1. Do you think you have a healthy diet?
2. What do you consider a balanced diet?
3. How often do you eat junk food? When you do, do you fear the
effect it may have on your health?
4. Are people in your country health-conscious. Do they care
about what they eat and drink?
5. How much alcohol a week do you consider safe to drink?
6. What are drinking habits in your country?
7. Does your country have strict rules regarding
underage drinking? When should young people
be allowed to buy alcohol?
8. What, do you think, can be done to tackle the
problem of underage drinking?
Read the article and decide whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:
1. The report on the British nation’s diet was published in November.
2. Pubs are not allowed to sell alcohol 24 hours a day.
3. The number of young people with liver disease is growing.
4. A million children under 16 are obese because of lack of government
healthy eating campaigns.
5. Junk food advertising is banned on children’s television in the UK.
FAT & DRUNK UK
A damning report on the British nation’s diet revealed a huge rise in alcohol and junk food sales. The report was published a few months before a change of the licensing laws in November, which will allow 24-hour drinking in pubs and shops to sell alcohol around the clock.According to the information provided by the Department of Health, 13 drunk children are being taken to hospital on an average day and the number of young people with liver disease is on the rise. Sales of alcopops, especially popular with young people, are up almost 11 per cent.
A lot of young people do not realise the risks and consequences of excessive alcohol use and poor diet. Soaring junk food sales are disturbing. A million children under 16 are classified as obese despite government healthy eating campaigns. At the same time consumption of fruit and vegetables is down by nearly 2 per cent.
How to tackle the problem? A limit on junk food advertising on children’s television, a new system of food labelling to alert people to their health value and a ‘sensible drinking’ campaign is under discussion. The fact remains that if the problem is not tackled quickly, large numbers of the population are going to die prematurely.
Find the words and expressions in the article.
1. critical (adjective)
2. food bad for your health (noun expression)
3. a fizzy drink containing alcohol (noun)
4. greater than normal or appropriate (adjective)
5. rising quickly (adjective)
6. try to solve, deal with something (verb)
7. to be still present (verb)
8. happening too early (adverb)
focus on idioms
when something happens around the clock it means that it happens all day and night without stopping
They worked around the clock for three days and nights.
when something is on the rise it means that it is growing (usually used with negative trends)
Religious extremism is on the rise again.
when something is under discussion it means that it is being discussed
The project has been under discussion for over a month now.
focus on grammar: much, many, few, little
use MUCH and LITTLE with uncountable nouns
use MANY and FEW with countable nouns
use MUCH / MANY in negative sentences and questions; A LOT OF is
more usual in positive sentences:
I had a lot of luck.
We didn’t meet many people.
use LITTLE and FEW when you want to say that there is not enough
of something in a negative way
I have very few friends – I’m lonely.
I have little money – I can’t lend you any.
use A LITTLE and A FEW when you want to say that there is a small
amount of something in a positive sense
I have a few very good friends – I’m happy.
I have a little money – I can lend you some.
Put in MUCH, MANY, (A) FEW, (A) LITTLE
1. She is a great singer. He has ……………………. fans all over Europe.
2. I can’t talk to you now. I have too ………………… time.
3. I keep in touch with ……………………. from my school and next month we are
organising a reunion party.
4. – How about your German? - I can get by. I speak ……………………. German.
5. Can I ask you …………………. questions
6. I have ……………………… opportunities to go out to the pub these days, so I’d love
to have a pint with you.
7. Does he earn …………………….. money in his new job?
8. I’m not very busy today. Actually, I have ………………………….. to do.
