Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, c, or D to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks. 23. A. calms down B. speeds up C. carries out D. puts off 24. A. popular B. liked C. widespread D. accepted 25. A. where B. after C. once D. when 26. A. preparation B. training C. guidance D. instruction 27. A. developing B. arranging C. planning D. designing Before people had electricity and gas, they cooked on wood and charcoal fires. A fairly recent addition to cooking is the microwave. This (23) _______the cooking time. Fan ovens are also more efficient. Barbecue cooking outside in the garden on a warm day in summer is very (24) _______. In the kitchen, utensils are used to contain the food, and they vary from open pans to pans with lids, frying pans, steamers, pressure cookers and woks. The kitchen is now the ‘hub’ of the house. The family, friends and visitors, (25) _______waiting for a meal to be prepared, all gather in the kitchen and help to prepare the dishes or watch others doing the cooking. The utensils available to aid the food (26) _______are plentiful. Different types of knives for example. Aprons and oven gloves help to protect us from spills and heat when taking hot dishes from the oven. Some people love cooking. (27) _______the meal, assembling the ingredients and then preparing the food. Others, however, prefer to open a tin of food and hot up the content
