The Reading / Listening - Snack Tax - Level 2

The UK government wants to help people eat more healthily. It asked a food expert to come up with some ideas. The expert, Henry Dimbleby, created the National Food Strategy and presented it to the government. The strategy has two main ideas. One is a tax on food with salt and sugar. The media called this a "snack tax". The second one is to give poorer people free vegetables. Mr Dimbleby warned that what we eat, and how it is produced, is doing "terrible damage" to the environment and our health. Poor diet leads to many deaths and puts a lot of pressure on hospitals.

The UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not happy with the strategy. He does not like the idea of "extra taxes on hard-working people". He said the strategy could increase the price of snack food by up to 13 per cent. He added that the best way to tackle obesity was for people to exercise and eat less junk food. Mr Dimbleby said: "With the right leadership from government, it is well within our power to change the system so it makes both us and the planet healthier." He added that the country had to build a better food system "for our children and grandchildren".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Snack Tax - Level 0 Snack Tax - Level 1   or  Snack Tax - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.ft.com/content/9687484f-2703-4e55-a37a-827a056ac962
  • https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/national-food-strategy-calls-for-salt-and-sugar-tax-and-veg-on-prescription/
  • https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15597340/free-fruit-and-veg-snack-tax/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. help people eat more
  2. a food
  3. a tax on food
  4. The media called this a "
  5. give poorer people
  6. doing terrible damage
  7. Poor diet leads
  8. puts a lot of pressure
  1. to the environment
  2. snack tax"
  3. on hospitals
  4. healthily
  5. to many deaths
  6. expert
  7. free vegetables
  8. with salt and sugar

Paragraph 2

  1. He does not like the idea
  2. hard-
  3. the best way to tackle
  4. exercise and eat
  5. it is well within
  6. change the
  7. it makes both us and the
  8. the country had to build a
  1. system
  2. less junk food
  3. better food system
  4. obesity
  5. planet healthier
  6. of extra taxes
  7. our power
  8. working people

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The UK government (1) ___________________ people eat more healthily. It asked a (2) ___________________ come up with some ideas. The expert, Henry Dimbleby, created the National Food Strategy and (3) ___________________ the government. The strategy has two main ideas. One is a tax on food with (4) ___________________. The media called this a "snack tax". The second one is to give poorer people free vegetables. Mr Dimbleby warned that what we eat, and how (5) ___________________, is doing "terrible damage" to the environment and our health. Poor diet leads to many deaths and puts a (6) ___________________ on hospitals.

The UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not happy (7) ___________________. He does not like the idea of "extra taxes on (8) ___________________". He said the strategy could increase the (9) ___________________ food by up to 13 per cent. He added that the best way (10) ___________________ was for people to exercise and eat (11) ___________________. Mr Dimbleby said: "With the right leadership from government, it is well within our power to change the system so it makes both us and (12) ___________________." He added that the country had to build a better food system "for our children and grandchildren".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheUKgovernmentwantstohelppeopleeatmorehealthily.Itaskedafo
odexperttocomeupwithsomeideas.Theexpert,HenryDimbleby,creat
edtheNationalFoodStrategyandpresentedittothegovernment.Thest
rategyhastwomainideas.Oneisataxonfoodwithsaltandsugar.Theme
diacalledthisa"snacktax".Thesecondoneistogivepoorerpeoplefreeve
getables.MrDimblebywarnedthatwhatweeat,andhowitisproduced,is
doing"terribledamage"totheenvironmentandourhealth.Poordietlea
dstomanydeathsandputsalotofpressureonhospitals.TheUK'sPrimeM
inisterBorisJohnsonisnothappywiththestrategy.Hedoesnotliketheideao
f"extrataxesonhard-workingpeople".Hesaidthestrategycouldinc
reasethepriceofsnackfoodbyupto13percent.Headdedthatthebestwa
ytotackleobesitywasforpeopletoexerciseandeatlessjunkfood.MrDim
blebysaid:"Withtherightleadershipfromgovernment,itiswellwithino
urpowertochangethesystemsoitmakesbothusandtheplanethealthie
r."Headdedthatthecountryhadtobuildabetterfoodsystem"forourchil
drenandgrandchildren".

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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