1-3. Answers will vary.

1 and 2. Answers will vary. However, nutritionists recommend eating a balanced diet of foods from all four groups pictured.

All except the last response, What is the most popular kind of pizza?

Lesson 2A Click here to enlarge the passage

Vocabulary Lesson 2A

ingredient (n.) something used to make something else, usually food

cover (v.) to place something over something else

various (adj.) different types of the thing mentioned

develop (v.) to grow or change over time

standard (adj.) usual or normal

learn (v.) to obtain knowledge or a skill through studying or experience

tradition (n.) a custom or belief that has existed for a long time

poor (adj.) having little or no money

step (n.) the next in a series of actions

serve (v.) to give people food and drinks

entire passage lines 7-8 lines 16-17

line 17 lines 19-20

Stoneexplorers200 Naples restaurant350

various learned

traditional serving ingredient developed

Naga Jolokia

Lesson 2B Click here to enlarge the passage

Vocabulary Lesson 2B

experience (v.) to sense, feel, or be affected by something

cause (v.) to make something happen

plant (n.) a living thing that is green and grows in the ground

health (n.) the condition of a person’s body

measure (v.) to find out what quantity or value you have of something

unit (n.) a fixed measurement

produce (v.) to make or create

recent (adj.) something that happened only a short while ago

broke (v.) to do better

stay (v.) to continue to be in a particular state or situation

entire passage lines 1-2 lines 17-18

line 21 lines 26-27

break cause experience produce plant

recent

health measure units stay

beans, corn, chilies, tacos, tortillas, cheese

experience poor traditional recent learning

stay step various standard served

Answer will vary, but complexity may depend on the number of ingredients and steps of preparation. Answer will vary.

For More Information

Key Words for Internet Research chocolatesugar production history of hamburgerspices Mexican food pizza

Reading Skills

Understanding the Main Idea Once we've determined the text type of a passage, and what it's generally about, we usually then read on to understand the main idea of the passage. In other words: What is the writer basically telling us? Or, What is the writer's main message? Understanding the main idea of a text means being able to identify the most important point or information in the passage.

Identifying Details Identifying details in a text to answer specific questions (eg: who, what, when, where, why) is often achieved through a strategy known as ‘Scanning’ for details. This is actually a technique often used in daily life when looking up a word in the telephone book or dictionary. Also when you read a newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you're scanning the text for important information of interest.

Paraphrasing Paraphrasing involves the skill of identifying a restatement of a section in a passage that retains the basic meaning while changing the words, often explained in a more simplified form. A paraphrase often clarifies a more ambiguous original statement in the text by putting it into alternative words that are often more easily understood.

Defining Vocabulary Often a reading passage contains definitions or explanations of new words related to the topic. The definitions in the text may be given through different clues to help you identify how the author has explained its meaning. It is important to understand synonyms or parallel expressions are often used to define target vocabulary items.

Making Inferences When we read a text, the author does not tell us everything. Therefore, we must be able to guess some things and make clear assumptions from the information, facts, opinions and author’s feelings presented in the passage. Such a process of guessing and critical thinking is called ‘Making inferences’

Reading for Gist Reading for gist is reading to get a general sense of what a reading passage is basically about. In other words, we read to understand the main topic, or theme of the passage. For example, a reading passage might basically be about a new type of technology, or a tourist's vacation trip, or a story about a fictional character.

Understanding Reference Understanding reference in a text is an important reading skill which involves focusing on specific meaning of ‘pronoun references’ used throughout a passage (eg: this, those, their, it). This is an important skill to help develop full comprehension of significant details of a section of a passage which refer back to previous statements made.