[Health ★★★]
(P1) Shopping may be bad for your wallet but it is good for your health, say some experts. Recent studies have shown that “retail therapy” is an effective way of helping people to deal with depression. People who are feeling blue often believe that they cannot control their surroundings. However, making decisions about what to purchase helps restore feelings of control over environment and self.
(P2) Shopping can also be considered a form of entertainment, which can also help lift spirits. Finding a great bargain, for example, can also build up one’s feelings of self-worth.Shopping for other people can also help people form healthy relationships. For example, grandparents can bond with their grandchildren by purchasing new toys for them. This connection can make them happier because they feel closer to their family.
(P3) Shopping can help improve a person’s mood and it can also be good for your physical health. A recent article in The Daily Telegraph newspaper in Britain revealed that walking and carrying shopping bags can burn off 385 calories in a week. A study by one department store in England says that women walk an average of three miles for every two and a half hours of weekly shopping. Men tend to walk for only 1.5 miles during their average weekly shopping, which usually lasts around 50 minutes per week. The charity, The Heart Foundation, also advocates people to shop because it prevents them from sitting, which can also be very bad for the heart.
WORDS: 245
SOURCE: http://dreamreader.net/lesson/shopping-benefits-2/
VOCABULARY: restore, bargain, build up, bond, burn off, advocates
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Do you like going to the shopping mall? Why or why not?
- When you go shopping, what do you like to shop for?
- Do you think shopping is addicting? Why or why not?
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
- “Retail Therapy” can help people reduce what mental condition?
- Another benefit of shopping is it provides a way to entertain oneself. (T or F)
- Which periodical performed a study about the health benefits of shopping?
- A department store’s study suggests men walk 1 hour per week when shopping. (T or F)
- According to the article, sitting too much can increase heart disease. (T or F)
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
- feeling blue (P1)
- lift spirits (P2)
- self-worth (P2)
- tend to walk (P3)
Image source: by “unknown” Public Domain