The Reading / Listening - Exercising - Level 4

Married couples who exercise together communicate better. Researchers looked at exercise habits and relationships of married couples. The researchers focused on conflict resolution, the ability to listen, and the seriousness of marriage problems. A professor suggested that exercising together helped couples sort out problems. He said couples communicated better and had fewer problems when they exercised together.

The researchers compared couples exercising separately with those exercising together. The couples who exercised together were more successful at resolving marriage problems. The professor said about 60 per cent of couples said they exercised, but only a third exercised together. This means half the people who exercised did not do so with their spouse. The professor said exercising together affected relationships "in some meaningful way".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Exercising - Level 5 or  Exercising - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.earth.com/lifestyle/exercising-together-may-help-couples-communicate-better/
  • https://phys.org/news/2026-08-happier-marriage-simple-habit.html
  • https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-say-this-simple-habit-could-lead-to-a-happier-marriage/


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. Married couples
  2. Researchers looked at exercise
  3. relationships of
  4. researchers focused on conflict
  5. the ability
  6. the seriousness of marriage
  7. helped couples sort
  8. communicated better and had
  1. fewer problems
  2. married couples
  3. to listen
  4. problems
  5. who exercise
  6. out problems
  7. resolution
  8. habits

Paragraph 2

  1. researchers compared
  2. successful at resolving marriage
  3. 60 per cent of couples
  4. only a third exercised
  5. do so with their
  6. half the people who
  7. exercising together
  8. in some meaningful
  1. together
  2. affected relationships
  3. spouse
  4. said they exercised
  5. way
  6. couples
  7. problems
  8. exercised

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Married (1) ________________________________________________ together communicate better. Researchers looked at exercise (2) ________________________________________________ of married couples. The researchers focused (3) ________________________________________________, the ability to listen, and the seriousness (4) ________________________________________________. A professor suggested that exercising together helped couples (5) _______________________________________________. He said couples communicated better and (6) ________________________________________________ when they exercised together.

The researchers compared couples (7) ________________________________________________ those exercising together. The couples (8) ________________________________________________ were more (9) ________________________________________________ marriage problems. The professor said about 60 per cent of couples said they exercised, but (10) ________________________________________________ exercised together. This means half the people who exercised did not do so (11) ________________________________________________. The professor said exercising together affected relationships "in (12) ________________________________________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Marriedcoupleswhoexercisetogethercommunicatebetter.Researche
rslookedatexercisehabitsandrelationshipsofmarriedcouples.Theres
earchersfocusedonconflictresolution,theabilitytolisten,andtheserio
usnessofmarriageproblems.Aprofessorsuggestedthatexercisingtog
etherhelpedcouplessortoutproblems.Hesaidcouplescommunicated
betterandhadfewerproblemswhentheyexercisedtogether.Theresea
rcherscomparedcouplesexercisingseparatelywiththoseexercisingto
gether.Thecoupleswhoexercisedtogetherweremoresuccessfulatres
olvingmarriageproblems.Theprofessorsaidabout60percentofcoupl
essaidtheyexercised,butonlyathirdexercisedtogether.Thismeanshal
fthepeoplewhoexerciseddidnotdosowiththeirspouse.Theprofessors
aidexercisingtogetheraffectedrelationships"insomemeaningfulway"
.

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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