The Reading / Listening - Mental Health - Level 1

Amazon wants to help workers with mental health problems. It plans to put "wellness chambers" in its warehouses so workers can relax. Workers can watch videos about relaxation in the chambers. Amazon said the chambers are part of a system called "AmaZen". It said: "Employees can visit AmaZen stations and watch short videos featuring easy-to-follow well-being activities, including guided meditations...and calming scenes with sounds."

After Amazon shared a video of its AmaZen chamber, many Twitter users criticised the working conditions at Amazon's warehouses. An Amazon worker described his experiences of working at Amazon. He said: "You don't get treated like a person. They work you like a robot…You don't have time to go to the bathroom." Amazon said: "The health and safety of employees is [our] number one priority and has been since day one."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Mental Health - Level 0 Mental Health - Level 2   or  Mental Health - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57287151
  • https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-rolls-zenbooth-warehouse-employees-135253883.html
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/amazon-amazen-union-alabama-warehouse-b1855408.html


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. help workers with mental
  2. put "wellness chambers" in
  3. workers can
  4. watch videos about
  5. part of a system
  6. Employees can
  7. short
  8. easy-to-follow well-
  1. relax
  2. called "AmaZen"
  3. being activities
  4. its warehouses
  5. videos
  6. relaxation
  7. health problems
  8. visit AmaZen stations

Paragraph 2

  1. Twitter users criticised the
  2. An Amazon worker described his
  3. You don't get treated like
  4. They work you
  5. You don't have time to
  6. The health and safety
  7. our number
  8. since day
  1. a person
  2. one priority
  3. like a robot
  4. one
  5. working conditions
  6. experiences
  7. of employees
  8. go to the bathroom

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Amazon wants to help (1) ___________________ health problems. It plans to put "wellness chambers" in its warehouses (2) ___________________ relax. Workers can watch videos about (3) ___________________ chambers. Amazon said the chambers are part of (4) ___________________ "AmaZen". It said: "Employees can visit AmaZen stations and watch short videos featuring (5) __________________ well-being activities, including guided meditations...and calming (6) ___________________."

After Amazon (7) ___________________ of its AmaZen chamber, many Twitter users criticised the (8) ___________________ Amazon's warehouses. An Amazon worker described (9) ___________________ working at Amazon. He said: "You don't get treated (10) ___________________. They work you like a robot…You don't (11) ___________________ go to the bathroom." Amazon said: "The health and safety of employees is [our] number one priority and has been (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Amazonwantstohelpworkerswithmentalhealthproblems.Itplanstop
ut"wellnesschambers"initswarehousessoworkerscanrelax.Workers
canwatchvideosaboutrelaxationinthechambers.Amazonsaidthecha
mbersarepartofasystemcalled"AmaZen".Itsaid:"Employeescanvisit
AmaZenstationsandwatchshortvideosfeaturingeasy-to-followwell-
beingactivities,includingguidedmeditations...andcalmingsceneswit
hsounds."AfterAmazonsharedavideoofitsAmaZenchamber,manyT
witteruserscriticisedtheworkingconditionsatAmazon'swarehouses.
AnAmazonworkerdescribedhisexperiencesofworkingatAmazon.Hes
aid:"Youdon'tgettreatedlikeaperson.Theyworkyoulikearobot…Youd
on'thavetimetogotothebathroom."Amazonsaid:"Thehealthandsafet
yofemployeesis[our]numberonepriorityandhasbeensincedayone."

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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