The Reading / Listening - Coffee or Tea - Level 2

New research says that DNA helps decide whether we prefer coffee or tea. Researchers from a university in Australia studied how our DNA affected our taste and why we like some things more than others. The researchers think they know why some of us prefer coffee while others like tea. People who like bitter tastes are more likely to drink coffee. People who are more sensitive to the bitter taste of caffeine are more likely to prefer coffee to tea. They were also more likely to drink more coffee than those who were not so sensitive to caffeine.

Researchers looked at data on more than 400,000 people. They also looked at a study that compared the tastes of 1,757 twins with their siblings. DNA is not the only thing affecting people's tastes. Other things like our environment, social factors or the effects of medicine can also affect our taste. One researcher said we can learn to like coffee. He said: "Bitter taste...is shaped not only by [DNA], but also environmental factors. Even though humans naturally dislike bitterness, we can learn to like or enjoy bitter-tasting food after being exposed to environmental factors."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Coffee or Tea - Level 0 Coffee or Tea - Level 1   or  Coffee or Tea - Level 3

Sources
  • https://tribune.com.pk/story/1848673/3-tea-coffee-answer-might-genetic/
  • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-coffeeunless-you-are-genetically-disposed-prefer-tea-180970841/
  • http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2018/11/16/the-bitter-truth-coffee-lovers-love-of-caffeine-is-wired-in-their-dna


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. how our DNA
  2. why we like some things
  3. they know why some of
  4. People who like bitter
  5. the bitter taste
  6. more likely to prefer
  7. more likely to
  8. those who were not so sensitive
  1. of caffeine
  2. drink more coffee
  3. more than others
  4. to caffeine
  5. affected our taste
  6. tastes
  7. us prefer coffee
  8. coffee to tea

Paragraph 2

  1. data on more than
  2. 1,757 twins with their
  3. DNA is not
  4. affecting people's
  5. the effects
  6. we can learn to
  7. enjoy bitter-tasting
  8. being exposed to environmental
  1. the only thing
  2. food
  3. like coffee
  4. factors
  5. siblings
  6. tastes
  7. 400,000 people
  8. of medicine

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

New research (1) ___________________ helps decide whether we prefer coffee or tea. Researchers from (2) ___________________ Australia studied how our DNA affected our taste and why we like some things (3) ___________________. The researchers think they know why (4) ___________________ prefer coffee while others like tea. People who like bitter tastes are more likely to drink coffee. People who are (5) ___________________ the bitter taste of caffeine are more likely to prefer coffee to tea. They were (6) ___________________ to drink more coffee than those who were not so sensitive to caffeine.

Researchers (7) ___________________ on more than 400,000 people. They also looked at a study that compared the tastes of 1,757 twins (8) ___________________. DNA is not the only thing affecting people's tastes. Other things like our environment, social factors or (9) ___________________ medicine can also affect our taste. One researcher said we (10) ___________________ like coffee. He said: "Bitter taste...is (11) ___________________ only by [DNA], but also environmental factors. Even though humans naturally dislike bitterness, we can learn to like or enjoy bitter-tasting food after (12) ___________________ environmental factors."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

NewresearchsaysthatDNAhelpsdecidewhetherweprefercoffeeortea.
ResearchersfromauniversityinAustraliastudiedhowourDNAaffected
ourtasteandwhywelikesomethingsmorethanothers.Theresearchers
thinktheyknowwhysomeofusprefercoffeewhileothersliketea.People
wholikebittertastesaremorelikelytodrinkcoffee.Peoplewhoaremores
ensitivetothebittertasteofcaffeinearemorelikelytoprefercoffeetotea.
Theywerealsomorelikelytodrinkmorecoffeethanthosewhowerenots
osensitivetocaffeine.Researcherslookedatdataonmorethan400,000
people.Theyalsolookedatastudythatcomparedthetastesof1,757twin
swiththeirsiblings.DNAisnottheonlythingaffectingpeople'stastes.Ot
herthingslikeourenvironment,socialfactorsortheeffectsofmedicinec
analsoaffectourtaste.Oneresearchersaidwecanlearntolikecoffee.He
said:"Bittertaste...isshapednotonlyby[DNA],butalsoenvironmentalf
actors.Eventhoughhumansnaturallydislikebitterness,wecanlearntol
ikeorenjoybitter-tastingfoodafterbeingexposedtoenvironmentalfa
ctors."

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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