A big shipping company called Maersk is going to cut 3,500 jobs. This is because they are not making as much money as before. They move things for big stores like Nike. But people are not buying as much, so Maersk is not making as much money. They think cutting jobs will save them money next year.

Maersk’s money problems show that the world’s money situation is slowing down. Maersk is one of the biggest shipping companies in the world. They made less money this year than last year. The cost to ship things has gone down, which is good for stores. But the shipping business is having problems because there are too many ships and not enough things to ship.

Original news source: Maersk cuts 10,000 jobs as shipping demand falls (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades

Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of vocabulary words related to the article. One person from each group will act out a word without speaking, while the others in the group try to guess the word. The group that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– News Summary

Instructions: Have the students read the article individually or in pairs. After reading, ask each student to write a summary of the article in their own words. Then, have them share their summaries with a partner and compare their answers.

– Vocabulary Pictionary

Instructions: Give each student a set of vocabulary words from the article. They must draw a picture to represent each word without using any letters or numbers. The rest of the class must guess the word based on the drawing.

– Keyword Taboo

Instructions: Write a list of keywords from the article on the board. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come to the front of the class. Their team must describe the keyword to them without using the actual word. The student at the front must guess the keyword based on the description. The team that guesses the most keywords correctly wins.

– Think-Pair-Share

Instructions: Have the students think about a question related to the article, such as “Why do you think Maersk is cutting jobs?” or “What are the challenges facing the shipping business?” Then, have them pair up with a partner and discuss their answers. After a few minutes, ask some students to share their answers with the whole class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the name of the big shipping company that is cutting jobs?
2. Why is the shipping company cutting jobs?
3. Who does the shipping company move things for?
4. Why is the shipping company not making as much money?
5. What does Maersk think cutting jobs will do for them?
6. Is Maersk making more or less money this year compared to last year?
7. Why is the shipping business having problems?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big shipping company called Maersk is going to cut 3,500 jobs. This is because they are not making as much money as before. They (1)______ things for big (2)______ like Nike. But people are not buying as much, so (3)______ is not making as much money. They think cutting jobs will save them money next (4)______.

Maersk’s money problems show that the world’s money situation is slowing down. Maersk is one of the biggest (5)______ (6)______ in the world. They made less money this year than last year. The cost to ship things has (7)______ down, which is good for stores. But the shipping business is (8)______ problems because there are too many ships and not enough things to ship.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is Maersk?
2. How do they make money?
3. Do you think it’s good or bad that Maersk is cutting jobs? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you lost your job?
5. What do you think is causing people to buy less?
6. Do you like shopping? Why or why not?
7. What are some things that you like to buy?
8. What do you think is causing the shipping business to have problems?
9. Do you think it’s better to have more ships or more things to ship? Why or why not?
10. How do you think Maersk can make more money?
11. Do you think other companies will also cut jobs? Why or why not?
12. What do you think will happen if the world’s money situation keeps slowing down?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. shipping
2. company
3. jobs
4. money
5. stores
6. buying
7. cutting
8. problems

Meanings:
(a) The work that people do to earn money
(b) Moving things from one place to another
(c) Difficulties or things that are not going well
(d) A group of people who work together
(e) Places where people go to buy things
(f) When people get things they want
(g) When you make something smaller
(h) The thing that people use to buy things
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why is Maersk cutting jobs?
(a) They want to hire new people
(b) They are not making as much money
(c) They want to expand their business
(d) They want to give their employees a break

2. Who does Maersk move things for?
(a) Small stores like mom and pop shops
(b) Restaurants
(c) Big stores like Nike
(d) Schools

3. Why is Maersk not making as much money?
(a) They are spending too much money
(b) They are not working hard enough
(c) People are not buying as much
(d) They are not shipping things fast enough

4. What does Maersk think cutting jobs will do?
(a) Make their employees happy
(b) Help them make more money
(c) Make their company smaller
(d) Save them money next year

5. What does Maersk’s money problems show?
(a) The world’s money situation is slowing down
(b) The world’s money situation is getting better
(c) The world’s money situation is staying the same
(d) The world’s money situation is not important

6. What kind of company is Maersk?
(a) A clothing company
(b) A shipping company
(c) A food company
(d) A technology company

7. Why is the shipping business having problems?
(a) There are too many ships and not enough things to ship
(b) There are not enough ships and too many things to ship
(c) People don’t want to ship things anymore
(d) People are buying too many things

8. What is good for stores?
(a) The cost to ship things has gone up
(b) The cost to ship things has stayed the same
(c) The cost to ship things is not important
(d) The cost to ship things has gone down

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The cost to ship things has increased, posing challenges for stores.
2. Maersk’s money problems show that the world’s money situation is slowing down.
3. Maersk is a small shipping company with minimal presence globally.
4. The shipping industry is thriving as there are an excess of ships and a surplus of things to ship.
5. Maersk moves things for big stores like Nike, but people are not buying as much, so Maersk is not making as much money.
6. A small company called Maersk is hiring an additional 3,500 employees due to increased profits.
7. Maersk made less money this year compared to last year.
8. Cutting jobs is a way for Maersk to save money next year.
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. Why is Maersk cutting jobs?
2. Who does Maersk move things for?
3. Why is Maersk not making as much money as before?
4. What does it mean that the world’s money situation is slowing down?
5. Why is the shipping business having problems?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the name of the big shipping company that is cutting jobs?
The name of the big shipping company that is cutting jobs is Maersk.

2. Why is the shipping company cutting jobs?
The shipping company is cutting jobs because they are not making as much money as before.

3. Who does the shipping company move things for?
The shipping company moves things for big stores like Nike.

4. Why is the shipping company not making as much money?
The shipping company is not making as much money because people are not buying as much.

5. What does Maersk think cutting jobs will do for them?
Maersk thinks cutting jobs will save them money next year.

6. Is Maersk making more or less money this year compared to last year?
Maersk is making less money this year compared to last year.

7. Why is the shipping business having problems?
The shipping business is having problems because there are too many ships and not enough things to ship.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) move
(2) stores
(3) Maersk
(4) year
(5) shipping
(6) companies
(7) gone
(8) having
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. shipping
Answer: (b) Moving things from one place to another

2. company
Answer: (d) A group of people who work together

3. jobs
Answer: (a) The work that people do to earn money

4. money
Answer: (h) The thing that people use to buy things

5. stores
Answer: (e) Places where people go to buy things

6. buying
Answer: (f) When people get things they want

7. cutting
Answer: (g) When you make something smaller

8. problems
Answer: (c) Difficulties or things that are not going well
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why is Maersk cutting jobs?
Answer: (b) They are not making as much money

2. Who does Maersk move things for?
Answer: (c) Big stores like Nike

3. Why is Maersk not making as much money?
Answer: (c) People are not buying as much

4. What does Maersk think cutting jobs will do?
Answer: (d) Save them money next year

5. What does Maersk’s money problems show?
Answer: (a) The world’s money situation is slowing down

6. What kind of company is Maersk?
Answer: (b) A shipping company

7. Why is the shipping business having problems?
Answer: (a) There are too many ships and not enough things to ship

8. What is good for stores?
Answer: (d) The cost to ship things has gone down
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The cost to ship things has increased, posing challenges for stores. (Answer: False)
2. Maersk’s money problems show that the world’s money situation is slowing down. (Answer: True)
3. Maersk is a small shipping company with minimal presence globally. (Answer: False)
4. The shipping industry is thriving as there are an excess of ships and a surplus of things to ship. (Answer: False)
5. Maersk moves things for big stores like Nike, but people are not buying as much, so Maersk is not making as much money. (Answer: True)
6. A small company called Maersk is hiring an additional 3,500 employees due to increased profits. (Answer: False)
7. Maersk made less money this year compared to last year. (Answer: True)
8. Cutting jobs is a way for Maersk to save money next year. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧