The Reading / Listening - Vegetables - Level 4

People eat more vegetables if they have trendy labels. Researchers found that vegetable sales went up by 25% if they had trendy-sounding names. They did their research on 600 diners at a university canteen. They labelled vegetable dishes in four different ways. Some had a "basic" label (with just the word "carrots"). There were two types of "health" labels and a trendy label. An example of the trendy label was "twisted citrus-glazed carrots".

Researchers created a wide choice to see how effective the labels were. They used many vegetables in their test. They used names like "dynamite chilli" and "tangy lime-seasoned beets". They said the dishes with the trendy labels were 25% more popular than those with the "basic" labels, and 41% more popular than those with other labels. A researcher said: "Labels really can influence our sensory experience, affecting how tasty…we think food will be."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Vegetables - Level 5 or  Vegetables - Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/health-40245922
  • https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170612115415.htm
  • https://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins-and-nutrition-information-27/food-and-nutrition-news-316/beans-or-sizzlin-beans-words-get-people-eating-healthier-723606.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. People eat more
  2. they have trendy
  3. vegetable sales went
  4. if they had trendy-
  5. They did their research
  6. at a university
  7. There were two types
  8. twisted citrus-
  1. up by 25%
  2. of "health" labels
  3. on 600 diners
  4. labels
  5. canteen
  6. vegetables
  7. glazed carrots
  8. sounding names

Paragraph 2

  1. a wide
  2. see how effective
  3. They used many
  4. They used names like
  5. the dishes with the
  6. 41% more popular than those
  7. Labels really can influence our sensory
  8. how tasty we
  1. vegetables in their test
  2. experience
  3. with other labels
  4. the labels were
  5. think food will be
  6. choice
  7. trendy labels
  8. "dynamite chilli"

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

People eat more vegetables (1) ___________________ trendy labels. Researchers found that vegetable (2) ___________________ 25% if they had trendy-sounding names. They did (3) ___________________ 600 diners at a university canteen. They labelled vegetable (4) ___________________ different ways. Some had a "basic" label (with just the word "carrots"). There were (5) ___________________ "health" labels and a trendy label. An example of the (6) ___________________ "twisted citrus-glazed carrots".

Researchers (7) ___________________ choice to see how effective the labels were. They used many vegetables (8) ___________________. They used names like "(9) ___________________" and "tangy lime-seasoned beets". They said the (10) ___________________ trendy labels were 25% more popular than those with the "basic" labels, and 41% (11) ___________________ those with other labels. A researcher said: "Labels really can influence our sensory experience, (12) ___________________…we think food will be."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Peopleeatmorevegetablesiftheyhavetrendylabels.Researchersfoun
dthatvegetablesaleswentupby25%iftheyhadtrendy-soundingna
mes.Theydidtheirresearchon600dinersatauniversitycanteen.Theyl
abelledvegetabledishesinfourdifferentways.Somehada"basic"label(
withjusttheword"carrots").Thereweretwotypesof"health"labelsand
atrendylabel.Anexampleofthetrendylabelwas"twistedcitrus-glaze
dcarrots".Researcherscreatedawidechoicetoseehoweffectivethelab
elswere.Theyusedmanyvegetablesintheirtest.Theyusednameslike"
dynamitechilli"and"tangylime-seasonedbeets".Theysaidthedish
eswiththetrendylabelswere25%morepopularthanthosewiththe"basi
c"labels,and41%morepopularthanthosewithotherlabels.Aresearch
ersaid:"Labelsreallycaninfluenceoursensoryexperience,affectingho
wtasty…wethinkfoodwillbe."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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