The Reading / Listening - Exercising - Level 5

Research has found that married couples who exercise together communicate better. Researchers in the USA looked at exercise habits and relationships of 1,700 married couples. The research team focused on conflict resolution, the ability to listen, and the seriousness and frequency of marriage problems. A professor suggested that exercising together helped couples sort out problems peacefully. He added that the effect was small but important. He said couples communicated better and had fewer problems when they exercised together.

The researchers compared couples exercising separately with those exercising together. Both kinds of exercise were associated with healthier marriages. However, couples who exercised together were more successful at resolving marriage problems. The professor said: "About 60 per cent of husbands and wives in the sample said they exercised, but only about a third exercised together. That means about half the people who exercise are not exercising with their spouse." The professor said he was confident that exercising together affected relationships "in some meaningful way".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Exercising - Level 4 or  Exercising - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.earth.com/lifestyle/exercising-together-may-help-couples-communicate-better/
  • https://phys.org/news/2026-08-happier-marriage-simple-habit.html
  • https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-say-this-simple-habit-could-lead-to-a-happier-marriage/


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. research has found
  2. exercise
  3. conflict
  4. frequency
  5. exercising together helped
  6. sort out problems
  7. the effect was small
  8. couples communicated better and
  1. peacefully
  2. had fewer problems
  3. habits
  4. resolution
  5. but important
  6. that
  7. couples
  8. of marriage problems

Paragraph 2

  1. couples exercising
  2. more successful at resolving
  3. 60 per cent of husbands
  4. only about a third
  5. exercising with their
  6. The professor said he was
  7. exercising together affected
  8. in some meaningful
  1. confident
  2. exercised together
  3. way
  4. spouse
  5. and wives
  6. relationships
  7. separately
  8. marriage problems

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Research has found that married (1) ________________________________________________ together communicate better. Researchers in the USA looked at exercise (2) ________________________________________________ of 1,700 married couples. The research team focused (3) ________________________________________________, the ability to listen, and the (4) ________________________________________________ of marriage problems. A professor suggested that exercising together helped couples sort (5) ________________________________________________. He added that the effect was small but important. He said couples communicated better and had (6) ________________________________________________ they exercised together.

The researchers compared (7) ________________________________________________ with those exercising together. Both kinds of exercise (8) ________________________________________________ healthier marriages. However, couples who exercised together were more (9) ________________________________________________ marriage problems. The professor said: "About 60 per cent of husbands and wives (10) ________________________________________________ said they exercised, but only about a third exercised together. That means about half the people who exercise are not exercising (11) ________________________________________________." The professor said he was confident that exercising together affected relationships "in (12) ________________________________________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Researchhasfoundthatmarriedcoupleswhoexercisetogethercommu
nicatebetter.ResearchersintheUSAlookedatexercisehabitsandrelati
onshipsof1,700marriedcouples.Theresearchteamfocusedonconflict
resolution,theabilitytolisten,andtheseriousnessandfrequencyofmar
riageproblems.Aprofessorsuggestedthatexercisingtogetherhelpedc
ouplessortoutproblemspeacefully.Headdedthattheeffectwassmallb
utimportant.Hesaidcouplescommunicatedbetterandhadfewerprobl
emswhentheyexercisedtogether.Theresearcherscomparedcouplese
xercisingseparatelywiththoseexercisingtogether.Bothkindsofexerci
sewereassociatedwithhealthiermarriages.However,coupleswhoexe
rcisedtogetherweremoresuccessfulatresolvingmarriageproblems.T
heprofessorsaid:"About60percentofhusbandsandwivesinthesample
saidtheyexercised,butonlyaboutathirdexercisedtogether.Thatmean
sabouthalfthepeoplewhoexercisearenotexercisingwiththeirspouse.
"Theprofessorsaidhewasconfidentthatexercisingtogetheraffectedre
lationships"insomemeaningfulway".

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You