Read the vocabulary, watch the video, and then answer the questions.
Why I’m a Weekday Vegetarian
Video: http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_weekday_vegetarian
Vocabulary:
| Word | Type | Pronunciation | Definition |
| vegetarian | noun | /ˌvedʒəˈteriən/ | a person who does not eat meat |
| Used in a sentence: She has been a vegetarian for two years. | |||
| mere | adjective | /mɪr/ | used to say that something or someone is small, unimportant, etc. |
| Used in a sentence: The trip takes a mere two hours. [=the trip takes only two hours] | |||
| cruelty | noun | /ˈkruəlti/ | actions that cause suffering |
| Used in a sentence: They protested against cruelty to animals. | |||
| hypocritically | adverb | /ˌhɪpəˈkrɪtɪkli/ | pretending to have certain beliefs about what is right but behaving in a way that disagrees with those beliefs |
| Used in a sentence: He hypocritically told his daughter not to eat sugar, but he ate it on a regular basis. | |||
| emissions | noun | /ɪˈmɪʃənz/ | something sent out or given off |
| Used in a sentence: The new regulations are intended to reduce auto emissions. | |||
| society | noun | /səˈsaɪəti/ | people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values |
| Used in a sentence: Poverty hurts society as a whole. | |||
| stalling | verb | /stɔlɪŋ/ | to avoid doing something or to delay someone in a deliberate way because you need more time, do not want to do it, etc. |
| Used in a sentence: Please stop stalling and answer the question. | |||
| binary | adjective | /ˈbaɪnəri/ | consisting of two parts |
| Used in a sentence: It was a binary solution: either be a meat eater or be a vegetarian. | |||
| culprits | noun | /ˈkʌlprɪts/ | a person who has committed a crime or done something wrong, often used figuratively |
| Used in a sentence: Lack of exercise and poor diet are the main culprits in heart disease. | |||
| swap | verb | /swɑp/ | to trade or exchange things |
| Used in a sentence: I swapped seats with my sister so she could see the stage better. | |||
| footprint | noun | /ˈfʊtˌprɪnt/ | the amount of land, energy, water etc. that a person or organization uses in order to exist or operate |
| Used in a sentence: Government is urging businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. | |||
| pocketbook | noun | /ˈpɑkɪtˌbʊk/ | a purse or wallet where someone keeps their money |
| Used in a sentence: We sell gifts priced for every pocketbook. | |||
Short Answer Questions:
- What is the basic premise of this program?
- Why did the speaker want to become a vegetarian?
- What made him wait so long to decrease his meat consumption?
Discussion:
What are some of the positive benefits of reducing meat consumption? Would you ever consider it? Why or why not?
Answers:
- What is the basic premise of this program? 🡪 Instead of becoming a “full” vegetarian, the “weekday vegetarian” program involves not eating meat during the week. On the weekends, it is okay to eat meat.
- Why did the speaker want to become a vegetarian? 🡪 He gave many reasons for wanting to become a vegetarian. 1) Health reasons: eating meat increases health issues. 2) Animal cruelty: much of the meat we consume is raised in inhumane conditions. 3) Environmental factors: meat production and consumption causes more emissions than all transportation combined.
- What made him wait so long to decrease his meat consumption? 🡪 The speaker enjoys eating meat, so even though there were many reasons not to eat it, he still wanted to. To become a vegetarian meant giving up meat forever. Only having to avoid meat during the week was more manageable. He still greatly reduced his meat consumption, but he still gets to eat the food he enjoys occasionally.
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