The Reading / Listening - Plant-based Diets - Level 2

A new study suggests eating lots of vegetables may not greatly reduce the risk of heart attacks. This goes against what doctors tell us. People usually believe it is important to eat lots of vegetables to keep the heart healthy. The study says other factors may affect our heart. These include other things we eat, the exercise we get, where we live, our income, and if we smoke and drink. The study is from universities in Oxford, Bristol and Hong Kong. Almost 400,000 people took part in it. They answered questions about their lifestyle, diet, and what raw and cooked vegetables they ate.

The scientists said people should eat lots of vegetables because they were good for our heart. The study found that the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was 15 per cent lower for those eating the most vegetables, especially raw vegetables. However, they said many other factors also caused this 15% reduction. The lead researcher said: "Our large study did not find evidence for a protective effect of vegetable intake on the occurrence of cardiovascular disease". He said differences in income and lifestyle also affected the health of our heart.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Plant-based Diets - Level 0 Plant-based Diets - Level 1   or  Plant-based Diets - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/health-60429955
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/21/health/vegetables-heart-risk-wellness/index.html
  • https://www.techexplorist.com/consumption-vegetables-not-lower-risk-cvd/44895/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. greatly reduce the risk
  2. it is important
  3. other things may
  4. These include other things
  5. if we smoke
  6. 400,000 people took
  7. answered questions
  8. raw and cooked
  1. about their lifestyle
  2. we eat
  3. vegetables
  4. affect our heart
  5. part in the study
  6. of heart attacks
  7. or drink
  8. to eat vegetables

Paragraph 2

  1. people should eat lots
  2. the risk
  3. 15 per cent
  4. people who ate the
  5. other factors also caused
  6. Our large study did not
  7. the occurrence of cardiovascular
  8. money and lifestyle also
  1. this 15% reduction
  2. disease
  3. of dying
  4. affected the heart
  5. of vegetables
  6. most vegetables
  7. find evidence
  8. lower

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A new study suggests (1) ___________________ vegetables may not greatly (2) ___________________ of heart attacks. This goes against what doctors tell us. People usually believe it is important to eat lots of vegetables (3) ___________________ heart healthy. The study says other factors may affect our heart. These include other things we eat, the exercise we get, (4) ___________________, our income, and if we smoke and drink. The study is from universities in Oxford, Bristol and Hong Kong. Almost 400,000 people (5) ___________________ it. They answered questions about their lifestyle, diet, (6) ___________________ and cooked vegetables they ate.

The scientists said people should (7) ___________________ vegetables because they were good (8) ___________________. The study found that the (9) ___________________ from cardiovascular disease was 15 per cent (10) ___________________ eating the most vegetables, especially raw vegetables. However, they said many other factors (11) ___________________ 15% reduction. The lead researcher said: "Our large study did not find evidence for a protective effect of vegetable intake on the occurrence of cardiovascular disease". He said differences (12) ___________________ lifestyle also affected the health of our heart.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Anewstudysuggestseatinglotsofvegetablesmaynotgreatlyreduceth
eriskofheartattacks.Thisgoesagainstwhatdoctorstellus.Peopleusual
lybelieveitisimportanttoeatlotsofvegetablestokeepthehearthealthy.
Thestudysaysotherfactorsmayaffectourheart.Theseincludeotherthi
ngsweeat,theexerciseweget,wherewelive,ourincome,andifwesmok
eanddrink.ThestudyisfromuniversitiesinOxford,BristolandHongKon
g.Almost400,000peopletookpartinit.Theyansweredquestionsaboutt
heirlifestyle,diet,andwhatrawandcookedvegetablestheyate.Thescie
ntistssaidpeopleshouldeatlotsofvegetablesbecausetheyweregoodfo
rourheart.Thestudyfoundthattheriskofdyingfromcardiovasculardise
asewas15percentlowerforthoseeatingthemostvegetables,especiall
yrawvegetables.However,theysaidmanyotherfactorsalsocausedthis
15%reduction.Theleadresearchersaid:"Ourlargestudydidnotfindevi
denceforaprotectiveeffectofvegetableintakeontheoccurrenceofcard
iovasculardisease".Hesaiddifferencesinincomeandlifestylealsoaffec
tedthehealthofourheart.

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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