05 08 natural sciences u4b

Module

4B

The Way People Live

Activities
1Look at the picture and discuss.
aWhat is the girl doing?
bWhat is she worried about?
c What can you advise this girl?
dWhy do you think people are worried about this topic?
dWhat’s the role of mass media in this topic?

Eating Disorders
An Obsession with Being Thin

Eating disorders can really affect a person’s health.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which a
person starves herself or himself to lose weight.
Bulimia nervosa is another eating disorder in which
a bulimic person fills herself or himself up with
food and then induces vomiting. These people also
resort to laxatives, diuretics and diet pills without
medical supervision seriously putting their lives in
danger.
The idea of perfection is quite common in our
society nowadays. If we can’t reach this objective
and be slim, fit and beautiful, then we feel bad

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

Cindy, the girl in the picture, is thinking about food.
But she is also thinking about keeping fit and being
thin. She probably has an eating disorder. Many
people believe that part of the cause of undergoing
an eating disorder is how much they value and
focus on being thin. No matter how beautiful they
look, almost every woman in the world dreams
about being thin. If there was one thing they could
change about themselves, it is their weight. It is
easy to become obsessed with our appearance,
especially with our weight. Nearly every magazine
ad and every television commercial we come
across show thin, beautiful people. No wonder we
end up thinking we should look like them.

about how we look. This can lead to the kind of
behaviour that harms rather than helps.
Most young girls like Cindy think they really don’t
feel they are very good at anything. Food seems to
be the only thing in life they can control. But it isn’t.
In addition to being unhappy with their bodies and
themselves, many teens have a strong need for
approval from their parents and peers and some of
them may be severely depressed.

English Toolkit 1 - Natural Sciences


Module

4B
2Answer these questions.
a What eating disorders are mentioned in the text?

bWhat can make someone go to one of these extremes to lose weight?

c Can you make a list of the factors that play a part in this behaviour?


3Put these ideas in the order they appear in the text.
aBulimia and anorexia definitions
bThe influence of mass media
c Cindy’s problem
eTeens’ problems

4Match these two columns to identify warning signs.
asudden drop
bexcessive concern and discontent
cdistorted
d taking
eusing
fan obsession
grefusal
h excessive

1body image
2diet pills
3physical exercise
4 with one’s body

5with food
6laxatives
7in weight
8to eat

5Discuss with your classmates in your own language.
a How do you avoid falling into the trap of eating disorders?
bWhat are the causes of anorexia in your opinion?
c What can you do to help someone who is bulimic?

6Now look up information about eating
disorders (bulimia and anorexia) in
encyclopaedias or search the Web. Visit
institutions or hospitals. Interview a
nutritionist and ask for a healthy diet
plan. With all this information, write a
three-paragraph composition about one
of these two eating disorders.

English Toolkit 1 - Natural Sciences

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

dSociety’s ideal