The Reading / Listening - Cold Water - Level 5

Taking a dip in very cold water for several hours a week is good for our health. Researchers in the U.K. looked into the benefits of cold-water immersion therapy. They found it could benefit our cognition, sleep quality, and well-being. The researchers studied 13 test participants, who were dunked in 10ºC water for 10 minutes, three times a week, for four weeks. The lead researcher said the cold-water therapy could "help with a number of positive physiological and psychological changes linked to improvements in overall general health and well-being".

Cold-water immersion is used in many fields for its healing benefits. For decades, ice baths have helped to speed the recovery of athletes following energy-sapping performances. The researcher said: "Two weeks of regular therapeutic cold-water immersion improved subjective sleep, with fewer sleep disturbances." Taking cold-water baths for health purposes is already a common practice. At the New Year, people worldwide swim in icy seas and lakes. In Japan, bathers refresh their bodies by dipping in and out of hot and cold baths. This a tradition called toto-no-u.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Cold Water - Level 4 or  Cold Water - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.psypost.org/cold-water-immersion-found-to-boost-cognitive-function-and-reduce-sleep-disturbances/
  • https://www.cbc.ca/life/wellness/cold-plunge-ice-bath-stress-relief-1.7424821
  • https://www.health.com/ice-baths-8404207


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. Sitting in cold water
  2. Researchers studied
  3. They found it could benefit
  4. sleep
  5. Thirteen test
  6. psychological
  7. linked
  8. overall general
  1. our cognition
  2. changes
  3. participants
  4. health
  5. to improvements
  6. the effects
  7. for several hours a week
  8. and well-being

Paragraph 2

  1. Cold-water therapy is used
  2. ice baths have helped with the
  3. high-energy
  4. fewer sleep
  5. a common
  6. icy
  7. bathers refresh
  8. dipping in and out
  1. performances
  2. their bodies
  3. disturbances
  4. of hot and cold baths
  5. seas
  6. in many areas
  7. practice
  8. recovery of athletes

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Taking (1) ________________________________________________ very cold water for several hours a week is good for our health. Researchers in the U.K. looked (2) ________________________________________________ of cold-water immersion therapy. They found it could (3) ________________________________________________, sleep quality, and well-being. The researchers studied 13 test participants, who (4) ________________________________________________ 10ºC water for 10 minutes, three times a week, for four weeks. The lead researcher said the cold-(5) ________________________________________________ "help with a number of positive physiological and psychological changes linked to improvements in (6) ________________________________________________ and well-being".

Cold-water immersion is used in (7) ________________________________________________ its healing benefits. For decades, ice baths have helped to speed the (8) ________________________________________________ following energy-sapping performances. The researcher said: "Two weeks of regular therapeutic cold-water immersion (9) ________________________________________________, with fewer sleep disturbances." Taking cold-water baths for health purposes is already (10) ________________________________________________. At the New Year, people worldwide swim in icy seas and lakes. In Japan, (11) ________________________________________________ bodies by dipping in and out of hot and cold baths. This (12) ________________________________________________ toto-no-u.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Takingadipinverycoldwaterforseveralhoursaweekisgoodforourhealt
h.ResearchersintheU.K.lookedintothebenefitsofcold-waterimmer
siontherapy.Theyfounditcouldbenefitourcognition,sleepquality,and
well-being.Theresearchersstudied13testparticipants,whoweredu
nkedin10ºCwaterfor10minutes,threetimesaweek,forfourweeks.Th
eleadresearchersaidthecold-watertherapycould"helpwithanumbero
fpositivephysiologicalandpsychologicalchangeslinkedtoimproveme
ntsinoverallgeneralhealthandwell-being".Cold-waterimmersionisu
sedinmanyfieldsforitshealingbenefits.Fordecades,icebathshavehelp
edtospeedtherecoveryofathletesfollowingenergy-sappingperform
ances.Theresearchersaid:"Twoweeksofregulartherapeuticcold-wat
erimmersionimprovedsubjectivesleep,withfewersleepdisturbances.
"Takingcold-waterbathsforhealthpurposesisalreadyacommonpract
ice.AttheNewYear,peopleworldwideswiminicyseasandlakes.InJapa
n,bathersrefreshtheirbodiesbydippinginandoutofhotandcoldbaths.T
hisatraditioncalledtoto-no-u.

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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