Dunkin Donuts (A2)

A Before you start Answer the questions with a partner. 1. Do you have breakfast at home or in a caf? 2. What do you usually eat for breakfast? 3. Do you ever eat donuts (also spelt doughnuts)?
Le ciambelle di Homer Simpson, e dei poliziotti di ogni film o serie tv che si rispetti! I donuts sono i tipici dolci americani e se siete in viaggio negli States, non potete non fermarvi al Dunkin Donuts per una ciambella e una tazza di caff!

Donuts are a kind of dessert. They are usually deep-fried from a flour dough, and shaped in rings that usually contain topping or fillings such as sugar, chocolate, jelly and so on. You can make them at home or get them at bakeries, supermarkets or at food stalls at street markets and fun fairs. THE AMERICAN WAY But if you want to do something typically American when you visit the United States, you have to get a donut and a cup of coffee for breakfast at Dunkin Donuts! Dunkin Donuts were the only restaurants which stayed open during a city-wide lockdown after the Boston Marathon bombings. Why? Because American police officers cant live without their donuts! THE STORY William Rosenberg founded Dunkin Donuts in Quincey, Massachusetts in 1950. Today it is the worlds leading baked goods and coffee chain. It serves more than 5 million customers per day. Dunkin Donuts sells more than 70 varieties of donuts and more than a dozen coffee beverages, breakfast sandwiches, other baked goods and bagels. GOING GREEN... In 2008 Dunkin Donuts opened its first green store in Florida. The restaurant has a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate. The organic waste that the store produces is later turned into fertilisers for gardens and farms in the area. IN ITALY? Dunkin Donuts opened a few shops in some strategic points in Rome during the summer of 1999. The idea was for tourists to have a quick snack at their arrival at Rome Termini or while they were visiting the Trevi fountain. Unfortunately, the shops closed just a couple of years later. IN MOVIES, ON TV... You can find donuts (doughnuts in British English) in many movies and TV shows. Donuts are famous for being popular with police officers, as we can see in movies like Police Academy and TV shows like Dexter, in which the star buys donuts every morning for officers at the police department where he works. And Homer Simpsons obsession with donuts is a topic in both The Simpsons TV show and video game!

B Listen and answer Read these incomplete statements. Then listen (without reading) and choose the correct answer. 1. Donuts are usually a) fried. b) cooked in the oven. c) boiled. 2. They often have chocolate or jelly a) on top. b) inside. c) either on top or inside. 3. In the hours after the Boston Marathon bombings, Dunkin Donuts a) stayed open. b) closed immediately. c) was closed by the police. 4. The Dunkin Donuts chain was founded .......... of the 20th century. a) at the beginning b) at the end c) in the middle 5. It sells more than ........... varieties of donut. a) 17 b) 70 c) 700 6. In 2008, it opened its first green store in a) California. b) Florida. c) New York. C Read and answer Read the article and answer the questions. 1. What are donuts made from? 2. What shape are they usually? 3. Where can you get them? 4. Why did Dunkin Donuts stay open in Boston during the lockdown? 5. Why is it considered to be the worlds leading baked goods and coffee chain? 6. What else can you eat there, apart from donuts? 7. Whats different about the green store? 8. What happened to the Dunkin Donut shops in Rome? D Learn it! Use it! Complete these sentences with words from the glossary. (You may have to adapt the expression in some way; e.g. change from singular to plural.) 1. Tom grew up on a ________ where they had cows and pigs. 2. Yesterday was a quiet day. We didnt have many ________ in the shop. 3. Our English teacher told us to choose a ________ and prepare a presentation on it. 4. In many European countries, people separate their ________ before throwing it into special bins. 5. I found this vintage jacket on a ________ at the Saturday morning antiques market. 6. ________ is a kind of jam made from sugar and fruit juice. G Talk about it In pairs or groups. 1. Do you think donuts are good for you? Why (not)? 2. Why do you think they are so popular with American police officers? 3. Why do you think the Dunkin Donut shops in Rome closed so soon? H Write about it Write about a cake or dessert that you like. Mention: - what its made from; - how its cooked; - where you can buy it; - when you usually eat it.