The Reading / Listening - Level 0

A company is paying workers to sleep. Staff get $300 a year extra if they sleep more than seven hours a night. The company said workers will work better if they sleep well. The company will then do better. Workers record their sleep using a wrist monitor. They can also write down how long they sleep every night.

Not sleeping enough is bad for our job. The average U.S. worker loses 11.3 working days of work a year because of not sleeping enough. The US economy loses $63.2 billion a year. A European study found that workers who sleep less than seven hours per night do a lot less work. People who sleep eight hours do more work.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 1,  Level 2   or  Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36641119
  • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/aetna-pays-employees-to-sleep-more_us_570e78abe4b03d8b7b9f1712
  • http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2016/04/06/why-aetna-pays-employees-hundreds-of-dollars-to.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A company is paying
  2. Staff get $300 a
  3. sleep more than seven hours
  4. The company will then do
  5. Workers record
  6. using a wrist
  7. They can also write
  8. they sleep
  1. their sleep
  2. monitor
  3. every night
  4. year extra
  5. workers to sleep
  6. better
  7. a night
  8. down how long

Paragraph 2

  1. Not sleeping
  2. bad for
  3. The average
  4. 11.3 working days
  5. The US economy loses
  6. workers who sleep
  7. do a lot less
  8. People who sleep eight hours
  1. work
  2. of work a year
  3. $63.2 billion a year
  4. our job
  5. less
  6. enough
  7. do more work
  8. U.S. worker

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A company is paying (1) ___________________. Staff get $300 a year (2) ___________________ sleep more than seven hours a night. The company said workers (3) ___________________ if they sleep well. The company (4) ___________________ better. Workers record their sleep using a (5) ___________________. They can also write (6) ___________________ they sleep every night.

Not sleeping enough (7) ___________________ job. The average U.S. worker (8) ___________________ working days of work a year (9) ___________________ sleeping enough. The US economy loses $63.2 (10) ___________________. A European study found that workers who (11) ___________________ seven hours per night do a lot less work. People who sleep eight hours (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Acompanyispayingworkerstosleep.Staffget$300ayearextraiftheysl
eepmorethansevenhoursanight.Thecompanysaidworkerswillworkb
etteriftheysleepwell.Thecompanywillthendobetter.Workersrecordt
heirsleepusingawristmonitor.Theycanalsowritedownhowlongtheysl
eepeverynight.Notsleepingenoughisbadforourjob.TheaverageU.S.
workerloses11.3workingdaysofworkayearbecauseofnotsleepingen
ough.TheUSeconomyloses$63.2billionayear.AEuropeanstudyfound
thatworkerswhosleeplessthansevenhourspernightdoalotlesswork.P
eoplewhosleepeighthoursdomorework.

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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