Finland is the happiest country in the world Level 2 © Upper intermediate @ Warmer ‘The article fs about the happiest country in the world. Which six of these words do you think are in the text? Check your answers in the text. education fun wealth holidays taxes entertainment money healthcare family freedom @ Key words Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. poverty obesity decline sound perception wellbeing abundance ranking corruption coup > is a reduction in the quality of something. (para 1) is when someone is too fat in a way that is dangerous for ther heath. (para 1) 2 3A is when a group of people takes contol of country, usualy by means of military ‘force: (pare 2) aA is poston on alist thet shows how good something sin comparison with othor ‘tings (para4) 5 is tho satsactry stale that someone should bo in, involving boing happy, heathy and safe. (para 5) BA isa particular way of understanding or thinking about something. (para 5) 1 's dishonest, ilogal or immoral behaviour done in order to gain money or power. (paras) 8. tfsonething itisrebable. para) 9. is when people do not have enough money to pay for thai basic needs. (para 12) 10, ithere isan of something, there alot oft. (para 12) @ Find the information Find the folowing information inthe text as quickly as possible, Wich four counties old the top four places in the happiness rankings? Wich isthe unhappiest country inthe world, according tothe happiness rankings? Wats the population of Fnkand? ‘Wat postion does the USA holdin the happiness rankings? Wiich country experienced the biggest fallin happiness? Wich couniry expenenced the biggest improvement in the happiness rankings?Finland Is the happiest country in the world Level 2 © Upper intermediate land is the happiest country in the world, says UN report Patrick Collinson 14 March, 2018 1 Filand nas overtaken Norway to bocome ho happiest nation on earth, according toa UN report. The 2018 Word Happiness Report also shows the steady decine ofthe US, as ‘ne word largest economy sues acriis of obosty, drug abuse and depression. Tho study shows the US has fallen to ‘8th pace, fve places lower than in 2016. The top four places are ‘taken by Nordic nations, wih Finland followed by Norway, Denmark and loland 2. Burundiin east Aca, which has suffered ethnic cleansing, vl wars and coup attompt, is tho tunhappiest place in the word. Surprisingly, there are five other nations — Rwanda, Yemen, ‘Tanzania, South Sudan and the Central Afican Republic~ that report happiness levels below ‘hat of even Syra 3. Forte fist time, the UN also examined the happiness levels of immigrants m each county and found Finland also scored highest. 4. Finland has jumped from ith pace to the top of ‘he rankings,” said the report's authors. ‘5. The report said al the Nordic countries scored highty on income, heathy lie expectancy, social suppor, fteedom, ust and generosy. The rankings are based on pals of self-xeported ‘wellbeing, as well as perceptions of corruption, generosity and freedom. 6 The UN placing i the latest award for Finland, ‘a counity of just 55 milion poopie, The country thas been ranked the most stable the safest and ‘the best govemed county inthe word. tis also ‘among the least corrupt and the most socially progressive. Is police ara the world’s most ‘rusied and is banks the soundest. “tis remarkable that Finland is the top county,” said Maik Wiking of the Happiness Research ‘nsttute in Denmark. “GDP per captain Finland 's loner than its neighbouring Nordic countries ‘and much lower than tht ofthe US. The Finns ‘are good at converting weatth into wellbeing, 8 “inthe Nordic countnes in general, we pay some ofthe highest taxes inthe world but pooplo @ comprehension check generally support them because they see them as investments in quay off oral Free healthcare and unwersty education go along way when it comes to happiness," he added. 8 Inna, figures trom the Office for National Statistics suggest people have become happier in recent years. But the UN ranking places the UK in onty 13th place, the same as 2017 but behind Germany, Canada and Australie, athough ahead of France and Span, 410 The UN report has a special chapter on why the US has slipped down the league despite having ‘among the highest income per capt. "Amenca's ‘wellbeing is being systematically undermined by ‘hres related epidemic disease: obesty,crug abuse and depression sad Jotrey Sachs, ane othe reports authors ‘VAtncan countries have the worst happiness scores but one west African naton s diffrent. Togo came bottom in 2016 but improved the most in the 2018 repor, rising 18 places. Latvins and Bulgarians are also reportrg higher levels of happiness. Venazuela had ha biggost fallin happiness, bigger even than Syria, although it emains a mid.ranking country. The report notes ‘that Latin American countries generally scored ‘more highly than their GDP per capita suggests, especially in conivast to fast-growing east Asian counties, 12 Latin America & well known for coruption, high violence and crime rates, unequal dstibution of income, and widespread poverty but has always scored quis highly in the happiness report. The authors say this is because of he abundance of family warmth and other supportive social relationships" 13 Meanwhile the oreatest human migration in history — the hundreds of miliors of people who have moved from the Chinese countryside into cites — has not made poople happier at all, the report found. “Even seven-and-a-half years ator ‘migrating fo urban areas, migrants fom rural areas are on average less hapoy than they might, have boon had they stayed at home,” according to dohn Knight, one ofthe contrbutors tothe UN report. © Guardian News and Media 2018 Fstpublshedin The Garin, 1485018 ‘Ae these statements tre (7) oF false (F) according tothe text? eaken Five counties report happiness levels below those in Syria, Finland is also ranked the safest county inthe world. Feople in Nordic countries do not support high taxes. ‘The USA has fallen down the rankings because of poverty {Latin American counties have higher scores in general than east Asian countries. -Feople in China are happier ater moving from the countryside to big cies@ Fina the word Fine the following words and phrases in the text 41. a two-word noun phrase meaning the removal or kling of one group of people by those of another group in a particular area (para 2) 2. altwosword noun phrase meaning the length of ime that someone i likely five (para 8) 3. noun meaning an occasion when a lot of people are asked winat they fe! about something (para 6) ‘a two-word adverb moaning based on calculations that show the average amount for each person affectod (para 7) verb meanng mate someting less effective or success (para 10) a noun meaning the process by which people move to another place or country (para 13) an adjective meaning relating fo towns and cities (para 13) ‘an active meaning relating to the county (para 12) @© Wo-word phrases Match the words inthe left-hand column with those in the right-hand column to make phrases from the text 1. ug a rate 2 owl be poverty 2 crime © abuse 4. social 4. heatincare 5. widespread © support & tee 1 war