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Œ A Quick Quiz Work with a partner

• What is organic food?

• Have you ever bought any?

 Vocabulary #1 Match the word with its correct meaning.

surge (n) a supporter

numerous (adj) a sudden increase
pesticide (n) to attempt to stop something bad happening
combat (v) happening many times, usually at regular intervals
an advocate (n) a chemical used to kill insects
residue (n) the part of something that remains after the rest has gone
periodic (adj) very many

Ž Reading Quickly read the following text, and make brief notes in the table on the next page.

Do you know how most food is produced these days? What we 1

buy at the supermarket is increasingly produced and kept
fresh using a cocktail of possibly harmful chemicals. This has
led to a surge in demand for organic food and the emergence
of a multi-million dollar industry. 5

The benefits of chemicals to modern farming are numerous.

Pesticides combat the insect threat and allow farms to boost
productivity; preservatives ensure food stays fresh for longer; hormones used in the rearing of
livestock speed up growth rates and milk yield. Chemicals have undoubtedly brought an
industrial efficiency to modern farming, but there is a downside. Organic food, many argue, is 10
healthier.

Advocates of organic food focus on the dangers of pesticides and antibiotics. Levels of
pesticide residue in non-organic fruit and vegetables could be dangerous to pregnant women
and children, and antibiotics used in intensively reared livestock such as pigs and chickens
raise concerns about food safety. 15

Much of the trade in organic food is either through farmers’ markets, whereby local producers
band together and stage periodic markets, often in urban areas, or ‘box-schemes’ where food is
delivered directly to the consumer. Supermarkets are meeting this growing demand and
expanding organic food sections.

Continued Ü

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Yet evidence of organic food being healthier is far from conclusive. Rival groups of scientists 20

argue over whether pesticide or antibiotic levels in food are really harmful to humans. In addition,
organic food isn’t cheap – it can be up to 40% more expensive. Consumer groups have
highlighted the mislabeling of produce, with cases of food retailers passing off non-organic food
as organic.

The choices facing the consumer are confusing. With a rise in obesity in many countries, 25

perhaps time and money would be better spent just encouraging increased consumption of any
kind of fruit and vegetables - organic or otherwise.

 Summarizing Fill in the table below, making notes.

Benefits of organic food Benefits of regularly-produced food

 Vocabulary #2 Change words in these sentences using the vocabulary from exercise two.

1. The prime minister is a strong supporter of women’s rights.

2. My food blender always leaves a tough remnant that is hard to clean.
3. Sales of the new vacuum cleaner have shot up over the last three months.
4. My parents have been overseas many times.
5. This new air freshener fights the smell of both cigarette smoke and garlic.

‘ Discussion Ask your partner(s) these questions. Ask follow-up questions!

Questions related to the text in Exercise 3

Ø Do you think food in the supermarket contains too many chemicals?

Ø Why is organic food so expensive?
Ø Does organic food look and taste different?
Ø Is organic food sold at your local supermarket?

Other questions

Ø What foreign-produced food do you buy?

Ø Given the choice of home-produced food or foreign-produced food, which do you buy?
Ø Have you ever grown your own food?
Ø Your questions!

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Target Structure: Reading and Discussion

Vocabulary: General
Level: Advanced
Time: 1 hour, depending on discussion
Preparation: None

Suggested Teaching Method

Organic food is a good topic for discussion. This worksheet has plenty of vocabulary building, and discussion
questions to help your students improve their speaking skills.

Œ Give one worksheet to each student. Check that they know what organic food is. (The growing of plants or
animals for food, without using artificial chemicals.) Students should discuss the questions in pairs. Don’t spend
too long on this section - the main discussion questions come at the end of the worksheet.

 Introduce the vocabulary work as a scanning exercise. Tell students to look for the words in the text and
underline them before proceeding further. If necessary, explain the concept of scanning compared to detailed
reading. A good example is a bus timetable – you look for a specific time, rather than read the timetable from top
to bottom.

Students should work alone, and then check in pairs.

Ž Before the students read the text, explain the reading task.
and

 Encourage the students to read quickly and make brief notes in the table in exercise four. They should then
check with a partner. Go through the answers with the class. This would also be the time to deal with any
pressing vocabulary questions.

 This exercise recycles vocabulary seen in exercise two and the reading. Students should work alone, and check
in pairs. When going through the answers, accept anything that is natural English.

‘ Leave plenty of time for class discussion. To maximize student talking time, it’s best to put students in pairs, or
small groups. Students should read all the questions first, before beginning the discussion.

Encourage eye contact and follow-up questions. Some discussion phrases might also come in useful. On the
board, write “I know what you mean.” , “Yeah, but on the other hand..” and other such useful phrases, if you
think it would be of benefit to your students.

While the students are speaking, monitor the conversations, but try not to interrupt. When the discussion comes
to a close, ask a few of the questions yourself, and go through any points of English you made a note of while
monitoring.

Answer key on next page Ü

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Answer Key (Other answers are possible for some exercises.)

 surge (n.) a sudden increase

numerous (adj.) very many
pesticide (n.) a chemical used to kill insects
combat (v.) to attempt to stop something bad happening
an advocate (n.) a supporter
residue (n.) the part of something that remains after the rest has gone
periodic (adj.) happening many times, usually at regular intervals

 Benefits of organic food Benefits of regularly-produced food

• No dangerous pesticides or antibiotics. • Easier for farmers to produce - fewer

• It’s healthier. insects, more productivity.
• Could be much safer for pregnant women • Livestock produced more quickly.
and children. • More efficient >> cheaper
• Chemicals may not actually harm people at
all. (No evidence…)

 1. The prime minister is a strong advocate of women’s rights.

2. My food blender always leaves a tough residue that is hard to clean.
3. There has been a surge in sales of the new vacuum cleaner over the last three months.
(Or, using surge as a verb: Sales of the new vacuum cleaner have surged over the last three months.)
4. My parents have been overseas numerous times.
5. This new air freshener combats the smell of both cigarette smoke and garlic.

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Updated 12/3/2010

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