LESSON
Read for the main idea
READING
GET READY
Diana grows her own vegetables and is very concerned about the food she eats.
Are you careful about what you eat?
READ
Listen and read the article. Do you think a government should control
what people eat and drink? Why or why not?
Imagine a very hot day in July. You work in a state
government building. You go to the vending
machine to get soda, but then you remember that
the government has banned sugary drinks.
It’s not the law everywhere, but more and more
government officials are deciding what their
citizens eat and drink . . . or do not eat and drink.
The soft drink story isn’t complete fiction.
In San Francisco, sodas and other sweet drinks
were banned from vending machines in public
buildings, and the governor replaced them with
diet sodas and soy milk. The mayor of NewYork
City wanted to stop the sale of large sodas, and
politicians in Philadelphia wanted people to pay
an extra tax for those same sugary drinks.
The restrictions aren’t limited to drinks. California
and NewYork City have rules that no restaurants
can serve food with trans fats—that’s over 88,000
restaurants in California! Children in certain cities
and states are affected, too. Texas has state laws
limiting junk food in schools. NewYork City has
a wellness policy that stopped school bake sales.
It also limits food choices in vending machines.
City supervisors in San Francisco have banned
toys from being included with meals in fast food
restaurants.
Why has the government started making these
rules? They were made in the name of health.
Substandard eating habits have led to obesity.
Obesity is related to other medical problems,
such as heart disease, strokes, and diabetes.
In 2010, the number of obese people was over
30 percent in 12 states. As the obesity numbers
rise, so do the medical costs. Health care costs
more for an obese person than for people of
average weight. Those costs are shared by all
taxpayers—not just the heavy ones.
Despite the government’s goal of healthier living,
some people disagree with the bans and want to
overturn the few rules the government has in
place. They believe it is a right to be able to
choose what they want to eat. Parents feel it is
their responsibility, and not the government’s, to
decide what their children eat. Yet, the eventual
savings to skyrocketing insurance costs seems to
outweigh the fact that a government official is
taking away the 16-ounce soft drink.
0
Percent
10
1999–
2000
Women
Men
2001–
2002
2003–
2004
Years
2005–
2006
2007–
2008
2009–
2010
20
30
40
Trends in the prevalence of obesity among adults
aged 20 and over, by sex: U.S. 1999–2010
Source:
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012.
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UNIT 1
