ILE 7A - UNIT 2 - READING N

​ILE 7A - UNIT 2- READING

By Fantastic Four

Write no more than 2 words

By Fantastic Four

Multiple Choice

1 The writer’s main point is that people should…

• A   be skeptical about claims made about superfoods.

• B   try to eat as many superfoods as possible.

Multiple Choice

2 The writer’s tone is best described as…

• A   serious and academic.

• B   humorous and light-hearted..

​The advent of sugar taxes
Recent years have seen a series of countries, from the UK to South Africa, debate and then introduce a tax on products that are high in sugar. Mexico implemented a much-publicised sugar tax soon after France did in 2012, which was in itself a response to Hungary’s pioneering new tax the previous year. Other countries, such as Ireland, soon followed suit.
So, what does it take for a country to take a stand against falling standards of health and rising levels of obesity and introduce a sugar tax that will make a difference? Well, the first thing is that people need to be made to care. Many British people had been hearing their doctor tell them for years about the dangers of consuming too much sugar. However, it took an all-out offensive by a chef, with the media looking on enthusiastically, to raise awareness and bring the issue to the forefront of national debate in the UK before the average politician would sit up and listen.
Once passed, sugar taxes can have quite a drastic effect. In Mexico, the introduction of a tax of 10% made consumers think again about their shopping choices. Poorer households spent up to 17% less on sugary drinks and across all socioeconomic groups nationwide, the drop was 12%.
But the key benefit lies in the improvement in people’s health and the fall in the number of diet-related fatalities that the introduction of a sugar tax could lead to. Estimates put this at 1,600 in Australia, and it is claimed that 4,400 heart attacks – a major cause of death – and 1,100 strokes could be prevented each and every year. The revenues generated by the tax are expected to be in the region of $400 million, not to mention the reduction in costly healthcare needed, providing the government with a fund to subsidise healthy food for low-income Australians.

​Complete the sentences from a flow-chart.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the article for each answer

Multiple Select

Choose 3 pieces of information that were mentioned

• 2 The three pieces of information mentioned

• 2 The three pieces of information mentioned

• the percentage of people in favour of a sugar tax

• the tax rate (as a percentage) imposed by a country on sugary drinks

• the year when a country introduced a sugar tax