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FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Heavy Drinking
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

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Heavy Drinking Damaging UK Health Service (2nd January, 2010)

A new report from Britain describes how heavy drinking is damaging its health service. More and more British people are drinking too much. This means higher numbers of patients are needing hospital treatment. The number of illnesses caused by alcohol has doubled in the past five years. Healthcare managers say the system cannot cope. They say Britain’s culture of heavy drinking must change, or Britain’s hospitals will be in trouble. One expert suggested making hospital patients pay $800 for alcohol-related problems. Britain’s health system is currently free.

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One solution to the problem is to increase the price of alcohol. A committee recommended a minimum price of 50p (around 80 cents) for a single unit of alcohol. This could save around 3,000 lives a year and save billions of dollars for the health service. Young people who drink too much never think about the harm they are doing to their health. They also do not think about the cost to their health service. In Britain, many crimes, accidental deaths and suicides are because of alcohol. In 2008, 15,000 people died from alcohol abuse.

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PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	A new report	a.	by alcohol
2	people are drinking	b.	treatment
3.	hospital	c.	cope
4.	illnesses caused	d.	from Britain
5.	the system cannot	e.	problems
6.	alcohol-related	f.	too much

Paragraph 2

1.	One solution to	a.	too much
2	a minimum	b.	lives a year
3.	save around 3,000	c.	suicides
4.	people who drink	d.	the problem
5.	accidental deaths and	e.	abuse
6.	alcohol	f.	price of 50p

LISTENING GAP FILL

A new report from Britain ____________________ drinking is damaging its health service. More and more British people are drinking too much. This ____________________ of patients are needing hospital treatment. The number of illnesses caused by alcohol ____________________ past five years. Healthcare managers say the system cannot cope. They say Britain’s culture of heavy drinking must change, or Britain’s hospitals will be in trouble. ____________________ making hospital ____________________ for alcohol-related problems. Britain’s health system ____________________.

One solution to the problem ____________________ price of alcohol. A committee recommended a minimum price of 50p (around 80 cents) ____________________ of alcohol. This could save around 3,000 lives a year and save billions of dollars for the health service. Young ____________________ much never think ____________________ are doing to their health. They also do not ____________________ to their health service. In Britain, many crimes, accidental deaths and suicides are because of alcohol. In 2008, 15,000 people died ____________________.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

A new report from Britain (1) ____ how heavy drinking is damaging its health service. More and more British people are drinking too much. This means higher (2) ____ of patients are needing hospital treatment. The number of illnesses caused by alcohol has (3) ____ in the past five years. Healthcare managers say the system cannot cope. They say Britain’s culture of heavy drinking must change, or Britain’s hospitals will be (4) ____ trouble. One expert suggested making hospital patients pay $800 for alcohol-related problems. Britain’s health system is currently (5) ____.

One solution to the problem is to increase the price (6) ____ alcohol. A committee recommended a minimum price of 50p (around 80 cents) for a single unit of alcohol. This could (7) ____ around 3,000 lives a year and save billions of dollars for the health service. Young people who drink too much never think about the (8) ____ they are doing to their health. They also do not think about the cost to their health service. In Britain, many crimes, accidental (9) ____ and suicides are because of alcohol. In 2008, 15,000 people died (10) ____ alcohol abuse.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	description	(b)	describe	(c)	describes
2.	(a)	numbers	(b)	numerical	(c)	number
3.	(a)	double	(b)	doubles	(c)	doubled
4.	(a)	on	(b)	in	(c)	of
5.	(a)	free	(b)	freedom	(c)	freely
6.	(a)	by	(b)	of	(c)	at
7.	(a)	save	(b)	savings	(c)	saved
8.	(a)	harms	(b)	harm	(c)	harmful
9.	(a)	deadly	(b)	dies	(c)	deaths
10.	(a)	to	(b)	from	(c)	at

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	A new orterp
2.	higher numbers of niatspte
3.	hospital maertttne
4.	Britain’s ulruect of heavy drinking
5.	hospitals will be in blreuot
6.	alcohol-related roemspbl
Paragraph 2
7.	One oilsnotu
8.	a miunimm price
9.	isbnolli of dollars
10.	Young eeplpo who drink too much
11.	accidental taehds
12.	died from alcohol aebus

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	One solution to the problem is to increase the price of alcohol. A committee recommended a minimum price of
( )	suggested making hospital patients pay $800 for alcohol-related problems. Britain’s health system is currently free.
( )	dollars for the health service. Young people who drink too much never think about the harm they are doing to their
( 1 )	A new report from Britain describes how heavy drinking is damaging its health service. More and more British
( )	health. They also do not think about the cost to their health service. In Britain, many crimes, accidental deaths
( )	people are drinking too much. This means higher numbers of patients are needing hospital treatment. The number of
( )	and suicides are because of alcohol. In 2008, 15,000 people died from alcohol abuse.
( )	50p (around 80 cents) for a single unit of alcohol. This could save around 3,000 lives a year and save billions of
( )	They say Britain’s culture of heavy drinking must change, or Britain’s hospitals will be in trouble. One expert
( )	illnesses caused by alcohol has doubled in the past five years. Healthcare managers say the system cannot cope.

THE READING / TAPESCRIPT

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

1.	are people British More much too drinking.
2.	number The alcohol by caused illnesses of.
3.	heavy of culture Britain’s change must drinking.
4.	making suggested expert One pay patients hospital.
5.	health is free Britain’s system currently.
6.	solution One problem the to.
7.	lives a year This could save around 3,000.
8.	health of service dollars for Save the billions.
9.	about also the do cost not think They.
10.	died 15,000 from alcohol abuse people.

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 alcohol 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. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about alcohol. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about alcohol. Include imaginary interviews with people who love it and hate it. 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 the leader of your country. Ask him/her three questions about alcohol. Give him/her three of your opinions on new laws to pass about alcohol. 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 on Heavy Drinking (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)