Many people who work at Airbus Atlantic in France got sick after eating at the company’s Christmas party. They felt like throwing up and had stomach aches. Airbus says about 100 people got sick, but they are helping the health people to find out why this happened. Airbus Atlantic is part of a big company that makes airplanes and has lots of workers in different countries.

No one knows yet which food made the people sick, but the health people are trying to find out. Airbus is a big company with many workers who make things like airplanes and helicopters. This is not the first time people in France got sick after eating; earlier, some people got sick and one person died after eating at a restaurant.

Airbus wants to help the health people and make sure this doesn’t happen again. They make lots of things that fly and are used for safety. They care a lot about keeping their workers safe and healthy. They are doing things to fix the problem and make sure everyone is okay.

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: In pairs, students will read the article and summarize the main points in their own words. They should focus on answering the questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: In small groups, students will discuss their opinions about the article. They should answer questions such as: Do you think Airbus is responsible for the sickness? What steps should Airbus take to prevent this from happening again? Do you think the health people will find out which food made the people sick?

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns selecting vocabulary words from the article. One student will draw a picture to represent the word, while the other student tries to guess the word based on the drawing. They can use the words from the article or create their own related words.

– Keyword Taboo
Instructions: In small groups, students will take turns describing key words from the article without using the word itself. The other students in the group must guess the word based on the description. This activity helps reinforce vocabulary and encourage students to use synonyms and descriptive language.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: In small groups, students will discuss the pros and cons of holding a company Christmas party. They should consider factors such as the potential for sickness, the cost of the party, and the impact on employee morale. They can also discuss potential alternatives or solutions to prevent sickness at future parties.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the people who ate at Airbus’s Christmas party?
2. How many people got sick after eating at the party?
3. What kind of company is Airbus?
4. What are the health people trying to find out?
5. Has this happened before in France?
6. Why does Airbus want to help the health people?
7. What is Airbus doing to fix the problem?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Many (1)______ who work at (2)______ Atlantic in France got sick after eating at the company’s Christmas party. They felt like throwing up and had stomach (3)______. Airbus says about 100 people got sick, but they are helping the health people to find out why this happened. Airbus Atlantic is (4)______ of a big (5)______ that makes airplanes and has lots of workers in (6)______ countries.

No one knows yet which food made the people sick, but the health people are trying to find out. Airbus is a big company with many workers who make (7)______ like airplanes and (8)______. This is not the first time people in France got sick after eating; earlier, some people got sick and one (9)______ died after eating at a restaurant.

Airbus wants to help the health people and make (10)______ this doesn’t happen again. They make lots of things that fly and are used for (11)______ty. They care a lot about keeping their workers safe and healthy. They are doing things to fix the problem and make sure everyone is okay.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is Airbus Atlantic?
2. How do you think the people felt after eating at the Christmas party?
3. Have you ever felt sick after eating something? How did it make you feel?
4. What do you think the health people are trying to find out?
5. Do you like airplanes and helicopters? Why or why not?
6. How would you feel if you got sick after eating at a party?
7. Do you think it’s important for companies to keep their workers safe and healthy? Why or why not?
8. What do you think Airbus can do to fix the problem?
9. Have you ever been to a restaurant where the food made you sick? How did you feel?
10. Do you think the health people will be able to find out which food made the people sick? Why or why not?
11. Why do you think Airbus is helping the health people?
12. What are some things that you can do to stay safe and healthy?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Atlantic
2. company
3. helicopters
4. employees
5. investigate
6. symptoms
7. nausea
8. manufacture
9. incident
10. contaminated
11. precaution
12. authorities

Meanings:
(A) People who are in charge and make important decisions
(B) Flying machines with blades that spin around on top
(C) Something that happens, often something bad
(D) Dirty, having harmful things in it that can make you sick
(E) A business that makes or sells things or provides services
(F) Feeling like you are going to throw up
(G) Signs that something is wrong with your body
(H) Something you do to keep safe and avoid problems
(I) To try to find out the truth about something
(J) People who work for a business
(K) The name of an ocean
(L) To make something, usually in large amounts
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What happened to many people who attended the Airbus Atlantic Christmas party?
(a) They got sick
(b) They won a prize
(c) They had a great time
(d) They got a promotion

2. How many people got sick after eating at the Christmas party?
(a) About 50
(b) About 200
(c) About 20
(d) About 100

3. What is Airbus Atlantic a part of?
(a) A big company that makes airplanes
(b) A small company that makes cars
(c) A restaurant chain
(d) A company that makes computers

4. What are the health people trying to find out?
(a) What time the party started
(b) How many people attended the party
(c) Where the party was held
(d) Which food made the people sick

5. What happened to some people in France after eating at a restaurant?
(a) They won a contest
(b) They had a great meal
(c) They got sick and one person died
(d) They got a job offer

6. What does Airbus want to make sure doesn’t happen again?
(a) People winning prizes
(b) People getting sick after eating
(c) People having a great time
(d) People getting promotions

7. What does Airbus make?
(a) Things that swim and are used for fun
(b) Things that drive and are used for transportation
(c) Things that fly and are used for safety
(d) Things that crawl and are used for gardening

8. What is Airbus doing to fix the problem?
(a) Ignoring the problem and hoping it goes away
(b) Helping the health people find out why people got sick
(c) Closing down the company
(d) Giving everyone a raise

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Around 100 people at Airbus Atlantic remained healthy.
2. The company is not collaborating with health officials to investigate why this occurred.
3. This is not the first time people in France got sick after eating; there was a similar incident at a restaurant before.
4. Many people at Airbus Atlantic in France got sick after eating at their Christmas party.
5. The sick people felt like throwing up and had stomach aches.
6. The health officials are struggling to determine which food made the people sick.
7. The company that manufactures airplanes and helicopters is named Airbus.
8. Airbus is taking steps to fix the problem and make sure everyone is safe and healthy.
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. What happened to the people who ate at Airbus Atlantic’s Christmas party?
2. How many people got sick after eating at the Christmas party?
3. What kind of company is Airbus Atlantic?
4. Why are the health people trying to find out what made the people sick?
5. Why does Airbus care about keeping their workers safe and healthy?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened to the people who ate at Airbus’s Christmas party?
They got sick after eating.

2. How many people got sick after eating at the party?
About 100 people got sick.

3. What kind of company is Airbus?
Airbus is a company that makes airplanes and helicopters.

4. What are the health people trying to find out?
They are trying to find out which food made the people sick.

5. Has this happened before in France?
Yes, it has happened before in France.

6. Why does Airbus want to help the health people?
Airbus wants to help the health people to find out why this happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

7. What is Airbus doing to fix the problem?
Airbus is doing things to fix the problem and make sure everyone is okay.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) people
(2) Airbus
(3) aches
(4) part
(5) company
(6) different
(7) things
(8) helicopters
(9) person
(10) sure
(11) safe
(12) safety
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Atlantic
Answer: (K) The name of an ocean

2. company
Answer: (E) A business that makes or sells things or provides services

3. helicopters
Answer: (B) Flying machines with blades that spin around on top

4. employees
Answer: (J) People who work for a business

5. investigate
Answer: (I) To try to find out the truth about something

6. symptoms
Answer: (G) Signs that something is wrong with your body

7. nausea
Answer: (F) Feeling like you are going to throw up

8. manufacture
Answer: (L) To make something, usually in large amounts

9. incident
Answer: (C) Something that happens, often something bad

10. contaminated
Answer: (D) Dirty, having harmful things in it that can make you sick

11. precaution
Answer: (H) Something you do to keep safe and avoid problems

12. authorities
Answer: (A) People who are in charge and make important decisions
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What happened to many people who attended the Airbus Atlantic Christmas party?
Answer: (a) They got sick

2. How many people got sick after eating at the Christmas party?
Answer: (d) About 100

3. What is Airbus Atlantic a part of?
Answer: (a) A big company that makes airplanes

4. What are the health people trying to find out?
Answer: (d) Which food made the people sick

5. What happened to some people in France after eating at a restaurant?
Answer: (c) They got sick and one person died

6. What does Airbus want to make sure doesn’t happen again?
Answer: (b) People getting sick after eating

7. What does Airbus make?
Answer: (c) Things that fly and are used for safety

8. What is Airbus doing to fix the problem?
Answer: (b) Helping the health people find out why people got sick
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Around 100 people at Airbus Atlantic remained healthy. (Answer: False)
2. The company is not collaborating with health officials to investigate why this occurred. (Answer: False)
3. This is not the first time people in France got sick after eating; there was a similar incident at a restaurant before. (Answer: True)
4. Many people at Airbus Atlantic in France got sick after eating at their Christmas party. (Answer: True)
5. The sick people felt like throwing up and had stomach aches. (Answer: True)
6. The health officials are struggling to determine which food made the people sick. (Answer: False)
7. The company that manufactures airplanes and helicopters is named Airbus. (Answer: False)
8. Airbus is taking steps to fix the problem and make sure everyone is safe and healthy. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧