Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Culinary Arts & Food Industry

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Marco’s Restaurant Dream

Marco is a fifteen-year-old boy with a big dream. While his classmates love eating fast food, Marco prefers making traditional meals. Every Sunday, he spends hours in the kitchen with his grandmother, learning her secret recipes. He doesn’t want to just cook at home, though. His biggest hope is to become the head chef at “La Bella”, the most famous traditional restaurant in his city.

To get ready for his future, Marco has a weekend job at a busy café. He doesn’t cook the food there. Instead, his job is to wash the plates and cut the vegetables. It is hard work, but Marco doesn’t mind. He always watches the café’s chef carefully because he wants to find out how to prepare things quickly.

One Saturday, the café was completely full. The chef was very busy and asked Marco to help him prepare a traditional tomato soup. Marco knew exactly what to do because he often made it with his grandmother. He added the ingredients perfectly. When the customers ate the soup, they said it was delicious.

At the end of the day, the café owner gave Marco some extra money to say thank you. Marco felt very proud. He knows that becoming a head chef takes a long time, but he is going to study at a special cooking college next year to get closer to his dream.

1   What is Marco’s biggest dream?

     (A) To lead the kitchen in a well-known place.

     (B) To eat fast food with his classmates.

     (C) To spend hours in the kitchen with his grandmother.

2   What is Marco’s job at the café?

     (A) He cooks the food there.

     (B) He cleans the dishes and prepares the vegetables.

     (C) He finds out how to prepare things quickly.

3   How was Marco able to help the busy chef on Saturday?

     (A) He ate the soup and said it was delicious.

     (B) He asked his grandmother to come to the café.

     (C) He used a family recipe to make the soup.

4   How did the café owner show he was pleased with Marco?

     (A) He gave Marco a long time to become a head chef.

     (B) He told him to study at a special cooking college next year.

     (C) He paid him more than usual at the end of the day.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) Making fast food for classmates

     (B) A young boy’s journey to becoming a top cook

     (C) Washing plates at a busy weekend café

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Leo’s Spicy Chicken Dream

Fifteen-year-old Leo loves food. But he doesn’t just like eating it; he really enjoys cooking. His favourite thing to make is spicy fried chicken. While his friends want to be doctors or teachers, Leo has a different dream. He wants to open a small food stall and sell the best chicken in his town.

To make his dream come true, Leo practices cooking in his kitchen every weekend. His parents and his younger sister always eat his food. Leo often uses different spices because he wants to make the chicken hotter. His parents love it, but his sister usually says it is too spicy for her.

Last month, Leo had a chance to test his cooking. His school had a weekend food festival. Leo built a small stall and cooked his famous spicy chicken for the students. At first, he was worried that nobody would buy his food. However, the students loved it and he sold everything in just two hours!

Now, Leo is working hard to achieve his goal. He has a part-time job at a supermarket to save money. Next year, he is going to buy a real food stall for the town market. He knows it will be difficult, but he hopes to become a famous chef one day.

1   What is Leo’s dream for the future?

     (A) to have a small business selling food

     (B) to be a doctor or a teacher

     (C) to eat the best chicken in town

2   What does Leo’s sister think about his chicken?

     (A) She thinks he uses too many different spices.

     (B) She feels it is too hot for her to eat.

     (C) She loves it as much as her parents do.

3   How did Leo feel at the beginning of the food festival?

     (A) He was afraid people wouldn’t want his chicken.

     (B) He was happy he sold everything in two hours.

     (C) He was worried about building a small stall.

4   What is Leo doing to get his own food stall?

     (A) He is learning to be a famous chef.

     (B) He is keeping the money he earns from his job.

     (C) He is working hard at the town market.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A teenager’s dream of selling food

     (B) How to cook spicy chicken at home

     (C) The best food festival in town

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Starting at the Bottom

Sixteen-year-old Toby has always loved making meals for his family. He dreams of becoming a head chef one day. Last month, he found a part-time job at a popular Italian restaurant in his town. However, he doesn’t cook the food there. Toby works as a dishwasher every Friday and Saturday evening.

The kitchen is a very hot and noisy place. At first, Toby felt very tired after washing hundreds of dirty plates and glasses. But he didn’t mind the hard work. From his sink, Toby can see everything that happens in the kitchen. He watches how the cooks work together to prepare meals quickly.

When the restaurant is quiet, Toby sometimes talks to the head chef, David. David is very friendly and likes answering Toby’s questions. Last week, David even showed Toby the best way to cut onions and tomatoes. Toby cut his finger a little bit, but he was still very happy to learn a real kitchen skill.

Next year, Toby plans to study at a special cooking college. Some of his friends think his weekend job is boring and dirty, but Toby does not agree. He knows that watching a real kitchen is the best way to learn. He is sure that washing plates is his first step to becoming a great chef.

1   What is Toby’s job at the Italian restaurant?

     (A) He makes meals for his family.

     (B) He cleans things after people finish eating.

     (C) He works as a head chef.

2   What does Toby do while he is working?

     (A) He prepares meals quickly.

     (B) He cleans everything that happens in the kitchen.

     (C) He looks at the other people making the food.

3   What happened between Toby and David last week?

     (A) David taught Toby how to prepare some vegetables.

     (B) Toby answered David’s questions when it was quiet.

     (C) David cut his finger a little bit in the kitchen.

4   What do Toby’s friends think about his job?

     (A) They believe his work is not very interesting.

     (B) They plan to study at a special cooking college.

     (C) They know it is the best way to learn.

5   What is the best title for this text?

     (A) A useful part-time job in a kitchen

     (B) Making meals for your family

     (C) The friendly head chef at the restaurant

Exercises:   12345