Healthy living and lifestyle: Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension on healthy living and lifestyle covers texts about diet, exercise, sleep and general lifestyle choices, including the language of change (avant.../maintenant...) and of advice. Examiners are testing whether a student can interpret quantifiers before food and exercise nouns (trop de, pas assez de, plus de/moins de), distinguish the negative ne...plus (no longer) from ne...jamais (never) around health habits, and follow comparatives such as plus sain que or moins gras que to identify exactly what is being compared.
Before you start
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Method
- Identify whether the text is giving personal habits (present tense, first person) or general advice (impersonal il faut / on devrait).
- Underline quantifiers before food and exercise nouns: trop de (too much/many), pas assez de (not enough), plus de/moins de (more/less) - these often flip a sentence's meaning between healthy and unhealthy.
- Watch negatives with health verbs: ne...plus (no longer, e.g. je ne fume plus = I no longer smoke) versus ne...jamais (never) - confusing these is a classic true/false trap.
- Note comparatives (plus sain que, moins gras que, aussi actif que) and identify exactly what two things are being compared.
- Distinguish habitual present tense (je mange bien) from a stated intention or resolution (je vais commencer à..., j'ai décidé de...) - a resolution is not a description of a current habit.
- For summary or gap-fill questions, scan the whole text for the concept before choosing a word, since more than one section can relate to health.
Worked example
Lis la phrase et réponds. 'Avant, je mangeais beaucoup de fast-food, mais maintenant je ne mange plus de frites et je fais du sport trois fois par semaine.' Vrai ou faux : la personne mange encore souvent au fast-food.
- Spot the time contrast: avant (before) versus maintenant (now).
- Identify the negative construction ne...plus, meaning 'no longer' - je ne mange plus de frites means chips/fries are no longer eaten.
- Note the new habit introduced: je fais du sport trois fois par semaine, confirming a change to a healthier routine.
- Because the negative shows the old habit has stopped, the statement that she still eats fast food often is false.
Practice questions
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Q1What does 'il vaut mieux' mean, and what type of word usually follows it?Show answer
Answer: 'It is better to' - usually followed by an infinitive verb, e.g. il vaut mieux dormir huit heures.
Q2Translate: 'Je ne bois plus de boissons sucrées.'Show answer
Answer: I no longer drink sugary drinks.
Q3In 'il mange moins gras qu'avant', is his diet more or less fatty than before?Show answer
Answer: Less fatty than before.
Q4True or false: 'trop de stress' describes a healthy amount of stress.Show answer
Answer: False - trop de means 'too much', so it describes an unhealthy, excessive amount.
Q5Give the English meaning of 'il faut faire de l'exercice régulièrement'.Show answer
Answer: You must/need to exercise regularly.
Q6Someone reads 'je ne fume jamais' as 'I used to smoke but stopped'. Explain the mistake.Show answer
Answer: Ne...jamais means 'never' - it says the person has never smoked, not that they quit.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Lis le texte et réponds aux questions. Je m'appelle Yannis et on me demande souvent comment je reste en forme. Le secret, c'est l'équilibre. Le matin, je prends toujours un petit-déjeuner complet avec des fruits, parce que sauter le petit-déjeuner rend fatigué toute la journée. Je fais du vélo pour aller au lycée au lieu de prendre le bus, et je m'entraîne au club de natation deux fois par semaine. Par contre, je ne dors pas assez pendant la période des examens, ce qui n'est vraiment pas idéal. Je sais que je devrais me coucher plus tôt, mais avec tous mes devoirs, c'est difficile. (a) According to Yannis, what happens if you skip breakfast? (b) How does Yannis get to school? (c) True, false or not mentioned: Yannis trains at a swimming club twice a week. (d) What health problem does Yannis admit to during exam season? (e) What does Yannis think he should do about it?
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Lis le texte et réponds aux questions. Le docteur Lefèvre donne des conseils à ses patients : Beaucoup de jeunes pensent que fumer les aide à gérer le stress, cependant, c'est complètement faux. Il faut plutôt essayer des activités comme le yoga ou la course à pied, qui sont bien plus efficaces contre le stress que la cigarette. De plus, une alimentation équilibrée, avec moins de sucre et plus de légumes, améliore vraiment l'humeur. Il ne faut jamais oublier non plus l'importance du sommeil : dormir moins de six heures par nuit augmente les risques de maladie. (a) What do many young people wrongly believe about smoking, according to Dr Lefèvre? (b) Name two activities the doctor recommends instead. (c) True, false or not mentioned: the doctor says a balanced diet has no effect on mood. (d) According to the text, what happens if you sleep less than six hours a night? (e) Give the English meaning of 'il ne faut jamais oublier'.
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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