1. World Happiness Report 2018: See the world’s 18 happiest countries (1300 w.)
Every year the World Happiness Report measures happiness levels around the world and ranks countries in order of their happiness. This ranking is based on measuring happiness in six key areas: income, healthy life expectancy, social security, freedom, trust and generosity.
The 2018 results are in, and Finland has knocked Norway off the number one spot and taken the title of World’s happiest country. In fact, the Nordic nations dominate the top 5 positions.
This article tells you a little about the top 18 countries and if they have moved up or down in the list this year and why.
STRATEGY:
1. Read the summary for each country, checking any new vocabulary as you go along. Record the language that is most useful for you.
2. Use the Language in Context section to discover vocabulary related to ranking. Here you can find phrases that describe tables and movement, which is useful for anyone who needs to report on research or surveys in their professions.
3. Read more about how and why Finland became the happiest country in the world in this article from the Guardian.
2. 20 ridiculously easy ways to be happy (1150 w.)
“Hang out with happy people… find some positive people and let their optimism be contagious.” - Mary Jo Dilonardo | Journalist and author
March 20 2018 is the 5th annual International Happiness Day.
This lifestyle blog looks at some of the big and little things you can do to make your life happier. The writer brings together ideas from research and surveys to remind us of the importance of sleep, exercise and positive relationships. It also makes interesting points about how music, crying and making your bed can help us too.
STRATEGY:
Developing good reading strategies is difficult for learners to do independently. One strategy is to focus on texts that interest you most.
This text offers 20 ways to make your life happier, but it’s not important that you understand every word of every suggestion. Instead, use these steps below to identify the text and language you are most interested in.
By focusing on the most interesting parts of the text, new vocabulary will become more memorable and you are more likely to use it in the future.
1. Try and predict the content of the blog by making a list of 10 things that make you happy.
2. Now check if your list is included in the article. Read quickly and don’t worry if you don’t understand some of the details in the article.
3. Next, identify five ideas in the article that are the most interesting and useful for you. Focus on these five and check you understand what the writer says about each one. Record any new language.
4. If you want, read the rest of the suggestions, but only check language and vocabulary if it interests you.
