UNIT

2
Nutritional Science

Reading
vocabulary
Writing
Grammar
previewing a text
use of context to understand words
using descriptive adjectives
use and placement of adjectives

Unit Question

What makes food

taste good?

A
Discuss these questions with your classmates.

1. What kinds of food do you eat every day?

2. What kinds of food do you eat on special occasions?

3. Look at the photo. Do you think how food looks—

its presentation—affects how it tastes? Explain.

B
Listen to The Q Classroom online. Then answer these questions.

1. Yuna says that homemade food tastes the best. Why does
homemade food taste better than prepared food?

2. Felix believes foods with too much sugar and fat cause
weight problems. In contrast, what kinds of food do you
think help people lose weight?

ONLINE C
Go to the Online Discussion Board to discuss the
Unit Question with your classmates.

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 UNIT Read the articles and gather information and ideas to
OBJECTIVE
write a descriptive paragraph about your favorite dish.

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 D Take the quiz to discover what tastes you prefer. Circle your answers.

WHAT
Preview the unit

TASTES
DO YOU PREFER?
1. What kind of juice do you prefer?
a. pineapple
b. orange
c. grapefruit

2. When eating at a restaurant, do you

prefer to have an appetizer or a dessert?
a. appetizer
b. dessert
c. both

3. For a snack, which do you prefer?

a. crackers and cheese
b. cookies
c. carrots

4. Do you drink coffee or tea?

If so, how do you like it?
a. black (no milk or sugar)
b. with milk
c. with sugar
d. with milk and sugar

5. Which do you prefer to have for dessert?

a. vanilla ice cream
b. chocolate cake
c. I don’t like sweets.

E Work with a partner. Discuss your answers to the questions in Activity D.

Then answer the questions below.

1. Foods can have different tastes. They include sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.
What did your answers tell you about the types of foods you prefer?

2. Were your answers very different from your partner’s answers? If so, what
is one way to explain the differences?

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 READING

Reading 1 Knowing Your Tastes

UNIT You are going to read an article from a food magazine about why people like
OBJECTIVE
and dislike certain foods. Use the article to gather information and ideas for your
Unit Assignment.

PREVIEW THE READING

A.  PREVIEW   Read the title and headings. Then look at the pictures. The author has
two main reasons for writing the article. Check (✓) the two reasons.
■ to describe different kinds of foods
■ to compare different kinds of tasters
■ to argue why people should eat well
■ to give advice about people’s food choices
■ to explain the causes of overeating

B.  QUICK WRITE   What is an important food or dish in your culture? Write for
5–10 minutes in response. Be sure to use this section for your Unit Assignment.

C.  VOCABULARY   Check (✓) the words you know. Then work with a partner to locate
each word in the reading. Use clues to help define the words you don’t know.
Check your definitions in the dictionary.

balanced (adj.) be made up of (phr. v.) sensitive (adj.)

identify (v.) recognize (v.) system (n.)
likely (adj.) at risk (phr.) typically (adv.)
  Oxford 3000™ words

ONLINE D. Go online to listen and practice your pronunciation.

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 Work With The Reading
A. Read the article and gather information about what makes food taste good.

Knowing
Your Tastes
Food Likes and Dislikes number of taste buds as medium tasters.
1 Why do some people love spicy food and others The remaining 25 percent are supertasters.
hate it? Why do many people dislike broccoli? Supertasters have four to six times as many
Why do some people want sweets all the time? taste buds as nontasters and twice as many as
Human taste is not as simple as liking or disliking medium tasters (see Figure 1). Research shows
something. The kind of tongue you have can that supertasters are more likely to be women
affect your food choices—and your health. and from Asia, Africa, and South America.
How the Tongue Works Different Worlds for Different Tasters
2 The human tongue is made up of a group 4 Supertasters live in a very colorful world of
of muscles and taste buds that work together tastes, nontasters live in a gray world, and
to recognize taste. The average adult tongue medium tasters are somewhere between the
has 10,000 taste buds, which are tiny bumps two. Supertasters think that a lot of foods are
located on the tongue. Tiny hairs on the end of too strong. In addition to having more taste buds,
the taste buds tell us whether food is sweet, supertasters are born with a gene1 that makes
sour, bitter, or salty. The taste buds send them sensitive to bitter foods. Consequently,
messages to the brain as chemicals from they dislike broccoli, cauliflower, grapefruit, and
the food enter the nose. Together, the taste even coffee. With more taste buds, they can more
buds and nose tell the brain exactly what the easily feel fatty foods in their mouths. As a result,
tongue is tasting. This complex system helps they stay away from high-fat food items like French
humans survive by recognizing which foods fries and sweets. They are also very sensitive
are safe and which might be dangerous. to pain on the tongue, so they avoid spicy food.
Nontasters, Medium Tasters, Supertasters Nontasters, on the other hand, experience fewer
3 Although all humans have taste buds, we tastes in general, so they can enjoy hot foods
do not all have the same number of them. like chili and pepper with much less pain.
Medium tasters typically have 10,000 taste Supertasters, Nontasters, and Diet
buds. These “average tasters” make up about 5 As a rule, humans avoid foods that taste
50 percent of the world population. Nontasters, bad and eat foods that give them pleasure.
25 percent of the population, have half the Since supertasters avoid bitter fruits and

1 gene: a part of a cell in a living thing that decides

its characteristics

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 vegetables, their diets are sometimes not not react negatively to them. All people should
balanced, which could put them more at risk pay attention to what they eat, but nontasters
for certain types of cancers. However, they and supertasters must be more aware of the
also dislike fatty and sweet foods, so they foods they are consuming or avoiding and
tend to be thinner and at lower risk for heart find other ways to make up the difference.
disease and diabetes2. In contrast, nontasters What Kind of “Taster” Are You?
like foods high in fat because their tongues do 6 If you can identify which kind of taster you
are, you will be able to make more educated
Tongue of Tongue of choices about your diet. This simple test can
a Supertaster a Nontaster show whether you are a nontaster, medium
taster, or supertaster. Put a small amount of
blue food coloring on your tongue. Take a piece
of notebook paper (the kind with three holes
punched out), and put one of the holes over
your tongue. Your taste buds will look like little
pink bumps on your blue tongue. Count how
many bumps you see in the hole. If there are
5 bumps or fewer, you are a nontaster. If there
are 30 or more, you are a supertaster. If there
Figure 1 Supertasters have many more taste buds than nontasters.
are between 5 and 30, you’re a medium taster.

2 diabetes: a serious disease in which a person’s body cannot

control the level of sugar in the body

Vocabulary B.  VOCABULARY   Complete each sentence with the vocabulary from

Skill Review Reading 1. You may need to change the form of the word or phrase to
In Unit 1, you learned make the sentence grammatically correct.
how to identify
word forms with
a dictionary. Look balanced (adj.) be made up of (phr. v.) sensitive (adj.)
at all the words
identify (v.) recognize (v.) system (n.)
in the sentences.
Which words are likely (adj.) at risk (phr.) typically (adv.)
adjectives? Which
words are nouns
used like adjectives? 1. I did not the taste of the cake at first. It took me a
minute to realize that it tasted like blackberries.

2. Water hydrogen and oxygen.

3. The human digestive includes the mouth and

stomach. It helps to change the food we eat into energy.

4. People who don’t eat well are more to get sick than
people with healthy diets.

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 5. People who eat healthy foods and exercise have fewer
health problems than people who don’t.
6. The police used a photograph to the man who stole
Anita’s wallet.
7. Most health experts agree that a diet should include
different types of foods, such as meat, fruits, vegetables, bread, and cheese.
8. People who don’t eat well are of getting sick.
9. Abdullah’s teeth are very to cold, so he usually
drinks water at room temperature.

ONLINE C. Go online for more practice with the vocabulary.

D. Circle the answer to each question.

1. What is the main idea of the article?

a. As a rule, humans eat foods that taste good and avoid foods that taste bad.
b. The kind of taster you are can affect your food choices and health.
c. Supertasters live in a colorful world of taste, but nontasters live in a
gray world.
d. Supertasters have about 20,000 taste buds, double the amount that
medium tasters have.
2. Which statement is true about taste buds?
a. They send messages to the tongue.
b. The average person has 5,000 taste buds.
c. They are large bumps on the tongue.
d. They tell the brain how food tastes.
3. Which statement is true about the number of taste buds a person has?
a. How many taste buds you have has no effect on taste.
b. The number of taste buds you have can cause you to like or dislike
certain foods.
c. The more taste buds you have, the more you enjoy spicy foods.
d. People with a lot of taste buds never eat fruits or vegetables.

4. Which statement is true about the three different kinds of tasters?

a. Finding out what kind of taster you are can help you make important
decisions about your diet.
b. Supertasters are more likely to be men from Asia, Africa, and
South America.
c. You need a complex test to show you what kind of taster you are.
d. Unlike nontasters and supertasters, medium tasters do not have to care
about the kinds of food they eat.
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 E. Answer the questions. Write the paragraph number where the answer is
found. Then discuss your answers with a partner.

1. What four tastes can taste buds identify? Paragraph:

2. How many taste buds do nontasters have? Paragraph:

3. Who is more likely to be a supertaster, a woman from Italy or a woman

from Korea? Paragraph:

4. What types of foods do supertasters avoid? Paragraph:

5. Why should supertasters and nontasters pay close attention to the foods
they eat? Paragraph:

F. Find these sentences in the article. Then circle the answer to each
question.

1. (Paragraph 3) Although all humans have taste buds, we do not all have the
same number of them.
Who or what does them refer to?
a. humans b. taste buds c. nontasters

2. (Paragraph 4) Consequently, they dislike broccoli, cauliflower, grapefruit,

and even coffee.
Who or what does they refer to?
a. foods b. medium tasters c. supertasters

3. (Paragraph 4) They are also very sensitive to pain on the tongue, so they
avoid spicy food.
Who or what does they refer to?
a. spicy food b. supertasters c. medium tasters

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 4. (Paragraph 5) However, they also dislike fatty and sweet foods, so they
tend to be thinner and at lower risk for heart disease and diabetes.
Who does they refer to?
a. nontasters b. medium tasters c. supertasters

5. (Paragraph 5) In contrast, nontasters like foods high in fat because their

tongues do not react negatively to them.
Who or what does them refer to?
a. high-fat foods b. nontasters c. taste buds

Critical Thinking Tip G. Answer these questions. Then compare your answers with a partner.
Activity G asks you
to make inferences. 1. Medium tasters have about 10,000 taste buds. How many taste buds do
When you make supertasters have?
an inference, you
are guessing that
something is true
based on what
you read and your 2. Can people decide to be a supertaster? Why or why not?
own knowledge.

3. Supertasters do not enjoy bitter foods or foods high in fat. They also dislike
sweet foods. What kinds of foods do you think supertasters like to eat?

4. Nontasters like spicy foods and high-fat foods. What kinds of health risks
do you think nontasters have because of their diet?

ONLINE H. Go online to read The Grapefruit Diet and check your comprehension.

Write What You Think

A. Discuss these questions in a group.

1. Do you think you are a nontaster, medium taster, or supertaster? Why?

2. What foods do you really like or dislike? Choose one food and describe
what you like or dislike about it.

3. In addition to the type of tasters they are, what are other possible reasons
why people like certain foods and don’t like others?
Writing Tip
Remember to B. Choose one question and write a paragraph in response. Look back at
use your topic your Quick Write on page 31 as you think about what you learned.
sentence to state
your main idea.

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 Reading Skill Previewing a text
Previewing means looking through a text quickly to find the topic and main ideas
before you read the whole text. Previewing gives you a general understanding of the
reading first, which will help you when you read the whole text from beginning to
end. When you preview, the goal is to predict what the text is going to talk about.
Previewing usually includes these steps:
• reading the title and subtitles • looking at the photographs and pictures
• reading the first and last paragraphs
After you preview a text, you should be able to answer these questions:
• What is the topic of the reading? • What ideas are discussed in the reading?

A. Look at Reading 2. Follow these steps as you preview the text.

Step 1: Read the title and subtitles.

1. What is the title of the reading?

2. There are four headings within the reading. What are they?

  Food, Balance, and Culture;

Step 2: Look at the photographs and pictures.

Look at the photo and picture. What are they of?

Step 3: Read the first and last paragraphs.

Read the paragraphs quickly. Underline the topic sentence of each paragraph.

B. What is the topic of the reading?

C. What ideas are discussed in the reading?

ONLINE D. Go online for more practice previewing a text.

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 Reading 2 Finding Balance in Food
UNIT You are going to read an article from an online journal about how culture
OBJECTIVE
can affect people’s food choices. Use the article to gather information and
ideas for your Unit Assignment.

PREVIEW THE READING

A.  PREVIEW   What do you already know about this topic? Share your ideas
with a partner.
B.  QUICK WRITE   What is your definition of a balanced diet? Write
for 5–10 minutes in response. Be sure to use this section for your
Unit Assignment.
C.  VOCABULARY   Work with a partner to find the words in the reading.
Circle clues in the text that help you understand the meaning of each
word. Then use a dictionary to define any unknown words.

concept (n.) method (n.) principle (n.)

consume (v.) portion (n.) property (n.)
cuisine (n.) practice (n.) region (n.)
influence (v.)
  Oxford 3000™ words

ONLINE D. Go online to listen and practice your pronunciation.

WORK WITH THE READING

A. Read the article and gather information about what makes food taste good.

Finding Balance in Food

Food, Balance, and Culture also be seen differently. A person’s culture can
1 Nutritionists around the world often speak influence the way he tries to find balance in
about the importance of a balanced diet. A the foods he consumes. Cultures might view
balanced diet usually means eating more fruits, balance differently according to the way a dish
vegetables, and grains and consuming fewer tastes, or how a meal is prepared and served.
foods high in fat, sugar, and cholesterol. When Looking at the concept of a “balanced diet”
comparing the food habits of different cultures, through the eyes of two very different cultures
however, the definition of a “balanced diet” might makes it clear that the definition can differ greatly.

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 the traditional fast-food meal because it is too
simple and quick, so fast-food restaurants in
France have changed their menus. Some now
include an appetizer, a main dish, a dessert, and
a coffee to offer diners the balance they want.

China: Balancing Opposites

4 Like French cuisine, traditional Chinese
cooking also tries to find balance, but in a
different way. The Chinese believe there
are two different types of foods, which work
together to create harmony in a dish. According
to this principle, foods like carrots, water, and
tofu are “cool” foods because they decrease
Figure 1 France has 22 different regions.
body heat. In contrast, foods such as chicken,
France: Balancing Geography eggs, and mushrooms are “warm” foods
and Portions because they increase body heat. When a dish
2 For the French, balance does not come only has an equal amount of warm and cool foods
from using different kinds of ingredients; enjoying together, it is considered balanced. Likewise,
the tastes of the country’s many regions can opposing cooking methods balance dishes.
also make their diet feel balanced. France is Boiling and steaming are water-based, so they
divided into 22 regions. Each region has its contrast well with frying, an oil-based method.
own local cuisine and food traditions, or what
5 The challenge
the French call terroir. The French embrace1
in traditional
all 22 regions and the cuisine produced in
Chinese cooking
each. French cafés, restaurants, and food
is to prepare
advertisements often refer to2 the different
and eat meals
regions, and to the fact that French people that balance
find pleasure in eating foods from different these opposing
parts of the country in a search for balance. properties. The
Figure 2 sweet and sour chicken
3 One can also see balance in the way the Chinese believe
French serve their food. A traditional French that achieving this kind of balance can result in
meal can have from three to seven different improved health. For instance, dishes like beef
courses. It might include an appetizer, a main with broccoli and sweet and sour chicken are
plate, a side plate, a cheese plate, a salad, considered healthy because they have a mix
and a dessert, which makes it a well-balanced of foods, colors, flavors, and textures. For the
dining experience. Each dish is eaten and same reason, a warm dish like fried rice might
enjoyed separately, and portions are small. be eaten with a cool fruit such as watermelon.
This practice has even affected the menus of The Chinese believe diseases occur when
fast-food chains. Many French people dislike there are too many cool or warm foods in the
1 embrace: to accept something
2 refer to: to talk about

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 human body. For them, food acts as medicine. meal, whether it is tastes, menus, ingredients,
A person might have heartburn because he eating habits, or nutritional benefits. What
or she is eating too much spicy food. As a connects the two, however, is a shared
result, a doctor might suggest drinking iced desire to find some kind of balance. A look
tea, a cool drink, to balance the extra warmth. at their food preferences also suggests that
culture and food are not separate from each
Different Cultures, Shared Desire other. They are closely related, and their
6 France and China have very different connection can be observed around the
cultures, and people in each culture have their world in very different and fascinating ways.
own ideas of what constitutes a balanced

B  VOCABULARY   Here are some words from Reading 2. Cross out the word
or phrase that is different from the bold word.

1. People who consume too many calories typically gain weight.

a. take in b.  waste  c. eat

2. The foods we eat as children can influence the foods we prefer as adults.
a. make b. affect c. help determine

3. The concept behind organic food is that farmers should grow fruits,
vegetables, and grains without harmful chemicals.
a. idea b. part c. belief

4. Normandy, a northern region of France, is home to many famous cheeses.

a. area b. place c. direction

5. Italian cuisine is known for its rich, fresh sauces and its pasta dishes.
a. history b. cooking c. food

6. For dinner, I ate meat, vegetables, and just a small portion of dessert.
a. amount b. kind c. quantity

7. The practice of eating with one’s hands is considered rude in some

cultures but polite in others.
a. action b. advantage c. custom

8. A unique property of water is taking up more space as ice than as a liquid.

a. quality b. characteristic c. size

9. One principle of healthy eating is to read the labels on foods.

a. basic rule b. decision c. belief

10. Various cultures use different methods for preparing foods.

a. problems b. ways c. processes
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 ONLINE C. Go online for more practice with the vocabulary.

D. Circle the answer to each question.

1. What is the main purpose of the article?
a. to compare how two cultures find balance in food
b. to explain why the French do not like fast food
c. to describe the concepts of “warm” foods and “cool” foods
d. to argue why people need to find balance in food
2. What is the main idea of paragraph 2?
a. Each of the 22 regions in France has its own terroir.
b. In France, balance comes from eating foods from different regions.
c. The French find pleasure in eating at different kinds of restaurants.
d. France’s food regions are often mentioned in advertisements.
3. What is the main idea of paragraph 3?
a. Many French people do not like to eat at fast-food restaurants.
b. Some fast-food restaurants in France offer three-course meals.
c. A traditional French meal might include a cheese plate and a dessert.
d. The French balance their meals by serving many small courses.
4. What is the main idea of paragraph 4?
a. Opposing foods and cooking methods create balance in Chinese cooking.
b Cool foods decrease body heat, whereas warm foods increase body heat.
c The Chinese use both direct heat and water-based cooking methods.
d. According to the Chinese, eggs decrease body heat.
5. What is the main idea of paragraph 5?
a. Preparing dishes that balance foods, colors, and flavors is difficult.
b Warm dishes like fried rice can be balanced with cool fruits.
c Meals that balance opposing qualities can improve health.
d. Healthy dishes include beef and broccoli and sweet and sour chicken.

E. Read the statements. Write T (true) or F (false). Then correct each false
statement to make it true.

1. Terroir means local food and food traditions.

2. There are no fast-food restaurants in France.

3. French meals always have seven courses.

4. Some fast-food restaurants in France offer multiple courses.

5. The French prefer to eat small portions of food.

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 6. Carrots and tofu decrease body heat.

7. Eggs and mushrooms are considered cool foods.

8. Boiling and frying are opposing cooking methods.

Critical Thinking Tip F. Look at a student’s notes from Reading 2 in the box. Write the student’s
Activity F asks you to ideas in the Venn diagram below to compare French and Chinese cuisine.
use a Venn diagram.
A Venn diagram helps
you to see similarities balance of different food regions food preferences affected by culture
and differences balance of warm and cool foods opposing cooking methods
between two topics.
search for balance several courses
food as medicine small portions

French cuisine Chinese cuisine

1. balance of Similarities
6.
different food
regions 4.

2. 7.
5.

3. 8.

Tip for Success G. Identify cause-effect relationships in the reading. Complete the
Use because to sentences in your own words.
show cause-effect
relationships. When 1. Because the French prefer eating several courses,
because begins a
sentence, put a fast-food restaurants have changed their menus. .
comma between
the two clauses. 2. Because traditional fast food is very simple and quick,

3. The French eat small portions because

4. Tofu decreases body heat because .

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 5. Because sweet and sour chicken has a balance of foods, colors, flavors,
and textures,  .

6. Iced tea can relieve heartburn from spicy foods because

 .

H. Check (✓) the statements you can infer from the reading.
■ 1. The French are proud of their cuisine.
■ 2. The French prefer long meals.
■ 3. French meals are always healthy.
■ 4. The Chinese believe spicy foods are unhealthy.
■ 5. A traditional Chinese dish might be fried chicken with steamed
vegetables.

Write What You Think

A. Discuss the questions in a group. Look back at your Quick Write on
page 38 as you think about what you learned.

1. Do you prefer to eat more variety but smaller portions of food, or less
variety but bigger portions? Why?

2. What foods do you enjoy from cultures other than your own? How are
they different from the foods you grew up with?

B. Before you watch the video, discuss the questions in a group.

1. What spices are popular in your country?

2. Why do you think spicy foods are becoming more popular in the United States?

ONLINE C. Go online to watch the video aroma (n.)  a smell (usually one that is pleasant)

video vocabulary
about spices. Then check your
crave (v.)  to want and need to have
comprehension.
something very much
diverse (adj.)  very different from each other
melting pot (n.)  a place where large numbers
of people from different countries live
together

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 D. Think about the unit video, Reading 1, and Reading 2 as you discuss the
questions. Then choose one question and write a paragraph in response.

1. What makes food taste good to you?

2. Which foods did you dislike as a child? Which foods do you dislike as an
adult? Why do you think food preferences change as you get older?

Vocabulary Skill Use of context to understand words

Learning to read without stopping to look up new words can help you read faster
and understand more. When reading, try to guess the meaning of a new word
from context. Context refers to the other words and ideas in the sentence that are
around the new word:
A balanced diet usually means eating more fruits, vegetables, and grains and
consuming fewer foods high in fat, sugar, and cholesterol.
The context around the word consuming suggests that the sentence is about what
kinds of food to eat and not eat in order to have a balanced diet. Therefore, you
can guess that consuming has a similar meaning to eating.
If you need to know what a word means, start by guessing from the context. If a
sentence does not give enough context, then look the word up in the dictionary.

A. Read each sentence and try to answer the question that follows.
(The underlined words are for Activity B.)

1. People in every culture have their own ideas of what constitutes

a balanced meal, whether it is tastes, menus, ingredients, eating habits,
or nutritional benefits.

What things can make a balanced meal?

  tastes, menus, ingredients, eating habits, and nutritional benefits

2. Beef with broccoli and sweet and sour chicken are two famous dishes that
can be found in most Chinese restaurants.

What foods are common in Chinese restaurants?

3. Cultures might view balance differently according to the way a dish tastes,
or how a meal is prepared and served.

In what ways can cultures find balance in food?

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 4. Nontasters have a taste for sugary foods, which means they eat sweets
more often than other people.

Why do nontasters eat sweets?

5. French cheeses can have different textures, from soft cheeses like Brie to
hard cheeses like cantal.

In what way can French cheeses differ?

6. In traditional Chinese cooking, foods are in harmony when there is an
equal amount of cool and warm foods together.
What foods work together in Chinese cooking?

B. Check (✓) the word or phrase that is closest in meaning to each

underlined word from Activity A. Look at the context to help you.
1. constitutes 3. view 5. textures
■ eats ■ think about ■ ways that things feel
■ makes ■ eliminate ■ ways that things smell

2. dishes 4. taste 6. harmony

■ meals ■ an idea ■ a good recipe
■ tastes ■ a liking ■ a good combination

C. Choose four words from Activities A and B. Write a sentence using

each word.

1.

2.

3.

4.

ONLINE D. Go online for more practice with the use of context to understand words.

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 WRITING

UNIT At the end of this unit, you will write a paragraph about your favorite dish
OBJECTIVE
using descriptive adjectives. This paragraph will include specific information
from the readings and your own ideas.

Writing Skill Using descriptive adjectives

Adjectives are words that describe nouns (people, places, things, and ideas).
Writers use a lot of adjectives in order to make their descriptions both interesting
and clear. They describe what they see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and feel. They
create a picture with words so that readers can easily imagine or “see” what they
are describing. Using descriptive adjectives in your writing will make it more
interesting for the reader.
Non-descriptive: I ate a meal at a restaurant downtown.
Descriptive: I ate a delicious, savory meal at a cozy French
restaurant downtown.

A.  WRITING MODEL   Read the model paragraph. Then answer the questions
on page 47.

My Mother’s Yorkshire Pudding

Whenever I think of my mother’s They are very special because she only
cooking, I always remember her serves them on holidays. My sister and
delicious Yorkshire puddings. Although I always fight for the last one because
I grew up in the United States, my they are so delicious. I have had many
mother often cooked dishes from other people’s Yorkshire puddings, but
her home country of England. She my mother’s have always tasted better.
has always been an excellent cook, Not only are hers homemade, but they
and one of her best recipes is also have a special taste that always
called Yorkshire pudding, which is a makes me think of her. In addition,
traditional English pastry. It is a simple they make me remember my British
dish made with eggs, flour, and milk. ancestry and my mother’s history.
My mother’s Yorkshire puddings taste They help me connect to my past and
so good because they are light, crisp, to my family. Yorkshire pudding is such
and slightly sweet. She serves them a simple and common English food,
with delicious warm gravy, but I prefer but it will always be special to me
them sweet with strawberry jam. because of my mother.

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 1. What is the topic sentence? Underline it.

2. What is the concluding sentence? Underline it.

3. How does Yorkshire pudding taste? Write a sentence that describes the taste.

4. What do Yorkshire puddings remind the author of?

5. Circle the adjectives the writer uses to describe Yorkshire pudding.

B. Look at the author’s brainstorming notes. Circle the ideas the author used.
Cross out the ideas the author did not use.

eggs, flour, & milk homemade

bake in the oven British ancestry
crisp and sweet my grandmother
golden brown family
holidays smell buttery
sweet with strawberry jam New Year’s Day
fight with sister

C. Look again at the author’s notes in Activity B. Why do you think the author used
some of the ideas but not others?
D.  WRITING MODEL   Read the model paragraph. Check (✓) the best topic sentence
on page 48. Then write it on the lines in the paragraph.

The Best Ceviche

dish. Ceviche is a simple recipe made
from fresh raw fish, shrimp, and other
seafood. The seafood sits in fresh
lemon or lime juice, which makes a
Restaurants all over Lima serve this broth and “cooks” the meat naturally.
traditional South American seafood Hot chili peppers, raw onions, and a

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 little salt are added to the sour juice access to fresh fish and seafood every
to give ceviche its special flavor. The morning, so the ceviche is always
fish is cold and citrusy. Sliced limes exceptional. I enjoy ceviche from Lima’s
and fresh cilantro often garnish the famous restaurants, but it is also a
top, which makes the dish very colorful common street food. People make their
and appetizing. Sometimes people own ceviche and sell it on the streets
just have the broth as an appetizer of Lima. When I see fellow Peruvians
because it is so delicious. Since Lima enjoying their street ceviche while
is located on the coast of the South walking along city sidewalks, I feel very
Pacific Ocean, restaurants there have proud of my country and its food.

■ Ceviche tastes best in the summer because it is cold and refreshing.

■ Nothing tastes better than the ceviche in Lima, Peru.

■ People in Lima, Peru enjoy ceviche in restaurants and on the street.

■ Lima, the capital of Peru, has many good seafood dishes.

E. Fill in the adjectives the author uses in Activity D to describe the nouns.
1. simple recipe 5. limes

2. chili peppers 6. cilantro

3. onions 7. restaurants

4. flavor

F. Write your own adjectives to describe each of these nouns from the
paragraph in Activity D. Then compare your answers with a partner.

1. traditional recipe 4. limes

2. onions 5. restaurants

3. flavor

ONLINE G. Go online for more practice with using descriptive adjectives.

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 Grammar Use and placement of adjectives
Adjectives are always singular. When two or more adjectives are used before a
noun, they usually follow the order given in this chart.

Opinion/ Kind/
Quality Size Age Shape Color Origin Material Purpose
beautiful big old round yellow Chinese glass serving
expensive small new square green French leather running

Rosario lives in a big, old house in the country.

We ate dinner at the new French restaurant in our neighborhood.
Ming gave Ella and Mike a beautiful glass serving dish as a gift.
Eduardo bought a pair of expensive leather running shoes.

We do not usually use more than three adjectives before a noun. We use two or
three adjectives and then add additional descriptive phrases after the noun.
Leila wore a beautiful green silk skirt from India.

A. Write a sentence about each topic with three adjectives from different
categories. Use adjectives from the list on page 50 or your own ideas.

1. your favorite dessert

2. a member of your family

3. something you are wearing today

4. something you ate this week

5. a DVD or book you like

6. a restaurant you like

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 Critical Thinking Tip B. Work with a partner. Write each adjective in the correct column of the
Activity B asks you to chart below.
classify adjectives.
When you classify, American friendly metal tasty
you put things into ancient funny modern teenage
groups according to
antique glass nice traditional
certain qualities or
principles. Classifying Brazilian hiking Omani triangular
information can ceramic huge orange ugly
help you understand cheap interesting oval uncomfortable
it better.
common jogging plastic unusual
cotton Korean pretty wedding
elderly little racing wonderful
elegant lovely rectangular wool
fashionable medical silk writing

Opinion/Quality cheap,

Size

Age

Shape

Color

Origin

Material

Kind/Purpose hiking,

ONLINE C. Go online for more practice with the use and placement of adjectives.
D. Go online for the grammar expansion.

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 Unit Assignment Write a descriptive paragraph

UNIT In this assignment, you are going to write a descriptive paragraph about
OBJECTIVE
your favorite dish. As you prepare your paragraph, think about the Unit
Question, “What makes food taste good?” Use information from Reading 1,
Reading 2, the unit video, and your work in this unit to support your
descriptive paragraph. Refer to the Self-Assessment checklist on page 52.
ONLINE Go to the Online Writing Tutor for a writing model and alternate
Unit Assignments.

Plan and Write

A.  BRAINSTORM   Follow these steps to help you organize your ideas.
1. Think about your favorite dish. Use these questions to help brainstorm
ideas about your topic.

a. What is the name of your dish?  

b. How would you describe your dish? What taste(s) and ingredients does
it have?  

c. Does this dish have personal or cultural importance to you? Why?

d. Who usually makes this dish for you? Is it easy or difficult to make? Why?

e. How does the dish make you feel?  

2. Write a topic sentence that names your dish and expresses your main idea.

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 3. List eight to ten adjectives that describe your dish. Think about how it looks
and tastes.  

 
B.  PLAN   Follow these steps to plan your paragraph.

1. Look at the ideas you wrote in Activity A on page 51. Circle your best ideas.

2. Look again at your ideas. Circle your best descriptive adjectives. Check the
order. Look at the Grammar Skill on pages 49 and 50 to help you.
ONLINE 3. Go to the Online Resources to download and complete the outline for your
descriptive paragraph.

ONLINE C.  WRITE   Use your  PLAN  notes to write your paragraph. Go to iQ Online to
use the Online Writing Tutor.

1. Write your paragraph that describes your favorite dish. Be sure to use
adjectives to make your description interesting, clear, and specific.

2. Look at the Self-Assessment checklist below to guide your writing.

Revise and Edit

ONLINE A.  PEER REVIEW   Read your partner’s paragraph. Then go online and use
the Peer Review worksheet. Discuss the review with your partner.

B.  REWRITE   Based on your partner’s review, revise and rewrite your paragraph.
C.  EDIT   Complete the Self-Assessment checklist as you prepare to write
the final draft of your paragraph. Be prepared to hand in your work or
discuss it in class.

SELF-ASSESSMENT
Yes No
■ ■ Does the paragraph include descriptive adjectives?
■ ■ Are the adjectives in the correct order?
■ ■ Does the paragraph include vocabulary from the unit?
■ ■ Did you check the paragraph for punctuation, spelling, and grammar?

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 ONLINE D.  REFLECT   Go to the Online Discussion Board to discuss these questions.

1. What is something new you learned in this unit?

2. Look back at the Unit Question—What makes food taste good? Is your answer
different now than when you started the unit? If yes, how is it different? Why?

Track Your SUCCESS

Circle the words and phrases you have learned in this unit.

Nouns Verbs Adverb

concept consume typically
cuisine identify Phrase
method influence at risk
portion recognize
practice Phrasal Verb
principle be made up of
property
Adjectives
region
balanced
system
likely
sensitive

  Oxford 3000™ words

  Academic Word List

Check (✓) the skills you learned. If you need more work on a skill, refer to the
page(s) in parentheses.

Reading I can preview a text. (p. 37)

Vocabulary I can use context to understand words. (p. 44)
Writing I can use descriptive adjectives. (p. 46)
Grammar I can use adjectives in the correct order. (p. 49)

UNIT I can gather information and ideas to write a

OBJECTIVE descriptive paragraph about my favorite dish.

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