B2 – Upper Intermediate
Fast food is extremely popular. A huge number of people consumes it on a regular basis. Globally, the fast food market is valued at over $700 billion and it seems that it is only going to continue to grow.
Do you sometimes wonder, despite it’s infamous reputation now being very unhealthy they are for our body, how cheap and easy food spread and become so popular around the world?
Listen to this audio and read the transcript about on how the world came to love fast food.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-250123
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “can-do attitude” mean? “In the 1950s, when the famous brands we know today were just beginning, anyone with a can-do attitude could sell fast food.” Use this phrase in a sentence and give a synonym.
- What does “the final nail in the coffin” mean? “McDonald’s weren’t as successful in Iceland as they’d been elsewhere. And the global financial crash of 2008 was the final nail in the coffin.” Use this idiom in a sentence and give a synonym.
- What does “to open one’s arms in welcome” mean? “Nowadays, you can visit two McDonald’s on opposite sides of the planet and eat exactly the same meal. But not every country opened its arms in welcome – the tiny island of Iceland for one.” Use this expression in a sentence and give a synonym.
Discussion Questions:
- Share your thoughts on this: To this day, there are no McDonald’s in Iceland.
- How about this, There are 42,000 fast-food restaurants in Britain?
- Are you a fast food fan? Why or why not?
- How popular is fast food in your country? Why do you think this is the case?
- Is there a long-standing burger culture in your country? Talk about it.