I. Supply synonyms for the following:

To lose weight, to go on a diet: to take care of one’s health; restricted portions; to satisfy one’s hunger; to overeat; to keep overall fitness; to be a big eater.

II. Translate:

Предрасположенный к полноте; склонный к обжорству; непомерный аппетит; максимальное здоровье; насыщенный витаминами и протеинами; предпочитать более здоровые ресурсы; уменьшить потребление холестерина; потребление нездоровой пищи; ключ к поддерживанию хорошей формы.

III. Taking turns with your partner cover each of the columns and encourage each other to provide translation for the given words.

to cause weight loss

take in fewer calories

restricting portions

to deny our hunger drive

self-defeating quest

the key to permanent weight loss

to fill up your stomach

runs counter to most people’s belief

climinating foods

cutting back portions

the mainstays

steer clear of

fill you up

have staying power

appease your hunger

satisfy your sweet tooth

to boost your metabolism

distance yourself from the food

to curb your appetite

to trigger binges

противостоять чувству голода

безрезультатная изнуряющая борьба

секрет потери веса

противоречить мнению многих

отказываться от пищи

сокращать порции

насыщать основательно

утолить голод

основные потребляемые продукты

избегать

насыщать

удовлетворить потребность в сладком

улучшить обмен веществ

держаться подальше от еды

заглушить аппетит

побуждать к обжорству

вести к потере веса

потреблять меньше калорий

Text 5.

Russian Man’s Meat

Living in Russia one cannot but stick to a Russian diet. Keeping this diet for an Englishman is fatal. The Russians have meals four times a day and their cuisine is quite intricate.

Every person starts his or her day with breakfast. Poor Englishmen are sentenced to either a continental or an English breakfast. From the Russian point of view, when one has it continental it actually means that he has no breakfast at all, because it means drinking a cup of coffee and eating a bun. A month of continental breakfasts for some Russians would mean starving. The English breakfast is a bit better, as it consists of one or two fried eggs, grilled sausages, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms. The English have tea with milk and toast with butter and marmalade. As a choice one may have corn flakes with milk and sugar or porridge.

In Russia people may have anything for breakfast. Some good-humoured individuals even prefer soup, but, of course, sandwiches and coffee are very popular. One can easily understand that in Great Britain by one o’clock people are every much ready for lunch. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. That would be music for a Russian’s ears until he learns what lunch really consists of. It may be a meat of fish course with soft drinks followed by a sweet course.

The heart of a Russian person fills with joy when the hands of the clock approach three o’clock. His dinner includes three courses. A Russian will have a starter (salad, herring, cheese, etc.), soup, steaks, chops, or fish fillets with garnish, a lot of bread, of course, and something to drink. Hard drinks preferably. At four or five the Russians may have a bite: waffles, cakes with juice, tea, cocoa, or something of the kind.

In Great Britain they have dinner at five or six, soup may be served then, but one should not be misled by the word “soup”. British soup is just thin paste and a portion is three times smaller than in Russia. A lot of British prefer to eat out. “Fish and Chips” shops are very popular with their take-away food. The more sophisticated public goes to Chinese, Italian, seafood or other restaurants and experiments with shrimps, inedible vegetables and hot drinks.

Supper in Russia means one more big meal at seven. The table groans with food again. In England it is just a small snack – a glass of milk with biscuits at ten.

Most Russians have never counted calories and they are deeply convinced that their food is healthy; some housewives may admit that it takes some time to prepare all the stuff, including pickles, home-made preserves and traditional Russian pies and pancakes. But they don’t seem to mind too much and boil, fry, roast, grill, broil, bake and make. Paraphrasing a famous proverb one can say: “What is a Russian man’s meat is a British man’s poison”.