Task 1: Answer the following questions extracting the necessary information from the chart above How long was data gathered for this chart? Some of the most obese states like Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama cluster around which state? How does each of the states below compare in terms of their obesity rankings? a Mississippi compared to the US; b Texas compared to Georgia; c New Hampshire compared to New York State Task 2: Finish the sentences based on information in the text on the other page In contrast to being “overweight”, … With 30.1% of Mississippians … Obesity is a phenomenon not restricted to … With 18.4% Up till now, malnourished people had always Topping the obesity chart in the US … Obesity in the US Obesity is not a euphemism for being overweight It means being so fat that one’s health is affected You are defined as obese if you have a body mass index of 30 The most overweight nation in the world is the US, with over a quarter of the total population being obese Obesity is a global phenomenon, however It was recently reported that for the first time in history, there are now more overweight than malnourished people in the world Mississippi is the fattest state in the Union, with 31.6% of Mississippians being obese That’s almost one in every three inhabitants Not that the Magnolia State (=Mississippi) should be singled out for its massiveness It is surrounded by four of the eight other fattest US states (in brown on this map): Tennessee (29.0%), Arkansas (29.3%), Louisiana (29.5%) and Alabama (30.1%) Being overweight clearly is a Southern thing - even if the second-fattest state, West-Virginia (30.6%), broke away from the rebellious South in 1863 to join the North The leanest states also tend to cluster: states in the leanest group (22 to 24%) include Maine and New Hampshire; New York and New Jersey; and California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico Some of the least obese (20.7 to 22%) states are Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut Another one, Utah, is adjacent to Colorado, which is by far the leanest state of them all (18.4%) Overall, the Southwest and New England are most conscious of their weight, while the South and to a lesser extent the Midwest are less careful http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2008/07/ Task 3: Vocabulary Match the definitions with the words Definitions extremely fat a word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant or offensive word fat weak and in bad health because of a lack of food or because of a lack of the types of food necessary for good health something that exists and can be seen, felt, tasted, etc., especially something which is unusual or interesting to choose one person or thing from a group for special attention, especially criticism or praise a person or animal that lives in a particular place to be likely to behave in a particular way or have a particular characteristic to be close together, sometimes surrounding something 10 by a great amount 11 very near, next to, or touching 12 thin and healthy 13 by a smaller amount 14 in general rather than in particular, or including all the people or things in a particular group or situation Words a adjacent /əˈdʒeɪ.sənt/ adj formal b by far c cluster /ˈklʌs.tər/ v d euphemism /ˈjuː.fə.mɪ.zəm/ n e inhabitant /ɪnˈhæb.ɪ.tənt/ n [C] f lean /liːn/ adj g malnourished /ˌmælˈnʌr.ɪʃt/ adj h obese /əʊ ˈbiːs/ adj i overall /ˌəʊ.vəˈrɔːl/ adv j overweight /ˌəʊ.vəˈweɪt/ adj k phenomenon /fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nən/ n l single sb/sth out phr v m tend [to] /tend/ v [I] n to a lesser extent VOCABULARY PRACTICE Task 4: Fill in the gaps in the sentences using the words below You may use the same word several times adjacent, by far, cluster, euphemism, inhabitant, lean, malnourished, obesity, overall, overweight, phenomenon, single sb/sth out, tend, to a lesser extent They are ………………………… the best students in the class A diet that is high in fat can lead to …………………………… Have a look at the …………………………… of galaxies in this photograph The article made so much use of …………………………… that often its meaning was unclear There's evidence to suggest that child abuse is not just a recent …………………………… He used to be …………………………… because he ate big dinners They lived in a house …………………………… to the railway Gravity is a natural …………………………… The …………………………… situation is good, despite a few minor problems 10 It's not fair the way my sister is always …………………………… for special treatment 11 They work in …………………………… buildings so it’s easy for them to see each other 12 People …………………………… around the noticeboard to read the exam results 13 a city of million …………………………… 14 Ethiopia and, …………………………… , Kenya will be badly affected by the drought 15 Do you believe in the paranormal and other psychic …………………………… ? 16 It has been a particularly …………………………… year for the education department 17 Jamie was thrilled when the teacher …………………………… his poem and asked him to read it out 18 'Senior citizen' is a …………………………… for 'old person' 19 There was a …………………………… of fans around him, asking for autographs 20 …………………………… , it has been a good year 21 We …………………………… get cold winters and warm, dry summers in this part of the country 22 I'm only a few kilos …………………………… , but I just can't seem to lose them 23 He's got that …………………………… and hungry look 24 If someone is …………………………… , they are physically weak because they not eat enough food SOLUTIONS -Task 1: Answer the following questions extracting the necessary information from the chart above How long was data gathered for this chart? Three years between 2005 through 2007 Some of the most obese states like Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama cluster around which state? Mississippi How does each of the states below compare in terms of their obesity rankings? Mississippi is the most obese state not only in the South, but the entire US Georga is slightly more obese than Texas with 27.4 vs 27.2 New Hampshire is identical to New York in terms of its obesity ranking Task 2: Finish the sentences based on information in the text on the other page In contrast to being “overweight”, obesity means being so fat that one’s health is affected With 31.6% of Mississippians being obese, Mississippi is the fattest state of the Union Obesity is a phenomenon not restricted to the United States With 18.4% being obese, Utah is is by far the leanest state of all Up till now, malnourished people had always outnumbered overweight people Topping the obesity chart in the US is Mississippi Task 3: Definitions and words extremely fat: obese adj a word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant or offensive word: euphemism n fat: overweight adj weak and in bad health because of a lack of food or because of a lack of the types of food necessary for good health: malnourished adj something that exists and can be seen, felt, tasted, etc., especially something which is unusual or interesting: phenomenon to choose one person or thing from a group for special attention, especially criticism or praise: single sb/sth out a person or animal that lives in a particular place: inhabitant to be likely to behave in a particular way or have a particular characteristic: tend [to] to be close together, sometimes surrounding something: cluster 10 by a great amount: by far 11 very near, next to, or touching: adjacent 12 thin and healthy: lean 13 by a smaller amount: to a lesser extent 14 in general rather than in particular, or including all the people or things in a particular group or situation: overall Task 4: Vocabulary practice They are by far the best students in the class A diet that is high in fat can lead to obesity Have a look at the cluster of galaxies in this photograph The article made so much use of euphemism that often its meaning was unclear There's evidence to suggest that child abuse is not just a recent phenomenon He used to be overweight because he ate big dinners They lived in a house adjacent to the railway Gravity is a natural phenomenon The overall situation is good, despite a few minor problems 10 It's not fair the way my sister is always singled out for special treatment 11 They work in adjacent buildings so it’s easy for them to see each other 12 People clustered around the noticeboard to read the exam results 13 a city of million inhabitants 14 Ethiopia and, to a lesser extent/degree, Kenya will be badly affected by the drought 15 Do you believe in the paranormal and other psychic phenomena? 16 It has been a particularly lean year for the education department 17 Jamie was thrilled when the teacher singled out his poem and asked him to read it out 18 'Senior citizen' is a euphemism for 'old person' 19 There was a cluster of fans around him, asking for autographs 20 Overall, it has been a good year 21 We tend to get cold winters and warm, dry summers in this part of the country 22 I'm only a few kilos overweight, but I just can't seem to lose them 23 He's got that lean and hungry look 24 If someone is malnourished, they are physically weak because they not eat enough food