The Reading / Listening - Intermittent Fasting - Level 4

The Internet is full of diets. In recent years, a lot has been written about intermittent fasting. This is only eating inside an 8-hour window. Supporters of this say it improves metabolism. However, a new study has cast doubt on its merits. Researchers in China said people who restricted their eating to eight hours a day faced a 91 per cent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases than those who spread their eating over a 12-16 hour period.

The researchers used data from 20,000 adults over a six-year period. The lead researcher said: "We were surprised to find that people who followed…a time-restricted eating schedule were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease." He encouraged people to take "a cautious…approach to dietary recommendations". The Mayo Clinic says fasting has been popular for over 1,500 years, but advised it is safer to consult healthcare specialists.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Intermittent Fasting - Level 5 or  Intermittent Fasting - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0l6ye6xe12o
  • https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/intermittent-fasting-may-be-effective-for-weight-loss-cardiometabolic-health/
  • https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-is-intermittent-fasting-a-helpful-practice-or-health-risk/


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. The Internet
  2. a lot has
  3. eating inside an
  4. Supporters
  5. it improves
  6. cast doubt
  7. people who restricted
  8. eating over a 12-16
  1. their eating
  2. 8-hour window
  3. hour period
  4. metabolism
  5. on its merits
  6. is full of diets
  7. of this
  8. been written

Paragraph 2

  1. researchers used data
  2. over a
  3. We were surprised
  4. a time-restricted
  5. encouraged people to take a
  6. dietary
  7. fasting has been popular for
  8. safer to consult healthcare
  1. over 1,500 years
  2. to find that
  3. specialists
  4. six-year period
  5. recommendations
  6. from 20,000 adults
  7. cautious approach
  8. eating schedule

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The Internet is (1) ________________________________________________. In recent years, a lot has been written about intermittent fasting. This (2) ________________________________________________ inside an 8-hour window. Supporters of this say (3) ________________________________________________. However, a new study has (4) ________________________________________________ its merits. Researchers in China said people who restricted their eating to eight hours a day faced a 91 per cent higher (5) ________________________________________________ from cardiovascular diseases than those who spread their (6) ________________________________________________ 12-16 hour period.

The researchers (7) ________________________________________________ 20,000 adults over a six-year period. The lead researcher said: "We were (8) ________________________________________________ that people who followed...a time-restricted eating schedule were (9) ________________________________________________ die from cardiovascular disease." He encouraged people to (10) ________________________________________________ approach to dietary recommendations". The Mayo Clinic says fasting has been (11) ________________________________________________ 1,500 years, but advised it is (12) ________________________________________________ healthcare specialists.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheInternetisfullofdiets.Inrecentyears,alothasbeenwrittenaboutint
ermittentfasting.Thisisonlyeatinginsidean8-hourwindow.Supporte
rsofthissayitimprovesmetabolism.However,anewstudyhascastdoub
tonitsmerits.ResearchersinChinasaidpeoplewhorestrictedtheireatin
gtoeighthoursadayfaceda91percenthigherriskofdyingfromcardiova
sculardiseasesthanthosewhospreadtheireatingovera12-16hourperi
od.Theresearchersuseddatafrom20,000adultsoverasix-yearperiod
.Theleadresearchersaid:"Weweresurprisedtofindthatpeoplewhofoll
owed...atime-restrictedeatingscheduleweremorelikelytodiefromc
ardiovasculardisease."Headdedencouragedpeopletotake"acautious
...approachtodietaryrecommendations".TheMayoClinicsaysfasting
hasbeenpopularforover1,500years,butadviseditissafertoconsulthe
althcarespecialists.

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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