The Reading / Listening - Hygiene Poverty - Level 5

With the rising cost of living, millions of people in the U.K. are cutting back on essential hygiene products. This has been termed "hygiene poverty". The charity Hygiene Bank states that up to 3.2 million adults cannot afford basic goods such as soap, deodorant, toothpaste, shaving products, toilet paper and sanitary products. They have a harrowing choice of eating and heating their homes or buying hygiene products. Hygiene Bank described the problem as a "hidden crisis". It added: "It's increasing, and it's disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable".

Hygiene poverty is devastating. Many people feel too ashamed to leave their house because they are worried about smelling bad. Hygiene Bank warned of the repercussions of being unable to maintain basic hygiene standards. 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. Others are avoiding all social contact by not answering their phone.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Hygiene Poverty - Level 4 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. the rising cost of
  2. people in the U.K. are cutting
  3. This has been termed
  4. cannot afford basic
  5. shaving
  6. They have a harrowing
  7. a hidden
  8. disproportionately impacting
  1. goods such as soap
  2. products
  3. living
  4. the most vulnerable
  5. choice
  6. crisis
  7. "hygiene poverty"
  8. back

Paragraph 2

  1. Hygiene poverty is
  2. Hygiene Bank warned of the
  3. maintain basic
  4. be last on the
  5. ashamed to
  6. people with acne are seeing their
  7. Others are avoiding
  8. not answering
  1. hygiene standards
  2. all social contact
  3. see other parents
  4. their phone
  5. devastating
  6. nursery drop-off
  7. repercussions
  8. condition worsen

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

With the (1) ___________________ living, millions of people in the U.K. are cutting back on essential hygiene products. This (2) ___________________ "hygiene poverty". The charity Hygiene Bank states that up to 3.2 million adults (3) ___________________ goods such as soap, deodorant, toothpaste, shaving products, toilet (4) ___________________ products. They have a harrowing choice of eating and heating their homes or buying hygiene products. Hygiene Bank described the problem as (5) ___________________. It added: "It's increasing, and it's disproportionately impacting (6) ___________________".

Hygiene poverty is devastating. Many people (7) ___________________ to leave their house because they are worried about smelling bad. Hygiene Bank warned of the repercussions of being (8) ___________________ basic hygiene standards. It said: "We have mums telling us...that they want to be (9) ___________________ nursery drop-off because they're too embarrassed and ashamed to see other parents." Many (10) ___________________ are seeing (11) ___________________ because they cannot afford soap. Others are (12) ___________________ contact by not answering their phone.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Withtherisingcostofliving,millionsofpeopleintheU.K.arecuttingback
onessentialhygieneproducts.Thishasbeentermed"hygienepoverty".
ThecharityHygieneBankstatesthatupto3.2millionadultscannotaffor
dbasicgoodssuchassoap,deodorant,toothpaste,shavingproducts,toi
letpaperandsanitaryproducts.Theyhaveaharrowingchoiceofeatinga
ndheatingtheirhomesorbuyinghygieneproducts.HygieneBankdescri
bedtheproblemasa"hiddencrisis".Itadded:"It'sincreasing,andit'sdis
proportionatelyimpactingthemostvulnerable".Hygienepovertyisdev
astating.Manypeoplefeeltooashamedtoleavetheirhousebecausethe
yareworriedaboutsmellingbad.HygieneBankwarnedoftherepercussi
onsofbeingunabletomaintainbasichygienestandards.Itsaid:"Wehav
emumstellingus...thattheywanttobelastonthenurserydrop-offbec
ausethey'retooembarrassedandashamedtoseeotherparents."Many
peoplewithacneareseeingtheirconditionworsenbecausetheycannot
affordsoap.Othersareavoidingallsocialcontactbynotansweringtheirp
hone.

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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