The Bottled Water Scam
reading
Do you drink from the tap or buy bottled water? Explain the reasons behind your
choice.
B
Say whether you think the following statements are true or false. Then read the
article and check your ideas.
For the vast majority of Americans, a glass of water from the tap and a glass from the
bottle are virtually identical as far as their health and nutritional quality are concerned.
The first documented case of bottled water being sold was in Boston in the 1960s.
Across the globe, people drink roughly 5% more bottled water every year.
Americans consume more packaged H2O than people in other countries do.
Last year, Americans drank more bottled water than soda.
We spend 100 times more on bottled water than we spend to drink from the tap.
A recent report found that almost a quarter of all bottled water is actually derived
from the tap.
A recent Gallup poll found that 23% of Americans worried a “great deal” about the
pollution in drinking water.
A recent blind taste test survey by students at Boston University found that three
quarters of taste-testers identified the tap water sample correctly.
It takes more water to make a bottle of water than it does to fill it.
For every six water bottles Americans use, three make it to the recycling bin.
Business Insider
May 2017
you might assume buying the
bottled stuff would be worth
it. In most cases, you’d be
wrong.
For the vast majority of
Americans, a glass from the
tap and a glass from the bottle
are virtually identical as far as
Facts that show why
their health and nutritional
bottled water is one
quality are concerned. In
of the biggest scams some cases, publicly-sourced
tap water may actually be
of the century
safer since it is usually tested
There’s nothing quite like more frequently.
the feeling of pure, ice-cold
There are exceptions,
hydration. Some of us get our however — people living near
water for free from the tap. private wells do not enjoy
The rest pay for it — at the cost the same rigorous testing as
of roughly $100 billion a year. those whose water comes
At that steep a price tag, from public sources, and
1/4
some public sources are
not properly screened, as
was recently seen in Flint,
Michigan.
But there are plenty of reasons
to stop shelling out for bottled
water. Read on to find out all
the things you didn’t know
about your drinking water.
The first documented case
of bottled water being sold was
in Boston in the 1760s, when
a company called Jackson’s
The Bottled Water Scam
Spa bottled and sold mineral
water for “therapeutic” uses.
Companies
in
Saratoga
Springs and Albany also
appear to have packaged and
sold water.
Across the globe, people
drink roughly 10% more
bottled water every year,
but Americans continue to
consume more packaged
H2O than people in other
countries do.
Last year was the first
time Americans drank more
bottled water than soda.
“Bottled water effectively
reshaped
the
beverage
marketplace,” Michael C.
Bellas, Beverage Marketing’s
chairman and CEO, said in a
recent statement.
It’s not cheap. At an
average cost of $1.22 per
gallon, we’re spending 300
times more on bottled water
than we’d spend to drink from
the tap. But that number could
be even higher, some analysts
have pointed out, since most
sales are for single bottles.
Research suggests that for
most Americans, the stuff in a
bottle is not better for you than
the stuff in your tap. In fact,
a recent report found that
almost half of all bottled water
is actually derived from the
tap. In 2007, Pepsi (Aquafina)
and Nestle (Pure Life) had to
change their labels to more
accurately reflect this.
The recent resurgence in
bottled water’s popularity
may be due to rising concerns
about the purity of tap water.
A recent Gallup poll found that
63% of Americans worried
a “great deal” about the
pollution in drinking water —
the highest percentage since
2001.
And when it comes to taste,
most of us probably can’t tell
the difference. A recent blind
reading
taste test survey by students
at Boston University found
that only a third of tastetesters identified the tap
water sample correctly.
Making bottled water is
also an extensive, resourceheavy process. It takes more
water to make a bottle of water
than it does to fill it. A recent
study from the International
Bottled Water Association
found that North American
companies use 1.39 liters of
water to make one liter of the
bottled stuff.
But hey, you might be
thinking: At least they get
recycled, right? For every
six water bottles Americans
use, only one makes it to the
recycling bin, according to
National Geographic.
b Which of the facts do you find the most surprising? What about the most worrying?
V
Complete the crossword on page 3 with words from the article.
Across
3 an object used for controlling how much water, gas, or liquid comes out from a pipe
or container
5 thorough and careful
8 worries
10 process something so that it can be used again
11 put something in a container until the container is full
13 approximately
2/4
The Bottled Water Scam
reading
Down
1 receive or obtain something from something else
2 because of something (2-word phrase)
4 to the degree or extent that (3-word phrase)
6 check something for contamination or disease
7 spend a lot of money on something (phrasal verb)
9 a general word for referring to something without mentioning the thing itself by
name
12 a deep hole that is dug in the ground to provide a supply of water
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
V
EclipseCrossword.com
Write
sentences with six of the words from the crossword you would like to learn.
3/4
The Bottled Water Scam
E
reading
Complete these extracts from the article with the appropriate preposition and explain
the meaning of the phrasal verbs:
Business Insider
May 2017
But there are plenty of reasons to stop shelling _____ for bottled water.
Read on to find _____ all the things you didn’t know about your drinking water.
…some analysts have pointed _____, since most sales are for single bottles.
V
There are other phrasal verbs with out. Complete the gaps to make the phrasal verbs
defined. The verbs are at the bottom of the page if you need help.
cross out
V
1 ___________ out
bring to an end gradually
2 ___________ out
faint
3 ___________ out
spend time doing nothing in particular
4 ___________ out
do a particular piece of work, etc.
5 ___________ out
eliminate, stop
6 ___________ out
resolve
7 ___________ out draw a line through
8 ___________ out invite somebody, especially on a date
Complete these sentences with the correct form of the phrasal verbs:
1 I ___________________ out when I saw how badly I had cut myself.
2 The old version of the software is being _________________ out.
3 “What did you do this weekend?” “Not much. I just ____________ out at home really.”
4 If you like her, ______________ her out. I am sure she will say yes.
5 We need to __________ out some small problems, but in general everything is going
well.
6 Here’s a list of people I want to invite to the wedding. _______________ out anyone
you do not want to come.
7 The new computer system will _________ out a lot of the paperwork we used to do.
8 We’re __________________ out some tests on the servers from midnight to 4:00 am,
so there will be no internet connection during those hours.
9 We need to _____________ out what the going rate is for houses in the area before
we _____________ out a lot of money on a property.
ask
carry
cross
cut
hang
4/4
iron/sort
pass
phase
The Bottled Water Scam
Teacher’s notes 1
V
week of 08.05.17
intermediate+ (B1+)
Complete the crossword with words from the article.
Across
3 TAP
5 RIGOROUS
8 CONCERNS
10 RECYCLE
11 FILL
13 ROUGHLY
E
student pages 4
reading
Down
1 DERIVE
2 DUE TO
4 AS FAR AS
6 SCREEN
7 SHELL OUT
9 STUFF
12 WELL
Complete these extracts from the article with the appropriate preposition and explain
the meaning of the phrasal verbs:
shell out = spend a lot of money on something
find out = discover
point out = draw attention to something
V
There are other phrasal verbs with out. Complete the gaps to make the phrasal verbs
defined. The verbs are at the bottom of the page if you need help.
1 phase
2 pass
3 hang
4 carry
5 cut
6 iron/sort
7 cross
8 ask
V
Complete these sentences with the correct form of the phrasal verbs:
1 passed
2 phased
3 hung
4 ask
5 iron/sort
6 Cross
7 cut
8 carrying
9 find / shell