The Reading / Listening - Obesity - Level 4

The World Obesity Federation (WOF) has warned that half of us will be obese or overweight by 2035. In just over a decade, more than four billion people will be overweight. There are over a billion obese people in the world today. The WHO defines obesity as "abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health". A body mass index (BMI) over 30 is obese. One medical association classed obesity as a disease; others say it is a pandemic.

The WOF wants immediate action to prevent a bigger crisis. It said obesity was "particularly worrying". It urged governments to act and address the root causes so younger generations would not have to pay higher healthcare costs. The causes include an increase in the popularity of processed foods, falling levels of exercise, and a lack of health education. The WOF wants less marketing of food that has high fat and sugar content, and healthier food in schools.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Obesity - Level 5 or  Obesity - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-64831848
  • https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/02/more-than-half-of-humans-on-track-to-be-overweight-or-obese-by-2035-report
  • https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3881302-more-than-half-the-global-population-will-be-overweight-or-obese-by-2035-report/


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. half of us will
  2. In just over
  3. four billion people will be
  4. abnormal or excessive fat
  5. a risk
  6. body mass
  7. One medical association classed
  8. others say it is a
  1. obesity as a disease
  2. accumulation
  3. pandemic
  4. index
  5. overweight
  6. be obese
  7. to health
  8. a decade

Paragraph 2

  1. The WOF wants immediate
  2. prevent a bigger
  3. obesity was particularly
  4. address the root
  5. younger
  6. the popularity of processed
  7. food that has high fat and
  8. healthier food
  1. causes
  2. sugar content
  3. foods
  4. crisis
  5. in schools
  6. generations
  7. action
  8. worrying

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The World Obesity Federation (WOF) (1) ___________________ half of us will be obese or overweight by 2035. In just (2) ___________________, more than four billion people will be overweight. There are over a billion obese people in the world today. The WHO (3) ___________________ "abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a (4) ___________________ ". A body mass index (BMI) over 30 is obese. (5) ___________________ classed obesity as a disease; others say it (6) ___________________.

The WOF wants immediate (7) ___________________ a bigger crisis. It said obesity was "particularly worrying". It (8) ___________________ act and address the root causes (9) ___________________ would not have to pay higher healthcare costs. The (10) ___________________ increase in the popularity of processed foods, falling (11) ___________________, and a lack of health education. The WOF wants less marketing of food that has high fat (12) ___________________, and healthier food in schools.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheWorldObesityFederation(WOF)haswarnedthathalfofuswillbeobe
seoroverweightby2035.Injustoveradecade,morethanfourbillionpeo
plewillbeoverweight.Thereareoverabillionobesepeopleintheworldto
day.TheWHOdefinesobesityas"abnormalorexcessivefataccumulatio
nthatpresentsarisktohealth".Abodymassindex(BMI)over30isobese.
Onemedicalassociationclassedobesityasadisease;otherssayitisapan
demic.TheWOFwantsimmediateactiontopreventabiggercrisis.Itsaid
obesitywas"particularlyworrying".Iturgedgovernmentstoactandadd
resstherootcausessoyoungergenerationswouldnothavetopayhigher
healthcarecosts.Thecausesincludeanincreaseinthepopularityofproc
essedfoods,fallinglevelsofexercise,andalackofhealtheducation.The
WOFwantslessmarketingoffoodthathashighfatandsugarcontent,an
dhealthierfoodinschools.

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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