This exercise can be used as a listening comprehension, or as a reading. I have added questions to help with comprehension. A good exercise still relevant today!
Key Phrases
personal
lazy
Organization
naturally
energetic
productive
opposite
body clock
nine-to-five work day
doesn't suit everyone
function best
Teacher's note: You can read this as a role play, Teacher reads the text in italics and the student reads the rest. The student then answers the questions at the bottom, either in writing or by speaking.
Hello listeners, and welcome to our program "Around the World." For all of our listeners who have a
hard time getting up in the morning, we are interviewing Dan Gustafsson, president of the B-society of Denmark.
Hello Dan.
Hello.
Tell me, Dan, what is this B-society all about?
Let me answer that by telling you something personal. My whole life, I’ve been considered lazy because I could never get out of bed on time. Believe me, I’ve broken dozens of alarm clocks because they rang and woke me up at 7 o'clock in the morning. I’ve missed important meetings, job interviews, hospital appointments -- all because I simply can't get up early. The B-Society is an organization of people like me – namely type-B people.
Type B people? What does that mean?
Scientists who study sleep patterns divide people into type A and type B. People who are Type B, such as myself, wake up naturally at 10 or 11, and are slow and sleepy for the rest of the morning. But in the afternoon and evening we are at our best - energetic and productive. People who are type A are the exact opposite.
How common is it to be a B-Person?
Well, according to the latest research, about 7 percent of the population are clearly morning people, and an equal number do much better later in the day. Most people – over 80 % , in fact– don't belong to either type.
What makes a person type A or type B? Are we simply born that way?
Yes, that’s right, we are. We are not all born with the same hair or eye color, or the same body shape, and we don’t all have the same body clock. And it’s your body clock that determines when you feel sleepy and when you are at your best, and of course this affects everything you do during the day.
I see. So what is the purpose of your organization? What do you want to achieve?
We want to bring about some real changes in the way people learn, work and live. Our usual nine-to-five work day doesn't suit everyone. Working hours could be much more flexible. So could school hours - some kids simply can’t study first thing in the morning. So what we really want is to create a society which is also good for those of us who function best from around noontime.
Have you had any success?
Well, we’ve still got a long way to go, but in Denmark the government already encourages companies to offer flexible working hours. And, starting next year, several schools in Denmark will begin classes later in the day – at 10 o'clock instead of at 8.
Not bad. Tell me please, do you have any advice for our listeners who are B-people?
I do, actually. First of all, try to find a job that suits your sleep patterns. Tell your boss you are willing to work the same eight or nine hours, as long as you can start late. Or you can try to work from home. But the most important thing is to feel good about yourself. Remember, you are not lazy. You are just a B-person. So the next time you arrive at work an hour late, tell your boss: It's not my fault – it's my body clock.
Thank you, Dan. I imagine you’ve made some of our listeners very happy. This ends our program.
Goodbye.
Questions
Where is Dan Gustafsson,from?
What is a Type A person?
What is a Type B person?
What percentage of people are Type A?
What percentage of people are Type B?
Why is it difficult for Type B people to go to work early?
When do they perform at their peak performance?
How can Type B people function better?
What changes can be made at school and at work?
What is the best advice for Type B people?
Which type do you think you belong to,, Type A or Type B?
How have you been able to help yourself? \
What advice from this article do you think that you will do in the future?
Which part of the day do you function the best?
Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach English Teacher
Key Phrases
personal
lazy
Organization
naturally
energetic
productive
opposite
body clock
nine-to-five work day
doesn't suit everyone
function best
Teacher's note: You can read this as a role play, Teacher reads the text in italics and the student reads the rest. The student then answers the questions at the bottom, either in writing or by speaking.
Hello listeners, and welcome to our program "Around the World." For all of our listeners who have a
hard time getting up in the morning, we are interviewing Dan Gustafsson, president of the B-society of Denmark.
Hello Dan.
Hello.
Tell me, Dan, what is this B-society all about?
Let me answer that by telling you something personal. My whole life, I’ve been considered lazy because I could never get out of bed on time. Believe me, I’ve broken dozens of alarm clocks because they rang and woke me up at 7 o'clock in the morning. I’ve missed important meetings, job interviews, hospital appointments -- all because I simply can't get up early. The B-Society is an organization of people like me – namely type-B people.
Type B people? What does that mean?
Scientists who study sleep patterns divide people into type A and type B. People who are Type B, such as myself, wake up naturally at 10 or 11, and are slow and sleepy for the rest of the morning. But in the afternoon and evening we are at our best - energetic and productive. People who are type A are the exact opposite.
How common is it to be a B-Person?
Well, according to the latest research, about 7 percent of the population are clearly morning people, and an equal number do much better later in the day. Most people – over 80 % , in fact– don't belong to either type.
What makes a person type A or type B? Are we simply born that way?
Yes, that’s right, we are. We are not all born with the same hair or eye color, or the same body shape, and we don’t all have the same body clock. And it’s your body clock that determines when you feel sleepy and when you are at your best, and of course this affects everything you do during the day.
I see. So what is the purpose of your organization? What do you want to achieve?
We want to bring about some real changes in the way people learn, work and live. Our usual nine-to-five work day doesn't suit everyone. Working hours could be much more flexible. So could school hours - some kids simply can’t study first thing in the morning. So what we really want is to create a society which is also good for those of us who function best from around noontime.
Have you had any success?
Well, we’ve still got a long way to go, but in Denmark the government already encourages companies to offer flexible working hours. And, starting next year, several schools in Denmark will begin classes later in the day – at 10 o'clock instead of at 8.
Not bad. Tell me please, do you have any advice for our listeners who are B-people?
I do, actually. First of all, try to find a job that suits your sleep patterns. Tell your boss you are willing to work the same eight or nine hours, as long as you can start late. Or you can try to work from home. But the most important thing is to feel good about yourself. Remember, you are not lazy. You are just a B-person. So the next time you arrive at work an hour late, tell your boss: It's not my fault – it's my body clock.
Thank you, Dan. I imagine you’ve made some of our listeners very happy. This ends our program.
Goodbye.
Questions
Where is Dan Gustafsson,from?
What is a Type A person?
What is a Type B person?
What percentage of people are Type A?
What percentage of people are Type B?
Why is it difficult for Type B people to go to work early?
When do they perform at their peak performance?
How can Type B people function better?
What changes can be made at school and at work?
What is the best advice for Type B people?
Which type do you think you belong to,, Type A or Type B?
How have you been able to help yourself? \
What advice from this article do you think that you will do in the future?
Which part of the day do you function the best?
Lesson Plan by Rachael Alice Orbach English Teacher
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