©Andrew Medichini / AP via CNN
Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- When do you usually eat pizza?
- What is your least favorite pizza topping?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- residential /rez-i-DEN-shuh/
- inventor /in-VEN-ter/
- compete /kuhm-PEET/
- admit /ad-MIT/
- resist /ri-ZIST/
[adjective] – A residential road, area, etc. has only private houses, not offices and factories
You can find my store in the residential neighborhood of Jiyugaoka.
[noun] – someone who has invented something or whose job is to invent things
Ken Kutaragi is the inventor of PlayStation.
[verb] – to try to be more successful than someone or something else
She will compete in an international contest next year.
[verb] – to agree that something is true, especially unwillingly
I admit that her recipe is better than mine.
[verb] – to stop yourself from doing something that you want to do
He can never resist a chocolate bar.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
Rome, the capital of Italy, is known for its historic sites, but for food lovers, it is also the land of pizza. If you are looking for the best pizzerias in the city, you ought to visit the charming village of Trastevere, or you can try Mr. Go, a vending machine pumping out four types of pizza for whenever you’re in the mood for a slice. The 24/7 pizzaiolo (pizza-maker) is located in a residential area of Rome, around 15 minutes away from the Colosseum.
Mr. Go is a vending machine that produces freshly baked pizza in three minutes. Its inventor, Massimo Bucolo, said that there was a hole in Italy’s food market despite it being one of the most important cities. The machine can hold enough dough for up to 100 pizzas. Customers can watch their chosen pizza being made before their eyes. “For that same $7, we could have got a “nice big woodfired Margherita” in Trastevere,” says Gianni, a taxi driver in Rome who has tried Mr. Go.
“We never wanted to compete with a classic pizzeria,” Bucolo says. He adds that what Mr. Go offers is not even a real pizza. He calls it a “cross between a pizza and a piadina” — the pizza-sized flatbreads from the Emilia-Romagna region. He further admits that true pizza is “tossed by hand and seared in a wood-fired oven.” Whether you get it from a vending machine or a five-star restaurant, pizza is a dish that’s hard to resist.
Mr. Go is a vending machine that produces freshly baked pizza in three minutes. Its inventor, Massimo Bucolo, said that there was a hole in Italy’s food market despite it being one of the most important cities. The machine can hold enough dough for up to 100 pizzas. Customers can watch their chosen pizza being made before their eyes. “For that same $7, we could have got a “nice big woodfired Margherita” in Trastevere,” says Gianni, a taxi driver in Rome who has tried Mr. Go.
“We never wanted to compete with a classic pizzeria,” Bucolo says. He adds that what Mr. Go offers is not even a real pizza. He calls it a “cross between a pizza and a piadina” — the pizza-sized flatbreads from the Emilia-Romagna region. He further admits that true pizza is “tossed by hand and seared in a wood-fired oven.” Whether you get it from a vending machine or a five-star restaurant, pizza is a dish that’s hard to resist.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- In what village can you find the best pizzerias?
- Where is Mr. Go located?
- How long does it take for Mr. Go to make a pizza?
- Who is the maker of Mr. Go?
- What is a piadina?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Have you tried pizza from a vending machine?
- Do you know anyone who owns a food business?
- If you were a tourist in Rome, would you try Mr. Go’s pizza? Why or why not?
- Should there be more vending machines selling pizza around the world?
- Which do you think is better, homemade pizza or vending machine pizza? Why?