjoyed Korean and Japanese food, but his classmates never knew the best places to go for a delicious and cheap meal. Sam wanted to share his favourite restaurants with them.
Every Saturday, Sam visits a different BBQ restaurant with two or three friends. He uses his mobile phone to take careful photos of the dishes. Then, he writes about the different meats, the sweet and spicy sauces, and how much the meal costs. He only writes about buffets because he thinks they are great for hungry teenagers!
In the beginning, only Sam’s family read his blog. But a few months ago, a popular local newspaper wrote a short article about his website. Suddenly, thousands of people started visiting his blog every week. Recently, a new Japanese restaurant even invited him to eat there for free so he could write about it.
Sam is very busy with his high school homework, so he only writes one new text a week. He doesn’t want to be a chef when he is older, but he hopes to study business at university. He feels very proud that his hobby helps so many people enjoy great food.
1 Why did Sam start his blog about Asian BBQ buffets?
(A) To help other students find inexpensive places to eat.
(B) Because his family always enjoyed Korean and Japanese food.
(C) Because his classmates never knew how to cook a delicious meal.
2 What does Sam do when he visits a restaurant?
(A) He takes careful photos of his two or three friends.
(B) He cooks different meats with sweet and spicy sauces.
(C) He gives information about the food and the prices.
3 What changed for Sam a few months ago?
(A) Only Sam’s family read his blog.
(B) A lot more people began looking at his website.
(C) A new Japanese restaurant invited him to eat there.
4 What are Sam’s plans for the future?
(A) He wants to be a chef when he is older.
(B) He plans to write his high school homework about food.
(C) He would like to learn about business after leaving school.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) The teenager whose restaurant website became a big success
(B) How to take careful photos of your food with a mobile phone
(C) The best Korean and Japanese restaurants in the city
ANSWER KEY
1 A 2 C 3 B 4 C 5 A
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Teenager Baking for a Better Game
Fourteen-year-old Lily loves playing tennis. She is in the school team, but recently she had a problem. She really wanted to get a new tennis racket and a better pair of shoes. However, these things are very expensive. Her parents said she had to save her own pocket money to get them.
Lily thought about how to make money. She enjoys spending her time in the kitchen, so she decided to bake cookies and sell them to her classmates. But Lily didn’t want to make normal snacks. She knows athletes need good food, so she created a special recipe. She used bananas and oats, and she didn’t add any sugar.
Her first try wasn’t very successful. The cookies were too hard and didn’t taste sweet enough. Lily didn’t stop, though. She watched some videos online and changed how she made them. The next day, she took a box of her fresh snacks to school. All her friends loved them and bought every single one!
After three months of baking every weekend, Lily finally had enough cash. She went to the sports shop and got her dream racket and shoes. She is very happy now. Next month, she is going to start selling her healthy snacks at the local market to buy a new tennis bag.
1 Why did Lily need to earn money?
(A) She wanted to be in the school team.
(B) She had to save her own pocket money.
(C) She wanted to buy some costly things for her hobby.
2 What was different about the cookies Lily made?
(A) They were normal snacks for her classmates.
(B) They contained ingredients that are good for you.
(C) They were made with a special recipe that added sugar.
3 What happened with Lily’s first batch of cookies?
(A) They were not very nice to eat.
(B) She watched some videos online.
(C) Her friends loved them and bought every single one.
4 What did Lily do after three months?
(A) She started selling her healthy snacks at the local market.
(B) She purchased the items she wanted for her sport.
(C) She bought a new tennis bag from the sports shop.
5 What is the best title for the article?
(A) The teenager who baked to buy her tennis gear
(B) How to spend your free time in the kitchen
(C) The easiest way to get pocket money from your parents
ANSWER KEY
1 C 2 B 3 A 4 B 5 A