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1 Oct 2026
This Italian hiking hut in the Trentino Alto-Adige region now attracts overzealous pastry tourists. Mauro Toccaceli/Alamy Stock Photo
The Great Italian Pastry Rush in the Mountains
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Section: Warm Up
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) A small shop near the sea sells hot soup to cold swimmers.
b) Many people walk up a high mountain to try a sweet snack.
c) A famous chef opens a new fast-food cafe in a big city.
Ask:
(1) Do you like eating sweet snacks like donuts?
(2) Is it fun to travel to a new place just to try famous food?
VOCABULARY
mountain (/ˈmaʊn.tɪn/, noun)
Meaning: A very high hill with steep sides.
Example: The children walk up the cold mountain in winter.
pastry (/ˈpeɪ.stri/, noun)
Meaning: A sweet food made from flour, butter, and sugar.
Example: She buys a fruit pastry for breakfast every morning.
quiet (/ˈkwaɪ.ət/, adjective)
Meaning: Making very little or no noise.
Example: The library is a quiet place to read books.
visitor (/ˈvɪz.ɪ.tə/, noun)
Meaning: A person who goes to see a place or person.
Example: Many visitors take photos of the old castle.
treat (/triːt/, noun)
Meaning: A special and delicious food that makes you happy.
Example: Ice cream is a special treat on a hot day.
famous (/ˈfeɪ.məs/, adjective)
Meaning: Known by a lot of people in many places.
Example: The painter is famous for his colourful pictures.
Italy is famous for nice food. People love gelato and pizza. Now, a sweet pastry makes visitors happy. This pastry is round like a donut without a hole. Local people call it a krapfen. It has a sweet filling inside.
The pastries are in a small house high up on a mountain. The area is quiet and beautiful. Usually, hikers walk here to see green trees and gray rocks. Now, everything is different because of online videos. Online writers tell everyone about this special treat. Many people see the pictures on their phones.
Now, hundreds of visitors walk up the long path every day. They want to buy the tasty pastry. They stand in long lines outside the small house. Local people live near the hill. They feel surprised by the big crowds. The quiet mountain is now very busy. The bakery works fast to bake enough food for all the new guests.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Do you like walking in the mountains?
2. What is your favourite sweet treat to eat on holiday?
3. Do you watch food videos on the internet?
4. Would you wait in a long line to buy a tasty donut?
5. Is it better for a mountain path to be quiet or busy?
FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Word Bank: famous, mountain, pastry, quiet
Italy is _______(1) for nice food. People love gelato and pizza. Now, a sweet _______(2) makes visitors happy. This pastry is round like a donut without a hole. Local people call it a krapfen. It has a sweet filling inside.
The pastries are in a small house high up on a _______(3). The area is _______(4) and beautiful. Usually, hikers walk here to see green trees and gray rocks. Now, everything is different because of online videos. Online writers tell everyone about this special treat. Many people see the pictures on their phones.
Now, hundreds of visitors walk up the long path every day. They want to buy the tasty pastry. They stand in long lines outside the small house. Local people live near the hill. They feel surprised by the big crowds. The quiet mountain is now very busy. The bakery works fast to bake enough food for all the new guests.
Section 2: Main Idea
Choose the best summary of the story:
a) Local people in Italy are learning how to make gelato in a new shop.
b) Many visitors walk up a mountain to try a famous sweet pastry.
c) A mountain bakery closes down because no one wants to buy food.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
1. The special pastry has a hole in the middle like a donut. T/F
2. Online videos tell people about the tasty mountain treat. T/F
3. The mountain path is empty because people stay at home. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Put these events in order from 1 to 3:
[ ] Writers post online videos and pictures of the sweet treat.
[ ] Hundreds of visitors stand in long lines on the quiet mountain.
[ ] Bakers make a round pastry called a krapfen in a mountain house.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
1. mountain
2. pastry
3. quiet
4. visitor
5. treat
a) making very little noise
b) a sweet baked food made with flour
c) a person who travels to see a place
d) a very high landform with steep sides
e) a special and delicious food
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence:
1. The bakery sits high on a beautiful ________ that many tourists visit.
a) ocean
b) mountain
c) bedroom
2. Everyone wants to try the sweet ________ after reading the news online.
a) pastry
b) pencil
c) jacket
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
Unscramble the words to make correct sentences:
1. A / sweet / buys / child / the / pastry .
2. The / big / mountain / quiet / is / not .
ANSWER KEY
A1 Answer Key
Warm Up Answer: b) Many people walk up a high mountain to try a sweet snack.
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
(1) famous
(2) pastry
(3) mountain
(4) quiet
Section 2: Main Idea
Correct Answer: b
Section 3: True or False
1. F
2. T
3. F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
2, 3, 1
Section 5: Vocab Match
1 - d
2 - b
3 - a
4 - c
5 - e
Section 6: Discussion Builder
1. b) mountain
2. a) pastry
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
1. A child buys the sweet pastry.
2. The mountain is not quiet.
Section 8: Discussion Questions
Answers will vary (Student's own opinions).
Thank you for your feedback!