YEAR_T

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discussing issues; reading comprehension

New Year resolutions

S T U D E N T W O R K S H E E T I N T E R M E D I A T E

E S L L E S S O N P L A N J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 8

activity 1. In pairs, ask and answer the questions below.

• Do you make New Year"s resolutions? If yes, have you ever kept one?

What was the last one you made?

• Why do people leave making resolutions until New Year"s Eve? Do

you think it is a good idea to make commitments on New Year"s Eve?

• Why are most people unable to keep their New Year"s resolutions?

focus on talking: discussion

activity 2. Read the text on Page 2 and write down all the tips how to make resolutions that will las

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focus on reading: comprehension

New Year’s Resolution - a firmdecision to do or not to do somethingstarting with the first day of a new year(e.g. to give up smoking from 1 January.

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New year

resolution?Don't waituntil New Year's Eve Alok Jha, Science correspondent

The Guardian, December 28 2007

Do you have trouble keeping your

resolutions? Does your determination

to get fit or write that novel wane after

just a few weeks of effort?

Have no fear, help is at hand from a

team of psychologists who have spent

the past year analysing the

ingredients of the best-kept

resolutions. Today, they publish their

tips on how to make resolutions that

will last.

Most important, say the psychologists,

is not to leave the decision until New

Year's Eve. In addition, for men, the

secret of success lies in setting

specific goals and focusing on the

rewards you will get if you achieve

them; for women, the best way to

keep a resolution is to tell the world

about it.

Richard Wiseman, of the University of

Hertfordshire, led the team that

tracked more than 3,000 people

attempting to achieve a range of

things including losing weight,heading to the gym, quitting smoking

or drinking less. The participants were

randomly placed into one of several

groups.

At the start of the project, 52% of the

participants were confident of success

but Wiseman found that only 12%

actually achieved their goals. Men

were 22% more likely to succeed

when they set goals for themselves,

such as losing a pound a week rather

than losing weight in general. In

addition, men tended to succeed

when they focused on rewards, such

as losing weight to become more

attractive to the opposite sex.

Women were more successful atkeeping their resolutions when they

told family and friends about their

plans. They also responded better to

encouragement not to give up if they

reverted to old habits temporarily -

such as treating a chocolate binge as

a setback rather than failure. Telling

others increased women's chance of

keeping resolutions by 10%.

"Men may be more likely to adopt a

macho attitude and have unrealistic

expectations, and so simple goal

setting helps them achieve more,"

said Wiseman. "Likewise, women

might be reluctant to tell others about

their resolutions, and so benefit more

from the social support provided by

friends and family once they havemade their goals public."

He says that women could write

down their resolutions on a big piece

of paper, sign it and place it

somewhere prominent at home.

Family and friends could even

provide helpful nudges throughout

the year.

The researchers found that the

resolutions most likely to succeed

were: enjoy life more, which 32% of

people stuck to; improve your fitness

(29%); lose weight (28%); be more

organised (27%); quit or cut down

drinking (25%); quit or cut down

smoking (24%).

Wiseman's team is now starting

another year-long experiment to

study new year's resolutions. To take

part go to newyearscience.co.uk and

see what happens.

source: www.guardian.co.uk

New Year’s Resolutions I N T E R M E D I A T E



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activity 3. In pairs, ask and answer the questions below.

• Do you agree with the findings of the research presented in the article. Does your own experience with

New Year"s resolutions support the results of the survey?

• Why, do you think, leaving the decision until New Year"s Eve is not a good idea?

• Do you believe that focusing on rewards really helps in keeping one"s resolutions?

• Why do women respond better to encouragement not to give up if they reverted to old habits

temporarily?

• What, do you think, are the most common New Year"s resolutions? In pairs, make a list and then

compare it with the list of 13 most popular New Year "s resolutions in the USA presented by

www.usa.gov (see the bottom of page 4).

focus on talking: discussion

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http://www.usa.gov/

http://www.usa.gov/



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focus on vocabulary


activity 4. Write words for these definitions.All the words appear in the article on page 2.

1. to become gradually weaker or lessimportant

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2. without somebody thinking or deciding inadvance

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3. to start doing something again that youused to do in the past

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4. a short period of time when you do toomuch of a particular activity, especiallyeating or drinking alcohol

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5. a difficulty or problem that delays orprevents something or makes a situationworse

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6. lack of success in doing something

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7. hesitating before doing something becauseyou do not want to do it or because you arenot sure that it is the right thing to do

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8. (figuratively) encouragement; (literary) aslight push, usually with the elbow

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activity 5. Now use the words from activity to complete the sentences below.

1. The success or ............................. of thewhole plan depend only on you.

2. When I am depressed I go on ashopping ........................ .

3. At first, we were all enthusiastic about theproject, but soon ourenthusiasm ........................ .

4. My husband is always ........................ toadmit he has done something wrong.

5. He can work hard but he needsa ........................ now and then.

6. The winning numbers are .........................selected by computer.

7. He did not smoke for two months butthen ........................ to his old habit.

8. We suffered a major ............................

when the project manager quit his job.

Most popular

New Year’s

resolutions in the

USA:

• lose weight

• pay off debt

• save money

• get a better job

• get fit

• eat right

• get a better education

• drink less alcohol

• quit smoking

• reduce stress overall

• reduce stress at work

• take a trip

• volunteer to help others





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A N S W E R S & G U I D E L I N E S - New Year’s Resolutions

General comments:

• As an additional listening activity you

can use BBC NewsPod podcast from

31 December 2007. The

last item on that podcast

is an interview with

Richard Wisemen on the

topic of New Year"s

resolutions.

• words and expressions highlighted in

the article are all connected with the

topic of resolutions; make sure your

students pay special attention and try

to memorize them.

activity 1. PAIRS or WHOLE GROUP

activity 2. INDIVIDUALLY

• Don"t leave making resolutions until New Year"s

Eve.

• Men should set specific goals and focus on the

rewards they will get if they achieve them.

• Women should inform their family and friends

about their resolutions.

• Women could write down your resolutions on a

big piece of paper and place it somewhere

prominent at home.

activity 3. INDIVIDUALLY or PAIRS

activity 4. INDIVIDUALLY > WHOLEGROUP1. to wane

2. randomly

3. to revert

4. binge

5. setback

6. failure

7. reluctant

8. nudge

activity 5. INDIVIDUALLY

1. failure

2. binge

3. waned

4. reluctant

5. nudge

6. randomly

7. reverted

8. setback



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