The modern physically lazy lifestyle

In most industrialised countries young people’s everyday life is gradually mechanised and urbanised. More and more time is spent on indoor activities. As an example, 72 percent of all Norwegian teenage girls report that their favourite hobby is shopping. Young people’s leisure time is spent in shopping malls, snack bars, in front of computer games, Internet chats, and television screens.

An average young man that graduate from high school in the USA has spent 12000 hours at school and 19000 hours in front of a television/video screen. The distance between our different arenas is increasingly spent on wheels, lifts, and escalators. Many traditional physical activities are replaced by technical inventions. As an example, the journal refers to English researchers who have calculated that the average use of a mobile phone saves us from walking 16 kilometers every year.

The decline in young people’s physical activities happens at the same time as they are presented to extreme body ideals through television programmes like Baywatch, and through all kinds of videos and movies. Instead of doing more physical exercise, many young people, especially girls, eat less. The result of this food phobia is high numbers of young people suffering from bulimia and anorexia. This is a serious health problem today in many countries. In spite of massive anti tobacco campaigns, 36 percent of all 18-year-old girls in Norway smoke. Many argue that it is better to smoke than to gain weight. Some girls even argue that they start smoking marihuana to lose appetite.

The modern physically lazy lifestyle has many unwanted consequences. In spite of a decrease in daily consume of calories, young people are gaining weight. The new lifestyle combined with a less healthy diet may create very high costs to the future society. A result of the new life style may be an increase of certain types of cancer and a dramatic increase in the number of diabetes.

Studies show that as many as one out of five students in secondary school, and one out of ten in primary school need treatment because of pains in their neck, shoulders, and back. The reason for this suffering is normally too little physical activity. From schools and clinics we regularly get reports of an increasing number of mentally depressed children and youths.

Nowadays, teenagers have changed in comparison with the teens in the past, taking into account eating habits, an active way of life, spending free time. They are a “technology” generation. For teens in today’s world mobile phones, internet, music, movies, television and video games are very important. Most teenagers prefer watching TV and playing computer games to reading books. They don’t like reading because watching TV is easier and they don’t have to use their own imagination. Computer games teach but they are also harmful to health. Teenagers prefer to spend free time in front of a computer rather than to walk, play football or go to a swimming pool. Moreover, games transfer them into the world which doesn’t exist. It is very exciting for the youth. Teens meet with friends in such places as McDonalds where they eat too much unhealthy food.

36. a) Read the descriptions of four people’s lifestyles and beliefs and try to guess what each person does. Which aspects of their life, lifestyle and beliefs do they mention? (from Evans V. Successful Writing: proficiency. / Virginia Evans − Express Publisher, 1998. – P 10.)

b) Change the sentences which describe aspects of their life, lifestyle and beliefs to make them true for you or someone you know.

Ann has a very unpredictable lifestyle because she doesn’t have a regular job. When she has a part, however, she tends to get up late as she works until late in the evenings. Then, she goes to the gym because it’s important for her to be healthy. After that Ann learns her lines or attends extra rehearsals. She goes to work at about six o'clock. Ann's profession enables her to fulfill one of her dreams to travel. She tries to keep an optimistic approach to life as you never know what the future holds.

Steve has a very busy lifestyle getting up at five thirty, working out in the gym and then going straight to work. He often has working breakfasts and lunches and meetings to attend that go on until the early hours. Steve also has to travel a lot, so he isn't able to spend much time with his family and friends, although he tries to keep his weekends free. He believes in hard work and that the key to success is honesty and determination. His recent promotion gives him reason to hope that he will be a senior partner of the firm one day.

Claire’s life is pretty much the same from day to day. On weekdays she gets up at seven, wakes up her teenage sons and takes them off to school. Then she starts the housework, shopping and so on. She spends a lot of time working in the garden, which she really enjoys. Claire always tries to arrange something special for the weekends a drive in the country with the whole family, for instance. She believes that taking care of her family is a job in itself and one that she takes great pride in.

Moira’s career keeps her busy from dawn to dusk. Fortunately she loves meeting new people, so she can combine her interests with her career. When she is not attending exhibitions and gallery openings she leads a very disciplined life. She paints from 6 o’clock in the morning until 4 o’clock in the afternoon. She usually spends the early evenings with her husband and two children. Her ambition is to have a one-woman-show in an important London gallery and her dream is to own an art gallery one day.

37. a) Listen to two people talking about a famous person. Read the sentences and fill in the gaps writing no more than four words. (from Evans V. Successful Writing: Proficiency. / Virginia Evans − Express Publisher, 1998. –P. 10.)

The book Cold Snow is written by (1) _______. She is a (2) ______. She can afford herself (3) _____ the world. In everyday life she has to have a (4) _____ which is not different from ordinary people’s. She is very (5) _____ about her life. Instead of living in a big house in the country she lives in (6) ______ with (7) ______ . She has been (8) _______ since I got to know her. Her ambition is to (9) ______ young writers. She is anxious (10) ______ as much as she can.

b) Using the notes speak about Emma’s lifestyle.

c) Work in pairs to discuss the questions below. Use the Essential Strategy Language.

1) What is your daily routine? Do you like your lifestyle?

2) How is Ukrainian people’s lifestyle changed for the last 10-20 years?

3) How will your life style change in the future? Will it become less stressful?

4) What would you change in your lifestyle if you had a chance?

5) What is the difference between your lifestyle and your friend’s?

WRITING. A descriptive essay. 38. a) Study the format of a descriptive essay. In pairs discuss how you can organize a descriptive essay.