Vegetarians

VEGETARIANS
1. A recent survey suggest that 17 per cent of British teenagers are vegetarian. With an estimated 7
to 10 per cent of the British population giving up meat, it seems that vegetarianism is much more than
a passing trend.
2. In the U.S., 4 to 7 per cent of the population are vegetarian and the numbers are growing all the
time. The vegetarian lifestyle is becoming widely accepted there, as well as in European countries
such as Germany and the Netherlands.
3. Food producers and advertisers are certainly taking vegetarians seriously. A 1993 report estimated
that the vegetarian food market in Britain is worth £11.2 billion a year. Menus in restaurants reflect
the change : 96 per cent of British pubs, 61 per cent of work canteens and most school canteens now
offer vegetarian meals.
4. The majority (81 per cent) of British vegetarians say that their main motivation for giving up meat
was concern about animal rights. Many vegetarians, especially young people, are totaly opposed to
killing animals. Others object to the cruelty of modern farming methods. Vegetarians who eat eggs
generally only eat free-range ones. they say it’s cruel to keep battery hens in tiny cages and simply
slaughter them when they are no longer fertile. Vegetarians also complain about overcrowded lorries
used to transport animals to abattoirs.
5. Studies show that vegetarians have 30 per cent less heart disease and a lower incidence of certain
cancers. Yet, vegetarians argue, the meat industry has convinced everyone that we need meat to be
healthy. A few years ago , it was for example impossible for American school canteens to offer
vegetarian meals if they were state funded.]
Source : Speakeasy May June 1994 (adapted)
Lexique :
survey = étude
trend = mode
free- ange eggs = oeufs de poule élevées en plein
airslaughter = abattre
state-funded = subventionné par l’état
argue : soutenir, affirmer
Travail à faire par le candidat
A] Répondez en anglais aux questions suivantes par des phrases complètes. (8 x 1,5 points)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What is a vegetarian ?
What is the percentage of vegetarians among (parmi) British teenagers ?
Are there vegetarians in other European countries ?
Why are vegetarians taken seriously by food producers and advertisers ?
Give examples showing that vegetarians are taken seriously in Britain.
Why have many British teenagers stopped eating meat ?
Give two examples of cruelty to animals mentioned in the text.
What are the arguments for or against a vegetarian diet ? (diet = régime)
B] Traduisez le paragraphe 5 (Studies show.....state funded) en séparant les unités de
traduction. (4points)
C] Recopiez les phrases suivantes sur votre copie en mettant les verbes entre parenthèses au
temps voulu par le contexte. (4 x 0,5 points)
1.
2.
3.
4.
I’ll do that when I (to arrive) in Paris.
She (to stop) eating meat five years ago.
What will you do after (to watch) the film ?
He (to be) happy if he could come with us.
D] En anglais, écrivez sur votre copie les questions qui correspondent aux mots soulignés dans
les réponses suivantes : (4 x 0,5 points)
1.
2.
3.
4.
There are 50 vegetarians in the school.
They protest because the bus is late.
Vegetarians prefer free-range eggs.
This meat comes from Argentina.