The Reading / Listening - Snack Tax - Level 0

The UK wants people to eat healthier food. It asked a food expert for ideas. The expert showed his ideas to the government. One idea is to tax food with salt and sugar. The media called this a "snack tax". The second one is to give poorer people free vegetables. The expert said what we eat is doing "terrible damage to our health".

The UK's leader is not happy with the ideas. They could increase the price of snack food. He does not want to tax "hard-working people". He said exercise and less junk food were the best ways to be healthy. The expert said the government must build a better food system, "for our children and grandchildren".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Snack Tax - Level 1,  Snack Tax - Level 2   or  Snack Tax - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.ft.com/content/9687484f-2703-4e55-a37a-827a056ac962
  • https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/national-food-strategy-calls-for-salt-and-sugar-tax-and-veg-on-prescription/
  • https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/15597340/free-fruit-and-veg-snack-tax/


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. The UK wants people to
  2. It asked a food
  3. showed his ideas
  4. tax food with
  5. The media called this
  6. The second
  7. give poorer people
  8. doing terrible damage
  1. free vegetables
  2. to the government
  3. to our health
  4. a "snack tax"
  5. expert for ideas
  6. eat healthier food
  7. one
  8. salt and sugar

Paragraph 2

  1. The UK's
  2. not happy
  3. increase the price
  4. tax hard-
  5. less junk
  6. the best ways
  7. build a better
  8. for our children
  1. working people
  2. food system
  3. with the ideas
  4. to be healthy
  5. leader
  6. and grandchildren
  7. of snack food
  8. food

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The UK wants people to (1) ___________________. It asked a food (2) ___________________. The expert showed his ideas to the government. One idea is (3) ___________________ with salt and sugar. The media called this (4) ___________________. The second one is to give (5) ___________________ vegetables. The expert said what we eat is doing "(6) ___________________ our health".

The UK's leader is not happy (7) ___________________. They could increase the (8) ___________________ food. He does not want to tax "(9) ___________________". He said exercise and less junk food were the best ways (10) ___________________. The expert said the government must (11) ___________________ food system, "for (12) ___________________ grandchildren".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheUKwantspeopletoeathealthierfood.Itaskedafoodexpertforideas.
Theexpertshowedhisideastothegovernment.Oneideaistotaxfoodwit
hsaltandsugar.Themediacalledthisa"snacktax".Thesecondoneistogi
vepoorerpeoplefreevegetables.Theexpertsaidwhatweeatisdoing"te
rribledamagetoourhealth".TheUK'sleaderisnothappywiththeideas.T
heycouldincreasethepriceofsnackfood.Hedoesnotwanttotax"hard-
workingpeople".Hesaidexerciseandlessjunkfoodwerethebestwayst
obehealthy.Theexpertsaidthegovernmentmustbuildabetterfoodsys
tem,"forourchildrenandgrandchildren".

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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