The Reading / Listening - Negative People - Level 4

From good friends to bad co-workers, our relations can affect our stress more than jobs and money. A new study suggests that the people around us can affect how long we live. Researchers focused on the effect that people called "hasslers" had on us. A hassler is someone annoying who hassles us. A researcher said, "having more hasslers is associated with accelerated biological aging…and how much wear and tear [people] have on their body".

Researchers questioned people about hasslers. Around one third of the participants knew at least one hassler. About 10 per cent had at least two hasslers. Each additional hassler was linked with a 1.5 per cent faster pace of aging. The researcher highlighted the negative effects of accumulated stress from hasslers, saying: "When you experience that chronically, over and over again, it has this long-term effect on the body."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Negative People - Level 5 or  Negative People - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/each-stressful-person-in-your-life-may-age-you-by-months-study-finds
  • https://www.dw.com/en/dealing-with-annoying-people-might-make-you-age-faster/a-76335924
  • https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/hasslers-study-negative-people-9.7124224


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. toxic
  2. our relations can
  3. A new study suggests
  4. negatively affect our
  5. Scientists in the USA
  6. the effect that people called
  7. accelerated biological
  8. wear and
  1. conducted a study
  2. that
  3. longevity
  4. aging
  5. "hasslers" had on us
  6. co-workers
  7. tear
  8. affect our stress

Paragraph 2

  1. around one third
  2. 10 per cent had at
  3. a 1.5 per cent faster pace
  4. back to
  5. the negative effects of
  6. When you experience that
  7. over and
  8. it has this long-term
  1. over again
  2. accumulated stress
  3. of aging
  4. effect on the body
  5. least two hasslers
  6. normal
  7. chronically
  8. of the participants

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

From good friends (1) ________________________________________________, our relations can affect our stress more than (2) ________________________________________________. A new study suggests that the people around us (3) ________________________________________________ long we live. Researchers focused on (4) ________________________________________________ people called "hasslers" had on us. A hassler is someone annoying (5) ________________________________________________. A researcher said, "having more hasslers is associated with accelerated biological aging...and how much (6) ________________________________________________ [people] have on their body".

Researchers (7) ________________________________________________ hasslers. Around one third of the participants (8) ________________________________________________ one hassler. About 10 per cent had at least two hasslers. Each additional hassler was (9) ________________________________________________ 1.5 per cent faster (10) ________________________________________________. The researcher highlighted the negative (11) ________________________________________________ stress from hasslers, saying: "When you experience that chronically, over and over again, it has this (12) ________________________________________________ on the body."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Fromgoodfriendstobadco-workers,ourrelationscanaffectourstressm
orethanjobsandmoney.Anewstudysuggeststhatthepeoplearoundus
canaffecthowlongwelive.Researchersfocusedontheeffectthatpeople
called"hasslers"hadonus.Ahasslerissomeoneannoyingwhohasslesu
s.Aresearchersaid,"havingmorehasslersisassociatedwithaccelerate
dbiologicalaging...andhowmuchwearandtear[people]haveontheirb
ody".Researchersquestionedpeopleabouthasslers.Aroundonethirdo
ftheparticipantsknewatleastonehassler.About10percenthadatleastt
wohasslers.Eachadditionalhasslerwaslinkedwitha1.5percentfasterp
aceofaging.Theresearcherhighlightedthenegativeeffectsofaccumul
atedstressfromhasslers,saying:"Whenyouexperiencethatchronicall
y,overandoveragain,ithasthislong-termeffectonthebody."

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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