English Vocabulary Exercises for B2 – Food science

1. Choose the correct words to complete the text.

The brain: our hungriest organ

Our brains account for 2% of our weight, but 1 reduce / consume 20% of the energy that our bodies 2 produce / digest after eating. When we sleep, our brains continue to 3 burn / produce energy because they are still working. The 4 process / burn all the day’s activities and create memories. The brain also repairs itself, but if we don’t sleep enough, it 5 reduces / burns the time that our brains have for this work. Having fewer fours of sleep also affects our diets, as it is more difficult for our brains to 6 control / process our weight if we don’t sleep enough. If we want to 7 consume / boost our brains’ energy levels, we should do exercise. Exercise pumps blood full of oxygen to our brains.

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1) consume   2) produce   3) burn   4) process

5) reduces   6) control   7) boost

2. Match the verbs below with the definitions. There is one extra verb.

ache      boost      consume      control      digest      process      produce      reduce

1) to use fuel, energy, or time, especially in large amounts ____________

2) to make something smaller in size, importance, amount, etc. ____________

3) to make something ____________

4) to improve or increase something ____________

5) to change food in your stomach into substances that your body can use ____________

6) the feeling you get in your muscles when you’re done a lot of exercise ____________

7) to order, limit, or rule something ____________

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1) consume   2) reduce   3) produce   4) boost   5) digest

6) ache   7) control

3. Complete the words in the sentences.

1) Sausages, sliced ham and bacon can be tasty, but p______ m______ is not very good for you.

2) You should avoid all types of p______ f______ such as pre-cooked meals.

3) D______ p______ like milk and cheese are important for growing children because they strengthen their bones.

4) It’s much better to eat brown bread made from w______ g______ flour rather than processed white bread.

5) Some p______ farmers keep turkeys and ducks as well as chickens.

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1) processed meat   2) processed food   3) Dairy products

4) whole grain   5) poultry

4. Listen to a nutritionist giving advice about the best food for people who do sport. Tick the things he mentions.

1) calcium

2) calories

3) carbohydrates

4) cholesterol

5) fat

6) fibre

7) minerals

8) nutrients

9) preservatives

10) protein

11) vitamins

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1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11

Transcript

See exercise 5.

5. Listen again and complete the advice with the words you ticked in exercise 4.

*  You don’t have to eat broccoli, which is full of 1) _____, with oil and salt, but it might help to make it tastier!

*  Sweet potatoes and tomatoes contain a lot of 2) _____.

*  You should try and avoid red meat because although it has 3) _____, it also has a lot of 4) _____.

*  You must eat fruit – bananas are a good option because they have a lot of 5) _____.

*  You mustn’t eat too many nuts because although they provide you with 6) _____, they also contain a lot of 7) _____.

*  If you have to exercise in the evening, milk will help you relax and provide your bones with 8) _____.

Show answers

1) nutrients   2) vitamins   3) protein   4) fat   5) fibre

6) minerals   7) calories   8) calcium

Transcript

A balanced training schedule also means eating properly, so here are the best fitness foods.

No doubt you refused to eat vegetables when you were a child, but now broccoli, which is full of nutrients, should be part of your diet. Eat it with a little oil and salt and you’ll soon forget saying it tasted horrible!

Accompany broccoli with sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Both are full of vitamins, especially vitamin C.

I regret to say that red meat is out. Although it’s a good source of protein, it contains too much fat. It’s much better to eat fish, especially salmon. You must eat fruit – don’t forget to eat plenty of bananas, the perfect energy food. Bananas contain fibre, which helps your body absorb the sugar they contain slowly so we produce energy for longer. Nuts are packed with minerals and make a perfect snack, but be careful! They’re high in calories and you could put on weight if you eat too many of them!

If you exercise in the evening, it can be difficult to sleep, so try drinking a glass of warm milk before you go to bed. Milk stimulates chemicals in the body that will make you feel sleepy and of course the calcium in milk is excellent for making our bones stronger.

Extra exercises

1. Complete the sentences with the words below.

calories      carbohydrates      dairy products

minerals      preservatives      pulses

1) People burn ____________ when they do exercise.

2) Nuts, eggs and are good sources of protein.

3) _________ can be found in bread, rice, pasta and potatoes.

4) _________ contain calcium, which makes teeth and bones stronger.

5) Processed food contains ____________ so that it doesn’t go off.

6) Salt is one of the most common ____________ found in food, but there are many others.

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1) calories   2) pulses   3) Carbohydrates   4) Dairy products

5) preservatives 6) minerals

2. Match the verbs in A with the words in B to make collocations. Then complete the sentences.

a    be      beat      convert      keep      lift      pedal      play      push

b    an opponent      a team sport      competitive      fit

        food into energy      on a bike      weights      yourself to the limit

1) If you want to ____________ that isn’t football, why not try rugby?

2) mum tries to ____________ by going running every morning.

3) The eight B vitamins help the body ____________ so that we are always ready for action.

4) When exercising, I think you should train as intensively as you can. It’s only when you ____________ that you get results.

5) You should use the right technique to ____________ so as not to injure yourself.

6) I’m always over the moon when I ____________ at tennis, because I usually lose.

7) Playing sports at school encourages children to ____________ which helps them to have higher expectations and achieve better results.

8) In opinion, you should cycle outdoors as much as possible. It’s just not the same when you ____________ in the gym.

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1) play a team sport   2) keep fit

3) convert food into energy   4) push yourself to the limit

5) lift weights   6) beat an opponent

7) be competitive   8) pedal on a bike

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