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Reading Non-fiction: News Articles
In an English exam you may be asked to read and study a news article.
We are going to look at an article and then practise analysis of its contents in this worksheet.
Read the article until you feel that you have fully understood it.
While you are reading think about the following pieces of information
- What happened?
- Where did it happen?
- Who is involved?
- Why did it happen?
- What did people think about it?
- What is the author's attitude to the topic?
Think, too, about how the headline and picture link to the text.
Article:
Music lovers, food lovers
Pop artists provide recipes for their top food and drink favourites in a new cookery book published to raise funds for the Childrens’s Hospice Association
Caption: Julie Wang: At first bite, she decided that pasta was paradise.
Extraordinary is one word you could apply to Julie Wang’s life. Lead singer and composer with the girl band The Missfits, she has won multiple awards for their unique fusion of indie, punk, folk and pop. They’ve had four number one singles, two number one albums and three Brit awards.
Fame brings travel and travel brings new experiences in eating. Growing up in a Bangkok slum, Julie always adored the traditional Thai home cooking of her mother. Since she began touring at the age of 19, her food horizon has expanded world-wide, resulting in some amazing and mixed experiences. “The best steak I ever had was in a Mediterranean restaurant in the Embarcado centre in San Francisco. Deliciously moist, tender and rare, it was topped with a stack of razor-thinly sliced, fresh onion rings and served on a bed of garlic-roasted vegetables.”
Whenever she encounters a new culture, Julie seeks out authentic local eating places in search of new taste-bud adventures: the street market in Barcelona, or the backstreets of Cape Town. “I didn’t enjoy biltong,” she says. “It’s a stick of dried-out beef that South Africans chew as a snack. I found it hard, stringy and tasteless. Hard work without reward.”
When she’s at home, the Thai food she grew up with is frequently on the menu. “I love Thai food because of the extraordinary range of flavours. Garlic, ginger, chilli, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, soy sauce... a really successful fusion of pan-asian ingredients.” Her favourite dish is Weeping Tiger: steak marinated in fish sauce, soy sauce, green peppercorns and garlic, served with a chilli and lemon dipping sauce.
In spite of the high-energy dance routines and gym sessions, Julie found she had to watch the pounds. “Pasta was my salvation. It’s available everywhere. Seafood spaghetti is my favourite. With chilli, parmesan and a dash of white wine it’s energy-packed but light on the bad calories. I can still eat a delicious meal then perform on stage for four hours.”
Now answer the questions based on the article. You can refer back to it at any time by pressing the 'Help' button.
