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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

A NEW YEARS
RESOLUTION

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1 Warm up

Did you make any resolutions for the New Year?

2 Key words

Match the terms on the left with the definitions on the right.

1. impact a. achieving maximum productivity

2. in excess b. a number or range of things of the same general class

3. variety c. a signal for action

4. evident d. clearly seen or obvious

5. impair e. drinking, eating, or using something

6. efficient f. more than necessary

7. cue g. to damage or spoil

8. consumption h. to have a strong effect on someone or something

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A NEW YEARS RESOLUTION

3 Before you read

Try to answer each question below. In pairs, compare and discuss your answers. Then read the
article to discover the impact of your partner’s and your own drinking/smoking habits according to
researchers from Northumbria University in the United Kingdom.

1. How much alcohol do you drink per week?

a. I never drink b. 1-2 drinks c. 3-5 drinks d. 6+ drinks

2. How often do you smoke cigarettes or other nicotine products?

a. every day b. twice a week c. hardly ever d. I don’t smoke

3. What do you think are the long-term effects of drinking and smoking too much?

a. loss of balance b. frequent flu c. a rash d. memory loss

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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)
A NEW YEARS RESOLUTION
Do you always forget about your New Year’s resolutions?
Smoking and drinking could be why
1.
Given that the New Year is just around the corner,
now might be a good time to come up with a
resolution to reduce alcohol consumption or stop
smoking, or both. Considering that you’ll remember
it, of course.
2.
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol together with
smoking cigarettes could have a negative impact on
your memory. In fact, the harm of consuming both of
these substances simultaneously is greater than the
use of either one alone.
3.
Prior research has established that drinking alcohol in
excess (more than 14 units* a week, or binge drinking
in excess of six units for females and eight for males
in a single session) and smoking is associated with a
variety of negative health and memory outcomes.
4.
One part of our memory that’s negatively affected is
prospective memory. Prospective memory involves
planning and remembering future activities, such as
remembering to meet with friends at a specific place
or time, or remembering to take medication on time.
5.
Excessive alcohol use can damage your memory. In
one study, when participants were asked to carry
out specific tasks, binge drinkers remembered to
perform fewer actions than those who didn’t binge
drink. A similar pattern is evident in smokers. Regular
daily smokers remember to carry out fewer memory
actions, compared with those who’ve never smoked.
6.
Not only does drinking excessively and smoking
impair your memory when used separately, they
intensify the effect when used together. Smoking
worsens memory in those who drink alcohol in
excess. Those who both drink and smoke have more
memory issues, reduced ability to think quickly and
efficiently and greater issues with problem solving.
These people experience a decrease of brain tissue in
the frontal region of the brain. The prefrontal cortex
is responsible for short- and long-term memory.
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7.
As people tend to smoke while drinking alcohol,
we investigated the combined effect of these two
substances on prospective memory. To do this we
recruited four groups: excessive drinkers who do
not smoke; smokers who do not drink excessively;
people who both smoke and drink excessively (the
polydrug group); and a low-alcohol, non-smoking
control group.
8.
Participants were tested on their ability to remember
six actions. For three of these, the participant
was asked to perform a task at a specific time (for
example: "In seven minutes, I would like you to
change the pen you’re using"). For the other three
actions participants were asked to carry out a task
in response to a cue (for example, "When you come
to a quiz question about ‘Eastenders’ (a popular TV
show in the U.K.), I’d like you to give me this book").
Participants were asked to remember these while
completing a set of puzzles.
9.
Our analysis of the results showed that the polydrug
group (people who both smoke and drink excessively)
had more problems than the excessive drinkers
and smokers combined. This suggests that there’s
something that happens when using both of these
substances, which negatively impacts our memory.
10.
This discovery is important because it highlights that
our memory may be influenced by the combination
of excessive drinking and cigarette smoking. It’s
our hope that the findings uncovered here will help
improve our understanding about the dangers of
drinking and smoking in relation to everyday memory,
in this case prospective memory.
11.
If you’re thinking what your New Year’s resolution
should be this year, why not quit booze or cigarettes.
You might even want to consider giving up both.
*A unit of alcohol (UK) = 10ml of pure alcohol. Adapted
from The Conversation, January 2nd, 2017 by Anna-
Marie Marshall, C. Hamilton and T. Heffernan
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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

A NEW YEARS RESOLUTION

4 Checking understanding

Answer the questions.

1. According to the article what is ‘prospective memory’ responsible for?

...............................................................................................
2. Which four groups were chosen for the study about the effects of alcohol and smoking on memory?
...............................................................................................
3. What were the participants tested on?
...............................................................................................
4. Who belongs to the ‘polydrug group’?
...............................................................................................
5. What does the research say about our prospective memory?
...............................................................................................
6. What does the author suggest we give up for the New Year?
...............................................................................................

5 Find the words

Find words or phrases in the text which mean ...

1. very near (phrase, P.1)

2. done or happening at the same time (adverb, P.2)
3. previous (adjective, P.3)
4. consuming too much alcohol in a short period of time (phrase, P.3)
5. connected (adjective, P.3)
6. perform an action (phrasal verb, P.5)
7. make stronger or more extreme (verb, P.6)
8. the ability to remember for a long time into the future (phrase, P.6)
9. alcohol (informal noun, P.11)

6 Talking point

Discuss the questions below in pairs or small groups.

1. How does alcohol change people’s behavior?

2. What part do alcohol and cigarettes play in the culture of your country?
3. What kinds of social problems does alcohol cause in your country?

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