The Reading / Listening - Working from Home - Level 0

COVID-19 is no longer a health emergency. However, many workers are still working from home. Amazon has told its staff to return to a five-day week from January. It said: "We're going to return to being in the office the way we were before Covid." It said staff could teach and learn from one another in the office.

Amazon staff often talk about their concerns. In February 2023, Amazon asked people to be in the office for three days a week, and the workers protested. They also complained about Amazon cutting 27,000 jobs. Another complaint was about climate change. Amazon has made a "bureaucracy mailbox" for staff complaints.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Working from Home - Level 1 Working from Home - Level 2   or  Working from Home - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/retail/2024/09/16/amazon-return-to-office-policy-five-days/75253666007/
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czj99ln72k9o
  • https://www.geekwire.com/2024/amazons-new-back-to-office-mandate-adds-to-debate-over-remote-work-and-employee-productivity/


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. COVID-19 is no longer a health
  2. workers are still working
  3. Amazon has told
  4. return to a five-
  5. We're going to
  6. being in the
  7. the way we were
  8. learn from one
  1. return
  2. its staff
  3. before
  4. from home
  5. another
  6. emergency
  7. office
  8. day week

Paragraph 2

  1. staff often talk
  2. Amazon asked people to
  3. the workers
  4. They also complained
  5. cutting 27,000
  6. Another complaint was about
  7. Amazon has made a bureaucracy
  8. staff
  1. about Amazon
  2. mailbox
  3. jobs
  4. complaints
  5. about their concerns
  6. be in the office
  7. climate change
  8. protested

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

COVID-19 (1) ___________________ a health emergency. However, (2) ___________________ still working from home. Amazon has (3) ___________________ to return to a five-day week from January. It said: "We're (4) ___________________ to being in the office the (5) ___________________ before…Covid." It said staff could teach and learn from (6) ___________________ the office.

Amazon (7) ___________________ about their concerns. In February 2023, Amazon (8) ___________________ be in the office for three (9) ___________________, and the workers protested. They (10) ___________________ Amazon cutting 27,000 jobs. Another (11) ___________________ climate change. Amazon has made a "bureaucracy mailbox" (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

COVID-19isnolongerahealthemergency.However,manyworkersar
estillworkingfromhome.Amazonhastolditsstafftoreturntoafive-d
ayweekfromJanuary.Itsaid:"We'regoingtoreturntobeingintheofficet
hewaywewerebefore Covid."Itsaidstaffcouldteachandlearnfromon
eanotherintheoffice.Amazonstaffoftentalkabouttheirconcerns.InFe
bruary2023,Amazonaskedpeopletobeintheofficeforthreedaysawee
k,andtheworkersprotested.TheyalsocomplainedaboutAmazoncutti
ng27,000jobs.Anothercomplaintwasaboutclimatechange.Amazonh
asmadea"bureaucracymailbox"forstaffcomplaints.

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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