Super Size Me
In this brilliant and innovative documentary, director Morgan Spurlock decided to
test McDonald's claim that their food is "good for you." The idea came to him after
reading about two fast-food loving New York teenagers who sued McDonald's as the
source of their weight problem. He would film himself as he carried out an
experiment, which consisted of living for 30 days on a strict diet of fast food. The
rules were simple: he had to eat three meals a day at McDonald's, he had to try
everything on the menu at least once, and he always had to "super-size" his meal if
asked.
Before starting his diet, Morgan had a comprehensive medical exam—he was in very
good shape—and the doctors predicted that the diet would have little effect on his
young, healthy body. But check-ups during the experiment proved them wrong: he
gained 30 pounds (13.5 kg), his cholesterol soared and after three weeks, one doctor
was seriously concerned about the state of his liver.
One could object that no reasonable person would eat all his meals at McDonald's,
which is true, of course, but not entirely. Many people eat at fast-food restaurants
every week, if not several times a week, since these places offer a quick, relatively
cheap meal. Even at that frequency, these meals are far from healthy. The typical
order of Big Mac, medium French fries, and strawberry shake includes almost as
many calories as most people should eat in a whole day, according to national
nutritional guidelines. Furthermore, a meal like that contains a high percentage of
saturated fat and very high levels of sodium. True, it might be possible to order a
more healthy meal: a small, plain burger, for example, with a diet soda and a small
French fries, but how many customers actually choose meals like this?
In the movie Spurlock implies that what he undergoes in a month, many Americans
experience over a longer period of regular fast-food consumption. The statistics
appear to support his theory that America's waistlines have expanded in direct
proportion to the expansion of fast-food chains. Spurlock also backs up his
implications with solid reporting about the state of school lunch programs, to show
how schools are promoting the junk food habit from an early age.
At certain points in the film, Spurlock does seem to get carried away with himself.
We could do without some of the sillier features, such as parodied songs and jokes
about McFish sandwiches. But on the whole, the movie is fast-paced, laugh-out-loud
funny, and very convincing. You'll think twice before you head down the road for
your next "Big Mac."
If you do go, however, you may notice one interesting change. Just weeks after the
movie premiered and won a prize at the Sundance Film Festival, McDonald's
eliminated its "Super Size" portions.
a- Do you think the author is with or against fast-food? Say why briefly:
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b. Morgan Spurlock's experiment was a true reflection for food habits of most of the
Americans. Explain.
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c- Did Spurlock's act change anything even slightly?
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2- True or False:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Morgan Spurlock made his movie to praise fast-food industry in USA
All Americans are not totally aware of the nutritional guidelines related to junk food
Spurlock's actual experience helped in creating some changes concerning unhealthy food
Super Size Me is a movie that highlights on merits of fast-food meals
Morgan Spurlock's experiment done for critical purpose
The movie "Super Size Me" in general was hilarious and full of jokes
T/F
T/F
T/F
T/F
T/F
T/F
3- Word meaning:
1. In this brilliant and innovative documentary, director Morgan Spurlock decided to
test McDonald's claim that their food is "good for you." The synonym of innovative:
a- traditional
b- overused
c- ground-breaking
d- common
2. Two fast-food loving New York teenagers who sued McDonald's as the source of
their weight problem. Sue means:
a- Take legal action
b- forgive
c- apologize
d- support
3. The doctors predict that the diet would have little effect on his young, healthy
body. The antonym of predicted is:
a- expected
b- forecasted
c- anticipated
d- sudden
4. his cholesterol soared and after three weeks, one doctor was seriously concerned
about the state of his liver. The closest word in meaning to soared is:
a- shrank
b- exceeded
c- reduced
d- tarnished
5. One could object that no reasonable person would eat all his meals at McDonald's.
The word that has the opposite of reasonable is:
a- insane
b- realistic
c- wise
d- intellectual
6. In the movie Spurlock implies that what he undergoes in a month. Undergoes
means:
a- misses
b- skips
c- ignores
d- endures
7. Spurlock also backs up his implications with solid reporting about the state of
school lunch programs. The antonym of solid is:
a- firm
b- fragile
c- hard
d- rigid
8. The movie is fast-paced, laugh-out-loud funny, and very convincing. The synonym
of convincing is:
a- credible
b- false
c- artificial
d- untrustworthy
9. Just weeks after the movie premiered and won a prize at the Sundance Film
Festival. Premiered means:
a- sold
b- shown for the first time
c- criticized
d- closed
10. McDonald's eliminated its "Super Size" portions. The antonym of Eliminated:
a- excluded
b- disqualified
c- dropped d- involved
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