Lesson 4

Reading

1. Read the article. Can you find three ways that people show respect when they have meals together?

(South Korea) The oldest person starts to eat and finishes first.

(China) Don’t put your chopsticks vertically into your bowl.

(Russia) Eat your largest meal at lunch.

2. Read the article again. Underline the phrases in bold which introduce a general belief. Circle the phrases in bold which introduce the writer's opinion.

General belief

It is believed that
As you probably
know
It is thought that

Writer’s opinion

Personally (I think)
I understand that …
for me
In my opinion

3. Read these other beliefs about mealtimes. For each belief, use the phrases from Exercise 2 to write a sentence to describe this general belief and a sentence to give your opinion about it.

1. It’s normal for a family to share food from one plate. (Ethiopia)

As you probably know/It is believed that/It is thought that .....

2. People should never eat beef because cows are special animals. (India)

As you probably know/It is believed that/It is thought that …

3. It’s OK to make noises while you’re eating soup with noodles. (Japan)

I understand that …​​​​​​​