More and more people are eating insects


Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f7I_HAm4d8 

In the past decade, bugs have become a familiar sight on dinner tables. One reason for this is they are a great source of protein. Another reason is that people are concerned about the environment. Traditional livestock farming is detrimental to the environment as it is generally unsustainable. Raising insects is much more environmentally friendly. One kilogram of insect protein needs about 10 per cent of the feed, water and land used to produce the same amount of beef. Experts say farming insects is better for the environment than raising livestock. A final reason we may have to eat insects is because of the rise in the world's population. By 2050 this is expected to be 9.8 billion, up from the current 7.7 billion.

The insect farming industry is growing quickly. There are hundreds of companies worldwide creating meals made from bugs. Many supermarkets around the world now stock food made from insects. There are vending machines in Tokyo, Japan where you can purchase a can of insect snacks. The menu includes dried tarantula and scorpions. However, not everyone is excited by the idea of insects as food. An Israeli insect farmer, Dror Tamir, says there is a "yuck factor" to the thought of eating insects. He said people will get used to the idea and will find insects tasty. He said: "I am convinced it will soon be widely accepted, just like eating raw fish in sushi was embraced."

4. PROTEIN: Are these things good sources of protein? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Good Things

Bad Things

Insects

 

 

Eggs

 

 

Nuts

 

 

Tuna

 

 

Tofu

 

 

Beef

 

 

5. DINNER: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "dinner". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. INSECTS: Rank these with your partner. Put the insects you would most hate to see on the dinner table at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Tarantulas
  • Ants
  • Worms
  • Bees
  • Ladybirds
  • Locusts
  • Butterflies
  • Beetles

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1.

decade

a.

Substances we eat to strengthen our muscles.

      2.

familiar

b.

Existing in or as part of a tradition; long-established.

      3.

protein

c.

A period of ten years.

      4.

feed

d.

Well known from long or close association.

      5.

livestock

e.

Food for domestic, zoo or farm animals.

      6.

traditional

f.

Farm animals regarded as an asset.

      7.

expected

g.

Regarded something as likely to happen.

    Paragraph 2

      8.

industry

h.

Used to express strong distaste or disgust.

      9.

stock

i.

Economic activity around an area of business.

      10.

vending machine

j.

Acquire something by paying for it.

      11.

purchase

k.

Completely certain about something.

      12.

yuck

l.

Have or keep a supply of a particular product or type or product available for sale.

      13.

convinced

m.

Accepted a belief, theory, or change willingly and enthusiastically.

      14.

embraced

n.

Something that sells small articles such as food, drinks, cigarettes, etc.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The article says more insects are crawling across dinner tables.     T / F
  2. Insect farming requires just 10% of the resources needed for beef.     T / F
  3. Traditional livestock is more environmentally friendly than insects.     T / F
  4. The global population will be over 10 billion by 2050.     T / F
  5. The article says hundreds of companies are making food from insects.     T / F
  6. You can buy tarantula snacks from vending machines in Tokyo.     T / F
  7. An Israeli insect farmer said there is a "yuck factor" to eating insects.     T / F
  8. The insect farmer said insects are tastier than sushi.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. decade
  2. concerned
  3. detrimental
  4. raising
  5. current
  6. growing
  7. stock
  8. purchase
  9. convinced
  10. embraced
  1. harmful
  2. certain
  3. rearing
  4. present
  5. supply
  6. 10 years
  7. buy
  8. accepted
  9. worried
  10. expanding

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. In the past decade, bugs have
  2. they are a great source
  3. livestock farming is detrimental
  4. better for the environment
  5. because of the rise in the
  6. The insect farming industry
  7. vending
  8. not everyone is excited
  9. there is a "yuck factor" to the
  10. I am convinced it will soon be
  1. thought of eating insects
  2. to the environment
  3. is growing quickly
  4. by the idea
  5. of protein
  6. than raising livestock
  7. widely accepted
  8. become a familiar sight
  9. machines
  10. world's population

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

concerned
detrimental
raising
familiar
feed
expected
source
protein

In the past decade, bugs have become a (1) _____________________ sight on dinner tables. One reason for this is they are a great (2) _____________________ of protein. Another reason is that people are (3) _____________________ about the environment. Traditional livestock farming is (4) _____________________ to the environment as it is generally unsustainable. Raising insects is much more environmentally friendly. One kilogram of insect (5) _____________________ needs about 10 per cent of the (6) _____________________, water and land used to produce the same amount of beef. Experts say farming insects is better for the environment than (7) _____________________ livestock. A final reason we may have to eat insects is because of the rise in the world's population. By 2050 this is (8) _____________________ to be 9.8 billion, up from the current 7.7 billion.

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.

purchase
stock
vending
idea
growing
yuck
embraced
scorpions

The insect farming industry is (9) _____________________ quickly. There are hundreds of companies worldwide creating meals made from bugs. Many supermarkets around the world now (10) _____________________ food made from insects. There are (11) _____________________ machines in Tokyo, Japan where you can (12) _____________________ a can of insect snacks. The menu includes dried tarantula and (13) _____________________. However, not everyone is excited by the idea of insects as food. An Israeli insect farmer, Dror Tamir, says there is a "(14) _____________________ factor" to the thought of eating insects. He said people will get used to the (15) _____________________ and will find insects tasty. He said: "I am convinced it will soon be widely accepted, just like eating raw fish in sushi was (16) _____________________."

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

In (1) ____________________, bugs have become a familiar sight on dinner tables. One reason for this is they are a (2) ____________________ protein. Another reason is that people are concerned about the environment. Traditional livestock farming (3) ____________________ the environment as it is generally unsustainable. Raising insects is much more environmentally friendly. One kilogram of insect protein needs about 10 per cent (4) ____________________, water and land used to produce the same amount of beef. Experts say farming insects is better for the environment (5) ____________________. A final reason we may have to eat insects is because of the rise in the world's population. By 2050 this is (6) ____________________ 9.8 billion, up from the current 7.7 billion.

The insect farming (7) ____________________ quickly. There are hundreds of companies worldwide creating meals made from bugs. Many supermarkets around the world now (8) ____________________ from insects. There are vending machines in Tokyo, Japan where you can (9) ____________________ of insect snacks. The menu includes dried (10) ____________________. However, not everyone is excited by the idea of insects as food. An Israeli insect farmer, Dror Tamir, says there is (11) ____________________ to the thought of eating insects. He said people will get used to the idea and will find insects tasty. He said: "I am convinced it will soon (12) ____________________, just like eating raw fish in sushi was embraced."

Comprehension questions

  1. Where have bugs become a familiar sight?
  2. What does the article say insects are a great source of?
  3. What does raising insects need 10% less of compared to beef?
  4. What does the article say insect farming is better for?
  5. How big is the world's population expected to be by 2050?
  6. What does the article say is growing quickly?
  7. Where can people buy tarantula snacks from in Tokyo?
  8. What kind of factor did an Israeli farmer say there was with insects?
  9. What is a farmer convinced people will get used to?
  10. What did the farmer say was eventually embraced?

Role play

Role  A – Tarantulas
You think tarantulas are best for the dinner table. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their insects aren't as good. Also, tell the others which is the least fitting of these (and why): ants, worms or locusts.

Role  B – Ants
You think are best for the dinner table. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their insects aren't as good. Also, tell the others which is the least fitting of these (and why): tarantulas, worms or locusts.

Role  C – Worms
You think worms are best for the dinner table. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their insects aren't as good. Also, tell the others which is the least fitting of these (and why): ants, tarantulas or locusts.

Role  D – Locusts
You think locusts are best for the dinner table. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their insects aren't as good. Also, tell the others which is the least fitting of these (and why): ants, worms or tarantulas.

Discussion - Eating Bugs

  1. What do you think of the idea of insects as food?
  2. How will eating insects help the planet?
  3. Will insects become a familiar sight on your dinner table?
  4. Will traditional livestock farming eventually end?
  5. What do you think of the idea of insect burgers?
  6. Would you eat food from insects if it didn't look like insects?
  7. How worried are you about overpopulation?
  8. What advice do you have for people who don't want to eat insects?
  1. What do you think about what you read?
  2. What insects can we eat?
  3. What kinds of dishes can we make with insects?
  4. Have you ever seen food made from insects in supermarkets?
  5. What would you prefer - a tarantula or a scorpion dish?
  6. What do you think of the 'yuck factor' of eating insects?
  7. Do you think eating bugs is healthier than eating beef?
  8. What questions would you like to ask the insect farmers?

Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

In the (1) ____ decade, bugs have become a familiar sight on dinner tables. One reason for this is they are a great (2) ____ of protein. Another reason is that people are concerned about the environment. Traditional livestock farming is (3) ____ to the environment as it is generally unsustainable. Raising insects is much more environmentally friendly. One kilogram of insect protein (4) ____ about 10 per cent of the feed, water and land used to produce the same amount (5) ____ beef. Experts say farming insects is better for the environment than raising livestock. A final reason we may have to eat insects is because of the rise in the world's population. By 2050 this is expected to be 9.8 billion, (6) ____ from the current 7.7 billion.

The insect farming industry is (7) ____ quickly. There are hundreds of companies worldwide creating meals made from bugs. Many supermarkets around the world now (8) ____ food made from insects. There are vending machines in Tokyo, Japan where you can (9) ____ a can of insect snacks. The menu includes dried tarantula and scorpions. However, not everyone is excited by the (10) ____ of insects as food. An Israeli insect farmer, Dror Tamir, says there is a "(11) ____ factor" to the thought of eating insects. He said people will get used to the idea and will find insects tasty. He said: "I am convinced it will soon be (12) ____ accepted, just like eating raw fish in sushi was embraced."

Which of these words go in the above text?

  1. (a)     psst     (b)     parsed     (c)     past     (d)     passed    
  2. (a)     source     (b)     sauce     (c)     sorts     (d)     saucy    
  3. (a)     detrimental     (b)     detrimentally     (c)     detrimental     (d)     detriment    
  4. (a)     needs     (b)     necessitates     (c)     needy     (d)     nerdy    
  5. (a)     offer     (b)     off     (c)     of     (d)     offal    
  6. (a)     height     (b)     high     (c)     increase     (d)     up    
  7. (a)     growing     (b)     grown     (c)     growth     (d)     grower    
  8. (a)     stack     (b)     strike     (c)     stick     (d)     stock    
  9. (a)     purchase     (b)     refund     (c)     supply     (d)     demand    
  10. (a)     thesis     (b)     idea     (c)     hypothesis     (d)     conundrum    
  11. (a)     muck     (b)     yuck     (c)     duck     (d)     luck    
  12. (a)     widely     (b)     deepen     (c)     length     (d)     breadth

Spelling

Paragraph 1

  1. in the past edacde
  2. bugs have become a mfliaiar sight
  3. traditional vseitlcok farming
  4. rdeimtnteal to the environment
  5. one kilogram of insect rotpien
  6. up from the urrcent 7.7 billion

Paragraph 2

  1. The insect farming ndustiry is growing quickly
  2. ednving machines
  3. urchapse a can of insect snacks
  4. dried aattnrula and scorpions
  5. I am ncnivcoed it will soon be widely accepted
  6. raw fish in sushi was mcreabed

 

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