Pad thai looks ancient, but its story is surprisingly recent and political — from a 1940s rice-shortage campaign to a 21st-century "gastro-diplomacy" push that put it on menus worldwide. Practice the present perfect alongside the past simple.

Sofia embarks on a six-week backpacking trip across Europe by train, visiting eight countries and documenting her experiences. Through various challenges and encounters, she learns invaluable lessons and expresses no regrets about her adventure, already planning her next journey.

Level: B1 (Intermediate)Content Objective: Students learn about the race between Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray to patent the telephone in 1876, and the famous first phone call that followed.Language Objective: Students practice using the past simple and past continuous together to describe finished actions, background actions, and actions happening at the same time. 1. Reading Section A Race Against the Clock On the morning of February 14, 1876, a lawyer walked into the patent office in Washington, D.C. He was carrying a document for a young inventor named Alexander Graham Bell. Bell wasn’t there himself — he was in Boston, still working on his invention. But his lawyer knew…