From www.handoutsonline.

com

Handouts Online

Warm Up
Do you have a sweet tooth? How often do you eat sugary foods?

Before you read.

1.
2.
3.

Guess the answers to these questions.

How much sugar should men and women eat each day?
How much sugar do people in the USA / UK eat each day?
How much sugar is there in a standard low-fat yogurt?

Reading

Read the text. Fill in the spaces with a word from the box below.

t has been described as the health epidemic of the 21st century. The dangers are so

high, that leading doctors in Europe and North America are calling on governments to
regulate its availability. The product in question is sugar, and it seems to have taken

over from fat as public enemy number one in the eyes of some health-workers.
1

Sugar intake has reached ........................ levels, and there is little sign that our desire for

sweetness is on the wane. So popular is sugar that it is being described as a drug which is
as dangerous as nicotine or alcohol.
We are all familiar with the amount of sugar found in soft drinks. However, the use of high
levels of sugar is common in a wide range of foodstuffs. Products that are labeled low fat or
fat free may well have high levels of sugar. A typical fat free yogurt can have over 20g of

10

sugar (five teaspoons) in a regular ........................ .

Governments around the world have not reached a consensus on how much sugar is
acceptable in our diet. The American Heart Association recommends a maximum of nine
teaspoons per day for men, or six for women. Currently, a typical American consumes
15

twenty-two teaspoons of sugar. In the UK, the figure stands at eighteen.

There have been calls for governments to pass legislation to reduce the level of sugar
3

consumption. One suggestion is a 'sugar ........................'. Other ideas include forcing food
manufacturers to reduce the amount of refined sugars used in their products, and banning
commercials for sugar-laden foods. However, many commentators argue that it is up to the
consumer, rather than the state, to make decisions about how much sugar to consume.

20

There seems to be little disagreement over the ........................ of the problem, however. It is
sobering thought that for the first time, the younger generation may live less than their
parents.

Missing Words
From www.handoutsonline.com

Page 1

PHOTOCOPIABLE

From www.handoutsonline.com

Vocabulary

Handouts Online

Match the two halves of the collocations.

public enemy

the wane

to be on

laden

to reach

thought

to pass

number one

sugar

a consensus

a sobering

legislation

Vocabulary #2

Rewrite the sentences using a collocation from exercise four.

1.

It makes you think that life expectancy is falling in some countries.

2.

Should the government make a new law to reduce the amount of sugar in food?

3.

Bob eats far too much food containing lots of sugar.

4.

The board of directors have all agreed on what to do next year.

5.

TV viewing is decreasing because of the popularity of the Internet and video games.

6.

According to the tabloids, that soap star is very unpopular.

True or False?

Find evidence in the text to support or refute these sentences.

1.

People are eating more sugar than ever before.

2.

Some doctors think that sugar is a bigger problem than fat.

3.

Fat-free products don't contain much sugar.

4.

There are international agreements on the amount of sugar we should consume.

5.

Most people think that sugar is a serious problem.

Discussion

Ask your partner(s) these questions. Ask follow-up questions!

Do you agree that people eat too much sugar on a daily basis?

How have eating habits changed in the last 25 or 50 years?

In the last 24 hours, have you been eating healthily?

What do you think about the idea of a sugar tax?

Do you eat artificial sweeteners? Can you taste the difference compared to real sugar?

Your ideas!

From www.handoutsonline.com

Page 2

PHOTOCOPIABLE

From www.handoutsonline.com

Target Structure:
Vocabulary:
Level:
Time:
Preparation:

Handouts Online

Reading and Discussion

General
Upper Intermediate to Advanced
1 hour, depending on discussion
None

Suggested Teaching Method

There have been a number of stories in the media recently about the dangers of sugar in our diet. Do we
realize how much sugar we are consuming? Should the government pass laws to force food
manufacturers to lower sugar levels?
This worksheet has a gap-fill reading, collocation exercises and lots of discussion questions.

Give one set of worksheets to each student. Direct their attention to the title. Can they explain 'a sweet tooth'?
Have the class speculate on what the reading is about.
Students can then discuss the opening question with a partner. Elicit some feedback. Don't spend too long here,
as there are discussion questions at the end of the lesson.

Students should ask and answer the questions with a partner. Explain that they should guess the answers. Elicit
some example answers. Don't give out the actual answers, as this will be part of the reading task.
Students should work alone for this exercise. Direct their attention to the four words in the box. You could elicit the
meaning of gravity or point out that it is not 'things dropping' in this context.
Students should read at a brisk pace. If there are any parts they do not understand, it is better to underline and
check later, rather than consult a dictionary. While reading, they should fill in the blanks with a word from the box.
When finished, students can check their answers in pairs to both the gap fill and the prediction questions from
exercise two. Go through the answers with the group.

Students can work in pairs. Go through the answers with the group, adding more explanation where necessary.

Elicit the answer to the first sentence from a confident student. Students can then work in pairs. Go through the
answers with the class.

Students can work in pairs. Elicit the answer to the first statement, making sure that the student quotes the
supporting evidence from the text. ('Sugar intake has reached record levels.')
Leave plenty of time for class discussion. To maximize student talking time, its best to put students in pairs, or
small groups. Assign new pairs, if possible. Students should read all the questions first, before beginning the
discussion.
While the students are speaking, monitor the conversations, but try not to interrupt. When the discussion comes to
a close, ask a few of the questions yourself, and go through any points of English you made a note of while
monitoring.

From www.handoutsonline.com

Page 3

PHOTOCOPIABLE

From www.handoutsonline.com

Handouts Online

Answer Key (Other answers are possible for some exercises.)

1. record

3. tax

4. gravity

1.

How much sugar should men and women eat each day?

2.
3.

How much sugar do people in the USA / UK eat each day?

How much sugar is there in a standard low-fat yogurt?

2. serving

public enemy
to be on
to reach
to pass
sugar
a sobering

nine teaspoons / men (36 g)

six teaspoons / women (24 g)
22 teaspoons (US) / 18 teaspoons (UK)
five teaspoons (20 g)

number one
the wane
a consensus
legislation
laden
thought

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

It's a sobering thought that life expectancy is falling in some countries.

Should the government pass legislation to reduce the amount of sugar in food?
Bob eats far too much sugar-laden food.
The board of directors have reached a consensus on what to do next year.
TV viewing is on the wane because of the popularity of the Internet and video games.
According to the tabloids, that soap star is public enemy number one.

1.
2.
3.
4.

People are eating more sugar than ever before. True: Sugar intake has reached record levels.
Some doctors think that sugar is a bigger problem than fat. True: Sugar...has taken over from fat as public...
Fat-free products don't contain much sugar. False: Fat free may well have high levels of sugar...
There are international agreements on the amount of sugar we should consume. False: ...governments ...
have not reached a consensus...
Most people think that sugar is a serious problem. True: 'there seems to be little disagreement over the
gravity of the problem...'

5.

How are we doing?

Have you taught this lesson? We'd be very pleased to hear your comments.
Send your feedback to editor@handoutsonline.com.
If you would like the latest information on our worksheets, please subscribe to our newsletter.

07162014

From www.handoutsonline.com

Page 4

PHOTOCOPIABLE