The Reading / Listening - Happiness - Level 5

The UAE government has opened a cafe to make its employees happy. The new 'Happiness Cafe' is in the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development. Staff are encouraged to visit the cafe to unwind and chill out so they can revitalize and rejuvenate themselves. The cafe is full of soft sofas and has a specially designed decor to provide the perfect atmosphere of happiness and positivity. It also has its own garden and fountain to add a touch of nature. One worker loved the new cafe, saying it would help her to smile more at work.

The UAE's Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development opened the cafe. He hopes it will create a positive workplace environment, let workers release their productive energy, and improve the work of the ministry. The Happiness Cafe is part of a program initiated by the ruler of Dubai, called the National Program for Happiness and Positivity. The ruler called happiness, "a renewable and sustainable asset". This program intends to establish, "the values of positivity and happiness as a way of life in the UAE". The UAE wants to be in the top five of the world's happiest countries.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Happiness - Level 4 or  Happiness - Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.thenational.ae/uae/happiness-cafe-opens-for-government-employees-in-abu-dhabi
  • http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/good-vibes-on-the-menu-at-this-happiness-cafe
  • http://www.thenational.ae/uae/government/sheikh-mohammed-hails-uae-progress-on-happiness-programme


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. The UAE government has
  2. make its employees
  3. the Ministry
  4. visit the cafe to
  5. chill
  6. a specially designed
  7. provide the perfect atmosphere
  8. its own garden and fountain to add
  1. of Culture
  2. decor
  3. unwind
  4. a touch of nature
  5. opened a cafe
  6. of happiness
  7. out
  8. happy

Paragraph 2

  1. create a positive workplace
  2. let workers release their
  3. improve the work
  4. initiated by the ruler
  5. establish the values of positivity
  6. as a way
  7. The UAE wants to
  8. the world's happiest
  1. productive energy
  2. be in the top five
  3. of life
  4. countries
  5. environment
  6. of Dubai
  7. and happiness
  8. of the ministry

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The UAE government has opened (1) ___________________ its employees happy. The new 'Happiness Cafe' is in (2) ___________________ the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development. Staff are encouraged to visit the cafe (3) ___________________ out so they can revitalize and rejuvenate themselves. The cafe (4) ___________________ sofas and has a specially designed decor to provide the perfect (5) ___________________ happiness and positivity. It also has its own garden and fountain to add a (6) ___________________. One worker loved the new cafe, saying it would help her to smile more at work.

The UAE's Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development opened the cafe. He (7) ___________________ a positive workplace environment, let workers release their productive energy, and improve (8) ___________________ ministry. The Happiness Cafe is (9) ___________________ initiated by the ruler of Dubai, called the National Program for Happiness and Positivity. The ruler called happiness, "a (10) ___________________ sustainable asset". This program intends to establish, "the (11) ___________________ and happiness as a way of life in the UAE". The UAE wants (12) ___________________ five of the world's happiest countries.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheUAEgovernmenthasopenedacafetomakeitsemployeeshappy.Th
enew'HappinessCafe'isintheheadquartersoftheMinistryofCulturean
dKnowledgeDevelopment.Staffareencouragedtovisitthecafetounwi
ndandchilloutsotheycanrevitalizeandrejuvenatethemselves.Thecaf
eisfullofsoftsofasandhasaspeciallydesigneddecortoprovidetheperfe
ctatmosphereofhappinessandpositivity.Italsohasitsowngardenandf
ountaintoaddatouchofnature.Oneworkerlovedthenewcafe,sayingit
wouldhelphertosmilemoreatwork.TheUAE'sMinisterofCultureandKn
owledgeDevelopmentopenedthecafe.Hehopesitwillcreateapositive
workplaceenvironment,letworkersreleasetheirproductiveenergy,an
dimprovetheworkoftheministry.TheHappinessCafeispartofprogrami
nitiatedbytherulerofDubai,calledtheNationalProgramforHappinessa
ndPositivity.Therulercalledhappiness,"arenewableandsustainablea
sset".Thisprogramintendstoestablish,"thevaluesofpositivityandhap
pinessasawayoflifeintheUAE".TheUAEwantstobeinthetopfiveofthew
orld'shappiestcountries.

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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