The Reading / Listening - Exercise Pill - Level 2

Scientists are working on a pill to help people who do no exercise. It could also increase the performance of those who do exercise. The scientists are from a biological studies institute in California. They say the pill could produce the same benefits to the body that it gets from running. It could make us healthier. It could give us more stamina, fat loss, a better mood, a healthier heart and a longer lifespan – all without exercising. The scientists said the pill helped to increase athletic performance in mice by 70 per cent. This could be good news for people who want to exercise more.

The scientists looked at how the body changes with exercise. A researcher said: "It's well known that people can improve their…endurance through training. The question for us was: How does endurance work? And…can we replace training with a drug?" He found a chemical that could copy the positive effects of exercise without needing to exercise. The chemical made the body burn fat instead of sugar. Burning fat instead of sugar means you can improve your stamina to the same level as someone who exercises, without the need to exercise.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Exercise Pill - Level 0 Exercise Pill - Level 1   or  Exercise Pill - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/2017/05/03/exercise-pill-may-replace-workouts-in-future.html
  • http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/can-you-have-an-exercise-pill-to-avoid-work-outs-ag0517/
  • https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-05-exercise-in-a-pill-boosts-athletic-percent.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Scientists are working
  2. help people who do
  3. increase the performance of those
  4. produce the same benefits
  5. It could make us
  6. It could give us more
  7. the pill helped to increase athletic
  8. good news for people who want
  1. who do exercise
  2. performance
  3. healthier
  4. to exercise more
  5. on a pill
  6. to the body
  7. no exercise
  8. stamina

Paragraph 2

  1. how the body changes
  2. It's well
  3. improve their endurance through
  4. replace training
  5. the positive effects
  6. Burning fat instead
  7. improve your
  8. the same level as someone
  1. stamina
  2. with a drug
  3. of exercise
  4. who exercises
  5. with exercise
  6. training
  7. known
  8. of sugar

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Scientists are (1) ___________________ to help people who do no exercise. It could also increase (2) ___________________ those who do exercise. The scientists are from a biological studies institute in California. They say the pill could produce (3) ___________________ to the body that it gets from running. It could make us healthier. It could give (4) ___________________, fat loss, a better mood, a healthier heart and (5) ___________________ – all without exercising. The scientists said the pill helped to increase athletic performance in mice by 70 per cent. This could (6) ___________________ for people who want to exercise more.

The scientists (7) ___________________ the body changes with exercise. A researcher said: "It's well known that people can improve (8) ___________________ through training. The question for us was: How does endurance work? And…can (9) ___________________ with a drug?" He found a chemical that could copy the (10) ___________________ exercise without needing to exercise. The chemical made the body burn (11) ___________________. Burning fat instead of sugar means you can improve your stamina to the same level as someone who exercises, without the (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Scientistsareworkingonapilltohelppeoplewhodonoexercise.Itcoulda
lsoincreasetheperformanceofthosewhodoexercise.Thescientistsare
fromabiologicalstudiesinstituteinCalifornia.Theysaythepillcouldpro
ducethesamebenefitstothebodythatitgetsfromrunning.Itcouldmake
ushealthier.Itcouldgiveusmorestamina,fatloss,abettermood,ahealt
hierheartandalongerlifespan–allwithoutexercising.Thescientistss
aidthepillhelpedtoincreaseathleticperformanceinmiceby70percent.
Thiscouldbegoodnewsforpeoplewhowanttoexercisemore.Thescienti
stslookedathowthebodychangeswithexercise.Aresearchersaid:"It's
wellknownthatpeoplecanimprovetheir…endurancethroughtraining.
Thequestionforuswas:Howdoesendurancework?And…canwereplace
trainingwithadrug?"Hefoundachemicalthatcouldcopythepositiveeff
ectsofexercisewithoutneedingtoexercise.Thechemicalmadethebody
burnfatinsteadofsugar.Burningfatinsteadofsugarmeansyoucanimpr
oveyourstaminatothesamelevelassomeonewhoexercises,withoutth
eneedtoexercise.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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