"EATING HABITS OF YOUNG CITIZENS OF HONG KONG"
TEXT 19 - JUNE - 1996.
In Hong Kong, the importance of studying and the emphasis on school performance is helping to create a generation of fatties. Recent studies have shown that up to 5 per cent of five to six-year-olds in Hong Kong are obese, and the rate of obesity has increased five-fold in recent years. The British colony also have one of the highest levels of cholesterol in children, even higher than the United States'. Such statistics are more alarming when compared to those for the previous generation of Hong Kong Chinese, who stick to a traditional Chinese diet and have relatively low cholesterol levels.
In Hong Kong, few schools provide cooked meals. About 17 per cent of primary pupils buy their own snacks, mostly soft drinks, crisps and ice cream. Many parents also use sweets and high-fat snacks to reward children who do well at school and to bribe them to do their homework. Sport is considered important by many parents and gymnastics is not compulsory in schools.
Most children, particularly girls, become more figure-conscious as they reach their teens. But fewer than 5 per cent of children who became obese at primary school are able to shed their excess weight later, says the study.
Doctors want the government to step up nutrition education in primary schools and say Hong Kong should follow Singapore's example of an obesity prevention programme in schools. After the programme was introduced in 1992, 20 per cent of overweight children in Singapore reached their ideal weight within a year.
1.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer these
questions. (Be careful with grammar. Write precise answers) (2 points)
A) What problems are young Hong Kong children suffering from?
B) Different kinds of causes of these problems are suggested in the text. Explain two of them.
2.- Are the following TRUE or FALSE? Give the evidence from the text. NO marks are
given for only TRUE or FALSE. (2 points)
A) Hong Kong children who were obese found it easy to get slim.
B) Singapore has begun to solve the problem of bad eating in children.
3.- Find in the text words which mean the same as the following words or phrases.
(1 point)
A) serious (paragraph 1) >
B) still follow (paragraph 1) >
C) to give something in order to make someone do something (paragraph 2) >
D) however (paragraph 3) >
4.- Rewrite sentences a) and b), starting with the words given: (1 point)
A) It is impossible to become a healthy adult without eating properly as a child.
Unless you ______
B) Parents tell their children that they should do their homework.
Parents want ______
In c) and d), write one word in each space; use the correct form of the word in
brackets, when given. (1 point)
C) Children who are good ______sports tend ______have fewer health problems.
D) Another problem of Hong Kong children is ______(watch) too much television ______the evening.
5.- Write 60 to 100 words on one of the following topics. DO NOT COPY FROM THE
TEXT. (3 points)
A) The sort of meals I enjoy most.
B) Changing eating habits in Spain.