DINNER AND TAKE-AWAYS

Before you read:

What is a take-away? (If you don’t know, try to guess) Is it popular in Russia? Why?

Dinner is usually the main meal of the day and consists of two courses - meat or fish and vegetables followed by a dessert or pudding. Pre­packed or pre-cooked convenience foods are especially popular. £3,000 million of frozen foods are sold in an average year. Sixty per cent of British homes use a microwave oven for cooking.

In recent years, foreign foods have become a regular part of the British diet. Indian, Italian and Chinese dishes are particularly popular for evening meals. Most supermarkets sell a range of pre-packed meals to be heated in the microwave.

Take-aways became extremely popular in the 1980s. The traditional British take-away is fish and chips eaten with salt and vinegar and served in an old newspaper. Most towns and cities now offer a wide range of take-away meals, from American-style hamburgers to Turkish kebabs. Many families prefer to eat take­away food for dinner instead of cooking, and it is not unknown for people to buy a take-away after a visit to the pub or after a night out - in addition to dinner!

The British are famous for their love of sweet things, and afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones, jam and several different kinds of cake was once a traditional custom. Like the English cooked breakfast, it is now more often found in teashops and hotels than in private homes, and you can buy special guidebooks to tell you where the best afternoon teas are served. Most working people do not have tea as an afternoon 'meal', but they do have a short break in the middle of the afternoon for a cup of tea. Tea is often also drunk with lunch and dinner.

1. Find the equivalents to the following words and phrases from the text and write them down:

полуфабрикаты, в последние годы, уксус, большое ряд (разнообразие), пшеничная лепешка

2. Answer the questions:

1. Does dinner usually consist of 2 courses? What are they?

2. How many British people use a microwave oven for cooking?

3. When did take-aways become extremely popular?

4. What is the traditional take-away?

5. What are the British famous for according to the text?

3. Read the following statements. Are they true or false?