The Cure for Boredom
© 2020 British Council www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglishteens
Video zone: The Cure for Boredom
Do you ever feel bored? In this video, find out about the problem of boredom and a way to
never be bored again!
Tasks
Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises.
Preparation task
Match the definitions (a–j) with the vocabulary (1–10).
1. …… a gadget
2. …… boredom
3. …… a capacity
4. …… to encounter
5. …… to meditate
6. …… to distract yourself
7. …… to pay attention
8. …… contemplation
9. …… an inoculation
10. …… blissful
a. feeling unhappy because something is uninteresting or because you have nothing to do
b. to experience something, especially something bad
c. a device or machine, for example a phone or tablet
d. to stop thinking about a problem by keeping busy
e. someone’s ability to do a particular thing
f. to become calm and relaxed by thinking about one thing
g. to watch, listen to or think about something carefully or with interest
h. extremely or completely happy
i. serious and quiet thought for a period of time
j. an injection that protects someone from a disease
Task 1
Write a number (1–6) to put the ideas in the order they are mentioned.
_________Once you know how to meditate, you might still find that some activities are a waste
of time.
_________People avoid boredom by watching things, reading and communicating on their
devices.
_________But if you always distract yourself, you will never learn how to do nothing.
People experience boredom less nowadays than they did in the past.
_______When you meditate, you pay attention to your breathing and feelings.
________Learning to meditate will cure you of boredom – you will never be bored again.
Task 2
Write the activities in the correct group.
istening to a song watching a film paying attention to
breathing
being interested in
the feeling of
boredom
paying attention to
your experience reading a book finding a deep feeling
of well-being texting a friend
Distracting yourself from borebom medication
Distracting yourself from boredom:
- listening to a song
- watching a film
- reading a book
- texting a friend
Meditation:
- paying attention to breathing
- being interested in the feeling of boredom
- paying attention to your experience
- finding a deep feeling of well-being
Discussion
What do you usually do when you’re bored? Have you ever tried meditation? Would you like
to try it?
