The Reading / Listening - Broken Hearts - Level 2

Broken hearts are real. They are caused by lots of emotional or physical stress. This stress can come from losing someone you love. Doctors think they have a cure for it. Researchers at a university in Scotland conducted a 12-week test on 76 people with a broken heart. The patients all had weekly counselling. They also took part in an exercise programme. This included aerobics, cycling and swimming. The British Heart Foundation said it was surprised by how much the counselling "improved heart function and patients' fitness".

Hundreds of thousands of people have broken heart syndrome. It affects women most and can double the risk of dying early. It may explain why a spouse dies soon after their partner's death. Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue. The illness makes the heart change shape. It becomes rounder, like an octopus. "Takotsubo" is a Japanese word. It means a round pot used to catch an octopus. The lead researcher said his research highlights the importance of the brain-heart relationship. He said mental and physical therapy can help people.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Broken Hearts - Level 0 Broken Hearts - Level 1   or  Broken Hearts - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/aug/30/exercise-therapy-mend-broken-heart-syndrome-takotsubo-study
  • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/you-can-die-broken-heart-35814047
  • https://ca.news.yahoo.com/officially-mend-broken-heart-according-151252367.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Broken hearts are
  2. lots of emotional or
  3. losing someone you
  4. Doctors think
  5. conducted a 12-week
  6. The patients all had weekly
  7. This included aerobics,
  8. the counselling improved heart
  1. counselling
  2. they have a cure
  3. function
  4. physical stress
  5. cycling and swimming
  6. love
  7. real
  8. test

Paragraph 2

  1. Hundreds of
  2. It affects women
  3. double the risk
  4. a spouse dies soon after their
  5. Symptoms include chest
  6. shortness of
  7. the importance of the brain-
  8. mental and
  1. physical therapy
  2. partner's death
  3. most
  4. pain
  5. thousands of people
  6. heart relationship
  7. breath
  8. of dying early

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Broken (1) _________________________________________________. They are caused by lots of emotional or physical stress. This stress can (2) _________________________________________________ someone you love. Doctors think they have a (3) _________________________________________________. Researchers at a university in Scotland conducted a 12-week test on 76 people with a broken heart. The patients (4) _________________________________________________ counselling. They also took part in an exercise programme. This included aerobics, (5) _________________________________________________. The British Heart Foundation said it was surprised by how much the counselling "(6) _________________________________________________ and patients' fitness".

Hundreds (7) _________________________________________________ people have broken heart syndrome. It affects women most and can (8) _________________________________________________ of dying early. It may explain why a spouse dies soon after (9) _________________________________________________. Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue. The illness makes the (10) _________________________________________________. It becomes rounder, like an octopus. "Takotsubo" is a Japanese word. It means a round pot used to (11) _________________________________________________. The lead researcher said his research highlights the importance of the brain-heart relationship. He said mental (12) _________________________________________________ can help people.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Brokenheartsarereal.Theyarecausedbylotsofemotionalorphysicalst
ress.Thisstresscancomefromlosingsomeoneyoulove.Doctorsthinkth
eyhaveacureforit.ResearchersatauniversityinScotlandconducteda1
2-weekteston76peoplewithabrokenheart.Thepatientsallhadweekly
counselling.Theyalsotookpartinanexerciseprogramme.Thisincluded
aerobics,cyclingandswimming.TheBritishHeartFoundationsaiditwas
surprisedbyhowmuchthecounselling"improvedheartfunctionandpat
ients'fitness".Hundredsofthousandsofpeoplehavebrokenheartsyndr
ome.Itaffectswomenmostandcandoubletheriskofdyingearly.Itmaye
xplainwhyaspousediessoonaftertheirpartner'sdeath.Symptomsincl
udechestpain,shortnessofbreath,andfatigue.Theillnessmakesthehe
artchangeshape.Itbecomesrounder,likeanoctopus."Takotsubo"isaJ
apaneseword.Itmeansaroundpotusedtocatchanoctopus.Theleadres
earchersaidhisresearchhighlightstheimportanceofthebrain-heartre
lationship.Hesaidmentalandphysicaltherapycanhelppeople.

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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