The Reading / Listening - Public Transport - Level 3

The United Kingdom's government is thinking about banning all food and drink on public transport. The UK's plan to ban people eating and drinking on trains and buses is not popular with people. They say the government should not control whether or not people can eat and drink on public transport. Many people said the plan was another example of the UK becoming a "nanny state". This is a country that wants to control everything people can and cannot do. The UK's Chief Medical Officer, professor Sally Davies, said the plan was necessary to help reduce obesity. She said it was part of a plan to halve obesity in children by 2030 and to help people make healthier lifestyle choices.

Professor Davies reported that there are twice as many overweight schoolchildren today as there were 30 years ago. She said: "Today's children are drowning in a flood of unhealthy food and drink options." She said this is made worse because of "insufficient opportunities for being active". She said children do not get enough exercise. She added: "We must go further and faster." Ms Davies also wants to stop fast food being sold at soccer games. Many travelers are angry about the plans. A nurse, Nicky Paxton, said the transport ban would make her life worse. She said: "I often work 12 hours without a break and I need a sandwich on the train on my way home from work."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Public Transport - Level 0 Public Transport - Level 1   or  Public Transport - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10103210/match-pies-eating-on-buses-ban/
  • https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/10/eating-on-public-transport-should-be-banned-says-chief-medical-officer-10892079/
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/food-drink-public-transport-child-obesity-calorie-soft-tax-vat-train-bus-a9149431.html


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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about public transport. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       thinking / food / drink / trains / buses / popular / control / public transport / obesity /
       twice / schoolchildren / options / exercise / soccer / games / ban / a break / work
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. NO EATING: Students A strongly believe no one should eat on trains and buses; Students B strongly believe otherwise.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. FOOD AND DRINK: Is it OK to eat or drink in these places? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Is It OK?

Why / Why Not?

Trains

 

 

Airplanes

 

 

The Street

 

 

Parks

 

 

Shopping malls

 

 

Gyms

 

 

MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. POPULAR: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "popular". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. ON THE TRAIN: Rank these with your partner. Put the things that are OK to eat on a train at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Sandwiches
  • French fries
  • Garlic curry
  • Ramen
  • Pizza
  • KFC
  • Onigiri
  • Nuts

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. ban a. The power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events.
      2. popular b. Officially stop something or stop people doing something.
      3. control c. A government that tries to control people's lives and personal choices.
      4. nanny state d. Needed; essential.
      5. necessary e. Liked, admired, or enjoyed by many people or by a particular person or group.
      6. obesity f. Divide into two parts of equal or roughly equal size.
      7. halve g. The problem of being overweight / too fat.

    Paragraph 2

      8. twice h. Having a bad time because there is too much of something.
      9. drowning i. Not enough.
      10. flood j. Two times.
      11. options k. A very large quantity of things.
      12. insufficient l. Chances to do things.
      13. opportunities m. A thing that is or may be chosen.
      14. break n. A pause in work for lunch or for a rest.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The UK government passed a law banning eating on trains and buses.     T / F
  2. People are very happy because they don't want to eat on trains.     T / F
  3. People in the UK think the country is becoming a "nanny state".     T / F
  4. A medical officer wants to cut child obesity in half by 2030.     T / F
  5. A medical officer said there were more overweight children 30 years ago. T / F
  6. The medical officer said children were drowning in food options.     T / F
  7. The medical officer said it was OK to eat fast food at soccer games.     T / F
  8. A nurse said she needed to eat a burger on the train on the way home.   T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. thinking
  2. banning
  3. control
  4. reduce
  5. choices
  6. overweight
  7. opportunities
  8. stop
  9. travelers
  10. break
  1. direct
  2. rest
  3. options
  4. obese
  5. prevent
  6. prohibiting
  7. commuters
  8. considering
  9. chances
  10. cut

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. banning all
  2. becoming a nanny
  3. control everything people can
  4. part of a plan to halve obesity
  5. help people make healthier
  6. twice as many overweight
  7. drowning in a flood
  8. insufficient opportunities
  9. I often work 12 hours
  10. on the train on my way
  1. and cannot do
  2. home from work
  3. for being active
  4. state
  5. without a break
  6. in children by 2030
  7. food and drink
  8. of unhealthy food
  9. lifestyle choices
  10. schoolchildren

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
popular
state
thinking
choices
whether
obesity
ban
example

The United Kingdom's government is (1) ____________ about banning all food and drink on public transport. The UK's plan to (2) ____________ people eating and drinking on trains and buses is not (3) ____________ with people. They say the government should not control (4) ____________ or not people can eat and drink on public transport. Many people said the plan was another (5) ____________ of the UK becoming a "nanny (6) ____________". This is a country that wants to control everything people can and cannot do. The UK's Chief Medical Officer, professor Sally Davies, said the plan was necessary to help reduce (7) ____________. She said it was part of a plan to halve obesity in children by 2030 and to help people make healthier lifestyle (8) ____________.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
active
angry
flood
break
twice
life
worse
faster

Professor Davies reported that there are (9) ____________ as many overweight schoolchildren today as there were 30 years ago. She said: "Today's children are drowning in a (10) ____________ of unhealthy food and drink options." She said this is made (11) ____________ because of "insufficient opportunities for being (12) ____________". She said children do not get enough exercise. She added: "We must go further and (13) ____________." Ms Davies also wants to stop fast food being sold at soccer games. Many travelers are (14) ____________ about the plans. A nurse, Nicky Paxton, said the transport ban would make her (15) ____________ worse. She said: "I often work 12 hours without a (16) ____________ and I need a sandwich on the train on my way home from work."

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  The UK's plan to ban people eating and drinking on trains and buses ______
     a.  is not populace
     b.  is not populate
     c.  is not popular
     d.  is not poplar
2)  Many people said the plan was another example of the UK becoming a ______
     a.  "nan knee state"
     b.  "nan misstate"
     c.  "nanny state"
     d.  "man knee state"
3)  This is a country that wants to control everything people ______ do
     a.  can't and cannot
     b.  can and cannot
     c.  cannot and can
     d.  can't and can
4)  She said it was part of a plan to ______
     a.  half obesity
     b.  have obesity
     c.  heave obesity
     d.  halve obesity
5)  in children by 2030 and to help people make healthier ______
     a.  lifestyle choice
     b.  lifestyle choices
     c.  lifestyle choice is
     d.  lifestyle chooses

6)  there are twice as many overweight ______
     a.  schools children today
     b.  schooled children today
     c.  schoolchildren today
     d.  school child today
7)  Today's children are drowning in a flood of unhealthy food and ______
     a.  drank options
     b.  drunk options
     c.  drink options
     d.  dink options
8)  She said this is made worse because of "insufficient opportunities for ______
     a.  being active
     b.  being inactive
     c.  been inactive
     d.  been active
9)  A nurse, Nicky Paxton, said the transport ban would make ______
     a.  her life worse
     b.  her life worsen
     c.  her life worsens
     d.  her life worst
10)  She said: "I often work 12 hours ______
     a.  without a broke
     b.  without a breaks
     c.  without a break
     d.  without a beak

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The United Kingdom's government (1) ___________________ banning all food and drink on public transport. The UK's (2) ___________________ people eating and drinking on trains and buses is not popular with people. They say the government should (3) ___________________ or not people can eat and drink on public transport. Many people said the plan was another example of the UK becoming (4) ___________________. This is a country that wants to control everything people can and cannot do. The UK's Chief Medical Officer, professor Sally Davies, said the plan was necessary to (5) ___________________. She said it was part of a plan to halve obesity in children by 2030 and to help people make (6) ___________________.

Professor Davies reported that there (7) ___________________ many overweight schoolchildren today as there were 30 years ago. She said: "Today's children (8) ___________________ a flood of unhealthy food and drink options." She said this is made worse because of "insufficient opportunities (9) ___________________". She said children do not get enough exercise. She added: "We must go (10) ___________________." Ms Davies also wants to stop fast food being sold at soccer games. Many travelers (11) ___________________ the plans. A nurse, Nicky Paxton, said the transport ban would make her life worse. She said: "I often work 12 hours (12) ___________________ and I need a sandwich on the train on my way home from work."

Comprehension questions

  1. What do people think of the possible ban?
  2. Who did people say should not control what people eat on trains?
  3. What did people think the UK is becoming?
  4. Who is Sally Davies?
  5. By when does a medical officer want to halve obesity in children?
  6. How many more obese children are in the UK today than 30 years ago?
  7. What are UK children flooded with?
  8. At what sporting events does Sally Davies want to ban fast food?
  9. How long does a nurse work without a break?
  10. What does a nurse want to eat on the train on her way home?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What do people think of the possible ban?
a) they are so, so happy
b) they think it's great
c) they are furious
d) it is not popular
2) Who did people say should not control what people eat on trains?
a) train companies
b) the government
c) bus drivers
d) other passengers
3) What did people think the UK is becoming?
a) a granny state
b) an auntie state
c) a daddy state
d) a nanny state
4) Who is Sally Davies?
a) a train passenger
b) a fast food company boss
c) the UK's Chief Medical Officer
d) an overweight child
5) By when does a medical officer want to halve obesity in children?
a) 2050
b) 2025
c) 2028
d) 2030

6) How many more obese children are in the UK today than 30 years ago?
a) one million
b) quite a few
c) twice as many
d) many, many, many
7) What are UK children flooded with?
a) unhealthy food and drink options
b) soda and other unhealthy drinks
c) rain
d) information about food
8) At what sporting events does Sally Davies want to ban fast food?
a) Wimbledon tennis
b) children's sports days
c) soccer games
d) the Olympics
9) How long does a nurse work without a break?
a) 10 hours
b) 12 hours
c) 11 hours
d) 9 hours

10) What does a nurse want to eat on the train on her way home?
a) a sandwich
b) a burger
c) KFC
d) nuts

Role play

Role  A – Sandwiches
You think sandwiches are the worst things to eat on a train. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things are OK to eat on a train. Also, tell the others which is the best of these (and why): garlic curry, KFC or nuts.

Role  B – Garlic Curry
You think garlic curry is the worst thing to eat on a train. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things are OK to eat on a train. Also, tell the others which is the best of these (and why): sandwiches, KFC or nuts.

Role  C – KFC
You think KFC is the worst thing to eat on a train. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things are OK to eat on a train. Also, tell the others which is the best of these (and why): garlic curry, sandwiches or nuts.

Role  D – Nuts
You think nuts are the worst things to eat on a train. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things are OK to eat on a train. Also, tell the others which is the best of these (and why): garlic curry, KFC or sandwiches.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'public'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'transport'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • all
    • popular
    • control
    • example
    • state
    • 2030
    • twice
    • flood
    • enough
    • games
    • nurse
    • work

    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 - UK might ban food on public transport

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'public'?
    3. Is it OK to eat food on public transport?
    4. What are the rules about eating in public in your country?
    5. Do you eat on trains and buses?
    6. Should governments tell people where not to eat?
    7. What is obesity like in your country?
    8. How can we help people with obesity?
    9. How healthy are the things you eat and drink?
    10. How healthy are your lifestyle choices?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'transport'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Why are children more overweight these days?
    5. Whose fault is it that children are overweight?
    6. What do you think of people eating on trains and buses?
    7. Would you move if someone next to you on the bus ate smelly food?
    8. Should fast food be banned at soccer games?
    9. Are there foods which are OK to eat on trains and buses?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the chief medical officer?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    The United Kingdom's government is (1) ____ about banning all food and drink on public transport. The UK's plan to ban people eating and drinking on trains and buses is not (2) ____ with people. They say the government should not control (3) ____ or not people can eat and drink on public transport. Many people said the plan was another example of the UK becoming a "(4) ____ state". This is a country that wants to control everything people can and cannot do. The UK's Chief Medical Officer, professor Sally Davies, said the plan was (5) ____ to help reduce obesity. She said it was part of a plan to halve obesity in children by 2030 and to help people make healthier lifestyle (6) ____.

    Professor Davies reported that there are (7) ____ as many overweight schoolchildren today as there were 30 years ago. She said: "Today's children are drowning in a (8) ____ of unhealthy food and drink options." She said this is made worse because of "insufficient opportunities for (9) ____ active". She said children do not get enough exercise. She added: "We must go further and faster." Ms Davies also wants to stop fast food being (10) ____ at soccer games. Many travelers are angry about the plans. A nurse, Nicky Paxton, said the transport ban would make her life (11) ____. She said: "I often work 12 hours without a break and I need a sandwich on the train (12) ____ my way home from work."

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     thinking     (b)     thinks     (c)     thought     (d)     thoughtful    
    2. (a)     populace     (b)     populate     (c)     popular     (d)     poplar    
    3. (a)     weather     (b)     wither     (c)     whether     (d)     wander    
    4. (a)     auntie     (b)     daddy     (c)     mummy     (d)     nanny    
    5. (a)     need     (b)     needy     (c)     necessary     (d)     necessitate    
    6. (a)     chosen     (b)     choices     (c)     choose     (d)     chooses    
    7. (a)     two     (b)     twice     (c)     twos     (d)     double    
    8. (a)     pond     (b)     flood     (c)     puddle     (d)     ocean    
    9. (a)     begin     (b)     be     (c)     being     (d)     been    
    10. (a)     sell     (b)     sells     (c)     selling     (d)     sold    
    11. (a)     worst     (b)     worsens     (c)     worsen     (d)     worse    
    12. (a)     at     (b)     of     (c)     in     (d)     on

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. not olrpuap with people
    2. eehrtwh or not people can eat
    3. the plan was another peaxelm
    4. chief caiemdl officer
    5. a plan to halve oiesbty
    6. make healthier lieftlyse choices

    Paragraph 2

    1. twice as many vhrieetwog schoolchildren
    2. unhealthy food and drink spooitn
    3. insufficient ppritouitenso
    4. We must go frrthue and faster
    5. 12 hours without a kebar
    6. I need a ndiwahcs on the train

    Put the text back together

    (...)  food being sold at soccer games. Many travelers are angry about the plans. A
    (...)  a break and I need a sandwich on the train on my way home from work."
    (...)  ago. She said: "Today's children are drowning in a flood of unhealthy food and drink
    (...)  Officer, professor Sally Davies, said the plan was necessary to help reduce obesity. She said it was part
    (...)  government should not control whether or not people can eat and drink on public transport. Many people
    (...)  active". She said children do not get enough exercise. She added: "We must go further and faster." Ms Davies also wants to stop fast
    (...)  Professor Davies reported that there are twice as many overweight schoolchildren today as there were 30 years
    (...)  to ban people eating and drinking on trains and buses is not popular with people. They say the
    (...)  of a plan to halve obesity in children by 2030 and to help people make healthier lifestyle choices.
    (...)  wants to control everything people can and cannot do. The UK's Chief Medical
    (...)  said the plan was another example of the UK becoming a "nanny state". This is a country that
    1  ) The United Kingdom's government is thinking about banning all food and drink on public transport. The UK's plan
    (...)  nurse, Nicky Paxton, said the transport ban would make her life worse. She said: "I often work 12 hours without
    (...)  options." She said this is made worse because of "insufficient opportunities for being

    Put the words in the right order

    1. eat   .   Control   can   or   people   whether   not
    2. was   the   people   another   example   .   said   plan   Many
    3. that   country   to   wants   A   control   everything   .
    4. reduce   help   plan   necessary   obesity   .   was   The   to
    5. to   obesity   .   a   plan   halve   of   Part
    6. as   many   schoolchildren   There   twice   are   overweight   today   .
    7. of   and   drink   food   A   flood   options   .   unhealthy
    8. ban   her   make   life   The   worse   .   would   transport
    9. break   .   I   work   without   often   a   hours   12
    10. sandwich   on   a   need   train   .   I   the

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The United Kingdom's government is thought / thinking about banning all food and drink on / in public transport. The UK's plan to ban / banned people eating and drinking on trains and buses is not popular with people. They say the government should not control weather / whether or not people can eat and drink on public transport. Many people said the plan was others / another example of the UK becoming a "nanny state" / "granddad state". This is a country that wants to control everything people can't / can and cannot do. The UK's Chief Medical Officer, professor Sally Davies, said the plan was necessary to help reduce obese / obesity. She said it was part of a plan to halve obesity in children by / at 2030 and to help people make healthier lifestyle choices / choice.

    Professor Davies reported that there are twice / two as many overweight schoolchildren today as there were / are 30 years ago. She said: "Today's children are downing / drowning in a flood of unhealthy food and drink options / opinions." She said this is made worse because of "insufficient opportunities for being active / inactive". She said children do not get enough exercise / exercising. She added: "We must go further and faster." Ms Davies also wants to stop fast food being / been sold at soccer games. Many travelers are angrily / angry about the plans. A nurse, Nicky Paxton, said the transport ban would make her life / lively worse. She said: "I often work 12 hours without a break and I need a sandwich on the train in / on my way home from work."

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    T h_ U n_t_d K_n g d_m ' s g_v_r n m_n t _s t h_n k_n g _b__ t b_n n_n g _l l f__ d _n d d r_n k _n p_b l_c t r_n s p_r t . T h_ U K ' s p l_n t_ b_n p__ p l_ __ t_n g _n d d r_n k_n g _n t r__ n s _n d b_s_s _s n_t p_p_l_r w_t h p__ p l_. T h_y s_y t h_ g_v_r n m_n t s h__ l d n_t c_n t r_l w h_t h_r _r n_t p__ p l_ c_n __ t _n d d r_n k _n p_b l_c t r_n s p_r t . M_n y p__ p l_ s__ d t h_ p l_n w_s _n_t h_r _x_m p l_ _f t h_ U K b_c_m_n g _ " n_n n y s t_t_" . T h_s _s _ c__ n t r y t h_t w_n t s t_ c_n t r_l _v_r y t h_n g p__ p l_ c_n _n d c_n n_t d_. T h_ U K ' s C h__ f M_d_c_l O f f_c_r , p r_f_s s_r S_l l y D_v__ s , s__ d t h_ p l_n w_s n_c_s s_r y t_ h_l p r_d_c_ _b_s_t y . S h_ s__ d _t w_s p_r t _f _ p l_n t_ h_l v_ _b_s_t y _n c h_l d r_n b y 2 0 3 0 _n d t_ h_l p p__ p l_ m_k_ h__ l t h__ r l_f_s t y l_ c h__ c_s .

    P r_f_s s_r D_v__ s r_p_r t_d t h_t t h_r_ _r_ t w_c_ _s m_n y _v_r w__ g h t s c h__ l c h_l d r_n t_d_y _s t h_r_ w_r_ 3 0 y__ r s _g_. S h_ s__ d : " T_d_y ' s c h_l d r_n _r_ d r_w n_n g _n _ f l__ d _f _n h__ l t h y f__ d _n d d r_n k _p t__ n s . " S h_ s__ d t h_s _s m_d_ w_r s_ b_c__ s_ _f "_n s_f f_c__ n t _p p_r t_n_t__ s f_r b__ n g _c t_v_" . S h_ s__ d c h_l d r_n d_ n_t g_t _n__ g h _x_r c_s_. S h_ _d d_d : " W_ m_s t g_ f_r t h_r _n d f_s t_r . " M s D_v__ s _l s_ w_n t s t_ s t_p f_s t f__ d b__ n g s_l d _t s_c c_r g_m_s . M_n y t r_v_l_r s _r_ _n g r y _b__ t t h_ p l_n s . A n_r s_, N_c k y P_x t_n , s__ d t h_ t r_n s p_r t b_n w__ l d m_k_ h_r l_f_ w_r s_. S h_ s__ d : " I _f t_n w_r k 1 2 h__ r s w_t h__ t _ b r__ k _n d I n__ d _ s_n d w_c h _n t h_ t r__ n _n m y w_y h_m_ f r_m w_r k . "

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the united kingdoms government is thinking about banning all food and drink on public transport the uks plan to ban people eating and drinking on trains and buses is not popular with people they say the government should not control whether or not people can eat and drink on public transport many people said the plan was another example of the uk becoming a nanny state this is a country that wants to control everything people can and cannot do the uks chief medical officer professor sally davies said the plan was necessary to help reduce obesity she said it was part of a plan to halve obesity in children by 2030 and to help people make healthier lifestyle choices

    professor davies reported that there are twice as many overweight schoolchildren today as there were 30 years ago she said todays children are drowning in a flood of unhealthy food and drink options she said this is made worse because of insufficient opportunities for being active she said children do not get enough exercise she added we must go further and faster ms davies also wants to stop fast food being sold at soccer games many travelers are angry about the plans a nurse nicky paxton said the transport ban would make her life worse she said i often work 12 hours without a break and i need a sandwich on the train on my way home from work"

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    TheUnitedKingdom'sgovernmentisthinkingaboutbanningallfoodand
    drinkonpublictransport.TheUK'splantobanpeopleeatinganddrinking
    ontrainsandbusesisnotpopularwithpeople.Theysaythegovernments
    houldnotcontrolwhetherornotpeoplecaneatanddrinkonpublictransp
    ort.ManypeoplesaidtheplanwasanotherexampleoftheUKbecominga
    "nannystate".Thisisacountrythatwantstocontroleverythingpeopleca
    nandcannotdo.TheUK'sChiefMedicalOfficer,professorSallyDavies,s
    aidtheplanwasnecessarytohelpreduceobesity.Shesaiditwaspartofa
    plantohalveobesityinchildrenby2030andtohelppeoplemakehealthie
    rlifestylechoices.ProfessorDaviesreportedthattherearetwiceasman
    yoverweightschoolchildrentodayastherewere30yearsago.Shesaid:"
    Today'schildrenaredrowninginafloodofunhealthyfoodanddrinkoptio
    ns."Shesaidthisismadeworsebecauseof"insufficientopportunitiesfor
    beingactive".Shesaidchildrendonotgetenoughexercise.Sheadded:"
    Wemustgofurtherandfaster."MsDaviesalsowantstostopfastfoodbein
    gsoldatsoccergames.Manytravelersareangryabouttheplans.Anurse
    ,NickyPaxton,saidthetransportbanwouldmakeherlifeworse.Shesaid
    :"Ioftenwork12hourswithoutabreakandIneedasandwichonthetraino
    nmywayhomefromwork."

    Free writing

    Write about public transport for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

     

    Academic writing

    There should be no eating or drinking anywhere on public transport. Discuss.

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

    _____________________________________________________________________________

     

    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 out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Make a poster about public transport. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. NO EATING: Write a magazine article about banning eating on public transport. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. 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.
    6. PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Write a letter to an expert on public transport. Ask him/her three questions about public transport. Give him/her three of your ideas. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Help Support This Web Site

    • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

    Sean Banville's Book

    Thank You