Practice English Reading Exercises for A2 – Culinary Arts & Spicy Flavors

Exercises:   12345

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

A Spicy Weekend Celebration

Sixteen-year-old Mateo loves cooking, and his favourite meal is Mexican food. Last month, his school exams finally finished. Because he wanted to celebrate with his classmates, Mateo decided to organise a big taco party at his house for the weekend. He sent text messages to ten friends, and they all said yes.

On Saturday morning, Mateo went to the supermarket. He had a long list of things to buy, like meat, tomatoes, and cheese. He usually buys salsa in a glass bottle, but this time he wanted to try something different. He spent an hour in the kitchen making his own special hot salsa with fresh chillies.

The guests arrived at seven o’clock that evening. Everyone helped to carry the food to the table. The tacos were delicious, but Mateo’s special salsa was extremely spicy! His best friend, David, put a huge amount on his plate. He had to drink three big glasses of water very quickly, which made everyone laugh.

At the end of the night, there were no tacos left. Mateo felt very tired, but he was also glad because his friends had a fantastic time. They are already asking him to plan another dinner. Mateo agrees, but he thinks he will make pizzas next time!

1   Why did Mateo invite his friends to his house?

     (A) To do something fun after finishing their tests.

     (B) To help his classmates study for school exams.

     (C) Because he wanted to send text messages.

2   What did Mateo do differently on Saturday morning?

     (A) He spent an hour buying meat, tomatoes, and cheese.

     (B) He bought his usual salsa in a glass bottle.

     (C) He prepared a spicy sauce himself at home.

3   What happened to David during the party?

     (A) He needed lots of liquid after eating the chilli sauce.

     (B) He put a huge amount of tacos on his plate.

     (C) He laughed at the three big glasses of water.

4   How did Mateo feel when the dinner was over?

     (A) Very tired because there were no tacos left.

     (B) Happy about the evening, although he needed to rest.

     (C) Glad because he will make pizzas next time.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A teenager’s successful cooking evening with friends

     (B) How to carry Mexican food to the table

     (C) The hardest school exams for a young chef

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Lucas Learns to Chop

Fourteen-year-old Lucas loves watching cooking programmes on television. Last weekend, he decided he wanted to help his parents make dinner. He planned to make a simple vegetable soup. However, to make the soup, he first needed to learn how to use kitchen knives safely.

His grandfather, who worked as a chef for many years, offered to teach him. Before they started, his grandfather explained the rules of knife safety. He didn’t let Lucas use the large chef’s knife. Instead, he gave the teenager a smaller knife because it was easier to control. He also showed Lucas how to hold his fingers like a ‘bear claw’ so he wouldn’t hurt himself.

Lucas began by preparing some carrots and potatoes. At first, he was extremely slow. He was quite afraid of cutting his hand, and the carrots were very hard. But he listened to his grandfather’s advice and practised carefully. After twenty minutes, he felt much more confident, and his pieces of vegetables looked great.

Finally, the vegetable soup was ready, and the whole family sat down to eat it. His parents said it was the best soup they had ever tasted. Lucas felt extremely proud of his new skills. He is already planning to practise preparing chicken next weekend.

1   What was Lucas’s main goal last weekend?

     (A) to create a meal for his family

     (B) to watch cooking programmes on television

     (C) to learn how to use kitchen knives safely

2   Before they cut the vegetables, Lucas’s grandfather

     (A) talked about his work as a chef for many years.

     (B) asked him to use the large chef’s knife.

     (C) handed him a different tool to work with.

3   When Lucas started working with the carrots and potatoes, he

     (A) felt much more confident immediately.

     (B) was nervous about injuring his fingers.

     (C) thought that his pieces of vegetables looked great.

4   What do we learn about Lucas in the final paragraph?

     (A) He ate the best soup he had ever tasted.

     (B) He spent the whole weekend preparing chicken.

     (C) He knows what type of food he wants to make next.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) A safe cooking lesson

     (B) A grandfather’s life as a chef

     (C) How to make vegetable soup

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The Teenager Who Cooks the World

Fifteen-year-old Oscar has a very unusual hobby. While his friends spend their time playing online games, Oscar prefers to be in the kitchen. He loves searching for new cooking videos on his tablet and trying out dishes from different countries. He is determined to cook one new international recipe every single week.

Last month, Oscar saw a video about how to make a traditional type of Japanese bread. He decided to try it, but he faced a big problem. He didn’t have any of the special flour the video suggested. Instead of giving up, he checked the internet to find out what else he could use. After experimenting for a while, he finally found a common flour that worked perfectly.

This week, Oscar tried a complex recipe for an Italian pasta dish. The video showed a very fast way to make the sauce, but Oscar struggled to follow the speed of the chef. He had to pause the video many times to make sure he was doing it right. It took him two hours, but his parents were delighted with the final result.

Now, Oscar has a notebook where he writes down notes about every recipe he tries. He likes to change the ingredients to make the food even better. He is already planning next week’s challenge, which is a spicy Mexican soup. He hopes that one day he will have enough skills to create his own original cookbook.

1   What does Oscar do during his free time?

     (A) He plays online games with his friends.

     (B) He attempts to prepare a new dish he discovers online.

     (C) He searches for kitchen tools to help him cook.

2   What was the challenge with the Japanese recipe?

     (A) He could not find the exact ingredients needed.

     (B) The flour was too expensive for him to buy.

     (C) He did not know how to search for help online.

3   How did Oscar manage with the Italian pasta recipe?

     (A) He finished it very quickly after watching the video.

     (B) He stopped the video frequently to keep up with the chef.

     (C) He asked his parents to help him make the sauce.

4   What is true about Oscar’s cooking habits?

     (A) He follows every instruction exactly as it is shown.

     (B) He writes a brand-new cookbook every Saturday.

     (C) He adds his own ideas to the recipes he finds.

5   What is the best title for the article?

     (A) How to make the perfect Japanese bread

     (B) Why parents enjoy eating international food

     (C) A student who enjoys cooking different meals

Exercises:   12345