B2: A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE

Sara Adelardi, 17, tells us about taking part in a TV cooking competition.

Since I was a child who stood in my grandmother’s kitchen sniffing the delicious smell of freshly
baked bread and homemade soups, I’ve known there is only one thing I want to do in life: cook. So,
when I spotted an advert on a website inviting young people to apply for a TV cooking competition,
there was little doubt I’d be first in line to take part. I thought ‘This could be the beginning of my
cooking career!’
The application process was far from straightforward, as I soon discovered. First, I had to fill in a
lengthy form, detailing everything from how I became interested in cooking (that was the easy part), to
things like what I hoped to get out of being part of the show (these were much trickier!). Once I’d got
through that stage of the process, the next step was to cook a test dish for the show’s judges: scary but
exciting, too. If that was good enough, I’d be invited to take part in the four-week televised
competition. One person, selected by the judges, would be voted out of the competition in each
programme, until the winner was announced during the final.
Until I had to create a test dish, I’d been pretty positive about my cooking ability; I often cooked big
meals for my family at the weekends, and my friends loved the little snacks I took into school for
break times. But suddenly I found myself up against 11 other young people who’d been cooking for
longer. Some of them – I’d known this might be the case – had even had part-time jobs as waiters,
surrounded by top-class food prepared by professional chefs. Would I really be able to compete? As I
stood at my counter in the test kitchen, ready to start cooking, I remembered my grandmother’s advice:
‘Stick to what you know best’.
The judges tasted each test dish, made a few notes, and sent us all home. Then the wait began. Had I
made it to the televised competition? Eventually, the phone call came. I’d be in the first live
programme of the series the following week! Our first challenge would be to make a meal with a
selection of ingredients chosen by the judges. It was impossible to know what they’d pick in advance,
and I knew I’d just have to use my creativity on the day, but I was still desperate to do some
preparation, and rushed straight to my parents’ kitchen, pulling everything from the cupboards in a
panic. All day I experimented with new flavour combinations, testing them out on my parents and
sister. Most things they liked, some they didn’t. What if the judges weren’t keen on my dishes?
The day of the first programme dawned and suddenly there I was with the other competitors, waiting
to be given our instructions. The lights were hot in the TV studio, but although I’d expected to be
nervous about being filmed for a TV show, my excitement soon took over. I recognised all the
ingredients spread out on the table in front of me and I was eager to get to work. I knew exactly what I
was going to cook! My grandmother’s words rang in my ears again. ‘Keep it simple,’ I thought, as I
started chopping.
I didn’t make it any further in the competition. The judges liked my dish and said I showed promise as
a cook, but the other competitors were better on the day. I’d learnt a lot from seeing how they worked,
and how imaginative their dishes were compared to mine, so I wasn’t too disappointed. It had been a
memorable experience, and confirmed in my mind that cooking was the career for me. Years of
learning still lie ahead of me, but one day I’d love to own my own restaurant – and help other young
people fulfil their dreams too!
Exercise 1: Vocabulary
1. advert /ˈædvɜːrt/ - (n) quảng cáo 9. televised /ˈtelɪvaɪzd/ - (adj) được phát trên
2. apply for /əˈplaɪ fɔːr/ - (v) nộp đơn, đăng ký truyền hình
3. competition /ˌkɑːmpəˈtɪʃn/ - (n) cuộc thi 10. selected /sɪˈlektɪd/ - (adj) được chọn
4. straightforward /ˌstreɪtˈfɔːrwərd/ - (adj) rõ 11. ability /əˈbɪləti/ - (n) khả năng
ràng, đơn giản 12. competitor /kəmˈpetɪtər/ - (n) đối thủ
5. lengthy /ˈleŋkθi/ - (adj) dài dòng 13. ingredient /ɪnˈɡriːdiənt/ - (n) nguyên liệu
6. detail /ˈdiːteɪl/ - (v) mô tả chi tiết 14. creativity /ˌkriːeɪˈtɪvəti/ - (n) sự sáng tạo
7. test dish /test dɪʃ/ - (n) món ăn thử nghiệm 15. preparation /ˌprepəˈreɪʃn/ - (n) sự chuẩn bị
8. judge /dʒʌdʒ/ - (n) giám khảo 16. combination /ˌkɑːmbɪˈneɪʃn/ - (n) sự kết hợp
17. keen on /kiːn ɒn/ - (adj) thích thú
 18. disappointed /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntɪd/ - (adj) thất vọng 27. up against (someone) - đối mặt với
19. memorable /ˈmemərəbl/ - (adj) đáng nhớ 28. stick to (something) - bám vào, tuân theo
20. confirm /kənˈfɜːrm/ - (v) xác nhận 29. show promise as (something) - cho thấy triển
21. fulfil /fʊlˈfɪl/ - (v) thực hiện (ước mơ…) vọng là
22. sniff /snɪf/ - (v) hít, ngửi 30. lie ahead (of someone) - chờ đợi phía trước
23. spotted /ˈspɒtɪd/ - (v) phát hiện, nhìn thấy 31. vote someone out - loại ai đó khỏi cuộc thi
24. take part (in) - tham gia 32. spread out (something) - trải ra
25. far from straightforward - không hề đơn giản 33. dawn (on someone) - (nghĩa bóng) nhận ra,
26. get through (a stage) - vượt qua một giai đoạn hiểu ra điều gì đó

Exercise 2: T/F statements

1. The narrator has wanted to be a chef since childhood.
2. The narrator was the last person to apply for the competition.
3. The application process was easy and quick.
4. The narrator had to cook a test dish before being selected for the competition.
5. The narrator felt completely confident about their cooking skills before the test dish challenge.
6. The judges immediately announced the results after tasting the test dishes.
7. The narrator was nervous about cooking on live TV.
8. Even though the narrator didn’t win, they were still determined to pursue a cooking career.
Exercise 3. Put the following events in the correct order:
A. The narrator received a phone call saying they were in the televised competition.
B. The narrator found an advert about the competition.
C. The narrator experimented with ingredients at home to prepare.
D. The narrator passed the application stage and was asked to cook a test dish.
E. The narrator joined the competition but was eliminated early.
Exercise 4: Choose the best answer
1. What is the writer’s purpose in the first paragraph?
A. to highlight the writer’s relationship with her grandmother
B. to describe the kinds of meals that the writer enjoyed cooking
C. to help readers identify with the writer’s ambitious character
D. to explain why the competition appealed to the writer
2. What does the writer say about applying for the competition in the second paragraph?
A. It took much longer than she had hoped it would.
B. She found it challenging to answer some of the questions.
C. The process was as complicated as she had expected it to be.
D. She discovered details about the competition which she did not like.
3. How did the writer feel after she met the other competitors for the first time?
A. confident that she had the necessary skills to do so
B. determined to use the advice that she had been given
C. concerned that they would be better at cooking than she was
D. surprised by how much experience some of them had
4. When it was confirmed that the writer would be taking part in the televised competition, she
A. decided to practise making some of her favourite recipes.
B. knew there was little point trying to guess what she’d have to do.
C. asked her family to make suggestions about what she should cook.
D. felt she ought to find out about ingredients she didn’t ordinarily use.
5. On the first day of the competition, the writer says she felt
A. keen to get on with the task before her.
B. anxious about appearing on camera.
C. relieved to have ideas about what to cook.
D. grateful for the family support she had received.
6. What does it refer to?
A. the judges’ feedback C. other competitors’ food
B. her time at the studio D. a feeling of disappointment
Exercise 5: Fill in the Blanks
advert, competition, straightforward, ingredients, judge,
creativity, preparation, keen on, disappointed, memorable
1. The cooking ___ was open to young people who loved food.
2. The application process was far from ___ because it required many details.
3. The contestant carefully selected the best ___ for their dish.
4. Each ___ tasted the dishes and gave feedback.
5. The final challenge tested the contestants’ ___ and ability to think quickly.
6. The chef spent hours on ___ before the live show.
7. She was very ___ learning new cooking techniques.
8. Although he didn’t win, the experience was very ___.
9. He felt a little ___ when he was eliminated from the show.
10. He saw an online ___ about the TV show and decided to apply.
Exercise 6: Matching the word and the definition:
Word Definition
1. Advert A. A person who evaluates and gives opinions on a competition
2. Competition B. The process of getting ready for something
3. Ingredients C. A public announcement to promote something
4. Judge D. The ability to think of new ideas
5. Straightforward E. Things used to make food or drinks
6. Creativity F. A contest where people try to win
7. Preparation G. To continue doing what you know best
8. Keen on H. Not complicated; easy to understand
9. Vote out I. Interested in or enthusiastic about something
10. Stick to J. To eliminate someone from a competition

Exercise 7: Fill in the gap:

The narrator has loved cooking since childhood, inspired by their grandmother’s kitchen. When they
saw an advert for a TV cooking competition, they eagerly applied, despite the challenging application
process. After submitting a detailed form, they had to cook a test dish for the judges. Though initially
confident, they became nervous upon seeing other contestants with more experience. Fortunately, they
passed the test and entered the televised competition. Their first challenge was to cook with unknown
ingredients, relying on creativity and their grandmother’s advice to "stick to what you know best."
Although they didn’t win, the judges saw potential in them. The experience confirmed their passion for
cooking, and they remained determined to pursue a career as a chef, dreaming of one day opening their
own restaurant.

Exercise 8: Answer the questions

1. What inspired Sara to love cooking?
2. Where did Sara see the advert for the cooking competition?
3. What was the first step of the application process?
4. How many weeks did the televised competition last?
5. How did Sara feel before cooking the test dish?
6. What advice did Sara’s grandmother give her?
7. What was the first live challenge in the competition?
8. How did Sara prepare for the first live challenge?
9. Did Sara win the competition?
10. What did Sara learn from the competition?
Exercise 9: The Penny Black

In 1840, The Penny Black became the (1)…………….. sticky postage stamp in the world. Before this
the (2)…………….. of posting something in the UK was very expensive. This depended on distance
and how many sheets of paper were being sent and was paid by the person receiving the post. The idea
of paying in advance was (3)…………….. to parliament and in 1839 this became law.
A (4)…………….. was held to find the best way of sending post. The first suggestion attempted was a
special envelope or ‘lettersheet’ with a stamp attached, but this wasn’t (5)…………….. and in the end
the stamp itself was used with a picture of Queen Victoria and the price – one penny. However, the
colour was a problem as it was difficult to cancel the stamp after it had been (6)…………….. This was
eventually changed to red and black ink was used to cancel it.

1 A basic B first C beginning D start

2 A money B amount C cost D payment
3 A recommended B said C played D ordered
4 A match B prize C competition D race
5 A dear B popular C famous D common
6 A near B worn C passed D used

Exercise 13: The First Chess Champion of the World

Most chess historians agree that the first chess world championship (1)…………….. place in 1886 in
the United States. On one side was an Austrian chess champion Wilhelm Steinitz, who for many years
was (2)…………….. to be one of the best in the world. Playing against him was Johannes Zukertort
from Poland, living in the UK, and another player who many believed at the time was one of the
world’s greats. According (3)…………….. the contract, the match would be for the championship of
the world and would (4)…………….. of 20 games played in three different cities: New York, St Louis
and New Orleans. Steinitz won 10-5 and was world champion until 1894. Steinitz
was (5)…………….. in how the game should be played and many of his ideas had a big
influence (6)…………….. the modern game.

1 A took B went C laid D set

2 A held B thought C placed D looked
3 A for B in C with D to
4 A contain B consist C make D include
5 A interested B excited C keen D attracted
6 A to B in C on D at
B1, Test 1 -Questions 14-19: You will hear a man called Ben, from a young people’s organisation, telling a
youth group about a course they can do on Saturdays. For each question, fill in the missing information in the
numbered space.
Saturday course
Name of Ben’s organisation: (14) ……………………
Aim of course: Discovering (15) ……………………
Closest course location for this group: (16) ……………………
Length of course: (17) …………………… weeks
Examples of activities we will do:
● Learn how to climb
● Cut up wood
● Make a (18) ……………………
● Design a (19) …………………… to take home