Apple has become the biggest company that makes phones, beating Samsung. Apple made more than 20% of the phones sent out last year, while Samsung made 19.4%. This is the first time in 12 years that Samsung is not number one. There were fewer phones sold last year because of sickness around the world, but people think it will get better this year.

Apple did really well and sold a lot of phones even though it was hard for them. They had to deal with new rules and compete with another company called Huawei in China. But Huawei has problems because it can’t buy certain parts from the United States. Apple’s expensive phones are popular, and they let people trade in their old phones and pay for new ones over time without extra cost.

Samsung, however, is not doing so well and might make less money. They are losing out to other companies that sell cheaper phones. These cheaper phones are liked by people who don’t want to spend a lot of money and live in places where new things are just starting to sell. The phone market is changing, with more companies making Android phones and people wanting phones that can fold or are really smart.

Original news source: Apple overtakes Samsung as world’s biggest phonemaker (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary

Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a copy of the article. Ask them to read the article and then write a summary of the main points in their own words. After they finish, have each group share their summary with the rest of the class.

– Opinion Poll

Instructions: Write the following question on the board: “Which brand of phone do you prefer, Apple or Samsung? Why?” Have students discuss their opinions in pairs or small groups. Then, conduct a class poll by asking each student to share their preference and reason. Write the results on the board and facilitate a class discussion about the different opinions.

– Vocabulary Pictionary

Instructions: Write 5-10 key vocabulary words from the article on separate slips of paper. Divide the class into teams and give each team a set of vocabulary words. One student from each team takes turns selecting a word and drawing a picture to represent it, while their team tries to guess the word. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue until all the words have been guessed or time runs out. The team with the most points wins.

– Pros and Cons

Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Assign each group a company (Apple or Samsung) and have them brainstorm the pros and cons of that company based on the information in the article. After they have compiled their lists, have each group share their findings with the rest of the class and facilitate a class discussion comparing the two companies.

– Future Predictions

Instructions: Have students work individually or in pairs to make predictions about the future of the phone market based on the information in the article. They should consider factors such as new technologies, competition, and consumer preferences. After they have made their predictions, have each student or pair share their ideas with the class and discuss the likelihood of each prediction coming true.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the biggest company that makes phones right now?
2. How much of the phones sent out last year did Apple make?
3. Was Samsung number one for the past 12 years?
4. Why were there fewer phones sold last year?
5. What are some challenges that Apple faced?
6. Why are Apple’s expensive phones popular?
7. Why is Samsung not doing so well?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Apple has become the biggest company that makes phones, beating Samsung. Apple made more than 20% of the phones sent out last year, while Samsung made 19.4%. This is the (1)______ time in 12 years that Samsung is not number one. There were (2)______ phones (3)______ last year because of sickness around the (4)______, but people think it will get better this (5)______.

Apple did really well and sold a lot of phones even though it was hard for them. They had to deal with new rules and compete with another company called Huawei in (6)______. But Huawei has problems because it can’t buy certain parts from the United States. Apple’s expensive (7)______ are (8)______, and they let people trade in their old phones and pay for new ones over time without extra cost.

Samsung, however, is not doing so well and might (9)______ less money. They are losing out to other companies that sell cheaper (10)______s. These (11)______ phones are liked by people who don’t want to spend a lot of money and live in places where new things are just starting to sell. The phone market is changing, with (12)______ companies making Android phones and people wanting phones that can fold or are really smart.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is the biggest company that makes phones right now?
2. How would you feel if you had to compete with another company for customers?
3. Do you like Apple’s expensive phones? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the idea of trading in your old phone for a new one?
5. How do you think Samsung feels about not being number one anymore?
6. Do you think Samsung will make less money this year? Why or why not?
7. What do you think about companies that sell cheaper phones?
8. Why do you think some people prefer to buy cheaper phones?
9. What do you think about phones that can fold or are really smart?
10. How do you think the phone market is changing?
11. Why do you think there were fewer phones sold last year?
12. Do you think it will get better this year? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. company
2. beating
3. sent out
4. sickness
5. compete
6. trade in
7. parts
8. popular
9. losing out
10. cheaper
11. market
12. fold

Meanings:
(A) Pieces that are used to build or fix things
(B) To bend something over on itself
(C) A place where people buy and sell things
(D) Illness that can spread from person to person
(E) Not costing a lot of money
(F) Trying to be the best against others
(G) Winning against someone else
(H) Liked by a lot of people
(I) A business that makes or sells things
(J) Delivered to stores or people
(K) Not winning, missing a chance
(L) Giving something old to get money off something new
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who is currently the biggest company that makes phones?
(a) Apple
(b) Samsung
(c) Huawei
(d) None of the above

2. What percentage of phones did Apple make last year?
(a) Less than 20%
(b) Exactly 20%
(c) None of the above
(d) More than 20%

3. How long has Samsung been the number one phone company before Apple took over?
(a) 10 years
(b) 5 years
(c) None of the above
(d) 12 years

4. Why were fewer phones sold last year?
(a) Because people didn’t want phones anymore
(b) Because of sickness around the world
(c) Because Apple stopped making phones
(d) None of the above

5. Which company did Apple have to compete with in China?
(a) Samsung
(b) Huawei
(c) None of the above
(d) Both Huawei and Samsung

6. Why does Huawei have problems buying certain parts?
(a) Because they can’t afford it
(b) Because they are not allowed to buy from the United States
(c) Because the parts are sold out
(d) None of the above

7. What do Apple’s expensive phones allow people to do?
(a) Trade in their old phones for free
(b) Pay for new phones over time with extra cost
(c) Trade in their old phones and pay for new ones over time without extra cost
(d) None of the above

8. Why is Samsung losing out to other companies?
(a) Because they sell more expensive phones
(b) Because they don’t sell phones anymore
(c) Because they sell cheaper phones
(d) None of the above

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. People believe that phone sales will improve this year.
2. Apple sold more phones than Samsung last year, making them the biggest phone company.
3. This is the first time in 12 years that Samsung is the number one phone company.
4. Apple’s inexpensive phones are popular, and they offer trade-in options and payment plans without extra cost.
5. The number of phones sold last year was higher because of sickness around the world.
6. Samsung is struggling and may make less money because they are losing out to other companies that sell cheaper phones.
7. Apple faced advantages from new rules and competition from Huawei in China.
8. Huawei is unable to buy certain parts from the United States, causing problems for the company.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. Who is the biggest company that makes phones right now?
2. How much of the phones sent out last year did Apple make?
3. How long has Samsung been the number one company?
4. Why were there fewer phones sold last year?
5. What are some reasons why Apple did well and sold a lot of phones?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is the biggest company that makes phones right now?
Apple is the biggest company that makes phones right now.

2. How much of the phones sent out last year did Apple make?
Apple made more than 20% of the phones sent out last year.

3. Was Samsung number one for the past 12 years?
Yes, Samsung was number one for the past 12 years.

4. Why were there fewer phones sold last year?
There were fewer phones sold last year because of sickness around the world.

5. What are some challenges that Apple faced?
Apple had to deal with new rules and competition from Huawei in China.

6. Why are Apple’s expensive phones popular?
Apple’s expensive phones are popular because people can trade in their old phones and pay for new ones over time without extra cost.

7. Why is Samsung not doing so well?
Samsung is not doing so well because they are losing out to other companies that sell cheaper phones.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) first
(2) fewer
(3) sold
(4) world
(5) year
(6) China
(7) phones
(8) popular
(9) make
(10) phone
(11) cheaper
(12) more
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. company
Answer: (I) A business that makes or sells things

2. beating
Answer: (G) Winning against someone else

3. sent out
Answer: (J) Delivered to stores or people

4. sickness
Answer: (D) Illness that can spread from person to person

5. compete
Answer: (F) Trying to be the best against others

6. trade in
Answer: (L) Giving something old to get money off something new

7. parts
Answer: (A) Pieces that are used to build or fix things

8. popular
Answer: (H) Liked by a lot of people

9. losing out
Answer: (K) Not winning, missing a chance

10. cheaper
Answer: (E) Not costing a lot of money

11. market
Answer: (C) A place where people buy and sell things

12. fold
Answer: (B) To bend something over on itself
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who is currently the biggest company that makes phones?
Answer: (a) Apple

2. What percentage of phones did Apple make last year?
Answer: (d) More than 20%

3. How long has Samsung been the number one phone company before Apple took over?
Answer: (d) 12 years

4. Why were fewer phones sold last year?
Answer: (b) Because of sickness around the world

5. Which company did Apple have to compete with in China?
Answer: (b) Huawei

6. Why does Huawei have problems buying certain parts?
Answer: (a) Because they can’t afford it

7. What do Apple’s expensive phones allow people to do?
Answer: (c) Trade in their old phones and pay for new ones over time without extra cost

8. Why is Samsung losing out to other companies?
Answer: (c) Because they sell cheaper phones
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. People believe that phone sales will improve this year. (Answer: True)
2. Apple sold more phones than Samsung last year, making them the biggest phone company. (Answer: True)
3. This is the first time in 12 years that Samsung is the number one phone company. (Answer: False)
4. Apple’s inexpensive phones are popular, and they offer trade-in options and payment plans without extra cost. (Answer: False)
5. The number of phones sold last year was higher because of sickness around the world. (Answer: False)
6. Samsung is struggling and may make less money because they are losing out to other companies that sell cheaper phones. (Answer: True)
7. Apple faced advantages from new rules and competition from Huawei in China. (Answer: False)
8. Huawei is unable to buy certain parts from the United States, causing problems for the company. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧