Patty invited some friends over for dinner. She moved into her first apartment two months ago, so she decided to have some friends over to celebrate and show off her new place. She also started a new job not long ago. Some of the people that she invited over were from work.

Patty didn’t have all the ingredients for the dinner that she planned, so she made a list and then she went shopping at the local grocery store. She never used to go grocery shopping when she lived at home with her parents, but now she has to do everything for herself.

She bought fresh tomatoes, basil, lettuce, broccoli, green peppers, red peppers, some pasta, salad dressing, some olives, and several pounds of chicken. She also bought a few bottles of wine and some beer. For her guests who don’t drink alcohol, she bought some non-alcoholic drinks.

For an appetizer, she made bruschetta. Bruschetta is an Italian recipe. To make it, you start with toasted pieces of French bread brushed with garlic and olive oil. The bread is then topped with a slice of tomato, fresh mozarella cheese, and basil.

For the main course, Patty roasted some chicken and some potatoes. She also made a pasta salad because some of her guests were vegetarians and don’t eat any kind of animal meat.

There were 20 people at her party. It was hard to plan and prepare for such a large group, but everyone had a nice time and loved the food. Most of Patty’s guests brought her a house-warming gift, some wine, or some flowers. One of her friends brought five apple pies, so after dinner they had the pie for dessert.

Patty’s party was a great success!

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Now you try it. Read the paragraph above. If you have a microphone, you can record your voice.

How much do you remember from the reading? Fill in the blanks.  

• 1: Patty invited some friends ________ for dinner.
• 2: She ________ a list before she went shopping.
• 3: She never _____ _____ _____ grocery shopping when she lived at home with her parents.
• 4: Patty __________ a lot of food at the store.
• 5: She roasted a _________ and some __________.
• 6: Most of her guests __________ her something when they arrived.
• 7: Everyone __________ a good time.

(Answers: 1. over; 2. made; 3. used to go; 4. bought; 5. chicken / potatoes; 6. brought; 7. had)

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