READING COMPREHENSION

EXERCISES
INSTRUCTIONS: Write your name and chose just one article, read it and answer the questions.
(escribe tu nombre, escoge solo un articulo, leelo y responde las preguntas, marca con una X roja
la respuesta que creas correcta).

Are celebrities bad for you?

Celebrities are everywhere nowadays: on TV, in magazines, online. Is this preoccupation with
famous people harmless fun or is it bad for us? How many people are truly obsessed with modern
media idols? And on the other side of the coin, can fame be harmful to the celebrities?
Studies suggest that the vast majority of teenagers do not really worship celebrities. Researchers
have identified three kinds of fans. About 15% of young people have an ‘entertainment-social’
interest. They love chatting about their favourite celebrities with friends and this does not appear
to do any harm.
Another 5% feel that they have an ‘intense-personal’ relationship with a celebrity. Sometimes they
see them as their soulmate and find that they are often thinking about them, even when they
don’t want to. These people are more at risk from depression and anxiety. If girls in this group
idolise a female star with a body they consider to be perfect, they are more likely to be unhappy
with their own bodies.
That leaves 2% of young people with a ‘borderline-pathological’ interest. They might say, for
example, they would spend several thousand pounds on a paper plate the celebrity had used, or
that they would do something illegal if the celebrity asked them to. These people are in most
danger of being seriously disturbed.
What about the celebrities themselves? A study in the USA tried to measure narcissism or extreme
self-centredness, when feelings of worthlessness and invisibility are compensated for by turning
into the opposite: excessive showing off. Researchers looked at 200 celebrities, 200 young adults
with Masters in Business Administration (a group known for being narcissistic) and a nationally
representative sample using the same questionnaire. As was expected, the celebrities were
significantly more narcissistic than the MBAs and both groups were a lot more narcissistic than the
general population.
Four kinds of celebrity were included in the sample. The most narcissistic were the ones who had
become famous through reality TV shows – they scored highest on vanity and willingness to
exploit other people. Next came comedians, who scored highest on exhibitionism and feelings of
superiority. Then came actors, and the least narcissistic were musicians. One interesting result was
that there was no connection between narcissism and the length of time the celebrity had been
famous. This means that becoming famous probably did not make the celebrities narcissistic –
they already were beforehand.
So, what can we learn from this? People who are very successful or famous tend to be narcissists
and are liable to be ruthless, self-seeking workaholics. As we can see from celebrity magazines,
they are also often desperate and lonely. They make disastrous role models.
1. The article is about whether celebrity culture is harmful, for either the public or the
celebrities themselves.

True
False

2. 15% of teenagers have an interest in celebrities that probably isn’t a cause for concern.

True
False

3. Young people who feel they have an ‘intense-personal’ relationship with a celebrity do not
experience any negative consequences related to it.

True
False

4. A study found that celebrities were more self-centred than business administration masters
students.

True
False

5. Celebrities from reality TV were found to be the most vain and exploitative.

True
False

6. Actors were the least self-obsessed group of celebrities.

True
False

7. The research concluded that the experience of being a celebrity made people more narcissistic
than they were previously.

True
False

8. The author says that celebrities tend to exhibit negative qualities and are therefore not good
role models.

True
False

9. In your opinión, is the tittle apropiate for this article? Why?

10.What other tittle would you use to name the article? Why?

Are zoos a good thing?

Zoos are hugely popular attractions for adults and children alike. But are they actually a
good thing?
Critics of zoos would argue that animals often suffer physically and mentally by being
enclosed. Even the best artificial environments can’t come close to matching the space,
diversity, and freedom that animals have in their natural habitats. This deprivation causes
many zoo animals to become stressed or mentally ill. Capturing animals in the wild also
causes much suffering by splitting up families. Some zoos make animals behave
unnaturally: for example, marine parks often force dolphins and whales to perform tricks.
These mammals may die decades earlier than their wild relatives, and some even try to
commit suicide.
On the other hand, by bringing people and animals together, zoos have the potential to
educate the public about conservation issues and inspire people to protect animals and
their habitats. Some zoos provide a safe environment for animals which have been
mistreated in circuses, or pets which have been abandoned. Zoos also carry out important
research into subjects like animal behaviour and how to treat illnesses.
One of the most important modern functions of zoos is supporting international breeding
programmes, particularly for endangered species. In the wild, some of the rarest species
have difficulty in finding mates and breeding, and they might also be threatened by
poachers, loss of their habitat and predators. A good zoo will enable these species to live
and breed in a secure environment. In addition, as numbers of some wild species drop,
there is an increased danger of populations becoming too genetically similar. Breeding
programmes provide a safeguard: zoo-bred animals can be released into the wild to
increase genetic diversity.
However, opponents of zoos say that the vast majority of captive breeding programmes do
not release animals back into the wild. Surplus animals are sold not only to other zoos but
also to circuses or hunting ranches in the US or South Africa, where some people are
willing to pay a lot of money for the chance to kill an animal in a fenced enclosure. Often,
these animals are familiar with humans and have very little chance of escaping.
So, are zoos good for animals or not? Perhaps it all depends on how well individual zoos
are managed, and the benefits of zoos can surely outweigh their harmful effects. However,
it is understandable that many people believe imprisoning animals for any reason is simply
wrong.
 1. Modern zoos can offer animals a living environment that is as good as their natural
hábitats
True
False

2. One of the reasons zoo animals become distressed is because they are separated
from their families.
True
False

3. Dolphins and whales usually live longer in zoos than in the wild.
True
False

4. People who have visited zoos are more likely to support animal conservation and
protection.

True
False

5. Zoos protect animals from being used for scientific research.

True
False

6. Endangered animals kept in zoos are less likely to meet a mate and breed.
True
False

7. In their natural habitats, animals suffer problems related to human activity.

True
False

8. Endangered species often lack genetic diversity in their population.

True
False

9. Zoos promote genetic diversity by breeding animals and then releasing them back
into the wild.
True
False

10. If zoos have more animals than they can look after, they always give them to another
zoo or release them back into the wild.
True
False

The principles of the New High Protein Diet

 

This diet is the most effective way of losing body fat. Remember, if we go on a starvation
diet, we lose weight but not much fat. In starvation mode, we use up our energy stores of
carbohydrate first (in the form of a substance called glycogen). However, the body can
store only a little glycogen, and this is used up within two days. Then we start breaking
down fat and protein. But we can’t afford to lose body proteins: our muscle mass
decreases, we become noticeably weaker, and our immunity is compromised because the
lack of protective immunoglobulin proteins means we are subject to an increased risk of
infection. Not good!

Sure, we look slimmer, and we certainly weigh less, but we are weaker and becoming
unhealthy. There is no point in dieting if it’s going to make us ill. And, of course, because
we need our muscles, when we even slightly stray from the diet, our bodies immediately
rebuild muscle and we regain all of the ‘lost’ weight very quickly. Yet another diet fails –
because it was never going to work in the first place. And we have succeeded in making
ourselves considerably less healthy in the process. Not only have we gone through a
period of reduced immunity and a lack of proteins, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and
other essential nutrients, there is evidence that so-called ‘yo-yo’ dieting of this nature is
detrimental to health in the longer term.

Quite simply, we are going to virtually eliminate all refined carbohydrates and sugars
(which are also carbohydrates), leaving us with a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet. Of
course, you may have heard of high-protein diets before, and they all failed because the
carbohydrates were not restricted. Remember, unless you switch off the mechanism to
make fat, and switch on the mechanism to burn fat, it is very difficult to lose body fat. On
this diet, you will be cutting out virtually all refined carbohydrates so that body fat is burned
preferentially, to provide energy. Sugar, starch, white flour, cakes, bread, pasta and rice
are the usual culprits. These foods have very little nutritional value and, what’s more, can
cause medical and fat problems. Of course, there are forms of these carbohydrates – such
as wholemeal rice, wholemeal bread and wholemeal pastas – that do have nutritional
benefits and which you can reintroduce later, but in the initial stage of the diet, you have to
reduce all carbohydrates, to switch on the fat-burning mechanism.

You should definitely cut out all pasta, rice, cakes and biscuits, and stick to a maximum of
one slice of bread per day. Your body will rapidly adjust to a healthy, high-protein, low-
carbohydrate diet, and will burn body fat. The bottom line is that you don’t need refined
carbohydrates and processed sugars. These foods provide energy and no other form of
essential nutrition – and when you eat more than the energy you can use immediately the
rest is stored as fat. One point to be aware of is that refined carbohydrates can appear in
many unexpected sources. You probably know that bread, cakes, pastries, biscuits, pies,
pizzas, potato crisps and fried potato chips all contain refined carbohydrates, but pasta,
rice, most breakfast cereals, most tinned foods, many pre-packaged foods, tinned
vegetables, tinned soups, and prepared sauces do as well… In fact the list goes on and
on. Virtually all ‘fast foods’ contain very high proportion of refined carbohydrates – as well
as hydrogenated fats – and if your diet is high in refined carbohydrates and hydrogenated
fats, you will definitely put on weight. If you’re worried that by cutting out refined
carbohydrates you’ll have virtually no foods left to choose from, fear not. In fact, high-
protein and nutritious foods such as meat, poultry, fish, shellfish and eggs are all open to
you, along with vegetables, cheese, spices and herbs, from which you can easily produce
delicious, healthy and quick meals. You’ll be relieved to hear that you don’t have to live on
a diet of lettuce and tomato. On the contrary, you will be eating virtually limitless; quantities
of very tasty food complemented by delicious sauces and dressings: in other words, real
food!
What about fats in your diet? I’ve advised you to cut out refined carbohydrates and eat a
high-protein diet, but what about the amount of fat you consume? This is going to seem a
strange thing to say, and it’s against all of the dietary advice you’ve been given in the past,
but if you follow the principles of this diet carefully, you don’t need worry about how much
fat you’re consuming. No, I have not gone mad, and I’m certainly not advocating a high-fat
diet, but most of the ‘bad’ fats are actually integrated into the sugary, starchy foods you
have already excluded, and you will naturally avoid them when you stop eating these
foods. So by excluding the refined carbohydrates, you have excluded the ‘bad’ fats from
your diet at a single stroke.

1. Starvation diets

a.are good because you lose a lot of fat and proteins.

b.are harmful because of the loss of body proteins.
c.help us reduce muscle mass but without causing further problems.

2. If we fail to follow this starvation diet strictly,

a.we become really muscular.

b.we become weaker.
c.we put on weight fast again.

3. When people follow a starvation diet,

a.they become vulnerable to diseases.

b.they put their health at stake on the spot.
c.they run the risk of immediate health problems.

4. In a high protein diet, carbohydrates

a.are banned, although they are considered beneficial.

b.are used as a primary source of energy.
c.can be consumed only under certain circumstances

5. The problem with carbohydrates is that

a.if their intake is not used up what is left turns into fat
b.it is difficult to stop eating them.
c.your body doesn’t adjust easily when you don’t eat them.
6. Following the new high protein diet

a.you can have/make delicious dishes.

b.you can only eat meat, poultry, fish, shellfish and eggs.
c.you have to weigh all the protein you have.

7. The new high protein diet

a.does not include any kind of fat.

b.fosters the consumption of sugary foods.
c.prohibits you to have refined carbohydrates

8.In your opinión, is the tittle apropiate for this article? Why?

9. What other tittle would you use to name the article? Why?