The Reading / Listening - Hygiene Poverty - Level 4

Millions of people in the U.K. cannot buy essential hygiene products because of the rising cost of living. The charity Hygiene Bank states that up to 3.2 million adults are living in "hygiene poverty". They cannot afford basic goods such as soap, deodorant, toothpaste, shaving products, toilet paper and sanitary products. They have to choose between eating or buying hygiene products. Hygiene Bank called it a "hidden crisis" that "impacted the most vulnerable".

Hygiene poverty is devastating. People are too ashamed to leave their house because they are worried about smelling bad. Hygiene Bank gave examples of the effects it has on people. It said: "We have mums telling us…that they want to be last on the nursery drop-off because they're too embarrassed and ashamed to see other parents." Many people with acne are seeing their condition worsen because they cannot afford soap.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Hygiene Poverty - Level 5 or  Hygiene Poverty - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a41788064/hygiene-poverty-people-shame-cost-of-living/
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63403823
  • https://uk.news.yahoo.com/hygiene-poverty-affecting-3-2-151108759.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. buy essential hygiene
  2. the rising cost
  3. adults are living
  4. basic goods such
  5. toilet paper and
  6. choose between eating or
  7. Hygiene Bank called it a hidden
  8. impacted the most
  1. in hygiene poverty
  2. vulnerable
  3. as soap
  4. buying hygiene products
  5. crisis
  6. sanitary products
  7. products
  8. of living

Paragraph 2

  1. Hygiene poverty is
  2. People are too ashamed to
  3. worried about smelling
  4. examples of the effects
  5. be last on the nursery
  6. ashamed to
  7. people with acne are seeing their
  8. they cannot afford
  1. soap
  2. bad
  3. drop-off
  4. condition worsen
  5. leave their house
  6. devastating
  7. see other parents
  8. it has on people

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Millions of people in the U.K. (1) ___________________ hygiene products because of the (2) ___________________ living. The charity Hygiene Bank states that up to 3.2 million (3) ___________________ in "hygiene poverty". They cannot afford basic goods (4) ___________________, deodorant, toothpaste, shaving products, toilet paper and sanitary products. They have to (5) ___________________ or buying hygiene products. Hygiene Bank called it a "hidden crisis" that "impacted (6) ___________________".

Hygiene (7) ___________________. People are too ashamed to leave their house because they are worried (8) ___________________. Hygiene Bank gave examples of (9) ___________________ has on people. It said: "We have mums telling us...that they want to (10) ___________________ the nursery drop-off because they're too embarrassed and (11) ___________________ other parents." Many people with acne are seeing (12) ___________________ because they cannot afford soap.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

MillionsofpeopleintheU.K.cannotbuyessentialhygieneproductsbeca
useoftherisingcostofliving.ThecharityHygieneBankstatesthatupto3.
2millionadultsarelivingin"hygienepoverty".Theycannotaffordbasicg
oodssuchassoap,deodorant,toothpaste,shavingproducts,toiletpape
randsanitaryproducts.Theyhavetochoosebetweeneatingorbuyinghy
gieneproducts.HygieneBankcalledita"hiddencrisis"that"impactedth
emostvulnerable".Hygienepovertyisdevastating.Peoplearetooasha
medtoleavetheirhousebecausetheyareworriedaboutsmellingbad.H
ygieneBankgaveexamplesoftheeffectsithasonpeople.Itsaid:"Wehav
emumstellingus...thattheywanttobelastonthenurserydrop-offbec
ausethey'retooembarrassedandashamedtoseeotherparents."Many
peoplewithacneareseeingtheirconditionworsenbecausetheycannot
affordsoap.

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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