The Reading / Listening - Negative People - Level 5

From good friends to toxic co-workers, our relations can affect our stress more than our jobs, finances, or even our diet. A new study suggests that who is around us can negatively affect our longevity. Scientists in the USA conducted a study on how the people around us can impact our stress. The researchers focused on the effect that people called "hasslers" had on us. A hassler is someone annoying who hassles us. Professor Brea Perry 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 the hasslers in their lives. Dr Perry said around one third of the participants knew at least one hassler. She said about 10 per cent had at least two hasslers. Each additional hassler was linked with a 1.5 per cent faster pace of aging. Perry added: "It can actually take days for that stress response to drop and for your body to go back to normal." She 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 4 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 co-
  2. our relations can
  3. A new study suggests
  4. negatively affect our
  5. how the people around us can
  6. A hassler is someone annoying
  7. accelerated biological
  8. how much wear and
  1. who hassles us
  2. workers
  3. aging
  4. impact our stress
  5. affect our stress
  6. that
  7. tear people have
  8. longevity

Paragraph 2

  1. Researchers questioned people
  2. the participants knew at
  3. linked with a 1.5 per cent faster
  4. for your body to go
  5. negative effects of accumulated
  6. When you experience that
  7. over and
  8. it has this long-term
  1. over again
  2. pace of aging
  3. stress
  4. least one hassler
  5. effect on the body
  6. about the hasslers
  7. chronically
  8. back to normal

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

From good friends (1) ________________________________________________, our relations can affect our stress more than (2) ________________________________________________, or even our diet. A new study suggests that who is around us (3) ________________________________________________ our longevity. Scientists in the USA conducted a study on how the people around (4) ________________________________________________ our stress. The researchers focused on the effect that people called "hasslers" had on us. A hassler is someone annoying (5) ________________________________________________. Professor Brea Perry said, "having more hasslers is associated with accelerated biological aging...and how much (6) ________________________________________________ [people] have on their body".

Researchers questioned people about the hasslers (7) ________________________________________________. Dr Perry said around one third of the participants (8) ________________________________________________ one hassler. She said about 10 per cent had at least two hasslers. Each additional hassler was linked with a 1.5 per cent faster (9) ________________________________________________. Perry added: "It can actually take days for that stress response to drop and for your body to go (10) ________________________________________________." She highlighted the negative effects of accumulated stress from hasslers, saying: "When you experience that chronically, over (11) ________________________________________________, it has this (12) ________________________________________________ on the body."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Fromgoodfriendstotoxicco-workers,ourrelationscanaffectourstres
smorethanourjobs,finances,orevenourdiet.Anewstudysuggeststhat
whoisarounduscannegativelyaffectourlongevity.ScientistsintheUSA
conductedastudyonhowthepeoplearounduscanimpactourstress.The
researchersfocusedontheeffectthatpeoplecalled"hasslers"hadonus.
Ahasslerissomeoneannoyingwhohasslesus.ProfessorBreaPerrysaid,
"havingmorehasslersisassociatedwithacceleratedbiologicalaging...
andhowmuchwearandtear[people]haveontheirbody".Researchersq
uestionedpeopleaboutthehasslersintheirlives.DrPerrysaidaroundon
ethirdoftheparticipantsknewatleastonehassler.Shesaidabout10per
centhadatleasttwohasslers.Eachadditionalhasslerwaslinkedwitha1.
5percentfasterpaceofaging.Perryadded:"Itcanactuallytakedaysfort
hatstressresponsetodropandforyourbodytogobacktonormal."Shehi
ghlightedthenegativeeffectsofaccumulatedstressfromhasslers,sayi
ng:"Whenyouexperiencethatchronically,overandoveragain,ithasthi
slong-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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