GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

A NEW
YEAR’S
RESOLUTION

1
Warm up

Have you made any resolutions for the New Year?

2
Key words

1.resolution = A a.a firm decision to do or not to do something in the future

2.damage = E b.a person who takes part in something, e.g. a survey or study

3.binge-drink = D c.reduce in size, become smaller

4.addicted to = F d.to consume too much alcohol in a short time

5.decrease = C e.to make something worse

6.participant = B f.unable to stop taking (some drug)

1.Cigarettes can badly damage your skin and make it yellow.

Match the terms on the left to the definitions on the right. Then put the words in the correct sentences
below and check with your partner.

5. Some people believe that drinking and smoking can seriously decrease your intelligence.

6. Many students binge-drink before going out to parties.

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Before you read

Try to answer each question below. In pairs, compare and discuss your choices. Then read the article to
discover the impact of your and your partner’s drinking/smoking habits according to the researchers.

1. How much alcohol do you drink in a week?

a.I don’t drink b. 1-2 drinks c. 3-5 drinks d.6+ drinks

R= A
2.How often do you smoke cigarettes or other nicotine products?
a.every day b.1-2 times/week c. hardly ever
d.I don’t smoke
3. What do you think are the long-term effects of drinking and smoking too much?

a. loss of balance b. frequent flu c. a rash d. memory loss

 Always forget to keep your New Year’s resolutions?
Smoking and drinking could be why
1.
The New Year is just around the corner and now might
be a good time to make a resolution to drink less, or to
stop smoking (or both). That is, if you don’t have a
problem with remembering, of course.
2.
Drinking too much of alcohol and smoking cigarettes
together could be having a negative effect on your
memory. In fact, the harm of using both of these
substances is bigger than the single use of each
substance. Earlier research has shown that drinking too
much (more than 14 units* a week, or binge drinking six
units for women and eight for men) and smoking is
connected to many health and memory problems.
3.
One part of the memory that is negatively affected is
prospective memory. Prospective memory involves
planning and remembering future activities, such as
remembering to meet with friends at a specific place or
time, or remembering to take medication on time.
4.
Too much alcohol can damage your memory. In one
study, when participants were asked to do some tasks,
binge drinkers remembered to do fewer than those who
did not binge drink. A similar model is seen in smokers.
Daily smokers remember about fewer actions,
compared with those who have never smoked.
5.
Drinking and smoking harm memory when used
separately; when used together, they strengthen the
effect. Those who both drink and smoke have more
memory issues, reduced ability to think quickly and
greater issues with problem solving.
6.
Also, those who are addicted to both alcohol and
cigarettes suffer more brain damage than those who do
not smoke. These people experience a decrease in brain
mass of the frontal part of the brain (responsible for
short- and long-term memory).
7.
Generally, people tend to drink alcohol and smoke, so
we checked the combined effect of these two
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Checking understanding (HW)
Answer the questions.
1. According to the article, what is ‘prospective memory’ responsible for?
a. remembering things for a b. remembering
long time names
substances on prospective memory. To do this, we
recruited four groups: heavy drinkers who do not
smoke, smokers who do not drink too much, people
who both smoke and drink too much, and a low alcohol,
non-smoking control group.
8.
Participants were tested on how they could remember
six actions. For three of these, the participant was asked
to do a task at a specific time (for example: "In seven
minutes, I would like you to change the pen you are
using"). For the other three actions, participants were
asked to complete a task at a specific moment (for
example, "When you come to a quiz question about
‘Eastenders’ (a popular TV show in the UK), I would like
you to give me this book").
9.
Our analysis of the results showed that the polydrug
group (people who both smoke and drink excessively)
had more problems than the excessive drinkers and
smokers combined. This suggests that there is
something that happens that negatively impacts
memory when using both of these substances.
10.
This finding is important because it highlights that
memory may be influenced by the combination of
excessive drinking and cigarette smoking. It is our hope
that the findings uncovered here will help to improve
our understanding about the dangers of drinking and
smoking to our memory, in this case prospective
memory.
11.
If you’re thinking what your New Year’s resolution
should be this year, why not quit booze or cigarettes in
the New Year. You might even want to consider giving up
both.
*A unit of alcohol (UK) is defined as 10ml of pure alcohol
Adapted from The Conversation January 2, 2017 by
Anna-Marie Marshall, Colin Hamilton and Tom
Heffernan
people’s c. planning for the future
 2. Which group of alcohol drinkers had the most memory problems?

a.teenage boys b.alcoholics c. binge drinkers

3. Which part of the brain manages long-term memory?

a.the back part b.the front part c. the middle section

4. The phrase ‘polydrug group’ refers to ...

t
people addicted
o
a. people who drink too b. people who drink and c. much smoke a lot smoking
5. What is the conclusion of the research according to the author?

a. drinking and smoking can be dangerous to our memory

b. binge-drinking can cause death
c. heavy drinkers and smokers need to learn more about their brains

5
Find the words (HW)

Find words/phrases in the text which mean ...

1. very near (phrase, P1)

2. includes (verb, P3)

3. seven days a week

(adverb, P4)

4. problems (plural noun, P5)

5. bigger (adjective, P5)

6. the ability to remember for a long time into the future (phrase, P6))
7. consisting of two or more things joined together (adjective, P7)

8. shows, stresses (verb, P10)

9. alcohol (informal noun, P11)

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Talking point

Discuss the questions below in pairs or small groups.

1. How does alcohol change people’s behaviour?

2. What part do alcohol and cigarettes play in the culture of your country?

3. What kinds of social problems does alcohol cause in your country?