More than 700 employees of Airbus Atlantic, a subsidiary of Airbus, have reportedly become sick after attending the company’s Christmas dinner. Health authorities in France have stated that workers from the aerospace group’s site in western France experienced symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. The cause of the illness is still unknown, and it is unclear what was served at the dinner. Airbus has stated that only around 100 employees fell ill and is working with health authorities to determine the cause and prevent future incidents.

Airbus Atlantic, a subsidiary of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturer, employs 15,000 people across five countries. The health authorities, Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS), have not provided specific details about the food that may have caused the illness. However, they have confirmed that the affected individuals showed signs of vomiting and diarrhea. An investigation is underway to identify the source of the food poisoning.

The wider Airbus group employs 134,000 people and operates in various industries, including aircraft, helicopter, defense, space, and security. This incident is not the first of its kind in France, as earlier this year, several people fell ill and one person died from botulism, a rare food-borne illness, after dining at a restaurant in Bordeaux.

In conclusion, over 700 employees of Airbus Atlantic have fallen ill after attending the company’s Christmas dinner. The cause of the illness is currently unknown, and health authorities are investigating the source of the food poisoning. Airbus is cooperating with the authorities to identify the cause and prevent future incidents.

Original news source: Airbus Atlantic: 700 staff sick after Christmas dinner, health officials say (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Have students read the article and then summarize the main points in their own words. They should focus on the cause of the illness, the number of affected employees, and the actions taken by Airbus and health authorities.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and have them discuss their opinions on the situation. Then, have each group create a poll with questions related to the article (e.g. “Do you think Airbus is responsible for the food poisoning?”). Each group should then survey the rest of the class and present their findings.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select 10-15 vocabulary words from the article and write them on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into pairs and give each pair a set of vocabulary words. One student will draw a picture representing the word without speaking, while the other student tries to guess the word. After a set time, switch roles and continue until all words have been used.

– Headline Creation
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, have students create a catchy headline for the article. Encourage them to use their creativity and language skills to come up with an attention-grabbing title that accurately represents the content of the article.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to imagine themselves as employees of Airbus Atlantic. In pairs or small groups, have them discuss and make predictions about the actions Airbus will take to prevent future incidents, the impact on employee morale, and the measures health authorities will implement to ensure food safety. After the discussion, have each group present their predictions to the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. How many employees of Airbus Atlantic reportedly became sick after attending the company’s Christmas dinner?
2. What symptoms did the workers from Airbus Atlantic experience?
3. What is the cause of the illness still unknown?
4. How many employees did Airbus state fell ill?
5. What is Airbus doing to determine the cause of the illness and prevent future incidents?
6. How many people does Airbus Atlantic employ across five countries?
7. What specific details about the food have the health authorities not provided?
8. What other incident in France earlier this year involved people falling ill after dining at a restaurant?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

More than 700 employees of Airbus (1)______, a subsidiary of Airbus, have reportedly become sick after attending the company’s Christmas dinner. Health authorities in France have (2)______ that workers from the aerospace group’s site in western France experienced symptoms such as vomiting and (3)______. The cause of the (4)______ is still unknown, and it is unclear what was served at the dinner. Airbus has stated that only around 100 employees fell ill and is working with (5)______ (6)______ to determine the cause and prevent future incidents.

Airbus Atlantic, a subsidiary of the world’s largest (7)______ manufacturer, employs 15,000 people across five countries. The health authorities, Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS), have not (8)______ specific details about the food that may have caused the illness. However, they have confirmed that the affected individuals showed (9)______ of vomiting and diarrhea. An investigation is underway to identify the source of the food poisoning.

The wider (10)______ group employs 134,000 (11)______ and operates in various industries, including aircraft, helicopter, defense, space, and security. This incident is not the (12)______ of its kind in France, as earlier this year, several people fell ill and one person died from botulism, a rare food-borne illness, after dining at a restaurant in Bordeaux.

In (13)______, over 700 (14)______ of Airbus Atlantic have fallen ill after attending the company’s Christmas dinner. The (15)______ of the illness is currently unknown, and health authorities are investigating the (16)______ of the food poisoning. Airbus is cooperating with the authorities to identify the cause and prevent future incidents.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. How would you feel if you attended a company dinner and became sick afterwards?
2. Do you think the company should be held responsible for the employees getting sick? Why or why not?
3. Have you ever had food poisoning? If so, how did you handle it?
4. What precautions do you think companies should take to prevent incidents like this from happening?
5. Do you think the employees should be compensated for their illness? Why or why not?
6. How important is food safety to you? Why?
7. Have you ever attended a company dinner? If so, what was your experience like?
8. Do you think the health authorities should release more information about the food that may have caused the illness? Why or why not?
9. What do you think the company should do to regain the trust of its employees?
10. How would you react if you were invited to a company dinner after hearing about this incident?
11. Do you think incidents like this could affect the company’s reputation? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the employees who didn’t get sick feel about this situation?
13. What is your opinion on the way Airbus is handling this incident? Do you think they are being transparent and taking appropriate action?
14. How important is it for companies to prioritize the health and safety of their employees? Why?
15. Do you think incidents like this could have long-term effects on the company? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. subsidiary
2. aerospace
3. symptoms
4. vomiting
5. diarrhea
6. investigation
7. manufacturer
8. employs
9. industries
10. helicopter
11. defense
12. security
13. botulism
14. food-borne
15. cooperating

Meanings:
(A) Transmitted through contaminated food
(B) Protection against potential attacks or harm
(C) A serious paralytic illness caused by a toxin
(D) To have on the payroll; to provide work to individuals
(E) A systematic inquiry or study to discover facts or information
(F) Relating to the design, development, and production of aircraft and space vehicles
(G) Sectors or fields of commercial or professional activity
(H) A type of aircraft that can take off and land vertically
(I) Frequent, watery bowel movements that may be a sign of infection
(J) Working together with someone for a common purpose
(K) Signs or indications of a condition or disease
(L) Measures taken to protect against espionage or sabotage
(M) A business entity that produces goods or services
(N) The act of ejecting the contents of the stomach through the mouth
(O) A company that is completely or partly owned by another company
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

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Max retries reached. Please check your data and try again.
Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Health authorities in France have confirmed that workers experienced symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.
2. Airbus has stated that only around 100 employees fell ill.
3. Less than 700 employees of Airbus Atlantic have become sick after attending the company’s Christmas dinner.
4. An investigation is underway to identify the source of the food poisoning.
5. The cause of the illness is still unknown.
6. Airbus Atlantic employs 10,000 people across five countries.
7. It is clear what was served at the dinner.
8. This incident is the first of its kind in France, as earlier this year, no people fell ill and no person died from botulism after dining at a restaurant in Bordeaux.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. How many employees of Airbus Atlantic became sick after attending the company’s Christmas dinner?
2. What symptoms did the affected individuals experience?
3. What is the cause of the illness still unknown?
4. How many people does Airbus Atlantic employ across five countries?
5. What other incident of food poisoning occurred earlier this year in France?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. How many employees of Airbus Atlantic reportedly became sick after attending the company’s Christmas dinner?
– More than 700 employees reportedly became sick after attending the Christmas dinner.

2. What symptoms did the workers from Airbus Atlantic experience?
– The workers from Airbus Atlantic experienced symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.

3. Why is the cause of the illness still unknown?
– The cause of the illness is still unknown because it is unclear what was served at the dinner.

4. How many employees did Airbus state fell ill?
– Airbus stated that only around 100 employees fell ill.

5. What is Airbus doing to determine the cause of the illness and prevent future incidents?
– Airbus is working with health authorities to determine the cause of the illness and prevent future incidents.

6. How many people does Airbus Atlantic employ across five countries?
– Airbus Atlantic, a subsidiary of Airbus, employs 15,000 people across five countries.

7. What specific details about the food have the health authorities not provided?
– The health authorities have not provided specific details about the food that may have caused the illness.

8. What other incident in France earlier this year involved people falling ill after dining at a restaurant?
– Earlier this year, several people fell ill and one person died from botulism after dining at a restaurant in Bordeaux.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Atlantic
(2) stated
(3) diarrhea
(4) illness
(5) health
(6) authorities
(7) aircraft
(8) provided
(9) signs
(10) Airbus
(11) people
(12) first
(13) conclusion
(14) employees
(15) cause
(16) source
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. subsidiary
Answer: (O) A company that is completely or partly owned by another company

2. aerospace
Answer: (F) Relating to the design, development, and production of aircraft and space vehicles

3. symptoms
Answer: (K) Signs or indications of a condition or disease

4. vomiting
Answer: (N) The act of ejecting the contents of the stomach through the mouth

5. diarrhea
Answer: (I) Frequent, watery bowel movements that may be a sign of infection

6. investigation
Answer: (E) A systematic inquiry or study to discover facts or information

7. manufacturer
Answer: (M) A business entity that produces goods or services

8. employs
Answer: (D) To have on the payroll; to provide work to individuals

9. industries
Answer: (G) Sectors or fields of commercial or professional activity

10. helicopter
Answer: (H) A type of aircraft that can take off and land vertically

11. defense
Answer: (B) Protection against potential attacks or harm

12. security
Answer: (L) Measures taken to protect against espionage or sabotage

13. botulism
Answer: (C) A serious paralytic illness caused by a toxin

14. food-borne
Answer: (A) Transmitted through contaminated food

15. cooperating
Answer: (J) Working together with someone for a common purpose
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

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Attempting retry 1/3…
Unexpected error: list index out of range
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Unexpected error: list index out of range
Attempting retry 3/3…
Max retries reached. Please check your data and try again.
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Health authorities in France have confirmed that workers experienced symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. (Answer: True)
2. Airbus has stated that only around 100 employees fell ill. (Answer: True)
3. Less than 700 employees of Airbus Atlantic have become sick after attending the company’s Christmas dinner. (Answer: False)
4. An investigation is underway to identify the source of the food poisoning. (Answer: True)
5. The cause of the illness is still unknown. (Answer: True)
6. Airbus Atlantic employs 10,000 people across five countries. (Answer: False)
7. It is clear what was served at the dinner. (Answer: False)
8. This incident is the first of its kind in France, as earlier this year, no people fell ill and no person died from botulism after dining at a restaurant in Bordeaux. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧