Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.
dateline: 04 September 2012
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Organic Foods Have Same Nutritional Value
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- nutritional value: health benefits from food
- ripeness: the aging of produce
- pesticide: a chemical used to prevent pests from disturbing plants
- flawed: containing mistakes; imperfect
- genetically modified: adapted by man in order to improve the quality of something natural
Comprehension Questions
- What was the main conclusion of the Stanford study?
- Why don’t critics agree with this study?
- What is certified-organic food?
Discussion Question: Do you choose organic food over non-organic food at the grocery store? Which types of food are you most careful about buying?
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Organic Foods Have Same Nutritional Value
A new study out of Stanford University suggests that organic foods have no additional nutritional value than non-organic foods. The study suggests that other factors, such as the ripeness of the produce when it is picked, determine the nutritional quality. The study did find that organic food contained significantly less pesticide residue than non-organic food. Despite the massive research that went into the study, critics say that the research is flawed and based on short-term evidence. Consumers have a variety of reasons for choosing organic foods, including concerns about animal welfare and the environment. Certified-organic food is produced with environmentally and animal-friendly production methods, and does not contain genetically modified ingredients.
- The main conclusion of the Stanford study was that organic food does not have greater nutritional value than non-organic food.
- Critics don’t agree with this study because it is based on short-term evidence.
- Certified-organic food is food that does not contain genetically modified ingredients, and is produced with environmentally and animal friendly production methods. Pesticide use is limited.
Written and recorded by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
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