EXERCISE SHEET

23.04.22

A. EXTENSIVE READING - OBESITY CAUSES & SOLUTIONS

Fill in each gap with a word from the list above each paragraph.

watershed | obesity-related ill-health | ban | tackle | “bombarded”

Ministers have been warned that their efforts to 1. ………………………….. Britain’s obesity crisis are likely to
fail because the public are constantly 2. ………………………….. by unhealthy food options.

Britain has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe, with two in three adults overweight or obese and the
NHS spending £6bn a year treating 3. ………………………….., a figure that is forecast to rise to £10bn a year
by 2050. The government has announced plans to introduce a 9pm 4. ………………………….. on TV and a 5.
………………………….. on paid-for advertising online for unhealthy food and drink, plus new restrictions on
the 6. ………………………….. of unhealthy food and drink in retail outlets and online.

engaging | access | wider | unplanned | high | available | efforts | triggered | food

environment

However, a damning 28-page report, commissioned by the government’s own obesity research unit and
seen by the Guardian, warns that these 7. ………………………….. will fail unless much 8. …………………………..
action is urgently taken to transform the entire 9. ………………………….. .

The review, by the Centre for Food Policy at London’s City University, found that easy 10.
………………………….. to and availability of unhealthy food 24 hours a day across the UK makes losing weight
“difficult” for millions of people who are trying. “People 11. ………………………….. in weight management
reported eating more, simply because food was always easily 12. ………………………….. and this close and
constant exposure 13. ………………………….. them to want food more often,” the review found.

“People also reported that being met everywhere with promotions made it very difficult not to think about
food or make 14. ………………………….. purchases of HFSS [15. ………………………….. in fat, salt or sugar]
food.”

thwarted | limited | well-designed | keep | unhealthy food options | long-term | appealing |

encounter | willpower

Even Britons who are “trying really hard” to lose weight are being “16. ………………………….. in their efforts”
because of the amount of unhealthy food they 17. ………………………….. each day. City University’s experts
undertook the review for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) obesity policy research unit,
which commissions independent research to inform ministers.

The review concludes that even 18. ………………………….. weight management services will only have a “19.
………………………….. impact” on Britain’s 20. ………………………….. efforts to promote and maintain weight
loss if ministers fail to improve the food environment at the same time.

Kimberley Neve, the lead author of the review, said: “This review highlights not only how difficult it is to
lose weight in Britain, and 21. ………………………….. it off, but also that it’s not just about 22.
………………………….. or self-control: even people trying really hard are thwarted in their efforts by 23.

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………………………….. that are everywhere – they’re easy to find, cheap to buy, quick and 24.
………………………….. .”

relatively lower | outlets | management | exposed | work spaces | abundant | work on |

individual | dense | flooded | built into | poor | offer |income

The review found that the 25. ………………………….. cost of unhealthy food options made weight 26.
………………………….. “particularly difficult” for people on a low 27. ………………………….., with unhealthy
food more likely to be promoted and on 28. ………………………….. in shops and supermarkets.

Britain must “steer changes” in the food environment if it is to become healthier, she said. “Cinemas,
leisure and activity centres, hospitals, 29. ………………………….., supermarkets and food 30.
………………………….. all need to 31. ………………………….. offering and promoting tasty healthier choices.”

Caroline Cerny, the alliance lead at the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA), said the review showed Britain’s
obesity crisis was “far less a problem of 32. ………………………….. behaviour and lack of willpower” and “far
more about the environments around us”. She added: “The UK’s health problems reflect an environment
that is 33. ………………………….. with unhealthy food and drinks.”

A separate report by the OHA published earlier this year said Britons are 34. ………………………….. to an
“obesogenic environment” from birth, “one in which calorie-35. ………………………….., nutrient-36.
………………………….. food is accessible, 37. ………………………….., affordable and normalised and where
physical activity opportunities are not 38. ………………………….. everyday life.”

strategy | invested | management | address | restricting | paid-for | incentivise |

mandatory | levies

“Government attempts to 39. ………………………….. this with new restrictions on junk food marketing in
2022 are a positive first step,” said Cerny. “But we need much more, including 40. ………………………….. on
the food industry to 41. ………………………….. them to produce healthier products.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “As part of our obesity 42.
………………………….. to get the nation fit and healthy, we are introducing 43. ………………………….. calorie
labelling in large restaurants, cafes and takeaways, 44. ………………………….. advertising of foods high in fat,
salt and sugar being shown on TV before 9pm and in 45. ………………………….. advertising online, as well as
restricting less healthy food promotions in stores and online.

“Additionally we have 46. ………………………….. £70m into adult weight 47. ………………………….. services
made available through the NHS and councils, so that people living with obesity have access to support
that can help them to lose weight.

B. VOCABULARY EXERCISES

I. For questions 1-6, complete the second sentence in each pair below so that it means the
same as the first one. In each case, you must use the keyword given. Do not make any
changes to the keyword and write no more than five words in total.

1. Mark had a snack to lessen his hunger. (EDGE)

Mark had a snack to take ………………………………………………………………………. his hunger.

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 2. If you put more effort into exercise, you will benefit more. (HARDER)
………………………………………………………………………. , the more you benefit.

3. Most people nowadays are unlikely to eat their five fruit and vegetables a day. (INCLINED)
The majority of people nowadays ………………………………………………………………………. eat their five
fruit and vegetables a day.

4. As long as you exercise regularly, you should stay in reasonably good health. (PROVIDED)
You should stay in reasonably good health, ……………………………………………………………………….
regularly.

5. At your age, you shouldn’t do things like that! (OLD)

You ………………………………………………………………………. better than to do things like that!

6. Jerome is a nice guy, but he can be a little bit lazy. (PRONE)

Jerome is a nice guy, but ………………………………………………………………………. laziness.

II. Read the text. Use the word in capitals to form a word that fits in the gaps.
A healthy body for a healthy mind
Scientists have long 1. …………………………………… [HYPOTHESIS] about a link between exercise and
psychological health. Physical 2. …………………………………… [ACTIVE] and a lack of energy is widely
understood to be linked to depression. However, the psychological benefits of exercise are often
overlooked, leading to a 3. …………………………………… [SCARCE] of information.

Now, 4. …………………………………… [ACADEMY] are trying to identify ways in which exercise can help the
mind and have made some 5. …………………………………… [REMARK] discoveries - such as the fact that
exercise can treat depression as effectively as medication! Some clinicians even believe it could be the
most important 6. …………………………………… [CONSIDER] for supporting mental health.

That isn’t all. Exercise also gives our self-esteem a boost and helps our cognitive abilities. Regular
participation in sport, for example, can be 7. …………………………………… [ADVANTAGE] in treating
anxiety, as well as 8. …………………………………… [PROVE] confidence and positive self-perception. It has
even been connected with enhanced memory and concentration. While these can get 9.
…………………………………… [PROGRESS] worse as we age, just a little exercise can protect you from
cognitive decline. So, the next time you need a little pick-me-up, give a workout a try!

III. Replace the words in bold with their more complex synonyms from the list.
discrepancies | innumerable | speculate | nuances | curb | recognition | venturing

1. There are countless books available about health and fitness.

2. Isaac is trying to control his appetite but he’s finding his diet very difficult.

3. I found some slight differences between the two versions of the report.

4. Oscar loves packing his bag and setting out on journeys to pastures new.

5. The author received a lot of praise for his book on exercising at home.

6. The exercise techniques are quite similar; it can be hard to appreciate the fine distinctions
between them.

7. People can only guess what the future of sports science holds.
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