Weaving It Together: Unit 5, Reading 1 Test

Name Score = /10

no electronic devices, 5 minutes

Weaving it Together: Unit 5, Reading 1 Test

Skimming and Scanning: Scan and skim the reading for the information you need to answer the questions. Do not write complete sentences. You have 5 minutes. When your teacher says that the time is up, hand in this paper. (2 points each = 10 points)

1. Name two expensive dishes that people used to eat on airplanes in the 1930s.

1. In what decade did the style of airplane food begin to change?

1. What was the reason for the decline in airplane food between the 1960s and 1980s?

1. True or false? Airplane food has more salt than normal food.

1. True or false? Airplane food is better now than it was before.

Airplane Food

1Meals on airplanes are rarely memorable, but this was not always the case. In the 1930s, when only rich people could afford the price of an airplane ticket, meals on board were very elaborate. They consisted of several courses, and included expensive items, such as lobster and roast beef. They were served on china dishes, with real silverware and cloth napkins. One airline had an employee who knew which meals frequent travelers preferred. Her job was to make sure they got their favorite in-flight meals.

2All of this began to change in the 1950s, with the introduction of economy class travel. Whereas in the past, airplanes carried about 60 passengers, now they were carrying 150 passengers or more. With so many people, it became difficult to serve elaborate meals. In addition, the new, more advanced aircraft flew at higher altitudes. This required the use of oxygen and pressurized cabins, which made it more difficult and dangerous to cook on board. The final decline in airplane meals came in the period from 1960s through the 1980s, when the price of airplane fuel increased dramatically. Airlines looked for places to cut costs and many chose their meal programs. Although it was still possible to eat well on some airlines, especially on international flights, these changes resulted in in-flight meals that were generally terrible.

3By the 1990s, airplane food had reached a low point. Many airlines decided they needed to improve. Some airlines hired famous chefs to design their meal programs. Others investigated why their food tasted so bad. One problem was immediately clear—the method of food preparation. Most airplane food is prepared in kitchens on the ground and is reheated later on the airplane. This process dries the food out, and the dry air inside the plane makes the problem even worse.

4However, perhaps a more important reason for poor in-flight meals is how we perceive the flavor of food when we fly. The conditions in an airplane are very different from those on the ground. In an airplane, the air is very dry and the air pressure is very low, conditions somewhat like those on the top of a dry mountain. These differences affect passengers’ perception of flavor. First, when the inside of the nose is dry, it is very difficult to smell. Since smell plays a major role in the perception of flavor, without smell, food can seem tasteless. Second, research studies have shown that the ability to taste salty and sour things declines by about thirty percent in this environment. Bitter tastes, in

contrast, are not affected, so bitter tastes stand out. This may be one reason why coffee usually tastes bad on airplanes. Finally, studies have even shown that the constant noise of the plane’s engine reduces our ability to taste. Overall, a plane is a bad dining environment.

5In response to this research, many airlines have changed how they prepare food, particularly for long flights. They have added more salt and spices to their recipes. Some also test their recipes in in-flight conditions. Singapore Airlines, which is famous for its food, spent a million dollars to build a space where they test meals in the dry, low-pressure conditions that passengers experience.

6Food on planes has gone from good to bad to worse, but now some fortunate international travelers at least can benefit from a renewed interest in improving airplane food. For most passengers, however, in-flight meals continue to be of low quality. On many short flights, airlines no longer serve meals at all. Passengers must buy their food on the ground or else be satisfied with a drink and a bag of peanuts.

Name Score = /33

no electronic devices, 30 minutes+ ______/10 = ______/43

Weaving it Together: Unit 5, Reading 1 Test

Multiple choice: Refer to the reading “Airplane Food.” Choose the correct answer for each question. (1 point each)

_____ 1. Why did airlines provide elaborate and excellent meals in the 1930s?

a.because passengers were wealthy and expected good service

b.because they wanted to attract more customers

c.because they wanted their frequent flying passengers to keep coming back

_____2. In paragraph 1, what does they refer to in: They were served on china dishes…?

a.rich people

b.meals

c.silverware and cloth napkins

_____3. Which of the following is not a reason why airline food quality began to decline in the 1950s?

a.Planes flew at higher altitudes, so cooking became more difficult.

b.There were more passengers to serve, so it was difficult to cook nice meals.

c.Airlines needed to cut costs as the price of airline fuel went up a lot.

_____4. Which of the following did airlines do to start improving the quality of in-flight meals?

a.They prepared the food in the air, so it was fresh.

b.They involved well-known chefs to help them create tastier meals.

c.They prepared the food on the ground and reheated it on the plane.

_____5.Which of the following is not a reason that food seems to taste bad on a plane?

a.We lose our sense of smell as the nose dries out.

b.There is a great deal of noise on a plane.

c.Food tastes saltier than normal.

_____6. What inference can you make from this sentence in paragraph 4: “This may be one reason why coffee usually tastes bad on airplanes”?

a.that coffee is salty

b.that coffee is sour

c.that coffee is bitter

_____7. What did Singapore Airlines do to try to improve the quality of in-flight food on their planes?

a.They built special kitchens on their planes to prepare the food.

b.They tested recipes on the ground in conditions similar to those in the air.

c.They added more salt and spices to their food.

_____8. On what flights is only a drink and a snack offered?

a.short flights

b.international flights

c.all airline flights

Short Answer: Write your answer clearly as one complete sentence. Use your own words. 5 points maximum.

What is the main idea of the reading “Airplane Food”?

______

PART 1: VOCABULARY: Choose the best word to complete each blank. 1 point each.

border / ingredient / appeal / recommend / servings
suits / seasonings / order / accompanied / stir

1. At fast food restaurants, I usually ______a hamburger and French fries at the counter.

2. How many ______of cookies are in this box, do you think?

3. To make the soup, first you need to ______onions, carrots, and celery together in the pot.

4. The secret ______in this cake is coconut oil. Make sure you don’t forget it!

5. Sushi doesn’t really ______to me because I don’t like raw fish.

6. I don’t know what I should get at this restaurant! Since you’ve been here before, can you ______something to me?

7. The fried fish is ______by rice pilaf and green vegetables.

8. The line between Canada and the US is called the ______.

9. I don’t think the color yellow ______you very well. It doesn’t look good with your skin tone.

10. When I cook chicken, the ______I put on it are salt, pepper, ground sage, and oregano, followed by a squeeze of lemon juice.

Vocabulary Section 2: Matching. Match the vocabulary word with its definition or synonym. (1 point each = 15 points)

1. border
2. ___ savor
3. suit
4. ingredients
5. ____ reflect
6. seasonings
7. appeal
8. order
9. ___ substantial
10. recommend
11. accompany
12. servings
13. stir
14. ___ rush off
15. ___ inevitably / a. individual portions; the amount of food for one person
b. spices, such as salt and pepper, that you put on food to enhance the flavor
c. the formal request that you give to a waiter for a certain dish at a restaurant
d. to enjoy the taste of something
e. to come with something
f. to move food around in order to mix it up, using a utensil such as a spoon
g. to show something
h. to suggest or advise
i. to leave quickly
j. to please or interest someone. This verb is used with the preposition to.
k. to always be true, something you can’t avoid
l. to match or satisfy
m. the combination of things which are added to a dish in order to make it complete
n. the political boundary between two countries
o. a large amount of something

Answer Key – For instructors only!

Skimming and scanning – Instructions for the teacher: Give students page 1 and pages 2-3 (reading) first. Do not give the rest of the test. Time the students (using a visible timer, like on an Internet website that you project for the students, is most fair) and allow 5 minutes for page 1. Then, collect page 1. Students may keep the reading. Hand out the rest of the test and allow 55 minutes for completion.

1. Lobster and roast beef
2. 1950s
3. Fuel price increase
4. T
5. F

Multiple choice

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. B
5. C
6. C
7. B
8. A

Short answer: Something close to:

Airplane food began as an elegant affair, but now it has greatly decreased in taste and quantity on most airlines.

Vocab section 1

1. order

2. servings

3. stir

4. ingredient

5. appeal

6. recommend

7. accompanied

8. border

9. suit

10. seasonings

Vocab Section 2

1. j

2. h

3. i

4. b

5. g

6. c

7. f

8. d

9. a

10. e

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