Debates: Attitudes towards lifestyles and healthy living

Do you agree or disagree with these statements?

• Young people are naturally fit and healthy and don’t need much exercise
• Eating fast food is OK if you don’t eat it every day
• Older people always say negative things about teenagers’ habits
• Sport is good fun
• Teenagers don’t have enough time to do sports because they have too much homework
• Schools should make all students do at least 2 hours of PE a week
• Can you add 2 statements?
• Do your friends agree with you?

Healthy lifestyle

Nowadays our life is getting more and more tense. People live under the press of different problems, such as social, ecological, economic and others. They constantly suffer from stress, noise and dust in big cities, diseases and instability. A person should be strong and healthy in order to overcome all difficulties. To achieve this aim people ought to take care of their physical and mental health. There are several ways to do it. The state of your body depends on how much time you spend doing sports. At least everybody must do morning exercises every day. The healthiest kinds of sports are swimming, running and cycling.

Healthy food is also a very important factor. Overeating causes many dangerous diseases. The daily menu should include meat, fruit and vegetables, milk product, which are rich in vitamins, fat, proteins and etc. On the other hand modern diets are very popular especially among women. Diets may be harmful, if they are used in the wrong way. To be healthy, people should get rid of their bad habits. It's necessary to stop smoking and drinking much.

Everyone should remember that cigarettes, alcohol and drugs destroy both body and brain.

I. Answer the questions:

1. Why is our life getting more tense nowadays?
2. What do people constantly suffer from?
3. Why should a person be strong and healthy?
4. What does the state of your body depend on?
5. What are the healthiest kinds of sports?
6. Why are the diets harmful sometimes?
7. What should people do to be healthy?
8. What does destroy both body and brain?

II. Find the English equivalents in the text:

1. давление различных проблем
2. чтобы справиться со всеми сложностями
3. чтобы достичь цели
4. заботиться о чём-либо
5. зависеть от чего-либо
6. опасные болезни
7. ежедневное меню
8. вредный для здоровья
9. избавиться от вредных привычек
10. разрушать тело и мозг

III. Translate the sentences:

1. Чтобы справиться со всеми сложностями и достичь цели, я должен быть сильным.
2. Мы должны заботиться о своём здоровье и стараться избавиться от вредных привычек.
3. Много опасных болезней разрушают тело и мозг.
4. Мы не должны зависеть от диет и вредных привычек.
5. Давление различных проблем очень вредно для здоровья.

IV. Give the definitions of the words:

1. problem
2. harmful
3. health
4. habit

V. Complete the sentences in your own way:

1. Sometimes I………………………..

2. I should say that……………………

3. He always………………………….

4. My greatest problem is……………..

5. I realized that……………..………..

6. We recommend you……………….

7.I like different……….……………..

Cell Phones Affect Memory

Are cell phones making the human race stupid? According to a new study out of Britain, the answer is "yes." We rely too much on technology, which has reduced out brain power. And it's measurable.

Professor Ian Robertson of Trinity College Dublin conducted the study. His research showed that most citizens in Britain have to remember five passwords, five pin numbers, two number plates, three security ID numbers, and three bank account numbers just to get through life every day. But most people have become incapable of remembering all this information, so use only one or two passwords. It highlights what many people also expressed as "information overload." Cell phones, Blackberries, and other memory devices offer a solution to the numbers and codes the average person has to remember. But Robertson said that people use the devices instead of their memory. And the less you use your memory, the poorer it becomes.

The study discovered that one quarter of all Britons didn't know their home phone number. And only a third of those surveyed could remember more than three birthdays of their immediate family members.

The study arranged the figures into age groups, which provided clearer answers. About one third under the age of 30 couldn't recall their home phone numbers, and had to check their cell phone or other device. In the same age bracket, only 40% could give important dates, such as birthdays or anniversaries, for family members. For people over 50, 87% could remember details about their families. The study also discovered that 58% incorrectly assumed that they couldn't remember all the numbers and codes used daily.