America’s Fast Food Habits

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

concentration

Noun

ˌkɑːnsənˈtreɪʃən

a large number of things in a particular place

This is the part of the city with the highest concentration of restaurants and bars.

per capita

Adverb

pər ˈkæpɪtə

per person

Several countries in the region spend more money on clothes per capita than the whole world combined.

abundant

Adjective

əˈbəndənt

existing in large amounts; having a lot of

The library contained abundant resources for his research.

Many rivers in Alaska have abundant amounts of salmon.

This electronics company has abundant design archives that its current engineers can refer to.

Water is the most abundant liquid on Earth.

on the go

Phrase

ɔːn ðə ɡoʊ

moving or travelling; busy

He always seems to be on the go.

spread

Verb

sprɛd

to extend over or affect a larger area or group of people

The news of her marriage spread quickly through the office.

Telephone networks have spread throughout the world.

The cold virus spreads easily.

They spread the designs across the entire conference table.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

America’s Fast Food Habits

It’s no secret that Americans have a taste for fast food. In fact, almost one in four Americans eats it daily, according to a report from CBS News. However, the amount of fast food consumed is different in every region, according to a new report from Texas-based Datafiniti, which broke down some of the data about Americans’ fast food habits.

For example, the central and southern states have the highest concentrations of fast food restaurants per capita. The northeastern states have the fewest and are led by Vermont, New Jersey and New York.

McDonald’s, which is the second largest chain of fast food restaurants, can be found in every American city, and Orlando and Las Vegas have the most per capita with 20.9 and 13.9 McDonald’s per 100,000 residents.

What is the largest fast-food chain? Subway, which has 18.5 percent of all fast food restaurants. McDonald’s has 11.3 percent. Behind them, in third, is Burger King, which has 5.7 percent.

“Southern and Central states are the place to go if you love fast food; head to the East or out West if you don’t,” Datafiniti wrote. “Southern cities have abundant options for fast food, particularly in Florida; head to California if you don’t want to eat on the go.

“As for McDonald’s, it appears that this major restaurant chain has spread to every corner of America.”

Exercise 3

Questions

What areas of the U.S. have the most fast food restaurants per capita?

What is the second largest fast-food chain in the U.S.?

Which American city has the highest number of McDonald’s per capita?

Exercise 4

Discussion

What are your thoughts on Datafiniti's findings?

Does it surprise you that almost one in four Americans eats fast food daily? Why? Why not?

Would you say that McDonald's has spread to every corner of your country? Why? Why not?

Do you ever eat at any of the fast food chains mentioned in the article? Please explain your answer.

Have you ever been to the U.S.? If so, how did you find the local food? If not, what states would you like to visit?

Exercise 5

Further Discussion

Are there a lot of fast food restaurants near where you live? If so, which ones do you visit most often?

How often do you eat on the go? Please explain your answer.

What foods do you try to avoid? Why?

What would you say are the most popular fast food chains in your country? Please explain your answer.

It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car. - Michael Pollan. Do you agree with this statement? Why? Why not?

Exercises for Further Self-Study

These self-study exercises are optional and should be carried out after the lesson has finished.

Exercise 6

Sentence Building

Write at least one sentence for each of the words in Exercise 1: Vocabulary. Begin by making sure you understand the definition of each word. Use the example sentences as a guide if you are unable to think of a sentence. Practice reading your sentences out loud.

Exercise 7

Summary

Make a brief summary of the article. Focus on the main topic and consider which pieces of information are most important. Make sure you include details such as what the article is about, who is mentioned in it, where and when the events took place, and also how and why they happened.

Parts of this lesson are based on:

An article by Voice of America.