Test Yourself is where you can improve your reading skills. Whether it’s for tests like University Entrance Exams or IELTS and TOEFL, or even just for fun, these pages help you to read, understand and improve your English.
Read the following story by Kanokporn Chanasongkram from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Overcoming her parent’s objections was the first obstacle for Nalat Chiravirakul in pursuing her culinary career.
COOKING UP A STORM
Baking brownies, no matter how tasty, didn’t really give Nalat Chiravirakul a sweet life because of the uncertainty of online orders. This made her parents concerned about her chances of survival in e-commerce and in her pursuit of a culinary career.
So the Lampang native set out to prove herself to her parents by taking part in the second season of MasterChef Thailand. Thanks to her baking background, Nalat went in with confidence. She won many admirers and finished the show as runner-up.
The second season attracted contestants from all walks of life, including an agriculturist, a flight attendant, a musician and a physician, all vying for the coveted MasterChef white apron.
Nalat was able to surpass them all until the show’s finale on May 27. There, she lost out to another northerner, 21-year-old Tanapat Suyao, who won the title, one million baht and a publishing contract for his own cookbook. But for Nalat, second place was still a major achievement.
RISING BAKERY
Nalat could have taken the easy option by following in her parents’ footsteps and working in their timber business. But she decided to pursue her passion. An occupation in the kitchen is not one that many parents would support, but Nalat managed to win hers over and show that she has what it takes to succeed.
Nalat’s success on the iconic cooking show has been a boon for her Lamelo Bake Studio, with more and more customers ordering tasty treats like brownie fudge and lava dark choc.
“I often had to pick myself up when my baking business wasn’t doing well. Competing in MasterChef Thailand has given me a new lease of life. Not only did I improve my cooking competence, the programme made me a tougher person with a brighter outlook on life,” said the 30-year-old.
WHIP IT
Nalat’s pastry background from Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School gave her a competitive advantage in creating desserts. She showed her prowess by whipping smelly pla ra - or fermented fish - into a sauce for a dried-shrimp cake in the Mystery Box Test and by making fruit tarts in the Invention Test.
Elsewhere, many of the challenges were entirely new. She was a novice when it came to pounding curry paste, slicing fish fillet or grilling steak. These were skills she learned during the MasterChef workshops and during the course of the competition.
“I had to develop my skills as quickly and as much as possible to stay in the game. In each round, I had to give it my all,” she said.
THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
The most thrilling moment for Nalat was when she, along with two assistants, prepared a fine dining dish for 30 chefs from Michelin-starred and Michelin-plate restaurants in the semi-final round.
Nalat made grilled salmon topped with dill and rosemary crumble, served with beetroot caramel sauce and lemon curd. It was enough to earn her victory over Komsun Wongsa and Tanapat Suyao. The moment when she was applauded by all 30 of the chefs will live long in her memory.
“I almost burst into tears. It was overwhelming. It’s a great honour to have cooked for those top chefs. I decided to incorporate an element of sweetness - the lemon curd - into a savoury dish. In so doing, I discovered my signature,” she said.
Section 1
Read through the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. What is the article about?
a. How to cook professionally.
b. A MasterChef Thailand contestant.
c. Nalat’s online bakery.
2. Who won MasterChef Thailand: Season 2?
a. Nalat Chiravirakul.
b. Tanapat Suyao.
c. Komsung Wongsa.
3. Nalat’s parents work in which industry?
a. Restaurants.
b. Bakeries.
c. Timber.
4. What did Nalat cook in the semi-final?
a. Pastry.
b. Fruit tarts.
c. Grilled salmon.
5. Where is Nalat’s hometown?
a. Lampang.
b. Lamphun.
c. Loei.
6. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the article?
a. Nalat is 21 years old. .
b. Nalat’s parents have supported her culinary career from the beginning.
c. Nalat studied cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School.
7. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the article?
a. The final round of the contest aired on May 27.
b. The winner was awarded one billion baht.
c. People from different walks of life took part in the contest.
Section 2
Match each of the following words used in the story with the correct definitions from the choices given.
| 8. vie | a. great skill at doing something |
| 9. coveted | b. a person who is new and has little experience in a skill, job or situation |
| 10.fermented | c. wanted very much, especially something that belongs to somebody else |
| 11. boon | d. to compete strongly with somebody in order to obtain or achieve something |
| 12. prowess | e. something that is very helpful and makes life easier for you |
| 13. novice |
f. having experienced a chemical change because of the action of yeast or bacteria |
Section 3
Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
The finale against Tanapat …..14….. her to create an appetiser, a main course and dessert for …..15….. ML Parson Svasti, ML Kwantip Devakula and chef Pongtawat Chalermkittichai. The trio, …..16….. to be tough on contestants, approved …..17….. her flaming main course - medium rare beef steak …..18….. with nam prik larb placed on charcoal mushroom pies, shaped like lumps of coal …..19….. lit by a little vodka.
14.
a. challenged
b. challenge
c. challenging
15.
a. judge
b. judges
c. judgement
16.
a. knows
b. know
c. known
17.
a. of
b. in
c. on
18.
a. seasoned
b. seasoning
c. seasonings
19.
a. and
b. with
c. which
Section 4
Write down the adjective forms of the following words used in the story.
20. prepared
…………………………
21. develop
…………………………
22. advantage
…………………………
23. creating
…………………………
24. occupation
…………………………
Answers
Section 1
1. b.
2. b.
3. c.
4. c.
5. a.
6. c.
7. b.
Section 2
8. d.
9. c.
10. f.
11. e.
12. a.
13. b.
Section 3
14. a.
15. b.
16. c.
17. a.
18. a.
19. a.
Section 4
20. Prepared/preparatory.
21. Developed/developing.
22. Advantaged/advantageous.
23. Creative.
24. Occupational.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent!
17-20: Good.
13-16: Fair.
12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
