Track 1

The Ice Hotel

A
re you into skiing? Is winter your favorite time of year? If you like snow and
ice, maybe you should stay at the Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada. But, you can
only check in to this hotel during the winter. Why? Because this hotel is made
entirely of ice and snow!
5 This amazing hotel is built every December. It has 32 rooms, and 80 people
can stay there each night. The hotel has a movie theater, an art gallery, and a church.
Of course, all of these parts of the hotel are made of ice. In fact, all the furniture, art,
lights, and even plates and drinking glasses are made of ice.
Because this hotel is so unusual, it has become very popular. People from all
10 over the world come to the Ice Hotel to look at the fantastic ice art, drink and eat
from designer ice dishes, and experience the unique atmosphere. Some couples
have even gotten married in the hotel’s ice church.
However, all the guests keep their winter coats on!
Because of all the ice, the temperature inside the
o
15 hotel is always between -2 and -5 C.
Surprisingly, sleeping is not a problem in
the freezing cold hotel rooms. Every
guest gets a special cold-weather
sleeping bag and some
20 fur blankets.
These keep
them cozy and
warm until
morning.

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds 223 words

3 14
during: at the time of temperature: how hot or cold something is
5 20
build: to make fur: animal hair
11 22
atmosphere: feeling cozy: comfortable and warm

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 Summary

Fill in the blanks with the correct words.

cozy fantastic freezing

surprisingly unique

The Ice Hotel is a/an 1 ___________________ hotel in Canada. It is made of only ice and snow.
So, the inside temperature is usually 2 ___________________ cold. 3 ___________________, this hotel
is very popular. Many people enjoy
looking at the 4 ___________________
art in its gallery and eating from
special ice dishes. Guests have a
good sleep in the cold hotel rooms
under the 5 ___________________ fur
blankets.

Listening

A Visit to the Ice Hotel

Track 2
Listen to the dialog and choose the best answer.
1. At the end of the conversation, who wants to stay at the Ice Hotel?
a. The woman b. The man
c. Both of them d. Neither of them

2. How is the hotel inconvenient?

a. It is too cold. b. It is fantastic.
c. It has an ice art gallery. d. It has only one bathroom.

3. What will they probably do?

a. Stay at the Ice Hotel b. Visit the art gallery in the Ice Hotel
c. Go to the bathroom at the Ice Hotel d. Stay at the hotel next door

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 Track 3

Food Firsts

H
ow much do you know about the history of some of your favorite foods? Do
you know when people in England started cooking curry dishes? Do you
know in which country pizzas or hamburgers were first made? The facts
might surprise you.
5 Many people think the English found out about curry from people in India in
the 1600s. In reality, wealthy English people were eating dishes made with curry
spices hundreds of years before British ships traveled to India. Cooks of wealthy
English families during the time of King Richard I were making curry dishes, and in
fact, the word “curry” can be found in an English language cookbook as far back as
10 1377.
As for pizza, this dish was probably first made in Persia (what is now Iran).
The Persians were eating round, flat bread with cheese in the 500s. That was nearly
1,000 years before pizza caught on in Naples, Italy!
Finally, let’s look at the truth behind hamburgers. Many people think
15 hamburgers are an American food. However, according to
some stories, hamburgers came from Hamburg,
Germany. A German named Otto Kuasw created
the first hamburger in 1891. Four years later,
German sailors introduced hamburgers to
20 Americans.
Where foods come from isn’t nearly
as important as how they taste; as long as
they are delicious! So, go get some of your
favorite food and dig in.

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds 230 words

6 11
wealthy: rich dish: food
7 14
spice: a thing used or added to make food truth: fact; reality
taste good 19
sailor: a person who works on ships
9
language: way of speaking by a certain
country or group of people

12
 Summary

Scan the passage and complete the chart with the correct information.

1377 1891 500s

created introduced wealthy

Curry Pizza Hamburgers

• Word already in the • 3 ___________________ in • 5 ___________________ to

English language by Persia Americans by German
1 ___________________ sailors

• Cooked for • Was eaten in Persia in • First made in Hamburg

2___________________ the 4 ___________________ in 6 ___________________
English families

Listening

The First Sandwich

Track 4
Listen to the dialog and complete each sentence.

1. Mike found Janet ____________________ the ____________________.

2. Lord Montagu was the ____________________ of ____________________.

3. The first sandwich was made with ____________________ and ____________________.

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