1. Intermediate Instant Lesson™
Sleepy Workers Costing Billions
Pre-Reading Activities
A: Sharing Knowledge
Work in small groups and write answers for the lists
below.
1. When you don't get enough sleep...
you may feel unwell.
you forget things.
other ideas (you
continue)...
2. In my country these types of people work the longest hours...
doctors
lawyers
other ideas (you
continue)...
3. When you have too much work, you should...
talk to your boss about the workload.
do the most important work first.
tidy your desk so you feel more positive
about things.
other ideas (you continue)...
Reading Activities
A: Complete The Summary
Read Part One of the article.
Part One
Sleepy Japanese workers costing
economy billions
T
c
e
c
I
w
o
u
s
e
y
(
OKYO, June 9 (Reuters) - Japan's
orporate warriors aren't getting
nough sleep -- and it's costing the
ountry billions.
n the country that gave the world the
ord "karoshi", or death from
verwork, drowsy employees turning
p late, taking days off or struggling to
tay awake on the job are causing
conomic losses of some $30 billion a
ear, according to a survey.
Continued.../)
Article © 2006 Reuters Limited. Lesson © 2006 www.english-to-go.com

2. Complete the summary below by using the words to fill the gaps in the text. There are
some extra words.
10, 30, Australia, early, Germany, late, Japan,
plan, sleepy, survey
In 1.__________ business people aren't sleeping
enough. They are feeling 2. __________ at work,
taking days off or arriving at work 3.__________
. A 4. __________ says overworking is costing
Japan around 5. __________ billion dollars a
year.
B: Word Hunt
Read Part One again and find a word with the same meaning as...
1. business ______________________________________
2. sleepy ______________________________________
3. having too much work ______________________________________
4. not asleep ______________________________________
5. financial ______________________________________
C: Choose The Best Answer
Read Part Two of the article and choose the best answer for each of these questions.
1. Who organized the survey? 2. What is the aim of the survey?
i. Professor Makoto
Uchiyama.
ii. A chemical company.
iii. Both answers i. and
ii.
i. To make Japanese employers realize overwork
can cause a company to lose money.
ii. To make Japanese employers feel sorry for lazy
workers.
iii. Both answers i. and ii.
3. How was the research done? 4. What is common in Japan?
i. Workers in Japanese
business were
interviewed.
ii. Workers at a chemical
company were
interviewed.
iii. Both answers i. and
ii.
i. Businessmen often sleep on trains.
ii. At the end of a workday employees are afraid to
leave work before other employees.
iii. Both answers i. and ii.
5. Where is the problem of
overworking common?
i. In Japan.
ii. It's worldwide.
iii. In developed
countries.

3. Part Two
Sleepy Japanese workers costing
economy billions
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40
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"I
pr
he idea is to raise awareness of the
oblem," said Makoto Uchiyama,
ofessor and chairman of the department
neuropsychiatry at Nihon University
hool of Medicine, who conducted the
rvey.
sle
So
ot everyone who is sleepy at work is
zy. It's hard to tell your boss that you
e sleepy, but ignoring the problem can
ad to losses in the long run."
panese routinely work long hours, as
uch from cultural constraints on
aving before colleagues as from
lume of work. Suited salarymen
pping, often standing up, are a
mmon sight on crowded commuter
ins.
he survey questioned some 3,075
orkers at a chemical company on their
eping and working habits for a month.
me 37 percent of respondents said they
d problems sleeping. They said their
ficiency at work was reduced by about
percent and reported a high frequency
accidents, lateness and absenteeism.
chiyama said other countries may be in
similar situation.
t may be thought that this is a Japanese
oblem. But it's not, it's global."
Article © 2006 Reuters Limited. Lesson © 2006 www.english-to-go.com
D: Matching Information
Below are some sentences with information from the whole article. Write the name or
fact that best fits each sentence.
1. ____________ This problem costs $30 billion a year.
2. ____________ This work provides information on the habits of more than 3,000
Japanese workers.
3. ____________ Believes that overwork can lead to economic loss.
4. ____________ Said that overwork caused them to have accidents, be late or miss
work.

4. The sun is
shining.
He is always falling asleep at his
desk.
I am sending emails to everyone
about the problem.
I am tidying my
desk.
Japanese workers aren't getting
enough sleep.
A: Language
The present continuous is used to talk about something that is happening now or around
this time.
1. Workers in Japan ____________________ too hard.
2. It ____________________ the country billions of dollars each year.
3. Some workers ____________________ up for work late.
4. Others ____________________ to stay awake during working hours.
turn cost struggle work
Fill the gaps in the sentences with the words below. Put them in the present continuous
tense.
Post-Reading Activities
You may do one or more of these.
It is also used to talk about a future arrangement.
We're having a meeting about overwork next month.
I'm seeing Tom about the problem on Tuesday.
Now read this email. Fill the gaps in the sentences with the words below. Put them in the
present continuous tense.

5. arrive, call, go, hold, nap, report, , speak,
spend

6. B: Write An Email
Write an email to Sam Byers (from Post-Reading Activity A). Choose one of these purposes:
1. You are a team leader (use your own name) and you want to know whether all the members of your team have to go to the
workshop. You are working on a new advertising campaign and the completion date is August 12. Don't forget to include your
name: (Your name and position)<yournamebct@english-to-go.com

7. 2. You are Jenni Douglas. You are confirming that you will be available for the workshop and also want to know whether the room for
the workshop has teleconference facilities available.

8. B: Write An Email - Notes
Students could also roleplay these purposes as phonecalls with Sam Byers--with one student acting as Sam
Byers. It is often useful to have students do this first and then write an email as it helps them clarify the
purpose and spend time thinking about what language and vocabulary they will need. When students are
writing their emails, they do not need to use the present continuous tense unless it is necessary.
A: Language - Answers
1. are working, 2. is costing, 3. are turning, 4. are struggling, 5. are reporting, 6. are napping, 7. are
arriving, 8. are calling, 9. is spending, 10. are going, 11. are holding, 12. is speaking.
Post-Reading Activities
D: Matching Information - Answers
1. overwork, 2. a survey done by Nihon University School of Medicine, 3. Professor Uchiyama, 4. 37% of
those chemical workers questioned in a survey.
C: Choose The Best Answer - Answers
1.i, 2. i, 3. ii, 4. iii, 5. ii.
B: Word Hunt - Answers
1. corporate, 2. drowsy, 3. overwork, 4. awake, 5. economic.
A: Complete The Summary - Answers
1. Japan, 2. sleepy, 3. late, 4. survey, 5. 30.
Reading Activities
TEACHERS' NOTES AND ANSWER KEY