Improve your appearance and do yourself harm

1

For those of us who lead busy lives, it's very tempting to take a short cut to looking good. Why bother to keep fit and have a balanced diet when you can look good the easy way? But before you decide that looking after yourself is all too much effort, think again.

2

There's nothing like a suntan to make you feel good. Spend all day doing nothing on a beautiful beach and you'll look better at the end of it. A light tan will make you look younger and healthier, but there is increasing evidence that sunbathing and using sunbeds are directly linked to skin cancer. In the long term, it also ages the skin. If you want a tan, you may do better getting it out of a bottle.

3

If you want to change the colour of your hair why not just do it? A quick visit to the hair dresser can make it sunnier, more attractive and improve your self-image a great deal. The problem is how long it will last. When the roots start to show again, it’s back to the salon. One visit too many and you can seriously damage your hair. In the end there is a danger that it will even fall out.

4

You may not think that a tattoo would improve your appearance, but it's certainly fashionable, and for many people that's the same thing. A little red rose on your shoulder can seem like a good idea at the time, but how do you get rid of it later? Worse still, there's a very real danger of getting a serious disease such as HIV or hepatitis from dirty needles if you go to an unqualified tattoo artist.

5

The bad news is that if you want to look good and stay looking good, you will have to accept the facts. A hectic life style is no excuse. For the face, there's nothing better than a good night's sleep, because it is at night that the skin repairs itself. For the rest of your body, make sure you have a good diet and keep active. That's all there is to it. Sorry! No one said it would be fun.

(Rising Star. A Pre-First Certificate Course. pp.34-35)

15. a) Read the article. Mark the sentences T (True) or F (False).

1 Americans eat more fruit than any other food. F

2 Cocoa drinks are good for your health. __

3 People are buying more soy drinks. __

4 People are buying less pasta. __

5 Nuts are good for you. __

Taking our diet more seriously

Most people believe that health is very important and, because of this, many are trying to eat more healthily. For example, people in the UK are eating less salt and more low fat margarine and milk; fruit is now America's second-favourite snack and Japan is currently promoting cocoa because it is a healthy alternative to soft drinks like Coca Cola. These changes in eating habits are also having an effect on the food market. Global sales are increasing for soy drinks and drinkable yoghurts more than any other food and sales of bread, pasta, and cereals are growing much more slowly. People are also becoming more interested in fresh fruit and vegetables and 'farmers' markets' are getting more popular throughout Europe. When they can, people often opt for 'natural goodness', and they're buying more products that are healthy, like fruit, salads, and nuts. They are also buying products that help to protect the environment, like organic vegetables. So it's clear that things in the food world will never be the same again.

b) Match the highlighted words to a word with a similar meaning below.

1 worldwide global

2 think ______

3 now ______

4 becoming ______

5 choose ______

6 a substitute for ______

7 getting bigger ______

8 look after, keep from danger ______

c) Complete the sentences with the highlighted words from the text.

1 Many vegetarians eat soya as an alternative to meat.

2 Some people _______ that all ready-cooked meals are unhealthy.

3 The number of people buying organic vegetables is ________ in many countries.

4 The UK government is _______studying how to encourage people to change their eating habits.

5 In the US and Europe, many children are ______fatter because of too bad diets.

6 Many people ______ a change diet because it makes them feel better.

7 A balanced diet can help to ________ you from illness.

8 Unhealthy eating is now a _______ problem: not just in the US and Europe.

(New English File. Intermediate. Workbook. p.4)

16. Read the article and answer the questions.