Text 1: THE GROWING PROBLEM OF OBESITY: Obesity levels in western countries are rising fast. In the United States, obesity rates have more than doubled in the last 30 years from about 14.5% to over 30%. Some people think that over half the population will be obese within a few years. In Britain, around 20% are obese, the largest percentage in Europe. This is mainly because we eat more but also because we get less exercise. Although food labeling shows us the number of calories we are consuming, we don’t seem to take any notice. However, we should because obesity reduces our life expectancy and causes many other health problems. We need to alter our eating habits and eat more fresh products and less packaged food. We should cut down on salt, sugar and fat and cut out certain things, such as fizzy drinks and crisps, which have no nutritional value at all.

1. The aim of the text is to
A. encourage people to change their eating habits.
B. criticise the lack of clear food labelling.
C. compare obesity rates in the USA with rates in other countries.

2. According to the text, obesity rates in the USA
A. won’t get any higher.
B. are over twice as high as in Britain.
C. are more than twice as high as they were 30 years ago.

Text 2: MINI-MISE YOUR WEIGHT: These days, people have less time to create meals from fresh ingredients. We know that it would be better for us but we also know that pre-cooked or frozen meals are quick and tasty. Unfortunately, they are also full of calories and contain unhealthy levels of salt and sugar. That’s why Mini-Mise is such an important new product. Unlike most diet pills, Mini-Mise don’t make you feel full and they don’t provide you with vitamins or minerals that you may be lacking. They don’t need to. They allow you to eat all the food that you want but they then destroy the salt, sugar and fat in the blood. They have been recommended by nutritionists and doctors as a way to improve our health. Mini-Mise means you can lose weight without worries – and all for the price of a large burger and fries a day!

3. The aim of the text is to
A. warn people of the dangers of obesity.
B. advertise a new product.
C. recommend that people reduce the amount they eat.

4. Which of these does the text say?
A. There is nothing wrong with pre-cooked and frozen meals.
B. Other diet pills are not recommended by nutritionists.
C. Mini-Mise tablets work differently to other diet pills.

Text 3: Who is in charge?: We all know that obesity levels are rising and that people are eating the wrong things. We also know that when governments want to act, they can. You only have to look at the laws to stop smoking in public places and the tax increases which have made smoking much less popular than it was. The same results could be achieved by similar taxes on fast food and fizzy drinks. Governments could also limit the numbers of fast food restaurants or bring in laws to reduce the amount of salt and sugar used in packaged foods. However, they don’t do any of these things. Why not? Could it be because the food producers and supermarkets are too powerful? The biggest supermarkets sell most of our food and also control many of the supplies from farms and other food producers. If the government did threaten to change the law, these huge companies could bring the country to its knees very quickly.

5. The text is about
A. how our eating habits are changing.
B. why governments find it hard to control supermarkets.
C. why taxes on food aren’t as effective as those on cigarettes.

6. The text does not talk about how governments
A. could influence what we eat.
B. have changed our smoking habits.
C. have changed our eating habits.