Teacher: [Southern English accent] OK, Marco, now I'm going to ask you some questions about the material, OK?

Marco: [slight Polish accent] OK.

Teacher: Right, first of all, what information can you get from the visuals and the newspaper article?

Marco: Well, the graph shows us that the number of overweight people in the UK went up nearly three times between 1985 and 2005, and the article tells us some quite shocking facts about children there … I mean, how could someone think that chips were made of apples? Maybe it's a mistake in the article! Then the cartoon is sort of suggesting that people are lazy and watch too much TV – we're all becoming – what's the word? – ‘couch potatoes'!

Teacher: OK, thank you. Now, what is a ‘balanced' diet?

Marco: Um, well, a diet with the right number of calories – I think roughly 2,000 – and not too much fat. I know you should eat loads of fruit and vegetables, to get enough vitamins and, and things like that, and I've heard that it's good to drink something like eight glasses of water a day, too. Although I think that would be quite difficult for me!

Teacher: OK, thank you. Now the next question: who should be responsible for educating young people about healthy food?

Marco: Hmm … well, I think first, the parents. They should tell their children why certain food isn't good for them. But also the burger and pizza companies should, you know, be more honest when they say what's in their food. They should write it clearly on the menu, or somewhere like that. Then there are no excuses … And maybe the government should have stricter laws about that so a company could get a fine if they don't say what their food contains.

Teacher: OK, good. And finally: what are the best forms of exercise? And what types of exercise do you enjoy doing?

Marco: I think walking and swimming are very good forms of exercise, because they're both aerobic, and because you use a variety of different muscles. In the summer I tend to go walking a lot at weekends, with a group of friends. I also go swimming a couple of times a week, and I try to go to the gym regularly – I run on a … what's it called? It's a bit like the machine the dog's walking on in this cartoon – although I think I probably go a bit faster than him!

Teacher: That sounds very healthy! Well, thank you Marco, those are all the questions