Учебное пособие по развитию навыков устной речи и чтения для студентов 1 курса технических специальностей

B. Eating Habits
1. Make these sentences true for you. Compare with a partner.
1) We often eat together in my family.
2) A typical dinner lasts about one hour.
3) Eating together keeps the family close.
4) We often eat out.
5) I like fast food.
6) We have special meals at the weekend.


2. Read a magazine article in which two families describe their eating habits. Are they different or the same?
Separate tables
The Norris family is a monument to modern-food technology. “I can’t remember the last time we all ate together,” says husband Michael Norris. “Mostly the food comes out of the freezer and goes straight into the microwave. We have two dining-tables but they never get used, not unless my mother-in-law, who lives with us, cooks something.” The children, Sophie and Ben, eat when they come home from school, while watching TV. Pat Norris, who works irregular hours and travels a lot, boils soup and makes a salad when she’s at home; Michael often eats out. It’s informal, but everyone likes it.
The art of course eating
The Scott family like a bit of formality in their lives. “We are not stuffy,” insists Caroline, “but we always have napkins and white linen and flowers on the table. My husband always has a bath before dinner, and we always change clothes. I think it’s important for the children to have good manners.” Caroline drives across town to find food that’s not “full of all sorts of nasty chemicals”. The result is “meals that sometimes take an hour and a half, at least, and longer at weekends”. The children attend an equally civilized breakfast served at 8.00 a.m. prompt in the dining-room. “It’s a sort of ritual so we can all see one another. We all feel it’s important”, says Caroline, who doesn’t have a microwave and does most of the cooking herself. “I seem to spend a lot time cooking,” she says. “I don’t know why. I suppose it’s because we’ve always done it.”
3. Answer the questions.
Which of the families:
1) eats together every morning?
2) almost never eats together?
3) eats a lot of frozen food?
4) has special meals at the weekend?
5) has very good table manners?