The Reading / Listening - Laxatives - Level 0

TikTok videos mean there are not enough laxative drugs in the USA. These drugs are for people who have problems on the toilet because of hard "poo". Teenagers watch the videos, then think they can lose weight, and then buy laxatives. This means that people who need the medicine cannot get it.

Doctors are worried about this trend. The videos are wrong because laxatives are not for losing weight. They only make the body lose water. The water weight is put back on after having a drink. Laxatives can cause headaches, tiredness, and dizziness. Eating fruit and vegetables, and exercising are better for losing weight.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Laxatives - Level 1 Laxatives - Level 2   or  Laxatives - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12504975/Wave-American-teens-using-laxatives-budget-Ozempic-TikTok-trend-causing-shortage-stool-loosening-drugs.html
  • https://news.yahoo.com/us-apparently-backed-running-short-195000989.html
  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2023/09/09/budget-ozempic-tiktok-trend-how-its-contributing-to-the-laxative-shortage/


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. TikTok
  2. there are not enough
  3. there are not
  4. These drugs are for
  5. problems on the
  6. because of hard
  7. they can lose
  8. people who
  1. people
  2. "poo"
  3. laxative drugs
  4. need the medicine
  5. weight
  6. enough
  7. toilet
  8. videos

Paragraph 2

  1. Doctors are worried
  2. The videos are
  3. laxatives are not
  4. They only make the body
  5. The water weight is put
  6. after having
  7. Laxatives can cause
  8. losing
  1. back on
  2. lose water
  3. weight
  4. for losing weight
  5. headaches
  6. about this trend
  7. a drink
  8. wrong

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

TikTok (1) ___________________ are not enough laxative (2) ___________________ USA. These drugs are for people who (3) ___________________ the toilet because of hard "poo". Teenagers watch the videos, (4) ___________________ can lose weight, (5) ___________________ laxatives. This means that people who need the medicine (6) ___________________.

Doctors (7) ___________________ this trend. The videos are wrong because laxatives are not (8) ___________________. They only make the (9) ___________________. The water weight is put back on after (10) ___________________. Laxatives can cause headaches, (11) ___________________. Eating fruit and vegetables, and exercising are (12) ___________________ weight.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TikTokvideosmeantherearenotenoughlaxativedrugsintheUSA.Thes
edrugsareforpeoplewhohaveproblemsonthetoiletbecauseofhard"po
o".Teenagerswatchthevideos,thenthinktheycanloseweight,andthen
buylaxatives.Thismeansthatpeoplewhoneedthemedicinecannotgeti
t.Doctorsareworriedaboutthistrend.Thevideosarewrongbecauselax
ativesarenotforlosingweight.Theyonlymakethebodylosewater.The
waterweightisputbackonafterhavingadrink.Laxativescancausehead
aches,tiredness,anddizziness.Eatingfruitandvegetables,andexercisi
ngarebetterforlosingweight.

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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