Subject File FOOD TRENDS

 Fast Food

Ex. 1: Watch the video and complete the News Review quiz online.

Fast Food: Bad for the Brain?

Ex. 2: Watch the video and complete the News Review quiz online.

Junk Food Addiction

Ex.3: 

BBC Learning English: Ultra-processed food health warning

Subject File A HEALTHY AND BALANCED DIET

 

 More information on the Eatwell Guide

Ex. 1: Diet or nutrition? Complete the table with the suitable concepts.

Ex. 2: Complete the gap text with concepts from Ex. 1.

1. The doctor has told me to go on a ........................... (1) because I am too big. 
2. Children not receiving adequate ............................... (2) frequently suffer from poor health.
3. The Japanese ............................ (3) consists of rice, vegetables, and plenty of fish.
4. It is crucial to eat a balanced .............................. (4)
5. Many illnesses are caused by poor ............................. (5)     

Ex. 3: 

You are a nutritionist and you advise people on how to improve their diets if they suffer from the following conditions. Study the food pyramid and suggest a diet to improve them. 

• a skin rash
• digestive problems
• a heart condition
• osteoporosis

https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/healthy-eating-pyramid/

Ex. 4: Eating habits and meal routines.

Ex. 5: Reflect on your personal eating habits and meal routines, using the present simple tense.

• What I have/eat ...

Ex. 6: Food and Mental Health. 

BBC Learning English: Food and Mood

KEY: 

Ex. 1: 1 - diet; 2 - diet; 3 - nutrition

Ex. 2: (1) diet; (2) nutrition; (3) diet; (4) diet; (5) nutrition

Subject File HOUSING

Ex. 1: Listen to the podcast and note down the types of houses mentioned.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/real-easy-english/250117

Ex. 2: Different types of housing in the United Kingdom and the United States. 

manor house - farmhouse - thatched cottage - mobile home (BE), caravan, trailer (AE) - detached house (BE), single family house (AE) -mansion - semi-detached house (BE), two-family house (AE), skyscraper - terraced house (BE), row house (AE) - high-rise residential building - flat/block of flats (BE), apartment - penthouse 

Subject File THE WORLD OF WORK: Gig Economy

• The gig economy, also known as the sharing or access economy, consists of a labor market that emphasizes short-term, temporary, flexible, part-time and freelance work engagements rather than permanent positions, often facilitated through digital platforms, representing a shift from traditional employment structures.

• People earn money from providing on-demand work, services, or goods. 

• Remote positions allow gig workers to live anywhere that has an internet connection.

• Positions are often filled by independent contractors. While offering flexibility and independence to workers, this type of of work removes job security and benefits like health insurance and paid leave. 

• Companies save costs by hiring freelancers without these benefits. Employers benefit by saving costs and hiring from a larger, globally accessible talent pool due to remote work options. 

Ex. 1: Study the vocabulary items below. 

• digital freelancing
• in demand
• digital gig platforms 
• earnings 
• entrepreneur 
• to freelance (verb)
• perks 

Ex. 2: Watch the video and complete the sentences with the items in Ex. 1. (KEY below)

Paid vacation, sick leave, life insurance and retirement plans are among the ... (1) that come with salaried jobs. Freelancers, though, will have to take responsibility for these themselves. 

... (2) come with drawbacks and may not provide a reliable living wage but they offer convenience and opportunities to find paid work fast. 

Freelancers may find it hard to find out how much money they actually make as ... (3) are based on location and often include business expenses and the digital platforms' cuts. 

Freelancing requires becoming an ... (4) because marketing, negotiating, administration, networking, and client acquisition are central to the gig economy. 

If a person has a skill that is ... (5), they can charge more for the services they deliver to their clients.

... (6) is a new development where freelancers collaborate with digital platforms such as Uber or Upwork. 

When people decide to ... (7), it is often because they enjoy the independence and flexibility these short-term and flexible work arrangements bring. 

Subject File SOCIAL TIES: Friendships

 

Ex. 1: Talking about friendship. Study the phrasal verbs and watch the video.

• to get on with: to have a friendly relationship with a person
• to fall out with: to have an argument
• to run into/to bump into: to meet a person unexpectedly
• to hear from: to receive communication from
• to make up with: to become friends again after having an argument
• to hang out with: to spend time relaxing and socialising with 
• to catch up with: to talk to someone about what has happened since the last time you met that person

Ex. 2: Find out more about the importance of friendship and how to make friends.

Psychology Today: importance of friendship

Friendships: enrich your life and improve your health

Ex. 3: For different stages in life, we need different types of friends. Find out more about it.

BBC Learning English 6 Minute English podcast: making 'mum friends'

👉What should friends be like for ...

• toddlers and young children between the ages of 5 and 10
• teenagers
• young parents and parents in general 
• middle-aged career professionals between the ages of 35 to 55
• retirees
• elderly people in need of care (age groups 80+)

Subject File THE WORLD OF WORK: At work

Introduction

The average person spends approximately 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime, which equates to roughly one-third of their life. On a weekly basis, employees typically spend between 35 and 44.5 hours in their main job, with full-time US employees averaging around 8 hours per weekday or 2,080 hours annually. 

Key Time-at-Work Statistics:

Lifetime Total: ~90,000 hours, or about 13 years and two months.

Weekly Average: 35–40+ hours, depending on industry and country.

Actual Productivity: While on the clock, studies suggest the average worker is truly productive for only about 2 hours and 53 minutes to 4 hours per day.

"Work About Work": Significant time is lost to meetings, checking emails, and unproductive tasks, sometimes averaging over 6 hours lost weekly due to distractions.

Commuting: In the UK, the average commute adds another 28–30 minutes per day. 

In the EU, 37.3% of employees worked between 40.0 and 44.5 hours per week in 2024, with some European countries seeing higher concentrations in the 35–39.5 hour range.

Subject File ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: The Importance of Energy in Europe

The Importance of Energy in Europe

In Europe, energy is the fundamental engine that powers every aspect of modern life, from basic survival to global economic competition. Beyond just "keeping the lights on," energy is essential for three primary reasons: functional daily life, economic stability, and strategic autonomy

Courtesy of: https://ourfuture.energy/cop26/the-energy-transition/