More than 700 workers at Airbus Atlantic, a company that makes airplanes, got sick after going to their Christmas party. The workers, who are in France, had symptoms like throwing up and having diarrhea. The cause of the sickness is still not known, and it’s not clear what food was served at the party. Airbus says that only about 100 workers got sick and they are working with health officials to figure out what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Airbus Atlantic is a part of the biggest airplane maker in the world and has 15,000 employees in five different countries. The health officials, called Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS), haven’t given any details about the food that made people sick. But they did say that the workers had symptoms like throwing up and having diarrhea. They are doing an investigation to find out where the bad food came from.
Airbus is a big company with 134,000 employees that makes airplanes, helicopters, and other things for the military and space. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened in France. Earlier this year, some people got sick and one person died from a rare illness called botulism after eating at a restaurant in Bordeaux.
In summary, more than 700 workers at Airbus Atlantic got sick after going to their Christmas party. They don’t know what caused it yet, but health officials are trying to find out. Airbus is working with the officials to figure out what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Original news source: Airbus Atlantic: 700 staff sick after Christmas dinner, health officials say (BBC)
🎧 Listen:
Slow
Normal
Fast
📖 Vocabulary:
| 1 | investigation | Looking into something carefully to discover the truth |
| 2 | symptoms | Signs that show there is something wrong with your health |
| 3 | diarrhea | When your body gets rid of waste too quickly and it’s very watery |
| 4 | officials | People who are in charge or have important jobs in an organization |
| 5 | contaminated | Dirty, polluted, or having harmful things in it |
| 6 | botulism | A dangerous illness that can come from eating bad food |
| 7 | helicopters | Aircraft with spinning blades that can take off and land vertically |
| 8 | military | Relating to the armed forces, like the army, navy, or air force |
| 9 | aerospace | Having to do with the making of planes and space vehicles |
| 10 | employees | People who work for a company or organization |
| 11 | Atlantic | The part of the ocean that’s between the eastern coast of the U.S. and western Europe |
| 12 | investigation | The same as number 1, do not use this word again |
| 13 | rare | Not common or usual; not often seen or experienced |
| 14 | summary | A short statement that gives the main points or ideas of something |
| 15 | ensure | To make sure or certain of something |
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into pairs or small groups.
2. Provide each group with a copy of the article.
3. Give the students a few minutes to read the article.
4. In their groups, ask the students to summarize the main points of the article in their own words.
5. After a few minutes, ask each group to share their summary with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into pairs or small groups.
2. Provide each group with a list of questions related to the article, such as “Do you think the company should be held responsible for the workers getting sick? Why or why not?”
3. In their groups, ask the students to discuss and answer the questions.
4. After a few minutes, ask each group to share their opinions with the class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board, such as “symptoms,” “investigation,” and “botulism.”
2. Divide the students into pairs or small groups.
3. In their groups, ask the students to take turns choosing a word from the list and drawing a picture that represents the word.
4. The other students in the group must guess the word based on the drawing.
5. After a few minutes, ask each group to share their drawings and words with the class.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into pairs or small groups.
2. Provide each group with a list of statements related to the article, such as “The company should be held responsible for the workers getting sick” and “The workers should have been more careful about what they ate.”
3. In their groups, ask the students to discuss the pros and cons of each statement.
4. After a few minutes, ask each group to share their opinions with the class.
– Future Predictions
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into pairs or small groups.
2. Ask the students to imagine they are health officials tasked with preventing similar incidents in the future.
3. In their groups, ask the students to brainstorm and discuss possible measures that could be taken to prevent food-related illnesses at company parties.
4. After a few minutes, ask each group to share their ideas with the class.
🤔 Comprehension Questions:
1. What symptoms did the workers at Airbus Atlantic experience after their Christmas party?
2. How many workers at Airbus Atlantic got sick after the party?
3. What is the name of the health officials who are investigating the sickness?
4. How many employees does Airbus Atlantic have in total?
5. What other types of vehicles does Airbus make besides airplanes?
6. Has something like this happened before in France?
7. What illness did some people get after eating at a restaurant in Bordeaux?
8. What is Airbus doing to prevent this from happening again?
Go to answers ⇩
🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
More than 700 workers at Airbus (1)______, a company that makes airplanes, got sick after going to their (2)______ party. The workers, who are in France, had symptoms like throwing up and having (3)______. The cause of the sickness is still not known, and it’s not (4)______ what food was served at the party. Airbus says that only about 100 workers got sick and they are working with health officials to figure out what (5)______ and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Airbus Atlantic is a part of the biggest airplane (6)______ in the world and has 15,000 employees in five different countries. The health officials, called Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS), haven’t (7)______ any (8)______ about the food that made people sick. But they did say that the workers had symptoms like (9)______ up and having diarrhea. They are doing an investigation to find out where the bad food came from.
(10)______ is a big company with 134,000 employees that makes (11)______, helicopters, and other things for the military and space. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened in France. Earlier this year, some (12)______ got sick and one person died from a rare illness called botulism after eating at a (13)______ in (14)______.
In summary, more than 700 workers at Airbus Atlantic got sick after (15)______ to their Christmas party. They don’t know what caused it yet, but (16)______ officials are trying to find out. Airbus is working with the officials to figure out what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Go to answers ⇩
💬 Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. Have you ever been to a company party? How was it?
2. What do you think could have caused the workers at Airbus Atlantic to get sick?
3. How would you feel if you got sick after attending a party?
4. Do you think it’s important for companies to take responsibility and investigate when their employees get sick?
5. Have you ever had food poisoning? How did you feel?
6. What do you think the health officials should do to prevent this from happening again?
7. Do you think the workers at Airbus Atlantic will be afraid to attend future company parties? Why or why not?
8. How do you think this incident could affect the reputation of Airbus?
9. Do you think it’s the company’s responsibility to provide safe food at company events? Why or why not?
10. Have you ever had a bad experience with food at a restaurant? What happened?
11. What do you think the workers at Airbus Atlantic should do if they suspect the food at the party made them sick?
12. How do you think the workers at Airbus Atlantic felt when they found out that so many of them got sick?
13. Do you think the health officials will be able to find out where the bad food came from? Why or why not?
14. How do you think the workers at Airbus Atlantic will feel about attending future company parties? Why?
15. Do you think this incident will have any long-term effects on the company? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. investigation
2. symptoms
3. diarrhea
4. officials
5. contaminated
6. botulism
7. helicopters
8. military
9. aerospace
10. employees
11. Atlantic
12. investigation
13. rare
14. summary
15. ensure
Meanings:
(A) To make sure or certain of something
(B) Not common or usual; not often seen or experienced
(C) Relating to the armed forces, like the army, navy, or air force
(D) Signs that show there is something wrong with your health
(E) A short statement that gives the main points or ideas of something
(F) Dirty, polluted, or having harmful things in it
(G) A dangerous illness that can come from eating bad food
(H) Aircraft with spinning blades that can take off and land vertically
(I) When your body gets rid of waste too quickly and it’s very watery
(J) People who work for a company or organization
(K) The same as number 1, do not use this word again
(L) Looking into something carefully to discover the truth
(M) Having to do with the making of planes and space vehicles
(N) People who are in charge or have important jobs in an organization
(O) The part of the ocean that’s between the eastern coast of the U.S. and western Europe
Go to answers ⇩
🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:
1. How many workers at Airbus Atlantic got sick after the Christmas party?
(a) Less than 100
(b) More than 700
(c) Exactly 100
(d) None of the above
2. What symptoms did the workers experience?
(a) Throwing up and having diarrhea
(b) Headache and fever
(c) Coughing and sneezing
(d) Stomach pain and dizziness
3. What is the name of the health officials investigating the sickness?
(a) Airbus Atlantic Health Department
(b) French Food Safety Authority
(c) World Health Organization (WHO)
(d) Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS)
4. How many employees does Airbus Atlantic have?
(a) 15,000
(b) 700
(c) 134,000
(d) 5
5. What other products does Airbus make besides airplanes?
(a) Cars and motorcycles
(b) Helicopters and military equipment
(c) Computers and smartphones
(d) Clothing and accessories
6. Where did the previous incident of people getting sick occur in France?
(a) Paris
(b) Marseille
(c) Lyon
(d) Bordeaux
7. What illness did one person die from after eating at a restaurant in Bordeaux?
(a) Salmonella
(b) E. coli
(c) Botulism
(d) Food poisoning
8. What is Airbus doing to prevent a similar incident from happening again?
(a) Firing all the employees who got sick
(b) Closing down Airbus Atlantic
(c) Working with health officials to investigate and find out what happened
(d) Ignoring the issue and hoping it goes away
Go to answers ⇩
🕵️ True or False Questions:
1. Airbus claims that more than 100 workers were affected by the illness.
2. The company is collaborating with health officials to determine the cause and prevent future incidents.
3. Over 700 workers at Airbus Atlantic in France fell ill after attending their Christmas party.
4. Airbus Atlantic is not a division of the world’s largest airplane manufacturer and does not have 15,000 employees across five countries.
5. The cause of the sickness is still unknown and it is unclear what food was served at the party.
6. The health officials, known as Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS), have disclosed information about the contaminated food.
7. The workers experienced symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.
8. This is the first time such an incident has occurred in France, as earlier this year, people fell ill and one 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. What symptoms did the workers at Airbus Atlantic experience after their Christmas party?
2. How many employees does Airbus Atlantic have?
3. Who is investigating the cause of the sickness at Airbus Atlantic?
4. What other types of products does Airbus make besides airplanes?
5. Can you think of any ways that Airbus could prevent this from happening again in the future?
✅ Answers
🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What symptoms did the workers at Airbus Atlantic experience after their Christmas party?
The workers at Airbus Atlantic experienced symptoms like throwing up and having diarrhea.
2. How many workers at Airbus Atlantic got sick after the party?
More than 700 workers at Airbus Atlantic got sick after the party.
3. What is the name of the health officials who are investigating the sickness?
The health officials investigating the sickness are called Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS).
4. How many employees does Airbus Atlantic have in total?
Airbus Atlantic has 15,000 employees in total.
5. What other types of vehicles does Airbus make besides airplanes?
Besides airplanes, Airbus also makes helicopters and other things for the military and space.
6. Has something like this happened before in France?
Yes, something similar has happened before in France. Earlier this year, some people got sick and one person died from a rare illness called botulism after eating at a restaurant in Bordeaux.
7. What illness did some people get after eating at a restaurant in Bordeaux?
Some people got sick with a rare illness called botulism after eating at a restaurant in Bordeaux.
8. What is Airbus doing to prevent this from happening again?
Airbus is working with health officials to figure out what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Go back to questions ⇧
🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) Atlantic
(2) Christmas
(3) diarrhea
(4) clear
(5) happened
(6) maker
(7) given
(8) details
(9) throwing
(10) Airbus
(11) airplanes
(12) people
(13) restaurant
(14) Bordeaux
(15) going
(16) health
Go back to questions ⇧
📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. investigation
Answer: (L) Looking into something carefully to discover the truth
2. symptoms
Answer: (D) Signs that show there is something wrong with your health
3. diarrhea
Answer: (I) When your body gets rid of waste too quickly and it’s very watery
4. officials
Answer: (N) People who are in charge or have important jobs in an organization
5. contaminated
Answer: (F) Dirty, polluted, or having harmful things in it
6. botulism
Answer: (G) A dangerous illness that can come from eating bad food
7. helicopters
Answer: (H) Aircraft with spinning blades that can take off and land vertically
8. military
Answer: (C) Relating to the armed forces, like the army, navy, or air force
9. aerospace
Answer: (M) Having to do with the making of planes and space vehicles
10. employees
Answer: (J) People who work for a company or organization
11. Atlantic
Answer: (O) The part of the ocean that’s between the eastern coast of the U.S. and western Europe
12. investigation
Answer: (K) The same as number 1, do not use this word again
13. rare
Answer: (B) Not common or usual; not often seen or experienced
14. summary
Answer: (E) A short statement that gives the main points or ideas of something
15. ensure
Answer: (A) To make sure or certain of something
Go back to questions ⇧
🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:
1. How many workers at Airbus Atlantic got sick after the Christmas party?
Answer: (b) More than 700
2. What symptoms did the workers experience?
Answer: (a) Throwing up and having diarrhea
3. What is the name of the health officials investigating the sickness?
Answer: (d) Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS)
4. How many employees does Airbus Atlantic have?
Answer: (a) 15,000
5. What other products does Airbus make besides airplanes?
Answer: (b) Helicopters and military equipment
6. Where did the previous incident of people getting sick occur in France?
Answer: (d) Bordeaux
7. What illness did one person die from after eating at a restaurant in Bordeaux?
Answer: (c) Botulism
8. What is Airbus doing to prevent a similar incident from happening again?
Answer: (c) Working with health officials to investigate and find out what happened
Go back to questions ⇧
🕵️✅ True or False Answers:
1. Airbus claims that more than 100 workers were affected by the illness. (Answer: False)
2. The company is collaborating with health officials to determine the cause and prevent future incidents. (Answer: True)
3. Over 700 workers at Airbus Atlantic in France fell ill after attending their Christmas party. (Answer: True)
4. Airbus Atlantic is not a division of the world’s largest airplane manufacturer and does not have 15,000 employees across five countries. (Answer: False)
5. The cause of the sickness is still unknown and it is unclear what food was served at the party. (Answer: True)
6. The health officials, known as Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS), have disclosed information about the contaminated food. (Answer: False)
7. The workers experienced symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea. (Answer: True)
8. This is the first time such an incident has occurred in France, as earlier this year, people fell ill and one person died from botulism after dining at a restaurant in Bordeaux. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
