Unit 4: FOOD AND DRINK

GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

Exercise 1: Put the words in the correct categories to complete the table.
lemonade chicken yoghurt juice bread milkshake chilli salad cheese
basil cabbage rice lamb salt and pepper onion beef butter carrot

HERBS AND SPICES

DAIRY PRODUCTS
(= food that gives strong MEAT
(= foods made from milk)
flavours to other food)

SIDE DISHES
(= food that you eat along with SOFT DRINKS VEGETABLES
the main course)

Exercise 2 Complete the definitions. Use the sentence endings in the box.

you cook it at a temperature below boiling. you cook it for too long and it goes black.
you cook it in an oven. you cook it in hot oil or fat. you cook it under a very hot place.
you cook them in an oven, using a little oil or fat. you cut it into long, thin pieces.
you cook them in water that is boiling (= very hot). you cut them into pieces with a knife.
you put it on plates so that people can eat it.

1. When you chop vegetables, __________________________________

2. When you boil potatoes, __________________________________
3. When you fry meat, __________________________________
4. When you simmer soup, __________________________________
5. When you burn toast, __________________________________
6. When you slice cheese, __________________________________
7. When you bake a cake, __________________________________
8. When you roast potatoes, __________________________________
9. When you serve a meal, __________________________________
10. When you serve a meal, __________________________________

Exercise 3 Complete the descriptions. Use the words in the box.

Crockery cutlery frying pan kettle napkin saucepan scales

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 serving dish tin opener utensils
1. A _____________ is a wide pan that you use to fry food in.
2. The general name for knives, forks and spoons is ______________ .
3. A ______________ is a small piece of cloth or paper used while you’re eating to protect your clothes or
clean your mouth or fingers.
4. The general name for cups, plates, bowls, etc. is _________________ .
5. A _____________ is something that you use to open tins of food.
6. A _____________ is a deep pan that you use for cooking vegetables or pasta in water.
7. You can use _______________ to weigh ingredients.
8. A _____________ is a bowl where you keep food before you put it onto plates.
9. The general name for wooden spoons, kitchen knives and other things that help you cook is kitchen
_________________ .
10. You can use a _________________

Exercise 4 Complete the sentences. Use the adjectives in the box.

Bland delicious disgusting hot mild raw salty savoury spicy sweet
1. I love ______________ food. It’s hot and has lots of strong flavours.
2. I prefer _______________ food. It still tastes good, but it’s not hot and the flavours aren’t very strong.
3. _______________ pies, like apple pie, are popular in many countries.
4. _______________ pies, like meat pie, are also popular in some countries.
5. I don’t like ________________ chilli. It’s too strong for me.
6. This meal is _______________ . It tastes really nice.
7. I don’t like mashed potato. It’s so _______________ and doesn’t really taste of anything.
8. These carrots are very _______________ . There’s too much salt on them.
9. This meat is still _______________ ! Please cook it a bit longer.
10. The meal was ________________ . It tasted horrible!

Exercise 5 Choose the best words to complete the conversation.

A: Come in! Dinner’s nearly cooking / made / ready .
B: Oh, great. It feels / smells / tastes lovely. What is it?
A: It’s Jollof rice. It’s a traditional dish / meal / plate from West Africa.
B: Oh, right. So what’s it made of / on / to ?
A: Well, the main course / ingredient / recipe is rice.
B: OK. What else is from / in / with it?
A: Well, it also contains / holds / involves fried onions and tomatoes. Plus lots of spices like chilli and
pepper to give it a strong appetite / colour / flavour . Would you like to fry / test / try it?
B: Yes, please. Oh, that is nice. It looks / tastes / seems delicious.

Exercise 6 Read the information. Then read the sentences and choose the correct answers.
Countable nouns:
Things that you can count, e.g. one book, two books; one person, two people.
Uncountable nouns:
Things that we don’t normally count, e.g. water, fun.
1. I went to the shop and bought two ice creams, one for me and one for you. Countable / Uncountable
2. For dessert, we’ve got ice cream. Countable / Uncountable
3. In my family, we often have pizza for dinner. It’s our favourite meal. Countable / Uncountable

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4. I ordered a takeaway pizza, but when it arrived, it was really small. Countable / Uncountable
5. Would you like a chocolate? Countable / Uncountable
6. I never eat chocolate. It’s too sweet for me. Countable / Uncountable
7. Could we have three coffees, please? Countable / Uncountable
8. Do you like coffee? Countable / Uncountable

Exercise 7 Read the information. Then choose the correct words to complete the sentences.

We use much with singular uncountable nouns and many with plural nouns

1. How many / much meals do you eat every day?

2. We haven’t got many / much bread. Can you buy some?
3. There wasn’t many / much food at the party, so I’m still hungry!
4. You eat too many / much sweets. They’re bad for your teeth.
5. Do you eat many / much fruit?
6. How many / much rice do you want? A lot or just a little?
7. You didn’t cook many / much peas. Are you sure there are enough for all of us?
8. I don’t want too many / much spaghetti. I’m not really hungry.
9. There’s too many / much butter on that toast! It’s not healthy.
10. I don’t eat many / much eggs. I don’t really like them.

Exercise 8 Choose the correct words to complete the text.

For breakfast, I usually have a / any / some toast and jam. I don’t put a / any / some butter on my toast. I
usually just drink a / any / some cup of tea with my breakfast. I don’t put a / any / some sugar in my tea –
I don’t like sweet drinks. At the weekend, I often have a / any / some egg for breakfast. Then, at about 11
o’clock, I usually have a / any / some coffee break. I eat a / any / some biscuits – just two or three. Then for
lunch, I usually have a / any / some sandwich. I also eat a / any / some fruit, like an apple or an orange. I
never eat a / any / some crisps – they’re really unhealthy.

Exercise 9 Complete the description of how to make scrambled eggs. Use a, the, some or any.
1. You will need __________ butter, two or three eggs and ___________ large frying pan.
2. First of all, break ___________ eggs into ___________ bowl.
3. Make sure there aren’t ____________ pieces of eggshell in _____________ bowl.
4. Mix ____________ eggs with ____________ fork .
5. Now melt ____________ butter in ____________ frying pan.
6. When ____________ butter has melted, pour ______________ eggs into the frying pan.
7. Use ____________ wooden spoon to stir the eggs in ___________ pan .
8. When it’s nearly ready, add ____________ salt and pepper to ______________ eggs.
9. Keep mixing _____________ eggs with ___________ wooden spoon.
10. When it’s ready, serve ___________ scrambled eggs with ______________ toast.

Exercise 10 Choose the correct answers to complete the sentences.

1. I eat a few / a little / a lot of cheese – too much, really, but I love it.
2. I made a few / a little / a lot of sandwiches, but our visitors still ate every single one!

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3. When I was younger, I ate a lot of chocolate, but I eat fewer / less / more chocolate now – I'm trying to
be healthier.
4. We prepared enough food for ten people, but there were a lot fewer / less / more people than that at the
party. It was really crowded!
5. The extra-large pizza is perfect for four or more people. For fewer / less / more people, we recommend a
normal pizza.
6. It’s better to cook your own food than to buy fast food. Cooking usually takes fewer / less / more time,
but it’s much healthier.
7. A: So who did you invite for dinner?
B: Just a few / a little / a lot of people – only three.
8. A: Do you want some milk or sugar in your coffee?
B: Just a few / a little / a lot of milk, please. Not too much.
9. A: How much time do you spend cooking every day?
B: a few / a little / a lot of ! At least three hours every day.

Unit 4: READING
Exercise 1
In this unit, you will answer IELTS Reading matching information questions and read a text called ‘How
technology has changed the way we communicate’.
What do you know about the development of the telephone? Match the decades with the correct photos.

2015 1980s 1970s 2000s 2010s 1920s

2.
1.

4.
3.

5. 6.

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Exercise 2 What words and phrases do you already know for describing communication?
Match the words and phrases with the definitions.
Formal interaction online forum relationship social media social
network to get in touch to keep in touch to respond
1. to begin communicating with someone, for example, by email or telephone: __________________
2. to continue communicating with someone, for example, by email or telephone:________________
3. new information on a particular topic: ________________________
4. the different groups of people that you know: ____________________________
5. websites and computer programs that allow people to communicate on the internet:____________
6. a time when two or more people communicate with or react to each other: ___________________
7. to say or do something in reply to something that has been said or done earlier: _______________
8. describes language, clothes and behaviour which is used in important and serious events, for example a
job interview: _______________________
9. a place on the internet where people can leave messages or discuss particular topics: ___________
10. the way in which two or more people feel and behave towards each other: _______________
Exercise 3 Read the information. Then match the phrases describing types of information with the
words in bold in the statements.

In an IELTS Reading matching information task, you will read a text and some statements about it.
It is important to understand what types of information the statements need you to find. The types of
information might be:
 an example of / some examples of …
 a comparison between …
 a description of …
 a reference to …
 a prediction about …

a comparison between a description of a prediction about a reference to an example of

1. Young students use Instagram far more than they use SnapChat. _____________
2. Digital devices will probably replace books in all UK schools by 2030. ____________________
3. The new phone has a great camera and a clever feature which makes apps easy to use. ___________
4. The first email message was sent in 1971. ______________________
5. There are many reasons why I stopped using social media, such as the huge amount of time it took up.
______________________

Exercise 4 Read this paragraph from the text. What information does it contain? Choose the correct
answer.
How technology has changed the way we communicate
Paragraph A
It’s often impossible for teenagers to imagine that in the past we all had to make our social arrangements
either face-to-face or using a telephone landline. Just 20 years ago, trying to organise a visit to the cinema
meant that you had to call your friends at least a day in advance and hope they’d be home when you rang.
If someone didn’t turn up, you could try to call them from a public telephone box. If their parents were
home, you could leave a message, but your plans for the evening would probably be ruined.

The information in Paragraph A is:

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 o a comparison between the advantages of old and new technology.
o a description of the difficulties people used to have before they had mobile phones.
o a reference to the way technology can make relationships better or worse.

Exercise 5 Read the information. Then match the types of information with the sentences.
When reading an IELTS Reading text, it is important to think about what type of information it covers.
Other types of information could be:
 a reason for ...
 details of ...
 a description of ...
 a suggestion ..

a description of a reason for a suggestion details of

1. Perhaps we should focus more on face-to-face communication than digital communication? __________
2. Fewer people are sending letters by post because stamps are very expensive nowadays. _____________
3. Mervyn's YouTube channel had a huge number of followers. His videos were about his daily life in
New York and where people could go to find the best R’n’B music in Manhattan. __________________
4. 75% of teens in the 12–17 age group own mobile phones. Every month, girls send out approximately
3,952 messages, and boys send about 2,815. _______________________

Exercise 6 Read the next paragraph. Then match the information statements (A–D) with the
numbered parts of the paragraph (1–3). There is one information statement that you do not need.
Paragraph B
Nowadays, getting in touch is a lot easier. Almost every aspect of human communication has changed: we
have email, text, Skype, Facebook and Instagram, and we are certainly busy using them to build and
maintain our relationships. According to recent reports, the top social networks now each have more than a
billion monthly active users. And keeping in touch isn’t just something we do in class or at work any more:
we continue to communicate with friends, strangers, family and colleagues (1) while we’re on the train,
in the living room and at the dinner table, for instance. One recent British study indicated that (2) 79%
of teens even put their phone under their pillow so they can keep up-to-date with whatever is
happening on social media day and night, and not miss out on updates. As for adults, a recent survey
showed that (3) they now spend 20 to 28 hours a week on social media and have on average 275
personal connections. However, in contrast, only 11% of these same people actually meet their social
connections in an actual physical environment on a regular basis.
A. a comparison between the time spent online with friends and time spent in real places
B. some examples of typical locations in which digital technology may be found
C. the reason why some young people feel the need to keep a digital device with them at all times
D. the suggestion that adults could learn about digital communication from their children

1.

2.

3.

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Exercise 7 Read the next paragraph. Then complete the matching information statements for the
numbered parts of the paragraph. Use the words in the box.
Paragraph C
Email is now one of the most common means of communication. At the moment, over 100 billion emails
are sent and received per day for business purposes. (1) This trend is expected to continue, and business
email will account for over 132 billion emails sent and received per day two years from now. The
number of letters which are sent through the post, however, has decreased dramatically. (2) A consequence
of this is that many town and village post offices have closed. These were once places where a great
deal of social interaction used to take place between local people. Now it is no longer possible for
neighbours or workers in the area to meet up with each other like this, and older people in particular
are often unhappy about this development. But certainly the advantages of email cannot be ignored: in
the past, the post would only be delivered once or twice a day. If a letter was sent to an overseas
destination, it could take months. Without doubt, email has made it easier to do business.

a description a prediction community form of communication

1. ______________________ of how a particular _____________________
2. ______________________ of how the loss of a public service has affected the ___________________

Exercise 8 Quickly skim read the next paragraphs. Then do the exercise.
Paragraph D
However, there are several downsides to this form of technology. Firstly, no one would disagree that email
puts pressure on people to respond immediately as soon as they find a new message in their inbox. A recent
French report says that anxiety and general tiredness has risen dramatically amongst office workers, largely
because they carry their digital devices with them, feeling obliged to constantly check for new mail from
clients. A further problem is how to write an email, especially when communicating with people we don’t
know well. In the past, everyone knew that it was ‘correct’ to begin a letter ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ and end with
‘Yours faithfully’. Nowadays, these phrases often feel too formal. No one wants to give the wrong
impression when writing an email, but without ‘rules’, this can easily happen.
Paragraph E
Another significant impact technology has had on methods of communication is in the field of education.
Traditionally, if someone wanted to take a higher education course, they would have to travel to attend
lessons on a university campus. Nowadays, it is possible to take a range of courses through distance
learning, and the number of these is likely to rise in the next few years. What is the appeal of studying this
way? Many online courses encourage students to take part in online forums and post comments about their
learning experiences, reading assignments and projects. They must also comment on their classmates’
posts. In one way, this approach certainly appears to encourage communication.
Paragraph F
However, some surveys have found the opposite to be true. Because online students are physically
separated, and indeed may never have met, they do not have the opportunity to build a good relationship.
Students who come to campus regularly have the chance to get to know and support each other, and feel
part of a community, so when they are asked to comment on the other person’s work, they can do this in
ways they know the other person will appreciate. For example, some students prefer their peers to be direct
in their criticism, whereas others might prefer a more sensitive approach. But when students are asked to
comment on the work or opinions of people they have never met, they are often reluctant to do so.
Interestingly, one of the main reasons why people give up studying on their online courses is that they miss

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the face-to-face interaction with others. Certainly technology has made our lives more ‘convenient’ but
perhaps also more complicated. There are many questions still to be answered about how we can and
should use our modern digital tools to enable effective communication, an evolutionary skill that has been
centuries in development.

Match the paragraphs with the general topics. Look at the text on page 1 again if you need to.
1. the advantages of studying online D/E/F
2. problems that occur at work and in formal situations because of digital communication D / E / F
3. the disadvantages of studying online D/E/F

Exercise 9 Read the paragraphs again, this time carefully. Then do the exercise.
Which paragraph contains the following information? You may use any letter more than once.
1. a reason why some learners do not complete an academic programme D/E/F
2. a reason for an increase in levels of stress in employees D/E/F
3. a prediction about the way that an academic service might develop in the future D/E/F
4. an example of a traditional practice in writing that people used to use more often D/E/F
5. a comparison between the ways that different people like to be given feedback on their work D / E / F