The Reading / Listening - Fasting - Level 1

Scientists in the USA and Italy did tests on mice that show fasting can be healthy. Fasting is eating or drinking little or nothing for a short period of time. Scientists found that fasting can lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other diseases. The scientists gave the mice a low-calorie, high-fat diet for four days. They then gave the mice just 10% of their normal food for three days. This made the pancreas in the mice work better.

The pancreas is the organ that makes the hormone insulin. Insulin breaks down sugar in the blood. People with diabetes have too much sugar in their blood. They have health problems and can die. People with type 1 diabetes do not produce any insulin. People with type 2 diabetes do not produce enough, or it has no effect. Scientists said fasting increased the amounts of insulin. They said the tests were promising and now needed to be done on humans.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Fasting - Level 0 Fasting - Level 2   or  Fasting - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.nhs.uk/news/2017/02February/Pages/Fasting-diet-may-help-regenerate-diabetic-pancreas.aspx
  • http://www.sciencealert.com/this-fasting-diet-could-reverse-diabetes-and-repair-the-pancreas-says-new-research
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Fasting is eating or drinking
  2. for a short
  3. fasting can lower the
  4. cancer and
  5. a low-calorie,
  6. They then gave the mice just 10%
  7. for
  8. This made the pancreas in the mice
  1. other diseases
  2. three days
  3. high-fat diet
  4. work better
  5. little or nothing
  6. risk of diabetes
  7. period of time
  8. of their normal food

Paragraph 2

  1. the organ that makes
  2. Insulin breaks down sugar
  3. People
  4. have too much
  5. They have health problems
  6. People with type 1 diabetes do
  7. it has no
  8. They said the tests were
  1. sugar in their blood
  2. with diabetes
  3. promising
  4. not produce any insulin
  5. the hormone insulin
  6. and can die
  7. in the blood
  8. effect

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists in the USA and Italy did (1) ___________________ that show fasting can be healthy. (2) ___________________ or drinking little or nothing (3) ___________________ period of time. Scientists found that fasting can lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease, (4) ___________________ diseases. The scientists gave the mice a low-calorie, (5) ___________________ for four days. They then gave the mice just 10% of their normal food for three days. This made the pancreas (6) ___________________ better.

The pancreas (7) ___________________ makes the hormone insulin. Insulin breaks down (8) ___________________. People with diabetes (9) ___________________ sugar in their blood. They have health problems and can die. People with type 1 diabetes do not (10) ___________________. People with type 2 diabetes do not produce enough, (11) ___________________ effect. Scientists said fasting increased the amounts of insulin. They said the tests were promising and now needed (12) ___________________ humans.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ScientistsintheUSAandItalydidtestsonmicethatshowfastingcanbehe
althy.Fastingiseatingordrinkinglittleornothingforashortperiodoftim
e.Scientistsfoundthatfastingcanlowertheriskofdiabetes,heartdiseas
e,cancerandotherdiseases.Thescientistsgavethemicealow-calor
ie,high-fatdietforfourdays.Theythengavethemicejust10%oftheirno
rmalfoodforthreedays.Thismadethepancreasinthemiceworkbetter.
Thepancreasistheorganthatmakesthehormoneinsulin.Insulinbreak
sdownsugarintheblood.Peoplewithdiabeteshavetoomuchsugarinthe
irblood.Theyhavehealthproblemsandcandie.Peoplewithtype1diabet
esdonotproduceanyinsulin.Peoplewithtype2diabetesdonotproducee
nough,orithasnoeffect.Scientistssaidfastingincreasedtheamountsof
insulin.Theysaidthetestswerepromisingandnowneededtobedoneon
humans.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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