Form 10 Reading

Read the article below. Match choices (A–H) to (1–5).

There are three choices you do not need to use.

Cooking Up a Storm

Five top cookery books!

1  

This inspirational guide takes you through the basics of bread making. It includes invaluable tips on

how to choose the right flour, experimenting with different yeasts, and how to prepare your dough so it

rises properly every time! Recipes come from countries all around the world, so you can try something

different every week, if you want to.

2  

Bruno Salvatore takes you on a journey around his country, sharing his favourite dishes. He covers

traditional recipes from every region, from Venice to Rome and beyond: how to make your own

pasta and pizza, grilling fish and seafood, along with some mouth-watering desserts. Amazing photos

accompany every recipe.

3  

A delicious selection of veggie ideas based around the freshest vegetables – an astonishing variety

of ingredients, helpfully presented in terms of what’s in season throughout the year. Recipes include

imaginative ideas for breakfast, main meals, and snacks – they are as filling as they are tasty. You

won’t regret becoming a vegetarian with this book on your shelf to guide you.

4  

If you are short on time, but still want to cook fantastic meals, look no further. These simple recipes

range from how to cook the perfect steak to preparing the freshest salads and Chinese stir-fries – from

kitchen to dining table before you know it. There is no reason to buy ready meals when it takes so little

time to make something that tastes so good!

5  

If you aren’t confident in the kitchen, this cookery book is a must. It takes you through weights and

measurements, methods of cooking, and what types of kitchen equipment you need. There is also an

informative section on each major food group, so you learn as you go, building on your knowledge by

trying out the simple recipes at the end.

Match each cookbook description with the title.

A A Balanced Diet

B The Best Breakfast

C Meat-Free Meals

D The Perfect Loaf

E Cooking for Beginners

F A Meal in 30 Minutes

G The Art of Italian Food

H Oriental Cuisine

Read the text below. For questions choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

It’s All About Slowing Down

Carl Honoré remembers the exact moment he realized he had lost control of his life. The Londonbased

journalist was rushing through the airport to catch a plane when he spotted an advert for a book

series containing one-minute bedtime stories. It seemed the perfect solution for the nightly struggle

he was having with his three-year-old son, Benjamin. While Benjamin always wanted to hear just one

more story, Honoré wanted to wrap up the ritual as quickly as possible and move on to other things –

catching up with emails and watching the news. ‘Rattle off six or seven stories and still finish in ten

minutes – what could be better?’ Honoré recalls thinking. ‘As I wondered how quickly the company

could post me the full set of stories, another question occurred to me: Have I gone insane?’

Honoré spent a year and a half writing In Praise of Slow, his book about our culture’s addiction to

‘more, better, faster’ and what people are doing to protect themselves against it. The short answer is:

‘Slow down!’ And it’s not as hard as it seems, as Honoré and others have discovered.

Honoré set out to fix what he calls his chronic ‘speedaholism’. For months he investigated how people

around the globe are fighting the 21st century urge to do more and do it faster, and how they are

learning to slow down.

In his book, Honoré describes how his search led him to the annual conference of the Society for the

Deceleration of Time in Austria, and also a school in Tokyo where students are encouraged to learn at

a less demanding pace than their peers. He also travelled to Italy, where he met members of the Slow

Food Movement, who believe that preparing a meal made from locally grown foods is a healthier,

saner way to eat than wolfing down pre-packaged fast food.

Honoré’s conclusion? ‘The secret is balance, staying calm and unflustered even when circumstances

force us to speed up.’ But how do we do it?

It all starts with rethinking our day. ‘A big part of slowing down is doing less,’ Honoré says. Instead

of working non-stop, he now takes ten-minute breaks during the day. When he feels he is doing

something too fast, he stops to consider if the quality of his work could be improved by slowing down.

Reviewing his schedule, the journalist, then aged 37, realized that even a sports fanatic like himself

could cut out tennis, but still allow himself time to play hockey. He also cut down on watching TV,

which he describes as ‘a black hole of time’. And, most importantly, he now devotes this extra time to

reading leisurely bedtime stories to his son.

1. What did Honoré think when he saw the advert for a series of books?  

A He remembered hearing about the books before.

B He thought the books would appeal to his son.

C It made him think about the way he lived.

D It initially seemed like a bad idea.

2 What usually happened when Honoré was reading with his son?  

A Honoré didn’t want to spend much time doing it.

B Benjamin asked too many questions.

C Honoré usually checked his emails at the same time.

D Benjamin always asked for six or seven stories.

3. What is TRUE about slowing down, according to Honoré’s book?  

A It’s surprisingly hard to do.

B It seems easy at first, but gets harder as you go.

C It’s easier than people imagine.

D It’s impossible to achieve.

4. Who did Honoré learn from on his travels?  

A Other academics like himself.

B A variety of people and organizations.

C Groups of students in different places.

D Food experts from around the world.

5. What does “fanatic” in paragraph 6 mean?  

A A person who is extremely enthusiastic about something.

B A professional who has a lot of knowledge about a given subject.

C Someone whose job is to examine something in detail.

D Anyone who plays sports in order to win.

Read the texts below. Match choices (A–H) to (1-6).

There are two choices you do not need to use.

Help Save Our Planet!

Find out how six students are helping to save the environment.

1  

Adam

Transport is one of the biggest factors contributing to air pollution, and we can all help to do

something about it. I walk and cycle whenever I can, and I encourage my friends and family to do the

same. It’s also important to use public transport instead of using a car – and, if possible, to go by train

rather than by plane.

2.  

Zoe

I recently stopped eating red meat to help the environment. Farming animals for meat uses up lots of

resources – it requires huge amounts of water and animal feed. I haven’t had any problems finding

other things to eat at the supermarket, and it has also reduced my food bills.

3.  

Amelie

With online shopping it’s incredibly easy to buy things you don’t need. I used to do it all the time. But

now I’ve made a decision to buy less – and I also buy things second-hand whenever I can. Another

thing you can do is to buy products that are eco-friendly, which are less harmful to the environment.

4.  

Ben

It’s very important these days to reduce the amount of food we throw away – currently, around a third

of all the food the world produces is not eaten. We can all do something about this by making sure we

use up any leftover food – with a little imagination you can make some really interesting dishes!

5.  

Mimi

I’ve recently started up-cycling things which I would previously have just put in the bin. For

example, I now use old tins and glass jars for growing plants in, and I reuse supermarket bags

for taking my lunch to college. This may not sound like much, but it does help to reduce the

amount of new things I’m buying.

6.  

Freddy

I think young people need to start speaking out about the environment – it’s our future after

all! I wrote to my local MP to ask her what she is doing for our community in terms of

recycling and reducing waste. More and more young people are working together for change

and to make our planet a better place.

Which person ?

A has stopped eating dairy products

B has joined a political organization

C thinks the way we travel is important

D is keen for politicians to take notice

E has started making creative meals

F has found a new use for some of his/her things

G has given something up

H is trying to make fewer purchases

Read the text below. Choose from (A–H) the one which best fits each space (1-6).

There are two choices you do not need to use.

Laughter Can Be the Best Medicine

Can humour really help those who are ill? Experts increasingly think so, and there is a growing body of evidence that they are right about this. Studies have suggested (1)   , increase pain tolerance and bolster the immune system. Some experts even say that laughter can help patients to live longer, although that particular claim (2)   .

In a recently published study, researchers at the University of Maryland revealed that laughing helps to protect the heart. Around 95% of volunteers experienced improved blood flow when they watched comedy films, while 74% had a drop in blood flow when (3)   . According to Dr Michael Miller, the cardiologist who headed the Maryland study, the benefits of laughter lasted for 12 to 14

hours.

Presenting his findings at the American College of Cardiology conference, Miller urged experts (4)   as a weapon in the fight against heart disease. ‘Regular, hearty laughter should be added

to exercise and a low-fat diet as a means of lowering the risk of heart disease,’ he said.

Hospital staff in Britain are beginning to appreciate the benefits of combining conventional medical treatments with an injection of humour. The Theodora Children’s Charity trains entertainers to become ‘clown doctors’ in hospitals around Britain. Joanie Speers, a spokeswoman for the charity, says that the clowns help (5)   in the patients’ lives, which they tend to lose when they are in hospital.

‘Children in hospital are not only vulnerable and homesick, they are also often very bored,’ Speers says. ‘Regular visits from clown doctors (6)   . We know that humour can have a positive impact on anyone’s health – laughter produces endorphins which basically make you feel better. In the case of children, it can help make them more responsive to treatment.’

A asked to view more serious ones

B to consider laughter therapy

C to bring benefits to patients of all ages

D that humour can relieve allergies

E were less likely to laugh than usual

F to restore some sense of normality

G hasn’t been clearly established

H have made a big difference to their recovery