1. Charlie Lesson
Task 1: Label the pictures. Use these words.
1. 2. 3.
Reading:
Task 2. Read the text. Are the sentences true or false?
1. The first military rations were invented by the French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte.
2. C rations were popular with soldiers.
3. MREs are lighter than C rations.
4. US Army rations include Chinese and Mexican food.
5. US Army combat rations include pizza.
An army marches on its stomach
(Paragraph 1) Military rations originated in 1795 when Napoleon Bonaparte wanted
better food for his army. A French chef invented a way to keep food in jars and for
many years this invention was a military secret.
Cans Jars Pouches

2. (Paragraph 2) In 1938 the US Army introduced combat rations with meat and
vegetables in a can. These C rations weren’t popular - the cans were heavy, and
soldiers didn’t like the taste of the food.
(Paragraph 3) In the 1980s the army introduced the Meal, Ready-to-Eat, or MRE.
These meals were in a special pouch and they were lighter, tastier and healthier than
the C ration.
(Paragraph 4) MREs were more popular than C rations but many troops said the
MREs were boring to eat all the time. Army scientists listened to soldiers and they
made new MREs with the kind of food that Americans eat at home.
The new MREs have less traditional American dishes and more ethnic dishes,
including Chinese, Italian and Mexican food. There are also more fast food dishes and
more vegetable-only meals for vegetarians. MREs are getting better all the time and
scientists are now working on military sandwiches and pizzas.
Task 3. Read the text again and find the words with similar meanings.
1. This person prepares food for a lot of people. (paragraph 1) ……………………..
2. This person only eats fruit and vegetables. (paragraph 4) ……………………..
3. Cheap food prepared and served quickly. (paragraph 4) ……………………..
4. Dishes from other countries. (paragraph 4) ……………………..
Grammar: more and less
Task 4. Study the examples.
There is more variety
We use more in front of a noun to show a bigger amount.
There are less traditional American dishes.
We use less in front of a noun to show a smaller amount.
Now complete the text with information from the charts. Use more or less.
The way people eat in America today is different from 20 years ago. People eat (1) less
traditional American dishes and (2) more ethnic food. They eat (3) ……….. fast food, like
pizzas and hamburgers and less food prepared at home. Americans eat (4) …………. fruit
and vegetables. They eat (5) …………. meat and (6) …………….fish. Americans drink (7)
………… alcohol than 20 years ago.

3. Speaking
Task 5. Work in pairs. Do people in your country eat the same todays as in the
past?
People eat more fast food today. In the past, people ate fast food prepared at home.