Read the article given below and do the tasks.
Health experts get tough on school lunches
It's lunchtime at Hall Memorial School in Connecticut, and 10 year old Haley is making her way through the food line. Many of her friends are thrilled with the day's lunch selections: pizza and French fries and hot dogs. But Haley feels discouraged. "I use four or five napkins just trying to get the grease off the pizza," she says. "Where are the healthy options?"
Health experts are asking the same question. They say foods high in fat, salt and sugar should be banned from school lunch programs. This includes some items you might not suspect, like fruit punch, which is loaded with sugar, and macaroni and cheese, which is sky-high in fat and salt. "Children are already consuming too much junk food," says Jen Keller, a dietitian at the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine. "It's important to offer them only healthy items in school."
It's not that health experts want to deprive kids of foods they like best. They just want to help kids avoid many of the health problems that come with eating large quantities of unhealthful food. Today, 15 percent of children ages 6 to 11 are obese or seriously overweight. That's up from just 6.5 percent in the late 1970s. Poor diet and obesity can cause diseases like type - 2 diabetes, which can lead to blindness and kidney problems. As of a few years ago, this disease was so rare in children that it was called "adult onset diabetes." "Many foods that are offered in cafeterias are linked to these problems," Keller says.
Most schools do offer some healthful foods, but experts say that doesn't solve the problem. "Given a choice, most kids are going to choose junk over something healthy," says Pat Thorton, a psychologist who studies obesity in children. Throton and other experts agree that schools and parents need to educate kids about making good food choices, both in and out of school.
A. Write 'TRUE' for true and 'FALSE' for the false statements. (5×1=5)
(i) Haley found the pizza in the school lunch too oily.
(ii) Fruit punch is a hygienic food.
(iii) Obesity can cause type 2 diabetes.
(iv) Most foods at school cafeteria are healthy.
(v) Pat Thorton is a food expert.
B. Match the meanings in column 'A' with the correct words in column 'B'. One word does not have a match. (5×1=5)
| Column A | Column B |
|---|
| (i) feeling or showing great excitement and pleasure | (a) obesity |
| (ii) feeling less confident | (b) punch |
| (iii) a drink made by mixing water, fruit, juice and spices | (c) dietitian |
| (iv) A person who advises people about healthy food habits | (d) expert |
| (v) the fact of being fat in an unhealthy way | (e) discouraged |
| (f) thrilled |
C. Answer the following questions. (5×1=5)
(i) Who are thrilled with the day's lunch selection?
(ii) According to experts, what kind of foods should be banned from schools?
(iii) what can be the cause of blindness and kidney problems?
(iv) What is the percentage of obese children of 6 to 11 years?
(v) Where do the kids need to be educated about food choices?
