Night work could damage your health

The Reading / Listening - Level 4

New research says night shifts can damage one's health. It can lead to cancer, diabetes, mental illnesses, and heart diseases. The UK's Sleep Research Centre found that genes in the body needed to sleep regularly and at night. If this doesn't happen, up to 1,500 genes could get damaged. This could be life-threatening. A professor said the study was important because we need to understand more about these rhythms.

Our body has around 24,000 genes. Many switch off if the body does not sleep properly. This weakens the immune system, so we get ill more often. A doctor said over 97 per cent of genes become "out-of-sync with mistimed sleep". This is why jet lag and working at nights make us feel bad. It is difficult for people to change their lifestyles. Society needs people to work night shifts. We need to understand the dangers of night shifts and reduce the bad effects.

Try the same news story at these levels:

Level 5 or Level 6

Sources

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2542780/Working-shifts-damage-1-500-genes-New-finding-explain-shift-work-associated-health-problems.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10584723/Why-night-shift-and-jet-lag-make-you-feel-so-bad.html

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The Activities

MATCHING

PARAGRAPH ONE:

1.	night shifts can	a.	threatening
2.	It can lead	b.	illnesses
3.	mental	c.	damage one's health
4.	sleep	d.	these rhythms
5.	This could be life-	e.	to cancer
6.	we need to understand more about	f.	regularly

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

PARAGRAPH TWO:

1.	Our body has around	a.	system
2.	This weakens the immune	b.	of night shifts
3.	become out-of-sync with mistimed	c.	bad effects
4.	jet	d.	sleep
5.	We need to understand the dangers	e.	24,000 genes
6.	reduce the	f.	lag

LISTEN AND FILL IN THE GAPS

New research (1) ___________________ damage one's health. It can lead to cancer, diabetes, (2) ___________________, and heart diseases. The UK's Sleep Research Centre found that (3) ___________________ body needed to sleep (4) ___________________ night. If this doesn't happen, up to 1,500 genes could get damaged. This could be (5) ___________________. A professor said the study was important because we need to understand more (6) ___________________.

Our body has around 24,000 genes. Many (7) ___________________ body does not sleep properly. This weakens (8) ___________________, so we get ill more often. A doctor said over 97 per cent (9) ___________________-of-sync with mistimed sleep". This (10) ___________________ working at nights make us feel bad. It is difficult for people to (11) ___________________. Society needs people to work night shifts. We need to understand the dangers of night shifts and (12) ___________________.

NIGHT WORK SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about working at night in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

WRITE QUESTIONS & ASK YOUR PARTNER(S)

Student A: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)	________________________________________________________
b)	________________________________________________________
c)	________________________________________________________
d)	________________________________________________________
e)	________________________________________________________
f)	________________________________________________________
g)	________________________________________________________
h)	________________________________________________________

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Student B: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)	________________________________________________________
b)	________________________________________________________
c)	________________________________________________________
d)	________________________________________________________
e)	________________________________________________________
f)	________________________________________________________
g)	________________________________________________________
h)	________________________________________________________

FREE WRITING

Write about working at night for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Back to the top

Help Support This Web Site

Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Download a sample of my book "1,000 Ideas & Activities for Language Teachers".

Breaking News English

Home | Help This Site