Is fast food good for you?

Watch the video on fast food!

Fast food chains advertise their products very aggressively. Do you think they should
take some responsibility if people become overweight as a result of eating their
products?

Reading
Read the article and decide which of the sentences below are true and which are
false.

1. Caesar Barber blames fast food chains for his obesity. ______
2. He did not know that fast food was fattening. ______
3. He started eating fast food in the 1950s. ______
4. He stopped eating fast food as soon as he had problems with his health. ______
5. Many people think he is merely trying to make money - they think he
must have known that fast food was fattening. ______
6. Barber wants fast food chains to be more honest about the content
of their food in their advertising. ______
7. Doctors don't think fast food is particularly bad for your health. ______

- What exactly is Caesar Barber's case against the fast food chains?
- Do you think Caesar is really dumb or really clever?
- Why is the Physicians Committee pleased that the case has gone to court?

Vocabulary
Find in the text the words that mean:
1. celebrity ________________
2. placed a formal charge against ________________
3. stupid ________________
4. good for you ________________
5. eating hastily without proper chewing ________________
6. argues ________________
7. person who seeks the advice of a lawyer ________________
8. praised ________________
9. blatant or sensational promotion ________________
Give a synonym for:
1. due to (§1) ________________
2. seeking damages (§1) ________________
3. was in he dark (§2) ________________
4. incredibly (§2) ________________
5. customers (§3) ________________

Follow up
1. Do you think fast food is bad for you? Do you try to avoid eating too much? If you
have children, will you restrict how much they are allowed to eat?

2. Do you think fast food chains have a responsibility to make their products healthy
and non-fattening, and to advertise them honestly, or do you think it is our
responsibility as consumers to decide whether to eat them or not?

3. Do you think Mr Barber should win his lawsuit?

Key:

1T 2T 3T 4F 5T 6T 7F

1. fame / 2. filed / 3. dumb / 4. healthy / 5. gobbling / 6. contends /

7. client / 8. applauded / 9. hype

1. because / 2. wanting money / 3. did not know, ignored / 4. unbelievably,

improbably, implausibly / 5. consumers, buyers (patrons here)