Zadania 1–9 — 60 punktów / 90 minut
Read the text below. Five sentences have been removed. Choose from options A–H the one which best fits each gap. Three options are distractors and do not fit any gap.
The first meal astronauts eat before venturing into space is traditionally a breakfast of steak and eggs – it is one of NASA’s many food traditions. Steak and eggs washed down with orange juice and tea were served to the first American in space, Alan Shepard, on May 5, 1961, before his launch in Freedom 7. But a few weeks earlier, Yuri Gagarin had been the first person to do that during his 108-minute flight, sucking beef and liver paste from a tube. Before that mission, scientists had been unsure whether swallowing in zero gravity was even possible.
The Apollo missions marked not only a giant leap for humankind, but also one for gastronomy when NASA invented the spoon-bowl pack for flights to the moon. An article from 1969 quoted one NASA scientist saying: “The variety was satisfactory, and there was enough to satisfy their hunger and maintain their performance.” Don Thomas, who flew four shuttle missions in the 1990s, said that space food was a lot like camping food – freeze-dried or irradiated.
With the International Space Station (ISS) came more room, better support facilities and longer mission times, so food has become more varied and of higher quality. Scientists have realized food is more than just fuel for astronauts – it plays a vital role in their mental well-being and can serve as a reminder of home.
A few months ago, the second Pole to go into space, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, brought a unique culinary touch to the ISS as part of Axiom Mission 4. Pierogi stuffed with cabbage and mushrooms were part of a larger Polish menu that included tomato soup with noodles, a stew with buckwheat and apple crumble. However, bringing them into space proved more difficult than expected. Such a disastrous outcome made Sławosz collaborate with a well-known chef and a Polish family business to perfect the procedure and meet ISS’s food requirements. And these are especially demanding. After multiple trials, they successfully adapted pierogi for space consumption, allowing them to be prepared with the use of hot water from the station’s dispensers. And Sławosz’s fellow astronauts certainly enjoyed them!
Read the text below. For questions 2.1–2.4, decide if each statement is True, False, or if there is No Information given in the text (4 pts). For questions 2.5–2.8, find the word in the text that matches the definition (4 pts).
There is a standing joke in my family that I was born with a ladle in my hand. As soon as I started cooking at an extremely young age, I took over the kitchen, at times with horrendous results. But that never deterred me from trying. When my older sister went to college, I would visit her. Whenever I showed up at campus, people got excited — it always meant food – either brought from home or prepared on the spot. When I fed people, I realized that was something I loved to do and something people loved me for.
There was not a culinary school in India, just culinary specialisation within hotel management or administration. So, while my goal was always to be a chef, I ended up getting recruited for an internship in a hotel restaurant. During my first week I was peeling onions and garlic. I constantly heard snide remarks like, “You’re over 18 years old – you should be married by now.” Finally, I turned to one of the guys who kept saying that and said, “Do you know anyone I should be seeing?” He had no response. After that they would not address me until I had finished peeling my bag and they handed me another one. I came home smelling of garlic and onions wondering, “Why am I doing this?” but I knew it was just a matter of plowing through it and showing them what I was made of.
One day, the executive chef came up and told me he admired my dedication and wanted me to work with one of the sous chefs. I was elated. Just before graduating from my internship, I asked my chef instructor which place in the entire world was the best to go to if I wanted to become a chef. Without even batting an eyelid, he said, “The Culinary Institute of America” in New York. So I applied and I graduated at the top of my class.
Meanwhile, my aunt and uncle were opening an upscale Indian restaurant called Bombay Cuisine in New Jersey. Even though they knew I wanted to be a chef, they asked me to help oversee operations. We ventured into banquets and managed to corner the market for Indian weddings and events in New Jersey. The restaurant expanded from 70 to 130 seats, and I stayed there for four years. That is where I truly got bitten by the Indian bug as I met people who were passionate about the food. But Indian food in America varied greatly from what I grew up with, the ingredients here are so different from the ones available in India. So, it was a fascinating educational experience.
I dreamed of cooking. I packed up my car, and drove to Chicago, where my sister lived, in search of new opportunities. That is when I learned of an Indian fusion restaurant that was about to open and was looking for a chef. Out of 40 men interviewed, they selected me as the executive chef. I believe I was chosen because I understood the owners’ vision. My modern approach to Indian cuisine contrasted with the traditional mindset many old-school chefs held. I worked there for the next eight years – always the first to arrive and the last to leave. I relished each and every second of it.
In the meantime, the Food Network invited me to compete on the TV show Iron Chef alongside other local chefs. It was my first national appearance – an absolutely daunting experience. It is clear on screen that I was honored, but also intimidated by competing with the legends – the chefs I had always looked up to. Still, they must have seen something in me because they invited me first as a guest judge, and later, a permanent one on Chopped, a reality cooking show. The transition to a television role while still cooking was absolutely surreal. The kitchen is the most unglamorous workplace at the best of times. One day, there is a broken dishwasher in your restaurant, so you have to wash the dishes, and the next day you are all dolled up and shooting a show. Being in both roles at once is a good dose of reality for me.
Soon offers began pouring in from all across the country. I received calls from Seattle, Washington, and L.A., saying, “Why don’t you come here and open a restaurant? We’ll partner with you.” Right now, I’m working on a couple of projects and I do not plan to stop exploring whatever opportunities come my way.
When the author visited her sister in college, she used to bring more food from home than what she cooked on the campus.
She assumed that Indian food in America was tastier than Indian food in India.
She felt courageous when she appeared on a TV show for the first time.
Working in the restaurant and being on TV at the same time helped her stay down-to-earth.
Find the word in the text that matches each definition.
to enjoy an experience or the thought of something
unkind, often expressed in a clever, indirect way
to be more successful than any other company at selling a product or service
to finish dealing with something difficult or boring
Uzupełnij poniższe wypowiedzi (3.1.–3.6.), wybierając spośród podanych możliwości. Zakreśl literę A, B albo C.
Others have tried to copy his culinary podcast, but they’ve never quite cut the ______.
This project looks very promising, but the proof of the ______ is in the eating.
Stop ______ me up! Your essay is far from being perfect, so you won’t get an A for it.
Fixing my bike was a hard nut to ______, but I finally did it.
I expected her to be all nervous, but she walked in as cool as a ______, as if nothing had happened.
It’s high time she got a job! Someone has to bring home the ______.
Read the text below. Complete each gap (4.1.–4.10.) with one word to create a coherent and grammatically correct text.
Nothing defines a country and its people so clearly 4.1. _______ a national food – a dish that, when it is done right, tastes like the country 4.2. _______ where it came.
National foods are so easy to categorize because of what 4.3. _______ represent. A few hundred calories can sum 4.4. _______ a people’s history, values, and economy. For instance, pasta became popular in Italy when pre-Renaissance eaters realised the food could be cheaply made and easily stored. Sushi’s story takes us back to a time when Japan had limited food resources, except 4.5. _______ those found in the nearby ocean.
Apple pie became a symbol of American prosperity in the early 20th century 4.6. _______ to the large number of apple trees, many of which were planted by the American legend Johnny Appleseed, 4.7. _______ real name was John Chapman.
Of course, 4.8. _______ of these are officially approved as national foods. But that is the point – there is no official choice: an act of parliament cannot make a food widely adored, no single person can decide about it. A nation’s favourite food is collectively chosen over time, quietly agreed 4.9. _______ and accepted by many generations, leaving no doubt that this food belongs 4.10. _______ all its citizens, as something everyone associates with their homeland.
Complete each sentence with one word. The number of dashes corresponds to the number of missing letters. Some letters are already given.
The pizza was full of cheese, olives, and all her favourite _ _ _ p _ _ _ _.
After finishing her dinner, she folded her _ _ p _ _ _ and put it beside her plate.
I usually have my lunch in the _ _ _ t _ _ _ at school. They serve tasty and nutritional food.
I expected the burger to be tough and dry, but the meat was _ _ _ d _ _ and juicy.
It’s a special kind of butter that _ _ r _ _ _ _ easily, even when cold.
Even healthy snacks like nuts should be eaten in _ _ d _ _ _ _ _ _ _ because they are high in calories.
I prefer freshly _ r _ _ _ _ pepper on my meals instead of pre-packaged powder.
We don’t have enough _ u _ _ _ _ _ for ten guests – could you bring some extra knives and forks?
Read the text. Complete each gap (6.1.–6.8.) with one word by transforming the words given in the box. Two words are extra.
Athletes fuel themselves in many ways: they consume about 10,000 calories daily while training, drink chocolate milk after a game or eat protein bars during a match. But for one top-ranking tennis athlete, filling up is simple: strawberries and cream.
No, not the strawberries and cream we 6.1. _______ with Wimbledon, but strawberries and cream over – wait for it – pasta. According to the tennis star Iga Świątek, winner of the 2025 tournament in London, the dish is her go-to food. “I ate it as a kid. You should try it, guys. It’s just great,” she said, when asked about her diet in a post-match interview. Her 6.2. _______ was met with audible gasps and murmurs from the Wimbledon crowd.
A video clip of the interview, posted on her official Wimbledon TikTok account, has been 6.3. _______ two million times and has collected hundreds of comments. Some were sceptical, although the majority of commenters were thrilled to see this summertime dish, popular among Polish children, being so warmly praised. For many Poles it is the taste of summer, which is both 6.4. _______ sentimental and satisfying. It has all the elements of a perfect dish: carbs, fruit, dairy, sugar and a generous serving of nostalgia.
Poland is the European Union’s second-largest strawberry producer, which perhaps may help other nations explain the fruit’s 6.5. _______ presence in this dish. But Poles are no strangers to the marriage of sweet fruit and starch. The dish is not far removed from another favourite – pierogi filled with blueberries. There is also fruit soup, in which fruits like strawberries or cherries are often simmered along with potato starch for 6.6. _______.
Ms. Świątek is probably far more focused on her tennis matches than the public reaction to her favourite food. But she might consider 6.7. _______ next year’s Italian Open. “I wish good luck to her when she come back to Italy!” the Italian tennis player Flavio Cobolli 6.8. _______ commented after hearing about her pasta preference.
6.1. ASSOCIATION → associate (verb: 'associate something with’)
6.2. RESPOND → response (noun: 'her response was met with gasps’)
6.3. VIEW → viewed (past participle, passive: 'has been viewed two million times’)
6.4. DEEP → deeply (adverb before 'sentimental’)
6.5. EXPECT → unexpected (negative adjective: 'the fruit’s unexpected presence’)
6.6. THICK → thickness (noun: 'simmered with potato starch for thickness’)
6.7. SKIP → skipping (gerund after 'consider’)
6.8. PLAYFUL → playfully (adverb: 'playfully commented’)
Distractors (not used): LOSE, REFER
Using the word given in CAPITALS, complete each sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the original. Do not change the form of the given word. You may write a maximum of five words, including the word given.
Noah is not sure whether he took the roast out of the oven.
Key word: REMEMBER
Noah ________ the roast out of the oven.
The Smiths seldom cook spicy food.
Key word: USUALLY
The Smiths ________ spicy food.
I hope you manage to bake the pastries successfully.
Key word: SUCCEED
I hope you ________ the pastries.
Many people think that Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer is one of the best cookbooks ever written.
Key word: THOUGHT
Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer ________ one of the best cookbooks ever written.
I can’t wait to escape to the coast – I will enjoy fresh seafood every day.
Key word: FORWARD
I ________ to the coast – I will enjoy fresh seafood every day.
I suppose Emily mixed up the ingredients, that is why the sauce turned out so bad.
Key word: MUST
The ingredients ________ by Emily; that is why the sauce turned out so bad.
He was made responsible for preparing the desserts.
Key word: CHARGE
They put ________ preparing the desserts.
The waiter is just setting the table for the new guests.
Key word: IS
The table ________ for the new guests by the waiter.
Match each term (8.1.–8.6.) to one option (A–J). Four options are extra and match none of the terms.
| Term | Answer |
|---|---|
| Tea | |
| Cawl | |
| Fifteens | |
| The Ulster fry | |
| The Naked Chef | |
| Yorkshire pudding |
| Term | Answer |
|---|---|
| Tea | F |
| Cawl | B |
| Fifteens | C |
| The Ulster fry | E |
| The Naked Chef | G |
| Yorkshire pudding | J |
Rozwiąż zadania (9.1.–9.5.), udzielając odpowiedzi w języku angielskim. Wymagana jest pełna poprawność merytoryczna i językowa odpowiedzi.
Which British city is believed to be the birthplace of chicken tikka masala – the iconic British-Indian curry?
What does toad refer to in the dish called toad in the hole?
What is, besides strawberries and whipped cream, the main ingredient in Eton mess?
What does the name of the dish bubble and squeak come from?
Haggis is usually served with neeps and tatties. What does each of these terms mean?