The Reading / Listening - Bamboo Superfood - Level 2

Many websites have information about superfoods. These are good for our health. The latest superfood being discussed is bamboo shoots. Scientists tried to find out how good they are for us. They said the shoots can be beneficial to our well-being. They are low in calories and high in fibre. This helps with digestion and weight control. They are also full of vitamins and minerals. Bamboo contains magnesium and potassium, which help to control sugar levels and blood pressure. However, raw bamboo shoots contain toxins and must be cooked before eating.

The scientists are from a university in the UK. The lead author said: "Our review shows bamboo's clear promise as a possible superfood." Bamboo is eaten in parts of Asia. It is spreading to many dinner tables worldwide. Most of us know what bamboo looks like. It is the world's tallest grass. It can grow up to 90 cm a day. There are around 1,400 species of bamboo. However, people may not know that bamboo shoots are harvested as they emerge from the ground. This is when they are still soft to eat. We do not eat the hard, woody stalks. These are popular with pandas.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Bamboo Superfood - Level 0 Bamboo Superfood - Level 1   or  Bamboo Superfood - Level 3

Sources
  • https://scitechdaily.com/this-unexpected-plant-could-be-the-next-superfood/
  • https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/scientists-discover-superfood-potential-overlooked-vegetable-most-americans-cant-prepare
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773139125000898


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. These are good for
  2. find out how good they
  3. the shoots can be beneficial
  4. They are low in calories
  5. weight
  6. blood
  7. raw bamboo shoots contain
  8. must be cooked
  1. before eating
  2. to our well-being
  3. control
  4. toxins
  5. our health
  6. are for us
  7. pressure
  8. and high in fibre

Paragraph 2

  1. lead
  2. spreading to many dinner
  3. It is the world's
  4. around 1,400
  5. bamboo shoots are
  6. as they emerge from
  7. they are still soft to
  8. These are popular
  1. harvested
  2. eat
  3. tables worldwide
  4. with pandas
  5. tallest grass
  6. species of bamboo
  7. the ground
  8. author

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Many websites have information about superfoods. These are good (1) _________________________________________________. The latest superfood being discussed is bamboo shoots. Scientists tried to find out how good they are for us. They said the shoots (2) _________________________________________________ to our well-being. They are low in calories and high in fibre. This (3) _________________________________________________ and weight control. They are also full of (4) _________________________________________________. Bamboo contains magnesium and potassium, which (5) _________________________________________________ sugar levels and blood pressure. However, raw bamboo shoots contain (6) _________________________________________________ be cooked before eating.

The scientists are from a university in the UK. (7) _________________________________________________ said: "Our review shows bamboo's clear promise as a possible superfood." Bamboo (8) _________________________________________________ parts of Asia. It is spreading to many (9) _________________________________________________. Most of us know what bamboo looks like. It is the world's tallest grass. It can grow up to 90 cm a day. There are around 1,400 species of bamboo. However, people may not know that bamboo shoots (10) _________________________________________________ they emerge from the ground. This is when they are (11) _________________________________________________ eat. We do not eat the (12) _________________________________________________. These are popular with pandas.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Manywebsiteshaveinformationaboutsuperfoods.Thesearegoodforo
urhealth.Thelatestsuperfoodbeingdiscussedisbambooshoots.Scient
iststriedtofindouthowgoodtheyareforus.Theysaidtheshootscanbebe
neficialtoourwell-being.Theyarelowincaloriesandhighinfibre.Thishel
pswithdigestionandweightcontrol.Theyarealsofullofvitaminsandmin
erals.Bamboocontainsmagnesiumandpotassium,whichhelptocontr
olsugarlevelsandbloodpressure.However,rawbambooshootscontain
toxinsandmustbecookedbeforeeating.Thescientistsarefromauniver
sityintheUK.Theleadauthorsaid:"Ourreviewshowsbamboo'sclearpro
miseasapossiblesuperfood."BambooiseateninpartsofAsia.Itissprea
dingtomanydinnertablesworldwide.Mostofusknowwhatbamboolook
slike.Itistheworld'stallestgrass.Itcangrowupto90cmaday.Thereare
around1,400speciesofbamboo.However,peoplemaynotknowthatba
mbooshootsareharvestedastheyemergefromtheground.Thisiswhen
theyarestillsofttoeat.Wedonoteatthehard,woodystalks.Thesearepo
pularwithpandas.

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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