The Reading / Listening - Chili Peppers - Level 5

There is good news for lovers of chili peppers – they can help you live longer. Researchers from the University of Vermont in the US discovered that capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot red chili peppers, may boost the metabolism, strengthen the heart and help with blood pressure and obesity. People who regularly ate them had a 13 per cent reduced risk of dying younger compared with those who did not. Researchers concluded that: "The consumption of hot red chili pepper was associated with reduced mortality. Hot red chili peppers may be a beneficial component of the diet."

The researchers surveyed 16,179 adults over six years. People answered questions on their health, lifestyle, income and eating habits. The researchers analysed the deaths in the 18 years after the survey. Of the 4,946 participants who died, 21.6% regularly ate chili compared with 33.6% who did not. The researchers thus said hot red chili peppers helped to prolong life. Britain's health service urged people not to rely on one "superfood" like chili. It said: "Eat a balanced diet high in a variety of fruit and vegetables, limit salt, sugar and saturated fat, stay active [and] avoid smoking."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Chili Peppers - Level 4 or  Chili Peppers - Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.nhs.uk/news/2017/01January/Pages/Hot-red-chilli-peppers-linked-to-longer-lifespan.aspx
  • http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/315262.php
  • http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0169876


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. good news for
  2. help you live
  3. the active
  4. boost the
  5. blood
  6. a 13 per cent reduced risk of
  7. associated with reduced
  8. peppers may be a beneficial
  1. mortality
  2. pressure
  3. component
  4. dying younger
  5. ingredient
  6. lovers of chili peppers
  7. longer
  8. metabolism

Paragraph 2

  1. The researchers surveyed
  2. health, lifestyle, income
  3. in the 18 years
  4. peppers helped
  5. urged people not to rely
  6. a balanced
  7. saturated
  8. stay active and
  1. fat
  2. after the survey
  3. on one "superfood"
  4. avoid smoking
  5. and eating habits
  6. to prolong life
  7. 16,179 adults
  8. diet

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

There is good news (1) ___________________ chili peppers – they can help you live longer. Researchers from the University of Vermont in the US discovered that capsaicin, the (2) ___________________ in hot red chili peppers, may boost the metabolism, strengthen the heart and help with (3) ___________________ obesity. People who regularly ate them had a 13 per cent reduced risk of dying younger compared (4) ___________________ did not. Researchers concluded that: "The consumption of hot red chili pepper (5) ___________________ reduced mortality. Hot red chili peppers may be a beneficial (6) ___________________ diet."

The researchers surveyed 16,179 (7) ___________________ years. People answered questions on their health, lifestyle, (8) ___________________ eating habits. The researchers analysed the deaths in the 18 years after the survey. Of the 4,946 (9) ___________________ died, 21.6% regularly ate chili compared with 33.6% who did not. The researchers (10) ___________________ red chili peppers helped to prolong life. Britain's health service urged people (11) ___________________ one "superfood" like chili. It said: "Eat a balanced diet high in a variety of fruit and vegetables, limit salt, sugar and saturated (12) ___________________ [and] avoid smoking."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Thereisgoodnewsforloversofchilipeppers–theycanhelpyoulivelong
er.ResearchersfromtheUniversityofVermontintheUSdiscoveredthat
capsaicin,theactiveingredientinhotredchilipeppers,mayboosttheme
tabolism,strengthentheheartandhelpwithbloodpressureandobesity.
Peoplewhoregularlyatethemhada13percentreducedriskofdyingyou
ngercomparedwiththosewhodidnot.Researchersconcludedthat:"Th
econsumptionofhotredchilipepperwasassociatedwithreducedmortal
ity.Hotredchilipeppersmaybeabeneficialcomponentofthediet."Ther
esearcherssurveyed16,179adultsoversixyears.Peopleansweredque
stionsontheirhealth,lifestyle,incomeandeatinghabits.Theresearcher
sanalysedthedeathsinthe18yearsafterthesurvey.Ofthe4,946partici
pantswhodied,21.6%regularlyatechilicomparedwith33.6%whodidn
ot.Theresearchersthussaidhotredchilipeppershelpedtoprolonglife.B
ritain'shealthserviceurgedpeoplenottorelyonone"superfood"likechil
i.Itsaid:"Eatabalanceddiethighinavarietyoffruitandvegetables,limit
salt,sugarandsaturatedfat,stayactive[and]avoidsmoking."

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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