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

NEW YEAR’S
RESOLUTIONS

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Expemo code:
198N-E3KB-518A

1 Warm up

Have you made any resolutions for the New Year?

2 Key words

Match the terms on the left to 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. more than necessary

6. efficient f. to damage or spoil

7. cue g. to discover something secret or hidden

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

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NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

3 Before you read

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

1. How much alcohol do you drink in a week?

a. I don’t drink b. 1-2 drink c. 3-5 drinks d. 6 or more

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

a. every day b. 1-2 times/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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NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

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NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

Always forget to keep 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 your drinking, or stop smoking
(or both). That is if you remember, of course.
2.
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and smoking
cigarettes together could be having a negative impact
on your memory. In fact, the harm of using both
of these substances is greater than the single use of
either substance.
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 is 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 memory. In
one study, when participants were asked to carry
out specific tasks, binge drinkers remembered to
do fewer actions than those who did not binge
drink. A similar pattern is evident in smokers.
Regular daily smokers remember to carry out fewer
memory actions compared with those who have
never smoked.
6.
Not only does drinking excessively and smoking
impair 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,
a reduced ability to think quickly and efficiently
and greater issues with problem solving. Also,
those addicted to both alcohol and cigarettes suffer
more brain damage than those who do not smoke.
These people experience a decrease of brain tissue
in the frontal region of the brain, the prefrontal
cortex, which is responsible for short- and long-term
memory.
7.
As people tend to drink alcohol and smoke together,
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 are 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 UK), I would 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 is
something that happens when using both of these
substances which negatively impacts memory.
10.
This finding is important because it highlights that
memory may be influenced by the combination of
excessive drinking and cigarette smoking. It is our
hope that the findings uncovered here will help to
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 Jan 2, 2017 by Anna-Marie
Marshall, C. Hamilton and T. Heffernan

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NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

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 on the effects of alcohol and smoking on memory?
...............................................................................................
3. What were the participants tested on?
...............................................................................................
4. Who belong 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/phrases in the text which mean ...

1. very near (phrase, P1)

2. previous (adjective, P3)
3. consuming too much alcohol in a short period of time (phrase, P3)
4. connected (adjective, P3)
5. perform an action (phrasal verb, P5)
6. make stronger or more extreme (verb, P6)
7. the ability to remember for a long time into the future (phrase, P6))
8. consisting of two or more things joined together (adjective, P7)
9. alcohol (informal noun, P11)

6 Talking point

Discuss the questions below in pairs or small groups.

1. How does alcohol change people’s behaviour?

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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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

Key

1. Warm up

Encourage a short discussion.

2. Key words

1. h 2. e 3. b 4. d
5. f 6. a 7. c 8. g

4. Checking understanding

1. 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
2. 1. excessive drinkers who do not smoke; 2. smokers who do not drink excessively; 3. people who both smoke
and drink excessively; and 4. a low-alcohol, non-smoking control group
3. their ability to remember six actions
4. people who both smoke and drink excessively
5. It may be influenced by the combination of excessive drinking and cigarette smoking.
6. booze (alcohol) and cigarettes

5. Find the words

1. just around the corner

2. prior
3. binge drinking
4. associated
5. carry out
6. intensify
7. long-term memory
8. combined
9. booze

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