Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. feast on
    • ex. Let’s feast on different delicious food at the festival.
  2. gourmet
    • ex. This restaurant serves gourmet food.
  3. renowned
    • ex. He is a renowned actor who received several awards.
  4. catering
    • ex. I’m looking for a restaurant that will do the catering for my wedding.
  5. an exception
    • ex. I like all kinds of music with the exception of rock.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Some 15,000 athletes will get to feast on fresh baguettes, gourmet dishes, and environment-friendly French meals — but no wine — when Paris hosts the Summer Olympics next year. The company that will serve 40,000 meals a day at the Olympic Village presented its planned Olympic menu created by some of France’s most-renowned chefs. Chef Alexandre Mazzia said his team will bring a “fun, gourmet, and healthy” touch to the Olympians’ plates.

French food services company Sodexo was selected to oversee the catering at the athletes’ village and other sites of the Paris Games. The company will take the 2024 Olympics as a great opportunity to present French dishes. The restaurant at the Olympic Village, which is meant to be the “biggest restaurant in the world,” is expected to seat 3,500 people.

However, the French meal experience at the Paris Olympics has one exception: No wine, or any form of alcohol, will be offered to Olympians in the village, organizers said. Champagne and liquor will only be served during formal events.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Gourmet Food

  • Would you like to eat gourmet food? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Gourmet food is often more expensive than regularly prepared food. Do you think it’s okay for it to be expensive? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, is gourmet food always more delicious than regularly prepared food? Discuss.

Food for Athletes

  • What kind of food do you think athletes should eat? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, how can the Olympic organizers ensure that the athletes’ food is good? Discuss.
  • Imagine that your country will host the Olympics. What food in your country should be served to the athletes? Discuss.