A30547 · Section A: Everyday Activities 日常活动

Food, drink & eating out 饮食与外出用餐

Key learnings

Food/drink measure words (杯/碗/瓶/份)
Food and drink nouns each take a specific measure word, not the generic 个. Learn: a cup 一杯茶/一杯咖啡 (yì bēi chá/kāfēi), a bowl 一碗饭/一碗面条 (yì wǎn fàn/miàntiáo), a bottle 一瓶水 (yì píng shuǐ), a portion of a dish 一份炒饭 (yí fèn chǎofàn), a plate 一盘菜 (yì pán cài). Example: 我要一份炒饭和一杯果汁。(Wǒ yào yí fèn chǎofàn hé yì bēi guǒzhī.) — I would like a portion of fried rice and a cup of juice.
Preference + a genuine reason
Preference needs both an opinion word and a reason, not a bare like/dislike. Use 喜欢/不喜欢/讨厌 (xǐhuan/bù xǐhuan/tǎoyàn) plus 因为 (yīnwèi), and 好吃/好喝 (hǎochī/hǎohē) for how tasty food or drink is. Example: 我比较喜欢喝茶，因为咖啡对我来说太苦了。(Wǒ bǐjiào xǐhuan hē chá, yīnwèi kāfēi duì wǒ láishuō tài kǔ le.) — I prefer tea, because coffee is too bitter for me.
Healthy-eating vocab + 虽然……但是……
Learn 健康/不健康 (jiànkāng/bú jiànkāng), 均衡饮食 (jūnhéng yǐnshí, balanced diet), 营养 (yíngyǎng, nutrition), 油腻 (yóunì, greasy), 清淡 (qīngdàn, light/mild), 垃圾食品 (lājī shípǐn, junk food). Weigh taste against health with 虽然……，但是…… (suīrán…, dànshì…). Example: 虽然汉堡很好吃，但是吃太多汉堡对身体不健康。(Suīrán hànbǎo hěn hǎochī, dànshì chī tài duō hànbǎo duì shēntǐ bú jiànkāng.) — Although burgers are tasty, eating too many is not healthy.

Common mistakes

Drawn from real examiner reports.

Generic 个 for food/drink nouns

Every food/drink noun has its own measure word; 个 does not cover them. ✗ 我要一个茶和一个饭。✓ 我要一杯茶和一碗饭。(Wǒ yào yì bēi chá hé yì wǎn fàn.) — I would like a cup of tea and a bowl of rice. Learn the chunks: 一杯 (cup, drinks), 一碗 (bowl, rice/soup/noodles), 一瓶 (bottle), 一份 (a portion), 一盘 (a plate).

Digest grammar-error ranking: measure-word misuse is concentrated on object-counting contexts and on the Writing common-error checklist at both sittings (s22 Speaking Card 2; s22 and s23 Q2/Q3).

Bare "有很多好处" with no benefit named

Task Completion needs an actual benefit, not a restated claim that benefits exist. ✗ 吃蔬菜有很多好处。(restates the question) ✓ 吃蔬菜的好处是可以让身体更健康，也能提供维生素。(Chī shūcài de hǎochù shì kěyǐ ràng shēntǐ gèng jiànkāng, yě néng tígōng wéishēngsù.) — The benefit of eating vegetables is that it makes the body healthier and provides vitamins. Name the real benefit, not just 好处.

Digest: the there-are-many-benefits bare-restatement failure is the single most citable Writing insight; s23 Paper 41/42/43 Key Messages give this template for eating vegetarian food among others (also s22 Q3(a)).

Near-synonym / near-shape food words

Food words are easily confused with a similar-sound or similar-shape word — learn each precisely, not by a rough match. 米饭 (mǐfàn, rice) is not 面条 (miàntiáo, noodles); 甜 (tián, sweet) is not 辣 (là, spicy). Example: 我不喜欢吃辣的菜，我比较喜欢清淡的菜。(Wǒ bù xǐhuan chī là de cài, wǒ bǐjiào xǐhuan qīngdàn de cài.) — I do not like spicy food, I prefer light, mild food.

Digest: confusing a near-synonym or near-shape food word is a top driver of wrong Reading MCQ choices at both sittings, e.g. grapes mis-recognised (s23 Reading Paper 21 Q3).

比-comparison never takes 很

A 比-comparison never puts 很 (or 非常) before the adjective. ✗ 这家餐厅比那家很贵。✓ 这家餐厅比那家贵。(Zhè jiā cāntīng bǐ nà jiā guì.) — This restaurant is more expensive than that one. To add degree, put it AFTER the adjective: 贵一点/贵得多 (a little / much more expensive), not before it.

Digest: comparison-with-比 misuse appears on the grammar-improvement checklist at multiple components, both sittings (lower-confidence, still named).

Missing 了 on a completed past meal

When the time frame is a specific past occasion (昨天/上星期), a completed action needs 了. ✗ 昨天我吃一碗面条。✓ 昨天我吃了一碗面条。(Zuótiān wǒ chīle yì wǎn miàntiáo.) — Yesterday I ate a bowl of noodles. This is the mirror of the habitual trap: no 了 on a 每天 routine, but 了 IS needed on a finished past event.

Digest: a missed past-tense particle 了 where the time frame requires it is named at every Writing component, both sittings.

Dish matched to the wrong person

In Listening a wrong option is often a dish or drink genuinely said, but attached to the wrong person or order. Do not grab the first food word you hear — check WHOSE order it is. If you hear 我点面条，妹妹点炒饭, the answer to what the sister orders is 炒饭, not 面条. Process the whole clause.

Digest: distractor-echo is the dominant Listening error — the wrong option is a dish or drink genuinely said but attached to the wrong person or order (s22 and s23).

好吃 is food only; drinks take 好喝

好吃 (hǎochī) is only for food (things you eat); 好喝 (hǎohē) is the separate word for drinks (things you drink) — they are not interchangeable. ✗ 这杯茶很好吃。✓ 这杯茶很好喝。(Zhè bēi chá hěn hǎohē.) — This cup of tea is very nice to drink. ✓ 这个面包很好吃。(Zhège miànbāo hěn hǎochī.) — This bread is tasty. Match 吃 (eat) with 好吃, and 喝 (drink) with 好喝.

Exam tips

Structure a meal / eating-out answer
Order: (1) state the occasion and place (上个星期六，我和家人去餐厅); (2) name what was ordered with the right measure word (我点了一份炒饭和一杯果汁); (3) give an opinion + reason with 好吃/好喝 (很好吃，因为很新鲜); (4) add a health or value judgement if asked (健康、贵/便宜); (5) weigh both sides with 虽然……，但是…….
Speaking: order with the exact measure word
In an ordering role play, order with the exact measure word (一份炒饭，一杯果汁), and give a real preference with a reason, not a one-word answer (我不太喜欢吃辣的，因为……). Answer the original question confidently, without needing the simplified alternative.
Reading: exact word, answer from text
Reading turns on precise vocabulary — a wrong option is often a near-synonym food word. Match the exact word the passage uses, answer from the text, and give the concise phrase — over-lifting the whole sentence earns no credit.

Revision notes