UNIT

2 Party!
LE V EL 2 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Business PAGE 1 OF 2

READING
Read the text about a business owner. Does having a talent mean you will also be good in business?

Better Batter Business

Food is part of celebrations in many cultures. And there
is one type of food we think of first when we are planning
a celebration—cake. Caitlin Miller runs a successful cake
business, where she designs and makes cakes.
“I always knew I had a talent for making cakes,” she
says. “I made my own birthday cake when I was 11 and
everyone loved it. I loved cooking as I grew up, and I
often made cakes for friends at college. I majored in
chemistry, but I never wanted to be a scientist. It helps
me understand cooking, though! When I graduated, I
wanted to start my own business, and a cake business
was the obvious choice. I thought it was going to be
easy. I knew I could cook. But I didn’t know enough
about running a business. I made a lot of mistakes
in the beginning. You can’t make great cakes and just
wait for people to buy them. After six months, my thought about what I was good at and what I wanted
business almost closed.” to do. Now, I think about what my customers want and
what I can do for them. Your business also has to have
Caitlin decided she needed to learn more about
a clear identity. I decided to make celebration cakes
running a business. She took a course in small business
for birthdays, graduations, and weddings. I try to make
management. In that course, she met people in the
each cake special for that particular customer. We work
same situation as her.
on the design together, so my communication skills
“It was great to hear other people’s stories and are very important. Now, the customer is in charge.
compare them with my situation. I learned to think My cakes sell now because I know exactly what each
about my business in a different way. In the past, I customer wants.”

VOCABULARY
Complete the sentences with words from the box.

culture  customers   designs  in  talent

1 In my , we celebrate with our families very often!

2 Juan the cakes and then I make them.
3 You have a real for cooking. You should become a chef.
4 Most of my buy things from me online.
5 When you are charge of a business, you can be under a lot of stress.

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This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
UNIT

2 Party!
LE V EL 2 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Business PAGE 2 OF 2

COMPREHENSION
Choose the correct option.

1 Caitlin learned she was good at making cakes …

a when she graduated. b at a young age. c when she started her business.
2 Caitlin thinks her major …
a is useful. b taught her to cook. c doesn’t help her now.
3 When she started her business, Caitlin didn’t realize how … it was.
a easy b expensive c hard
4 Caitlin became successful when she started to think about what … wanted.
a other businesses b she c her customers
5 Caitlin needs to communicate well to help her customers decide what …
a they want. b to celebrate. c price to pay.

THINKING
What are the main things you need to think about before you start your own business?

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This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
UNIT

2 Party!
LE V EL 2 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Services PAGE 1 OF 2

READING
Look at the title of the text and the picture. What do you think the text is about? Read the text.

Think Like a Child

Owen Murray is busy building a career as an actor. He
goes to castings all the time and he recently appeared
in a successful play. However, there are times when it’s
hard to find acting work. During those times, Owen
works as a children’s entertainer—Mister Magic. He
does magic tricks, organizes games, and makes sure
a party is a lot of fun. He provides a service to both
parents and children. For parents, he helps them relax
because they know he will entertain their children. For
the children, he provides a world of magic and fun.
Owen believes that in some ways entertaining children
uses the same skills he learned at college. “I majored in
drama,” he says, “and it’s surprising how useful that is. Owen thinks that he also makes a difference in how
You need to see a children’s party as a show and the part children feel. “When a party starts, some children are
you are playing is ‘clown,’ or ‘magician,’ or ‘entertainer.’ quiet and shy. It’s my job to make sure they have fun.
But you also need to remember that shows for children Each child should leave a party with a big smile on his
are totally different from shows for adults. You need to or her face. But a party can be more than just fun. It
think like a child. Take a magic trick, for example. For can be a way of learning about other people and about
adults, it’s the end of the trick that is important. Children communicating with them. For an hour, children have
want every step along the way to be fun, and they don’t a relationship with Mister Magic, and that’s something
really care if the trick works or not.” they remember for a long time.”

VOCABULARY
Complete the sentences with words from the box.

entertain   provide  relationship  skills  useful

1 We a service to people who want to plan a children’s party.

2 Clowns children at the circus.
3 What do you need to be a successful magician?
4 Is your major going to be when you get a job?
5 I became a teacher because I like having a good with young people.

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This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
UNIT

2 Party!
LE V EL 2 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Services PAGE 2 OF 2

COMPREHENSION
Choose True or False.

1 Owen works all the time as an actor. True / False

2 He helps parents to worry less about organizing a party. True / False
3 His drama skills help him in his work as a children’s entertainer. True / False
4 Adults and children see magic tricks in the same way. True / False
5 Owen thinks that parties can teach children how to communicate with others. True / False

THINKING
What personal qualities do you need to be a good children’s entertainer?

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This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
UNIT

2 Party!
LE V EL 2 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Science PAGE 1 OF 2

READING
Read the text about why we celebrate. Why is it good to celebrate when something important happens?

Great Job!
There are different kinds of celebrations, and sometimes
the reasons we celebrate are different. On the one
hand, there are social celebrations. These include
birthdays, weddings, and other social occasions. We
celebrate these to show each other what we think is
important. Celebrating a person’s birthday shows that
person he or she is important to us. Celebrating a
wedding shows that we think marriage is an important
idea. When we celebrate these things with other
people, we show that we share the same values. This is
an important part of how a community stays together.
On the other hand, we also celebrate when a person
does something special. We might celebrate when a
person gets their driver’s license, or passes an exam,
or gets a job. Of course, this shows what we think is
important. But it also does something else—it gives the each person rings a bell when they sell something. In
person a reward for their hard work. others, there is a prize for the person who works well
The reward happens in the brain. When we celebrate, that month. Some companies organize trips as a reward
we feel happy. Our brain produces chemicals like for their workers.
serotonin and dopamine, and these chemicals make You can use this idea in your own life. When you pass a
us feel good. We want to feel that way again in the test, find a way to celebrate. Perhaps you can go for a
future, so we work hard. When we have something else pizza with friends, or buy a gift for yourself. Something
to celebrate—when we do well at work, or we pass an simple, like a nice cup of hot chocolate, can be a
exam—we get another reward in our brain. reward. Celebrating helps you to learn and to keep
Many businesses realize how important this is. They working toward goals.
make sure that they celebrate success. In some offices,

VOCABULARY
Match to complete the sentences.

1 Important celebrations, such as weddings, are called . a brain

2 The things you think are important in life are your . b social occasions
3 A group of people who live in the same area is a . c reward
4 The part of your body inside your head that thinks is your . d values
5 A nice thing you get when you do well is a . e community

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Springer Nature Limited. © Springer Nature Limited, 2020.
This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
UNIT

2 Party!
LE V EL 2 – RE A DING WORK SHEE T: Science PAGE 2 OF 2

COMPREHENSION
Choose the correct word or phrase.

1 We celebrate together because we want to show what we think / don’t think is important.
2 Having the same values is / isn’t important for a community.
3 Serotonin and dopamine make you feel bad / good when they are in your brain.
4 People in some offices ring a bell to show they like their job / are working well.
5 Celebrating makes us feel happy and motivated to get rewards / learn and work hard.

THINKING
What are other good ways to celebrate when you do something well?

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Springer Nature Limited. © Springer Nature Limited, 2020.
This page may be photocopied and used within the class.