SITTING MAY BE DANGEROUS FOR YOUR HEALTH

If you spend most of your days sitting at school, work, at a computer or stretched out on a couch at
home, you may be taking up to two years off your life. It is common knowledge that a sedentary
lifestyle increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and obesity, and can result in
premature death. Many people think they can compensate for sitting around by walking, playing
sports or going to the gym. Unfortunately, this might not be so. A new study just published in the
journal 'Annals of Internal Medicine' suggests the effect on our longevity from sitting for long
periods of time cannot be reversed through exercise. Even 60 minutes of daily exercise may not be
enough.
The study is from Dr David Alter and his colleagues at Toronto University. Dr Alter and his team
analysed 47 studies that tracked different groups of people, who kept notes on how long they sat
down each day and how much they exercised. They found that the most sedentary groups had a 24%
increased chance of dying during the course of the study than the least sedentary ones. This
remained the case even though those who sat a lot also did 60 minutes of daily exercise. Dr Alter
writes: "Reducing your sit-down time by 2-3 hours each day by standing up at your desk, taking
frequent breaks to stretch and walk, or watching TVon your feet may be better than an expensive,
crowded,
smelly
gym
and
be
just
what
the
doctor
ordered."
SYNONYM MATCH:Match the following synonyms from the article.
1.
2
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

couch
sedentary
increases
compensate for
periods
colleagues
analysed
chance
frequent
crowded

Answer the questions:

What are your sitting habits?
What are the best things to do while sitting?
What do you think of the idea of watching TV standing up?
In what ways is standing better than sitting?

Past simple or present perfect?

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

inactive
packed
co-workers
examined
cancel out
sofa
regular
heightens
possibility
spells

The past simple is used to describe actions in a completed time period.

The present perfect is used when the time period includes the present.
I lived in Milan many years ago. (completed: now I live in another place)
Ive lived in Milan since 2008. (a situation that started in the past and continues in the present: I still live
there)
Ive been to Milan several times. (life experience)
My boss has agreed to your proposal. (present result of a past action)
Time phrases used with the past simple (unit 3C) refer to a particular point in the past: yesterday, last month.
Time phrases used with the present perfect (unit 5C) link the past to the present: since, never, this month.
The choice of tense often depends on the situation and where our attention is.
Good news! Weve won the contract! (recent news: the event is present in my mind) So, we won the
contract, and then ... (telling a story: the event feels distant in my mind)
Present simple or present perfect?
The present simple is used for permanent facts and states, and regular habits.
The present perfect makes a connection between past and present.
I work here. (a permanent state: I work here every day)
Ive worked here for two years. (I started two years ago and still work here now)

Read the text and make necessary changes to the verbs. The tenses that are used in the text: Present
Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect Simple, Past Simple.
We _______________(be) at a party today. Today Nick _______________ (have) a birthday. Many
guests _______________ (already/come) to his party. Everybody_______________ (be) happy.
Lisa _______________ (dance) with Mark. Tina _______________ (hold) some drinks and ice-cream.
Barbara and Tina _______________ (talk) about the party. They _______________ (like) the party.
They _______________ (buy) beautiful dresses for the party yesterday and now they _______________
(discuss) the prices for the clothes. Michael_______________ (stand) at the table. He _______________
(not/eat) anything yet and he _______________ (be) hungry. He _______________ (get) up three hours ago
and he _______________ (not/have) time for lunch yet. He _______________ (go) to bed very late
yesterday. So it _______________ (be) difficult for him to get up in the morning. Nicks
parents _______________ (go) to visit their friends. They _______________ (not come) back yet.
Yesterday all the family _______________ (be) very busy. They _______________ (do) many things for
Nicks party. Nicks mother _______________ (cook) many tasty things. Nick also _______________
(help) her. Nicks father _______________ (not cook) anything because he _______________ (be) very
busy at work. Nicks sister Patricia _______________ (bake) a nice cake and Nicks
brother _______________ (clean) the house.
So today Nick and his friends _______________ (celebrate) his birthday. Many happy returns of the day,
Nick!

Underline the correct words.

1 Yesterday I phoned/Ive phoned the bank about our overdraft.
2 I work/I have worked here since the end of last year.

3 I work/I have worked from home one day a week.

4 Im enjoying the conference. I made/I have made a lot of useful contacts.
5 I saw/Ive seen Hugh Hopper a few days ago he sends his regards.
6 We went/We have been to an interesting seminar last week.
7 Today has been/was really busy and its only lunchtime!
8 Today has been/was really busy. Its 7 pm Im going home.
9 Im sorry but Patricia left/has left the office an hour ago.
10 Patricia? No, she isnt here right now. She left/has left the office.
Put the verbs in brackets into either the present simple, past simple or present perfect.
1 The company is doing very well. Last year sales went up (go up) 15%, and so far this year they have gone
up (go up) another 12%.
2 We (operate) all over Latin America. Recently we (set up) branches in Peru and Colombia. 3 (you/see) my
laptop? Im sure I (leave) it here earlier.
4 This (not look) like the right block. Are you sure we (come) to the right address?
5 I (never/speak) to him, but I (speak) to his assistant on the phone yesterday.
6 I (work) for WorldCom since last year, but now I (want) to change jobs. (you/hear) of anyone taking on
new staff?
Put the verbs into the correct form of the past simple or present perfect simple. Use contractions
where possible.
VICTORIA: Hi, Sue. I 1havent seen (not/see) you for ages!
SUE: Hi, Victoria, nice to see you again. No, youre right, I 2 ______________ (not/be) in touch with
anyone recently. VICTORIA: So what have you been up to?
SUE: You know I 3______________ (leave) my job in January so that I could go freelance as a graphic
designer? VICTORIA: Yes, I remember you 4______________ (talk) a lot about that last year.
SUE: Well, it 5______________ (be) a really difficult year so far. I 6 ______________ (never/do) anything
like this before and its much harder than I 7 ______________ (imagine). 8______________ (you/ever/be)
self-employed?
VICTORIA: No, never, although I 9 ______________ (often/think) about it. So why 10 ______________
(it/be) so difficult?
SUE: Theres a lot of insecurity. At the beginning I 11______________ (have) two or three good clients.
These are people that I 12______________ (know) for many years. Theyre still with me. But apart from
that nothing really. VICTORIA: What about advertising in the specialist magazines?
SUE: Yes, I 13 ______________ (already/do) that. I 14 ______________ (put) an advert in Design Monthly
a couple of months ago but there were only a few replies. But I have a new website and Im quite optimistic
about using it to generate business. I 15______________ (fi nish) it just last week. Its optimized for search
engines so that people can fi nd me more easily. I 16______________ (have) quite a few hits already, so
things might improve soon.