The Reading / Listening - Vegetables - Level 4

Pasta is now classed as a vegetable in U.S. schools. New dietary regulations means it counts towards the vegetable requirements in school lunches. New guidelines state: "Pasta made of vegetable flour may credit as a vegetable, even if the pasta is not served with another recognizable vegetable." The pasta must be made with potato, soy or vegetable-based flour. Critics of the rules said bread could also be a vegetable as that is made from flour.

Other guidelines include halving the fruit in children's breakfast and increasing burgers, fries, pizza and other high-calorie food full of fat and salt. The department said the new rules would reduce food waste and was "a more common-sense" way to provide students with nutritious, appetizing meals. A health expert said: "This makes absolutely no sense. Politics and industry pressure should not interfere with what is best for children's health."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Vegetables - Level 5 or  Vegetables - Level 6

Sources
  • https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/25/pasta-count-vegetable-schoolkids-trump-administration-12121778
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pasta-vegetable-trump-school-lunch-flour-a9301186.html
  • https://www.indy100.com/article/trump-pasta-vegetable-school-lunch-guidelines-potato-fruit-michelle-obama-9301296


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. Pasta is now classed
  2. dietary
  3. vegetable requirements
  4. Pasta made of vegetable
  5. the pasta is not
  6. another recognizable
  7. The pasta must be made
  8. vegetable-
  1. flour
  2. based flour
  3. vegetable
  4. regulations
  5. with potato
  6. served
  7. as a vegetable
  8. in school lunches

Paragraph 2

  1. guidelines include halving
  2. high-calorie food full of fat
  3. the new rules would reduce food
  4. a more common-
  5. nutritious, appetizing
  6. This makes absolutely
  7. Politics and industry pressure
  8. what is best for children's
  1. should not interfere
  2. sense way
  3. and salt
  4. health
  5. waste
  6. meals
  7. the fruit
  8. no sense

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Pasta is (1) ___________________ a vegetable in U.S. schools. New dietary regulations means it (2) ___________________ vegetable requirements in school lunches. (3) ___________________: "Pasta made of vegetable flour may credit as a vegetable, even if the pasta (4) ___________________ with another recognizable vegetable." The pasta (5) ___________________ with potato, soy or vegetable-based flour. Critics of the rules said bread could also be a vegetable as that is (6) ___________________.

Other guidelines (7) ___________________ fruit in children's breakfast (8) ___________________, fries, pizza and other high-calorie food full of fat and salt. The department said the new rules would (9) ___________________ and was "a more common-sense" way to provide students (10) ___________________ meals. A health expert said: "This makes (11) ___________________. Politics and industry pressure should not interfere (12) ___________________ best for children's health."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

PastaisnowclassedasavegetableinU.S.schools.Newdietaryregulatio
nsmeansitcountstowardsthevegetablerequirementsinschoollunche
s.Newguidelinesstate:"Pastamadeofvegetableflourmaycreditasave
getable,evenifthepastaisnotservedwithanotherrecognizablevegeta
ble."Thepastamustbemadewithpotato,soyorvegetable-basedflou
r.Criticsoftherulessaidbreadcouldalsobeavegetableasthatismadefro
mflour.Otherguidelinesincludehalvingthefruitinchildren'sbreakfasta
ndincreasingburgers,fries,pizzaandotherhigh-caloriefoodfulloffatan
dsalt.Thedepartmentsaidthenewruleswouldreducefoodwasteandwa
s"amorecommon-sense"waytoprovidestudentswithnutritious,appe
tizingmeals.Ahealthexpertsaid:"Thismakesabsolutelynosense.Politi
csandindustrypressureshouldnotinterferewithwhatisbestforchildren
'shealth."

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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