Approximately A2 · 88 words

Cooking for Friends

A first dinner for friends goes wrong. Honesty and food in the freezer save the evening.

Read at your own pace. Use the English meanings below, then answer the questions. The level is a teaching guide, not an assessment. Original stories include some British spellings and settings.

A cooking pot

The story

Last month I invited three friends for dinner.

It was the first time I cooked for other people.

I chose a chicken recipe from the internet.

It said the chicken needed forty minutes.

While I was waiting, my phone rang.

I talked to my sister for twenty minutes.

When I went back to the kitchen, the chicken was black.

My friends arrived ten minutes later.

I told them the truth and we all laughed.

Luckily I had dumplings in the freezer.

We ate dumplings and talked until midnight.

English meanings

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recipe
Instructions for preparing and cooking food.
freezer
A machine or part of a refrigerator that keeps food frozen.
midnight
Twelve o'clock at night.

Check your understanding

Choose an answer for each question, then open its explanation. You can try again as often as you like.

1. Which food did the narrator first plan to cook?
Show answer and story evidence

Chicken

The chosen recipe was for chicken. Read the guide

The story says: “I chose a chicken recipe from the internet.”

2. Who called while the narrator was waiting?
Show answer and story evidence

The sister

The narrator spent twenty minutes talking to the sister. Read the guide

The story says: “I talked to my sister for twenty minutes.”

3. What did the friends finally eat?
Show answer and story evidence

Dumplings

Dumplings replaced the burned chicken. Read the guide

The story says: “We ate dumplings and talked until midnight.”