Vegetarianism

0. I have many friends who are vegetarians and they	√
00. often try to convince of me that I should become	of
1. one too. They have some very strong arguments in
2. a favour of vegetarianism. Firstly, it is much healthier
3. vegetarians are less likely than to suffer from
4. heart disease. Secondly, and they say that it is wrong to
5. kill animals just so for food, and it is especially wrong
6. to keep them up in the terrible conditions that most farm
7. animals suffer. I find it very difficult to argue against
8. these points. I have to agree with that it is unhealthy to
9. eat too much of meat, and I hate the cruel way that
10. animals are treated. However, there is one thing that
11. prevents me from becoming a vegetarian: animals are
12. taste so good. I would be happily pay extra for meat
13. which comes from animals that have been raised
14. without cruelty. And I don't mind that cutting down on
15. red meat for health reasons. But, for me, life without no meat would not be worth living.

UNIT 3. RESTAURANT SERVICE

TASK 1

Exercise 1. a) Look at the headline of the article below and say what you think it is going to be about.

b) Read the words and translate them without a dictionary:

a café, a chat, to chat, cappuccino, a compa­ny, to real­ize, decor, a style, a soup, a salad, a menu, a surprise, to surprise, water, art, a figure, plastic, to accompany, total, to mix, a medallion, spinach, vanilla, sauce, tomato, broccoli, to spe­cialize in, a dessert, a cake, a tart, chocolate.

Exercise 2. Read and memorize the words from the article.

intend, v	намереваться (делать что-л.)
cancel, v	аннулировать, отменять; отказываться
demeanor, n	поведение, манера вести себя
vintage, adj	устаревший, старомодный
patient, adj	терпеливый, снисходительный
proviso, n	условие; оговорка
fowl, n	мясо домашней птицы
carve, v	резать, вырезать (по дереву)
grace, v	украшать
settle, v	приступать (к чему-л.)
sip, v	пить маленькими глотками, потягивать, прихлебывать

Exercise 3. Read and translate the article. The Moscow Berlin Café is a Businessman's Delight

The Moscow-Berlin Cafe, located across the street from Belorussky train station, is a great place to have a business lunch or chat over a cappuccino.

I intended to lunch with a business colleague; however, at the last minute he had to can­cel. I don't particularly like eat­ing alone, but it turned out that I would have plenty of compa­ny after being directed to a table by the hostess. She seemed very German in demeanor, and I thought for a second that maybe this was the Berlin connection, but looking around the place made me real­ize that its decor is actually styled after a vintage train that used to run back and forth between the two capitals.

As soon as I sat down, two young waitresses, both named Natasha, presented me with a menu in Russian. Both smiled warmly and seemed happy to serve me.

When it came to find out that my Russian language skills are lim­ited, I asked the Natashas for a suggestion under the proviso of "no fish, no fowl". They patiently described what was on the soup and salad menu, then the main course menu. In the end I could not decide. One Natasha suggested that she be allowed to surprise me with a salad and a main course. As Lady Luck is a good part of life in Moscow, I thought I had little to lose. As she wrote my order down, the second Natasha asked me what I wanted to drink. I ordered water, to be followed by a cappuccino with dessert. With my order settled, I decided to have a look around.

The decor of the cafe is sim­ple, but soft lighting, soft music and green walls create a relaxing environment. The wait staff wears smart dark-green uni­forms with matching lies. The furnishings are modern but subtle. My table was a piece of art, a thick pane of plastic resting on a large wooden block carved in the figure of a naked woman arching her back in such a way that the pane of plastic is settled on her breasts and lower torso.

The wall next to me also had an interesting object: a carved figure that reminded me of a stoic-looking Sisyphus with an open chest cavity shining smooth yellow light on my table. I, certainly, did not feel alone.

Lady Luck was on my side: the large green salad that one of the Natashas brought to my table was wonderful. The veg­etables were fresh, and the oil-and-vinegar dressing accompanying the course was perfectly mixed. Along with the salad, a basket with three kinds of fresh dinner rolls graced my table. With the first course gladly consumed, my accidental companions and I waited a total of eight minutes for the main course.

The other Natasha served me a plate of sliced pork medallions smoth­ered in a delectable spinach sauce. Served with broccoli and cooked tomatoes, this course was just the right size for a mid-day meal.

The Moscow-Berlin Cafe spe­cializes in desserts. I noticed that many of the cafe's cus­tomers see it as a bakery, dropping in for take-out. This writer counted at least twen­ty-two flavors of ice cream and at least fifty kinds of pies, cakes, tarts, and other sweet delights. I settled on a slice of freshly baked lemon tart topped with a tasty vanilla sauce. My choice was brought to me along with the cappuc­cino I ordered at the start of the meal – I did not have to remind the Natasha duo.

Sipping my hot cappuccino with a generous helping of chocolate on top, I came to the conclusion that the Moscow-Berlin Cafe was a three-for-three success. When the bill came I was just as pleased: The whole meal cost 321 rubles. I paid the bill, left a generous tip for the waitresses and bid them farewell, making a mental note to return soon.