READING ll Introduction ‘A Discuss these questions with a partner. = Do you ever leave uneaten food on your plate? What do you do with food that is leftover after a meal? © Do you know what supermarkets do with food that they can't sell? B Do you agree or disagree with the statements below? Share your views with a partner. Remember to justify your opinion. 1 Asa society, we throw too much food away. Attitudes to wasting food have changed dramatically in the last 50 years. Some people in the world don’t have enough to eat, while others have too much, Unwanted food should be redistributed to those who need it, The government should tax food that we throw away. wawn Reading modul Yes/no/not given; completion tasks In the Reading module, you may be tested on your _In the Reading module, completion tasks are very Understanding of the opinions and arguments made common. These can be table completion, sentence by the author of a passage. n this case, common task completion or summary completion tasks. In summary types are trueifalseinot given and yes/noinot given _ completion tasks, you are asked to fil gaps in a questions. Truefalse/not given questions were practised summary with words taken directly from the reading in Uni 1 passage or with words selected from a list of words provided. 58 Attitudes to FoodRead the following statement about the eating habits of children. When it comes to persuading their children to eat healthily, parents have a hard fight on their hands. How can a bowl of fresh fruit compete with the images of fizzy drinks, sweets ond crisps that children see every time they turn on the TV? Read sentences i-iii. For each sentence, say if it ‘expresses the same opinion as the statement above (Yes). b_ expresses an opposite apinion from the statement above (No) € says something completely new, not mentioned in the original statement (Not Given). i Advertising aimed at children increases sales of fizzy drinks, sweets and crisps. ii Parents find it easy to convince their children to eat healthy food. ii TV advertising affects what children want to eat. Read the following two statements. For each statement, write Yes, No or Not Given. 1. An understanding of psychology of consumer buying behoviour is used by supermarkets to increase sales. i Increasing amounts of shopping are now done online. Supermarkets use psychology to help the consumer reduce their spend on shopping, Supermarkets use the psychology of shopping habits to get the consumer to spend more money. 2 In some parts of the world people are going hungry as they cannot produce enough food to eat, whereas in other regions both shops and consumers ore throwing perfectly good food away. i People around the world have equal amounts of food to eat. ii There is an unequal distribution of food around the world, iii We need to redistribute food around the world.READING, REDUCING THE FOOD MOUNTAIN HOW anieztetin certain parts of the ‘world there are millions of ‘malnourished people who struggle to find enough food, while in other regions, millions of tonnes of perfectly edible food are thrown ‘away? Why on earth are we cutting down forests to create more arable land, when the land we already cultivate provides so much food that ‘we can afford to simply take it from our fridge and put it straight in the bin? Seems crazy? This ridiculous situation is the motivating force behind a new and radical movement. aimed at reducing waste and highlighting this scandalous misuse of valuable food. Enter the freegan. ‘Although their aims may seem deliciously just, their methods may appear less appetisng, as you will not find a freegan protesting about waste in the street with a placard, but instead rummaging for their dinner in waste bins behind their local supermarket. Put simply, freegans exist on the waste that the rest of us refuse to eat. Collecting bagfuls of unwanted food every day, freegans are not eating dirty, bad food that the rest of us wouldn't dream of eating, On the contrary, the food is neatly packaged and freshly dumped from the supermarket shelf- food that could have been sod just a few hours earlier. All of us are guilty to a greater or lesser degree. Everyone has at some time thrown away a piece of fruit ‘that is past its best, or perhaps bought some meat that was never eaaten in time, passed its sell-by date and so was thrown into the bin. But 60 Attitudes to Food surely, we don’t waste that much? In fact it seems that when the aggregate waste is considered, the statistics behind our profligacy become really quite shocking. Based (on a study of household bins, it ‘would seem that in the UK alone, ‘over six million tonnes of food are wasted each year. With a little more planning of food consumption, what ‘we eat and when, much of this waste could be avoided, This dramatic statistic i, however, only a tiny part of the problem. Food is wasted at each and every stage of the process of getting it, from the field to the packing stage, and finally through various distribution channels to the shops. ‘Added to this is the fact that the chain is getting longer as production and consumption have become globally separated. ‘Much of the blame for waste can be put squarely at the doorstep of the major supermarkets. They operate a number of policies and practices that ‘seem to actively promote waste. The major culprit is the power imbalance that exists in the contracts between supermarket and supplier. Ifthe fruit and vegetables are not of an almost perfect shape and size, then they are ‘often rejected or a supermarket may at the last minute change its order for pies, pizzas or pastries. Either ‘way, the supplier is left with unwanted perishable stock and has ‘no choice but to throw it away. Perhaps most surprising is that most of the food that the freegans find in supermarket bins is not putrid, rotting produce. Itis past its sellby date. However, itis perfectly good to eat. The problem lies in these ‘sell-by" dates and ‘display-until dates. They are generally a bad idea, as they are massively overcautious and cause the supermarket to reject food that, is absolutely fine to consume, yet legally cannot be sold. Freegans advocate a number of simple measures aimed at addressing these shocking inconsistencies with efficiency and frugality. Some of these measures are aimed directly at supermarkets such as putting an end to the system of sell-by dates and ‘making supermarkets subject to a legally enforceable waste reduction policy. Another way of reducing waste is to give it away to those who need it, While this has been done in a piecemeal fashion in the past, itis ‘now becoming big business. Companies exist who are paid to take away the food that would ‘otherwise be thrown away. They are then able to give it to homeless shelters and other charities. This business model actually makes a profit and illustrates that food ‘wastage makes no sense. Both a bottom-up and top-down ‘approach are required to eradicate ‘this scandalous waste. As individuals and as a society, we have to take a {good look at our own actions and how we contribute to this problem. However, a government-led approach is also required. A change in the law governing food practices and some creative thinking will go long way to stop this squandering Of the world’s resources and address the gulf between those wasting and those wanting.READING Yes/no/not given Read the article on page 60 and answer Questions 1-8. uk eee » Read the questions carefully and undertine the > Once you have located the relevant section of text, keywords in each ofthe statements, read it more careful co decide if the writer agrees, » Sean the tex for the keywords you have ented _—isigres or doesnt state an opinion about the to find the relevant section in the text. question. M1 Questions 1-8 Do the following statements agree with the ws of the writer in the passage on page 60? You should write ves ifthe sttement ogres with the views of the writer No ifthe statement controdicts the views of the writer Eepress Th NOT GIVEN — if impossibe to sy whet the write thinks obout this Tyoucartlocte “aa 1 Freegans choose their lifestyle because they think that fod is to expensive eee 2. The main culprits for wasting food are private households. ‘the text has no 3° Supermarkets’ buying power can lead to wasted produce. imation sout 4 Food which has pased its sl-by date is often stil edible, isqueton 5 Supermarkets shouldbe forced by law to reduce the amount of food they throw away snover ots 6 Supermarkets usualy insist on their suppliers signing a long-term contract sn Nt 7 Retistibuting waste to homeless charities is quite expensive. 8 We should import less food. BG Summary completion ‘A How many of the writers ideas can you remember? Without looking at the text, discuss with a partner. B Look at the notes a student has made about the text. Number the notes 1-4 according to the information in the passage. teen res Luis Gh ny “Food wasted at all Fed is thrown ava, but stages of supply cht Supemartels crete waste by (i) some people hungry ‘ Oo (i) overly demanding standards (id creating able lnd 0 in place wath supplies produce food that we do . , in rot need Selly date is too uy ating odes lt i dy E ee Oo west ble fod o 61READING, > There are ewo types of summary completion tasks. > Quickly read the summary to understand the general Don't spend ‘You may have ro take words direct from the text. meaning, ‘00 long on a in which case you must not change the words, or >} Make sure you use the correct number of words and aaa Yet may hve sf wordt choose fom. The pal Ree complete the ‘words inthe list wil have the same or simiar . easier answers ‘meaning to words or phrases in the passage. The Ee ech eee emer ene first and come ‘summary may focus on the whole of the passage or those sections again carefully. As you read, backto thereally | | one section of the passage. The questions folow the ink about the meaning and grammar ofthe missing, alificut ones ater. | | Same order as the Information in the passage, ‘word(s)-Are you looking fora verb, noun, adjective a ‘or adverb? EXAM Questions 9-1 g FAM Questions 9-15 Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Questions 16-19 Complete the summary below using words from the box. Several 16 asesstesesstseeeese have been put forward. Most of them target the policies of the supermarkets. They include the abolition of the system of dates past which a product cannot be sold and making their waste strategy subject to the 17 ... ‘Another solution focuses on the 1 ‘of waste from supermarkets to those in need. Companies that reallocate food are increasing in number as this business proves 19 ... and benefits everyone. waste problems redistribution increase ‘goods reduce ‘company money disposal strategy profitable solutions law shops supply production 62 Attitudes to Food