Reading III course "Cooker"

We decided to _____ off the train at a tiny station in the countryside.

2. We decided to ______ on electricity because the bills were too high.

5. Even with a low salary, they manage to ______.

2 Due to heavy rain, the plane took __________

What happened?When the car ...?

I ... ... eating sweets.I am on a diet.

They ___________ up their children to be polite and respectful.

1) After weeks of pressure from the media, the politician finally ___ and apologized publicly.

2) The teacher asked us to ___ our homework at the end of the class.

4) He finally ___ and agreed with his parents.

_____ the applicatin form, please.

Please, ___________ reading.

She kept _________ talking even though everyone was obviously bored to death.

... ... the light when you leave the room.

Read the text below. For tasks 1–6 choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). Circle out letters A, B, C or D. For each correct answer you get 1 point.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink. The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink. The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies. Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular. Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power. For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking. New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.

Adapted from www.fieldmuseum.org

1. Chocolate was discovered ...............................

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink. The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink. The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies. Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular. Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power. For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking. New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.

Adapted from www.fieldmuseum.org

2. During the Maya and Aztec civilisations, chocolate was

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink. The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink. The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies. Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular. Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power. For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking. New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.

Adapted from www.fieldmuseum.org

3 In the hundred years after chocolate was taken to Spain ........................

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink. The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink. The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies. Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular. Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power. For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking. New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.

Adapted from www.fieldmuseum.org

4.In Europe chocolate was at first only consumed by certain people because .....................

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink. The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink. The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies. Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular. Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power. For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking. New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.

Adapted from www.fieldmuseum.org

5 New technologies have led to ...................

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet created during modern times. But chocolate actually dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who enjoyed it as a bitter drink. The tasty secret of the cacao tree, which chocolate is made from, was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The first people who made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various spices to make a hot, bitter drink. The drink was considered so precious that it was initially intended only for the most important people in society: rulers, priests, decorated soldiers and honoured merchants. Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events: priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies. Europe’s first contact with chocolate came during the conquest of Mexico in 1521. The Spanish recognised the value attached to cacao and followed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate. Soon afterwards, the Spanish began to transport cacao seeds back home. Slowly they started adding cinnamon and other spices to it and began sweetening it with sugar. They managed to keep their delicious drink a Spanish secret for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe discovered what they were missing. Sweetened chocolate soon became extremely popular. Because cacao and sugar were expensive imports, only those with money could afford to drink chocolate. In fact, in France, chocolate was a state monopoly that could be consumed only by the aristocracy. Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans developed their own special protocol for the drinking of chocolate. They even designed special porcelain and silver serving sets for chocolate that acted as symbols of wealth and power. For centuries, chocolate remained a handmade luxury, drunk only by society’s upper classes. But by the 1800s, mass production had made it affordable to a much broader public: the steam engine made it possible to grind cacao and to produce large amounts of chocolate cheaply and quickly. Later inventions like the cocoa press made it possible to create smooth, creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not just liquid chocolate for drinking. New processes and machinery have improved the quality of chocolate and the speed at which it can be produced. However, cacao farming itself remains basically unchanged. People grow cacao in equatorial climates all around the world today using traditional techniques first developed in Mesoamerica: cacao is still harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted mostly by hand. Today, additional steps in the processing of cacao have helped to create a variety of new flavours and forms. One thing has not changed, though: chocolate still remains people’s favourite sweet. As someone nicely put it: ‘I could give up chocolate but I’m not a quitter’.

Adapted from www.fieldmuseum.org

6. One thing about chocolate that hasn’t changed until today is that...........................

Read the text below. For tasks 1–6 choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). Circle out letters A, B, C or D. For each correct answer you get 1 point.

CULTURE CORNER

Hurling is often compared to field hockey. However, this analogy would be only partially true. Apart from the fact that both games involve a stick and a ball, it is hard to notice any other similarity. Surprisingly enough, hurling has in fact a lot to do with such sports as football and rugby, especially when you see what the players are allowed to do with the ball. Hurling is played with fifteen players on each side on a field larger than a football pitch. The aim of the game is to hit a small ball called a sliotar with a wooden stick called a hurley in such a way that it goes into the opponents’ goal or above it. If the ball goes around the goalkeeper and lands between two goalposts, in the net, you score three points; hitting the ball over the goal (but it must be between the H-shaped goalpost) gives you one point. An average score would be about 22-18 over 70 minutes of the game’s official time.

Players are allowed to hit the ball not only when it is on the ground, but also when it is high in the air. They can also catch the ball in their hand (in which case they can carry it for not more than three steps), kick it or even hit it with an open hand. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than three steps, has to balance the sliotar on the end of the hurley while running. When performed at full speed, this last trick can look really impressive.

The fast pace of the game combined with the rule allowing the players to strike the ball above head height mean there is a high risk of injury. This is why since 2010 all players have had to wear a protective helmet. Given the long history of the game, the regulation seems to have come quite late. The reason for this is the general opinion about the game among the Irish: hurling is a hard game but it must be played fairly and with respect for the other players. No exceptions are made to this rule, no matter if it is the hurling played by youth leagues or the women’s version of hurling (called camogie): in both cases, the game is as hard as that in the regular men’s leagues and similar safety policies must be followed. The only difference is the size of the field and the weight and size of the equipment.

What is really surprising about hurling is the fact that although the game enjoys great popularity, it has remained purely amateur. Most players have regular jobs and do not receive any money for their performance unless they become team managers. Also, most games are either free or the entry fee is minimal. There is no doubt that hurling is a unique sport in many ways. It is also uniquely Irish, as it reflects typical Irish values: hard work, fair play and the importance of the community. 

1. Hurling and field hockey...............

Read the text below. For tasks 1–6 choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). Circle out letters A, B, C or D. For each correct answer you get 1 point.

CULTURE CORNER

Hurling is often compared to field hockey. However, this analogy would be only partially true. Apart from the fact that both games involve a stick and a ball, it is hard to notice any other similarity. Surprisingly enough, hurling has in fact a lot to do with such sports as football and rugby, especially when you see what the players are allowed to do with the ball. Hurling is played with fifteen players on each side on a field larger than a football pitch. The aim of the game is to hit a small ball called a sliotar with a wooden stick called a hurley in such a way that it goes into the opponents’ goal or above it. If the ball goes around the goalkeeper and lands between two goalposts, in the net, you score three points; hitting the ball over the goal (but it must be between the H-shaped goalpost) gives you one point. An average score would be about 22-18 over 70 minutes of the game’s official time.

Players are allowed to hit the ball not only when it is on the ground, but also when it is high in the air. They can also catch the ball in their hand (in which case they can carry it for not more than three steps), kick it or even hit it with an open hand. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than three steps, has to balance the sliotar on the end of the hurley while running. When performed at full speed, this last trick can look really impressive.

The fast pace of the game combined with the rule allowing the players to strike the ball above head height mean there is a high risk of injury. This is why since 2010 all players have had to wear a protective helmet. Given the long history of the game, the regulation seems to have come quite late. The reason for this is the general opinion about the game among the Irish: hurling is a hard game but it must be played fairly and with respect for the other players. No exceptions are made to this rule, no matter if it is the hurling played by youth leagues or the women’s version of hurling (called camogie): in both cases, the game is as hard as that in the regular men’s leagues and similar safety policies must be followed. The only difference is the size of the field and the weight and size of the equipment.

What is really surprising about hurling is the fact that although the game enjoys great popularity, it has remained purely amateur. Most players have regular jobs and do not receive any money for their performance unless they become team managers. Also, most games are either free or the entry fee is minimal. There is no doubt that hurling is a unique sport in many ways. It is also uniquely Irish, as it reflects typical Irish values: hard work, fair play and the importance of the community. 

2. You score more points if you . ..................

Read the text below. For tasks 1–6 choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). Circle out letters A, B, C or D. For each correct answer you get 1 point.

CULTURE CORNER

Hurling is often compared to field hockey. However, this analogy would be only partially true. Apart from the fact that both games involve a stick and a ball, it is hard to notice any other similarity. Surprisingly enough, hurling has in fact a lot to do with such sports as football and rugby, especially when you see what the players are allowed to do with the ball. Hurling is played with fifteen players on each side on a field larger than a football pitch. The aim of the game is to hit a small ball called a sliotar with a wooden stick called a hurley in such a way that it goes into the opponents’ goal or above it. If the ball goes around the goalkeeper and lands between two goalposts, in the net, you score three points; hitting the ball over the goal (but it must be between the H-shaped goalpost) gives you one point. An average score would be about 22-18 over 70 minutes of the game’s official time.

Players are allowed to hit the ball not only when it is on the ground, but also when it is high in the air. They can also catch the ball in their hand (in which case they can carry it for not more than three steps), kick it or even hit it with an open hand. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than three steps, has to balance the sliotar on the end of the hurley while running. When performed at full speed, this last trick can look really impressive.

The fast pace of the game combined with the rule allowing the players to strike the ball above head height mean there is a high risk of injury. This is why since 2010 all players have had to wear a protective helmet. Given the long history of the game, the regulation seems to have come quite late. The reason for this is the general opinion about the game among the Irish: hurling is a hard game but it must be played fairly and with respect for the other players. No exceptions are made to this rule, no matter if it is the hurling played by youth leagues or the women’s version of hurling (called camogie): in both cases, the game is as hard as that in the regular men’s leagues and similar safety policies must be followed. The only difference is the size of the field and the weight and size of the equipment.

What is really surprising about hurling is the fact that although the game enjoys great popularity, it has remained purely amateur. Most players have regular jobs and do not receive any money for their performance unless they become team managers. Also, most games are either free or the entry fee is minimal. There is no doubt that hurling is a unique sport in many ways. It is also uniquely Irish, as it reflects typical Irish values: hard work, fair play and the importance of the community. 

3. The players are NOT allowed to.......................

Read the text below. For tasks 1–6 choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). Circle out letters A, B, C or D. For each correct answer you get 1 point.

CULTURE CORNER

Hurling is often compared to field hockey. However, this analogy would be only partially true. Apart from the fact that both games involve a stick and a ball, it is hard to notice any other similarity. Surprisingly enough, hurling has in fact a lot to do with such sports as football and rugby, especially when you see what the players are allowed to do with the ball. Hurling is played with fifteen players on each side on a field larger than a football pitch. The aim of the game is to hit a small ball called a sliotar with a wooden stick called a hurley in such a way that it goes into the opponents’ goal or above it. If the ball goes around the goalkeeper and lands between two goalposts, in the net, you score three points; hitting the ball over the goal (but it must be between the H-shaped goalpost) gives you one point. An average score would be about 22-18 over 70 minutes of the game’s official time.

Players are allowed to hit the ball not only when it is on the ground, but also when it is high in the air. They can also catch the ball in their hand (in which case they can carry it for not more than three steps), kick it or even hit it with an open hand. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than three steps, has to balance the sliotar on the end of the hurley while running. When performed at full speed, this last trick can look really impressive.

The fast pace of the game combined with the rule allowing the players to strike the ball above head height mean there is a high risk of injury. This is why since 2010 all players have had to wear a protective helmet. Given the long history of the game, the regulation seems to have come quite late. The reason for this is the general opinion about the game among the Irish: hurling is a hard game but it must be played fairly and with respect for the other players. No exceptions are made to this rule, no matter if it is the hurling played by youth leagues or the women’s version of hurling (called camogie): in both cases, the game is as hard as that in the regular men’s leagues and similar safety policies must be followed. The only difference is the size of the field and the weight and size of the equipment.

What is really surprising about hurling is the fact that although the game enjoys great popularity, it has remained purely amateur. Most players have regular jobs and do not receive any money for their performance unless they become team managers. Also, most games are either free or the entry fee is minimal. There is no doubt that hurling is a unique sport in many ways. It is also uniquely Irish, as it reflects typical Irish values: hard work, fair play and the importance of the community. 

4. Protective helmets ..................