Unit 2 Reading: Oil of Life

Unit 2 Reading: Oil of Life

Open Ended

Before we begin with our lesson, can you list down a few types of cooking oil that you know?

Multiple Choice

Let's see how much you already know about olive oil.

People have been growing olive trees for

• 2,000 years

• 4,000 years

• 6,000 years

Multiple Choice

Which country produces the most olive oil in the world?

• Spain

• Italy

• Tunisia

Multiple Choice

People used to use olive oil to

• attack people

• make cleaning products

• fight religion

Multiple Choice

We now know exactly why olive oil is good because of

• olive growers

• ancient traditions

• modern science

Multiple Choice

Maria Alcala of Madrid speaks for many Mediterranean people when she says that "a meal without olive oil is boring". _______(1) knows when the Mediterraneans first fell in love with olives because it was before people wrote and kept records.

• a) Anyone

• b) Everyone

• с) No one

• d) Someone

Multiple Choice

However, there is some evidence that people began growing olive trees around the Mediterranean Sea approximately 6,000 years ago. The Mediterranean countries still _______ (2) 99% of the world's olive oil with Spain being the world's biggest producer.

• a better

• b want

• с buy

• d produce

Multiple Choice

From ancient times (3) _ today, the basic process of producing the oil is the same. First, farmers crush the olives. Then, they take the liquid and separate the oil from the water.

• a since

• b for

• с through

• d until

Multiple Choice

Many olive growers keep their ancient traditions and still harvest the olives (4) _ hand. "We harvest in the traditional way", says Don Celso, an i olive farmer from Tuscany, Italy. "It is less expensive to do it with machines but it's more a social thing. Twenty people come to help with the harvest and we pay them in oil"

• a by

• b in

• с on

• d with

Multiple Choice

Ancient civilisations used olive oil ( 5 ) ______ money and medicine. They even used it during war - they would heat it up and drop it down on the enemy!

• a as

• b at

• с on

• d of

Multiple Choice

They even used it during war - they would heat it up and drop it down on the enemy! _______(6) days, it is still used in religious ceremonies as it was in ancient times. It is also great for making fish and cheese stay fresh.

• a There

• b These

• с This

• d Those

Multiple Choice

One important study showed that Mediterranean people have the _______(7 ) hearts in the western world. This is partly to do with frequently using olive oil. Other studies have shown that using olive oil can help to protect people from some types of diseases.

• a lightest

• b lowest

• с healthiest

• d smallest

Multiple Choice

The world is beginning to understand the advantages of using olive oil and it isn't an unusual thing to see on dinner tables outside the Mediterranean region anymore. The olive oil producing countries now sell large _______( 8 ) of olive oil to countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America.

• a amounts

• b groups

• с lots

• d numbers

Multiple Choice

Olive oil improves the lives of people everywhere when it is part of a well-balanced _________(9 ) Ancient people knew about its benefits and modern science has confirmed them

• a food

• b dish

• с diet

• d plate

Multiple Choice

Luckily, the Mediterranean people are happy to __________(10) their secret with the world.

• a give

• b offer

• с share

• d show