Unhappy marriages can break the heart

The Reading / Listening - Level 1

Researchers studied the health of 1,200 married people aged 57 to 85. They asked the couples questions about marriage. They asked if they spent free time with their partner. They also asked if they could trust their spouse, and whether their spouse asks them to do too many things. Doctors compared the quality of the marriages with the number of heart attacks and strokes people had. People in bad marriages were more depressed and had higher blood pressure.

Try the same news story at these levels:

Level 0, Level 2 or Level 3

Sources

http://www.medicaldaily.com/marital-problems-lead-heart-troubles-particularly-older-women-true-broken-heart-311398
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2841109/How-bad-relationship-quite-literally-break-heart-trapped-bad-marriage-increases-risk-heart-disease.html#ixzz3JaLfGJuI
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/an-unhappy-marriage-can-literally-break-your-heart-30759272.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.	have a higher risk	a.	caring
2.	riskier and more	b.	on our heart
3.	the stress of an unhappy	c.	her sick husband
4.	a big impact	d.	stressful
5.	Older women have more	e.	after her husband
6.	because they are more	f.	marriage
7.	care more for	g.	heart problems
8.	she cannot look	h.	of a broken heart

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.	the health of 1,200	a.	their spouse
2.	They asked the couples questions	b.	more depressed
3.	they spent free	c.	and strokes
4.	They also asked if they could trust	d.	pressure
5.	Doctors compared the quality	e.	about marriage
6.	heart attacks	f.	married people
7.	People in bad marriages were	g.	time with their partner
8.	higher blood	h.	of the marriages

LISTEN AND FILL IN THE GAPS

A study says unhappily married people (1) ___________________ a broken heart. A bad marriage (2) ___________________ stressful for older women. The study is from Michigan State University. Researchers (3) ___________________ an unhappy marriage has (4) ___________________ our heart. Older women have more heart problems because (5) ___________________. A wife will care more for her sick husband. A wife also stresses if she (6) ___________________ her husband.

Researchers (7) ___________________ 1,200 married people aged 57 to 85. They asked the couples questions about marriage. They asked if they (8) ___________________ their partner. They also asked if they could (9) ___________________, and whether their spouse asks them to do too many things. Doctors compared (10) ___________________ marriages with the number of heart attacks and (11) ___________________. People in bad marriages were more depressed and had (12) ___________________.

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

Astudysaysunhappilymarriedpeoplehaveahigherriskofabrokenhear
t.Abadmarriageisriskierandmorestressfulforolderwomen.Thestudyi
sfromMichiganStateUniversity.Researcherssaidthestressofanunhap
pymarriagehasabigimpactonourheart.Olderwomenhavemoreheart
problemsbecausetheyaremorecaring.Awifewillcaremoreforhersickh
usband.Awifealsostressesifshecannotlookafterherhusband.Researc
hersstudiedthehealthof1,200marriedpeopleaged57to85.Theyasked
thecouplesquestionsaboutmarriage.Theyaskediftheyspentfreetime
withtheirpartner.Theyalsoaskediftheycouldtrusttheirspouse,andwh
ethertheirspouseasksthemtodotoomanythings.Doctorscomparedth
equalityofthemarriageswiththenumberofheartattacksandstrokespe
oplehad.Peopleinbadmarriagesweremoredepressedandhadhigherbl
oodpressure.

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)	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about broken hearts 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