A generation of couch potatoes
Lots of teenagers have posters of their sports hero on their bedroom wall. But do they follow the healthy examples set by these athletes? British parents are worried that young people are not as fit and healthy as in the past. Why is this?
According to the British Heart Foundation, 13 to 15 year olds are spending too much time doing sedentary activities such as watching TV or playing computer games. A special report describes a generation of couch potatoes , young people sitting around at home, growing up in their bedrooms, travelling by car and in serious danger of heart disease as they get older. Is this their fault ? Are young people lazy?
Many parents don’t allow their children to play outside or walk to school by themselves. “ I ring my Dad on my mobile and he picks me up from the station. It’s 10 minutes walk from home but he thinks it is dangerous”, says 14 year old Carrie. Some teenagers blame their over protective parents for making them unfit. It is certainly becoming more difficult to encourage young people to have an active life and protect their hearts. In recent years schools have spent less time on sports. “My Mum did lots of hockey and netball at school but we didn’t have time for that this year because we had so many exams to prepare”, says Ben 16.
Practice
Group work. Talk about lifestyles in your country
How does your lifestyle compare to your grandparents’ lives? Has anything changed?
You may start with “Our grandparents had better lives”… Agree or disagree.
Discuss these topics:
• transport
• diet
• home
• life
• spare time activities
• physical activities
Project work
1. Fitness survey”
Make a survey for your class to measure fitness levels. Ask questions using:
- How often do you .....?
- When was the last time you .....?
Present and discuss the results.
2. . Fitness campaign
Think of 4 ways to encourage young people in your town/area to improve their fitness (posters, adverts).
- How can you encourage a more active lifestyle at home and at the university?
Use expressions such as:
- 'I think we should;
- It might be a good idea to..;
- Why don’t we'.
Discussion
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?
Grammar Spot
Go to Grammar Focus
Revise the material about modal verbs.
- Work out recommendations how to be active and healthy.
Module 2. International Communication
Unit 1. Communication in the Globalized World
Lead-in
Ø 
Do you agree that the number of international contacts is obviously increasing or mass media exaggerate the importance of global communication? Give your reason.
Ø Is globalization the tool to open the doors into the universal cultural, educational, scientific, and business common space or that’s the way to lose the national integrity and disappear as a nation? Prove your idea.
Ø Do you share the opinion that knowing a foreign language is a tool that helps to survive in a “global village”? Dwell upon it.
Ø Is bilingualism or further multilingualism a necessary requirement for a modern person who wants to achieve success? Does the ability to speak several foreign languages increase a personal competitiveness while searching for a job?
Ø Can language ignorance cause problems while visiting a foreign country? Give some examples.
Ø How many and what languages do you want to learn to speak? Explain your choice.
Reading