a2 ยท food

A2 Food Part 2: Food

Lesson 32 of 10 in this unit.

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๐Ÿ“– Reading Passage

Native audio

When Marco moved to a new city for work, he did not know how to cook. Every evening he bought fast food, and after two months he felt tired and spent too much money. One day his neighbor invited him for dinner and served a simple soup made from vegetables, beans, and rice. Marco was surprised that something so cheap could taste so good. The neighbor showed him how to cut an onion, and how to cook rice so it stays soft. The next weekend Marco bought a small pot, a knife, and a cutting board. He started with easy meals: soup, pasta with tomato sauce, and fried eggs with bread. At first he made mistakes. His rice burned, his soup had too much salt, and his pasta stuck together. But he kept trying, and he wrote each recipe in a small notebook. After a month he could cook five meals well. He invited his neighbor for dinner to say thank you, and he made vegetable soup and salad. Now Marco cooks almost every day. He spends less money, eats better food, and feels proud when friends enjoy his meals. He still buys fast food sometimes, but cooking has become one of his favorite hobbies.

๐Ÿ“˜ Vocabulary

20 words from this lesson

short
Having a small distance from one end or edge to another, either horizontally or vertically.
โ€œThe baby is too short to get at the drawer.โ€
stay
To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide.
โ€œThey discussed stay during the lesson.โ€
taken
Infatuated; fond of or attracted to.
โ€œThey discussed taken during the lesson.โ€
age
The amount of time that some being has been alive, or that some thing has been in existence, as measured from its birth or origin until the present or until some other given reference point. (Often measured in number of years; alternatively in months, days, hours, etc.; see also the usage notes)
โ€œThey discussed age during the lesson.โ€
buy
To obtain (something) in exchange for money or goods.
โ€œBefore buying anything, you had better ask yourself whether you cannot do without it.โ€
deal
A division, a portion, a share, a part, a piece.
โ€œThey discussed deal during the lesson.โ€
rather
; preferably, in preference to. (Now usually followed by than)
โ€œThey discussed rather during the lesson.โ€
reason
A cause:
โ€œThey discussed reason during the lesson.โ€
red
The color of the setting sun, blood, and strawberries; the color which is evoked by the longest visible wavelengths (between about 625โ€“740 nm), and a primary additive color.
โ€œTrade knows neither friends or kindred.โ€
report
To relate details of (an event or incident); to recount, describe (something).
โ€œThey discussed report during the lesson.โ€
soon
Short in length of time from the present.
โ€œThey discussed soon during the lesson.โ€
third
The ordinal form of the cardinal number three; Coming after the second.
โ€œThey discussed third during the lesson.โ€
turn
To change one's course of action; to take a new approach.
โ€œThey discussed turn during the lesson.โ€
whether
.
โ€œThey discussed whether during the lesson.โ€
among
Of a person or thing: in the midst of and surrounded by (other people or things).
โ€œJeans are now in fashion among girls.โ€
check
An inspection or examination.
โ€œThey discussed check during the lesson.โ€
development
The process of developing; growth, directed change.
โ€œThey discussed development during the lesson.โ€
form
A blank document or template to be filled in by the user.
โ€œWe can get a lot of valuable information from the book.โ€
further
To help forward; to assist.
โ€œThey discussed further during the lesson.โ€
heart
A muscular organ that pumps blood through the body, traditionally thought to be the seat of emotion.
โ€œThey discussed heart during the lesson.โ€

๐Ÿ“ Grammar Notes

Countable nouns take a and plural -s; uncountable nouns like rice and soup take some or no article. Use much with uncountables and many with countables in questions. Cooking verbs pair with objects: chop the onions, boil the pasta, bake the bread. Sequence with imperatives for recipes. Practice by labeling each sentence in the reading: underline the main verb, circle the time marker, and check that every they and it points to a named noun. Rewrite any three sentences in your own words while keeping tense and meaning intact. Theme: food. Reading: Learning to Cook. As a final check, read the passage once more and label every verb for tense, every noun for countability, and every connector for function. Keep a short error log of your own recurring mistakes and review it before writing. This routine turns isolated rules into durable habits across all five hundred lessons.

Practice Exercises

Work through each exercise to complete this lesson.

1

If that guitar were not so expensive, I could ___ it.

2

He chatters at the rate of two hund___ words a minute.

3

You should hand in your ___ to me on Monday.

4

My father ___ed a dead ear to my requests.

5

What does 'short' mean?

6

What does 'stay' mean?

7

What does 'taken' mean?

8

What does 'age' mean?

9

Write a sentence using 'short'.

10

Summarize the passage in two sentences.

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