In his best- selling book Fast Food Nation, American writer Eric Schlosser says he used to eat a lot of fast food. It was cheap and convenient and he thought it tasted quite good. But he doesn’t eat it any more. His book explains why.
Schlosser describes the amazing size of the fast food business. Americans spend over $100 billion a year on fast food. Every day about a quarter of them visit a fast food restaurant. The three largest companies have more than 60,000 restaurants across the world, and they open several new ones every day.
Schlosser’s description of these huge restaurant chains is depressing. The food is prepared in factories, and chemicals are added to improve its taste and smell. From Melbourne to Moscow, the restaurants always look the same. They all serve same meals, which are cooked by machines. The people who work in the kitchens don’t learn any skills and they very badly paid.
Two-thirds of America’s fast food workers are under 20.
Young people are also important customers. Advertisements are often designed specially for children, who may get toys and games when they go for a meal. Companies even pay schools to advertise burgers and soft drinks. But these products are unhealthy because they contain a lot of fat and sugar. About 25% of the young people in America are overweight and the problem is getting worse.
I was shocked by the information Schlosser gives us, and I’ll certainly think twice before I order my next burger and fries.
Recognising facts and opinions. Do these sentences give facts or opinions? Write F(fact) or O(opinion).
1. Fast food tastes good.
2. Americans spend over $100 billion a year on fast food.
3. The biggest companies open new restaurants every day.
4. Schlosser’s description is depressing.
5. The meals are cooked by machines.
2. people, especially teenagers, want to know more about other people and places; they want to know other cultures.
3. therefore, they need to know foreign languages.
4. some people think that English should be simplified.
5. because will need a little time to study it and people can easily learn it ourselves, without visiting any language courses.
6. but it's hard to Express your thoughts with a limited number of words.
7. the British and Americans probably won't be able to understand this language.
8. although English is a difficult language it does not mean that we have the power to change it.
9. language is a precious heritage and we should respect it.
10. making English language easier, people can warp it and it will disappear along with its complexity.
Friends is an unchangable part of our lives. With them, we shend a very large part of our lives. I agree that there are some people whom we may call friends, but after a while they can simply turn away from us. Everyone can choose the wrong person and call him/her a friend. Therefore, I believe that we should not rely on friends entirely. Betrayal is not everyone can quietly survive.
But in general, I believe that in a family and with your friends can be problems. The main thing is to know how to get out of difficult situations, and to be able to forgive mistakes of other people.