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FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes - Soda and Obesity
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

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Soda And Sugary Drinks Cause Obesity (22nd September, 2012)

New research shows there is a very strong link between drinking soda and obesity. Researchers made a 10-year study of over 33,000 Americans. It looked at what they drank and how much their weight changed. They said there is now proof that drinking soda and other sugary drinks greatly increases a person's risk of becoming obese. The researchers said soft drinks were especially harmful to people who have genes that make them put on weight easily. The message is for overweight people to drink less soda.

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Sugary soft drinks are the biggest source of calories for Americans. More than two-thirds of U.S. adults are obese or overweight. One of the reasons for this is they drink too much soda. The amount of soft drinks bought and the levels of obesity have more than doubled since the 1970s. Scientists say this shows that when people drink more soda, they get fatter. The report might mean more American cities could introduce a soft-drink tax, like the one started in New York City earlier this year.

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PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	a very strong	a.	to people
2	how much their	b.	link
3.	soda and other	c.	people
4.	especially harmful	d.	weight
5.	put on	e.	weight changed
6.	overweight	f.	sugary drinks

Paragraph 2

1.	the biggest source	a.	reasons for this
2	More than	b.	they get fatter
3.	One of the	c.	two-thirds
4.	more than doubled	d.	drink tax
5.	when people drink more soda,	e.	of calories
6.	introduce a soft-	f.	since the 1970s

LISTENING GAP FILL

New research shows there is a (1) _________________ between drinking soda and obesity. Researchers made a 10-year study of over 33,000 Americans. It (2) _________________ drank and how much their weight changed. They said (3) _________________ that drinking soda and other sugary drinks greatly increases a person's (4) _________________ obese. The researchers said soft drinks were especially harmful to people who have genes that make them (5) _________________ easily. The message (6) _________________ people to drink less soda.

Sugary soft drinks are (7) _________________ of calories for Americans. More (8) _________________ U.S. adults are obese or overweight. One of the reasons for this is they drink too much soda. The (9) _________________ drinks bought and the levels of obesity have more (10) _________________ the 1970s. Scientists say this shows that when people drink more soda, they get fatter. The report (11) _________________ American cities (12) _________________ soft-drink tax, like the one started in New York City earlier this year.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

New research shows there is a very strong (1) ____ between drinking soda and obesity. Researchers made a 10-year study of over 33,000 Americans. It looked at what they drank and how much their (2) ____ changed. They said there is now proof that (3) ____ soda and other sugary drinks greatly (4) ____ a person's risk of becoming obese. The researchers said soft drinks were especially harmful to people who have (5) ____ that make them put on weight easily. The (6) ____ is for overweight people to drink less soda.

Sugary soft drinks are the biggest (7) ____ of calories for Americans. More than two-(8) ____ of U.S. adults are obese or overweight. One of the reasons for this is they drink too much soda. The amount of soft drinks bought and the levels of obesity have more than (9) ____ since the 1970s. Scientists say this (10) ____ that when people drink more soda, they get fatter. The report might (11) ____ more American cities could introduce a soft-drink tax, (12) ____ the one started in New York City earlier this year.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	sink	(b)	link	(c)	pink
2.	(a)	weight	(b)	weigh	(c)	weightless
3.	(a)	drinks	(b)	drinking	(c)	drank
4.	(a)	increases	(b)	increase	(c)	increasing
5.	(a)	jeans	(b)	zones	(c)	genes
6.	(a)	massage	(b)	message	(c)	messy
7.	(a)	sauce	(b)	saws	(c)	source
8.	(a)	thirds	(b)	third	(c)	thirdly
9.	(a)	two-timed	(b)	twice	(c)	doubled
10.	(a)	showing	(b)	shows	(c)	showings
11.	(a)	mean	(b)	meanie	(c)	meanwhile
12	(a)	likely	(b)	liked	(c)	like

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	New haerersc
2.	sragyu drinks
3.	a person's risk of gbmocine obese
4.	especially lrhmuaf to people
5.	put on thwegi easily
6.	ihrteowvge people
Paragraph 2
7.	the biggest seuocr of calories
8.	More than two-trdihs
9.	The tamoun of soft drinks
10.	more than ddolueb since the 1970s
11.	niercodut a soft-drink tax
12.	reiaerl this year

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	Sugary soft drinks are the biggest source of calories for Americans. More than two-
( )	could introduce a soft-drink tax, like the one started in New York City earlier this year.
( )	and obesity. Researchers made a 10-year study of over 33,000 Americans. It looked
( )	at what they drank and how much their weight changed. They said there is now proof that
( )	genes that make them put on weight easily. The message is for overweight people to drink less soda.
( )	much soda. The amount of soft drinks bought and the levels of obesity have more than
( )	of becoming obese. The researchers said soft drinks were especially harmful to people who have
( )	drinking soda and other sugary drinks greatly increases a person's risk
( )	thirds of U.S. adults are obese or overweight. One of the reasons for this is they drink too
( 1 )	New research shows there is a very strong link between drinking soda
( )	more soda, they get fatter. The report might mean more American cities
( )	doubled since the 1970s. Scientists say this shows that when people drink

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	very is shows strong a New link there research.
2.	a obese person's risk Greatly of increases becoming.
3.	drinks said harmful were soft Researchers especially.
4.	on who that put People genes them weight have make
5.	drink The for to is people less message overweight.
6.	biggest calories soft the of Sugary are source drinks.
7.	are than adults of More thirds U.S. - obese two.
8.	than of doubled obesity have The more levels.
9.	more people they soda drink get , When fatter.
10.	soft tax cities a drink American introduce - could.

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about sugary drinks for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other's work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. SUGARY DRINKS: Search the Internet and find more information about sugary drinks and our health. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about sugary drinks. Include an imaginary interview with the boss of a company that makes soda. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to a sugary drinks expert. Ask him/her three questions about sodas, colas, etc.. Give him/her three of your opinions on them. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

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News English Lessons FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes - Soda and Obesity (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)