The Reading / Listening - Working Hours - Level 4

The WHO has issued a warning about the danger of overworking. It said this has caused the premature death of hundreds of thousands of people. The organization found that around three-quarters of a million workers die early from strokes and heart attacks because of overworking. Most of these deaths were in people aged 60 to 70 who worked over 55 hours a week between the ages of 45 and 74. Men accounted for 72 per cent of these deaths.

The WHO said people who overwork have a 42 per cent increased risk of stroke, and a 19 per cent increased chance of heart disease. It said: "No job is worth the risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments...need to...agree on limits to protect the health of workers." Over nine per cent of people overwork. The WHO said the situation is "accelerating" because of the pandemic. It said there is a "trend towards increased working time".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Working Hours - Level 5 or  Working Hours - Level 6

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/17/success/who-long-hours-intl-scli-wellness/index.html
  • https://www.cnet.com/health/working-too-much-can-kill-you-who-study-finds/
  • https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-long-working-hours-killing-745-000-people-a-year-who-study-finds-12308976


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. The WHO has issued
  2. the danger
  3. premature
  4. around three-quarters of
  5. workers die early
  6. heart attacks because
  7. Most of these deaths were in people
  8. Men accounted for 72 per cent
  1. death
  2. from strokes
  3. aged 60 to 70
  4. of overworking
  5. of these deaths
  6. a warning
  7. of overworking
  8. a million

Paragraph 2

  1. people who
  2. a 42 per cent increased risk
  3. increased chance of
  4. No job is
  5. Governments need to agree
  6. protect the health
  7. The WHO said the situation
  8. a trend towards increased
  1. worth the risk
  2. working time
  3. of workers
  4. of stroke
  5. is accelerating
  6. on limits
  7. overwork
  8. heart disease

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The WHO (1) ___________________ warning about the danger of overworking. It said this has caused the (2) ___________________ hundreds of thousands of people. The organization (3) ___________________ three-quarters of a million workers die early from (4) ___________________ attacks because of overworking. Most of these deaths were in people aged 60 to 70 (5) ___________________ 55 hours a week between the ages of 45 and 74. (6) ___________________ 72 per cent of these deaths.

The WHO said people (7) ___________________ a 42 per cent increased risk of stroke, and a 19 per cent increased (8) ___________________ disease. It said: "No (9) ___________________ the risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments...need to... (10) ___________________ to protect the health of workers." Over nine per cent of people overwork. The WHO said the (11) ___________________ because of the pandemic. It said there is (12) ___________________ increased working time".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheWHOhasissuedawarningaboutthedangerofoverworking.Itsaidth
ishascausedtheprematuredeathofhundredsofthousandsofpeople.T
heorganizationfoundthataroundthree-quartersofamillionworkersd
ieearlyfromstrokesandheartattacksbecauseofoverworking.Mostoft
hesedeathswereinpeopleaged60to70whoworkedover55hoursawee
kbetweentheagesof45and74.Menaccountedfor72percentofthesede
aths.TheWHOsaidpeoplewhooverworkhavea42percentincreasedris
kofstroke,anda19percentincreasedchanceofheartdisease.Itsaid:"N
ojobisworththeriskofstrokeorheartdisease.Governments...needto..
.agreeonlimitstoprotectthehealthofworkers."Overninepercentofpeo
pleoverwork.TheWHOsaidthesituationis"accelerating"becauseofthe
pandemic.Itsaidthereisa"trendtowardsincreasedworkingtime".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic 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.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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