A famous soccer player, Cristiano Ronaldo, is in trouble because he told people to use a big money website called Binance. Some people did what he said and lost their money. Now, they are very upset and want Ronaldo to pay them back more than $1 billion. They say Ronaldo made a lot more people want to use Binance. They also say that famous people should tell everyone if they get money for saying nice things about a money website.

The money website, Binance, also has to pay a lot of money because it did some bad things. The boss of Binance said he did something wrong and left his job. Some other big groups that talked about another money website that didn’t work well are also in trouble. Ronaldo hasn’t said anything about this yet, but he did talk about working with Binance again. People are talking about how there should be better rules for when famous people tell others about money websites.

Original news source: Cristiano Ronaldo faces $1bn lawsuit over Binance ads (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down keywords from the article on small pieces of paper and put them in a hat. One student from each team will come up and pick a paper from the hat. They will have to act out the word without speaking, and their team will have to guess what word it is.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a list of vocabulary words from the article. One student will have to draw a picture representing the word, while the other student guesses what word it is. They can use their English dictionaries for help.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Give each student a copy of the article. Set a timer for 1 minute. The students have to read the article and write a summary of it in one minute. After the time is up, they can compare their summaries with a partner and discuss any differences.

– Keyword Taboo
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Write down keywords from the article on index cards. One student from each team will come up and pick a card. They have to describe the word to their team without using the keyword itself. Their team has to guess what word it is.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Give each student a few minutes to read the article silently. Then, have them pair up with a classmate and discuss their thoughts and opinions about the situation described in the article. After a few minutes, ask some students to share their partner’s thoughts with the whole class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is in trouble because he told people to use a big money website?
2. Why are some people upset with Cristiano Ronaldo?
3. How much money do they want Ronaldo to pay them back?
4. What do they say famous people should do if they get money for saying nice things about a money website?
5. What is the name of the money website that Ronaldo told people to use?
6. What did the boss of Binance say he did wrong?
7. What are people talking about in regards to famous people and money websites?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A famous soccer player, Cristiano Ronaldo, is in trouble because he told people to use a big money website called Binance. Some people did what he said and (1)______ their money. Now, they are very (2)______ and want Ronaldo to pay them back more than $1 billion. They say Ronaldo made a lot more people (3)______ to use (4)______. They also say that famous people should tell everyone if they get money for saying nice things about a money website.

The money website, Binance, also has to pay a lot of money because it did some bad (5)______. The boss of Binance said he did something wrong and left his job. Some (6)______ big groups that talked about another money website that didn’t work well are also in trouble. Ronaldo hasn’t said anything about this yet, but he did talk about (7)______ with Binance again. People are talking about how there should be better (8)______ for when famous people tell others about money websites.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a famous soccer player?
2. How would you feel if you lost a lot of money because someone told you to use a website?
3. Do you like Cristiano Ronaldo? Why or why not?
4. Do you think famous people should tell others if they get money for talking about a website?
5. What is a money website?
6. How would you feel if you were the boss of Binance and had to pay a lot of money?
7. Do you think there should be better rules for when famous people talk about money websites? Why or why not?
8. What is another word for upset?
9. How would you feel if someone you trusted told you to use a website and it turned out to be bad?
10. What is a billion?
11. How would you feel if you were Cristiano Ronaldo and people wanted you to pay them back a lot of money?
12. Do you think it’s important to be careful with your money? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. soccer
2. trouble
3. money
4. upset
5. website
6. boss
7. groups
8. rules

Meanings:
(a) When something bad happens
(b) The person in charge
(c) Something you use to buy things
(d) A place on the internet
(e) A bunch of people together
(f) Things you have to follow to be fair
(g) Feeling sad or angry
(h) A game where you kick a ball
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who is in trouble because he told people to use a money website called Binance?
(a) Lionel Messi
(b) Neymar
(c) Cristiano Ronaldo
(d) Kylian Mbappé

2. How much money do people want Ronaldo to pay them back?
(a) More than $100 million
(b) More than $1 billion
(c) More than $10 million
(d) More than $1 million

3. What do people say famous people should do if they get money for saying nice things about a money website?
(a) Keep it a secret
(b) Tell everyone
(c) Give the money back
(d) Spend it all

4. What did the boss of Binance do after doing something wrong?
(a) Apologized to everyone
(b) Got a promotion
(c) Left his job
(d) Started a new company

5. Which other big groups are in trouble for talking about a money website that didn’t work well?
(a) Not mentioned in the article
(b) Real Madrid and Barcelona
(c) Manchester United and Manchester City
(d) Juventus and AC Milan

6. What did Ronaldo say about working with Binance again?
(a) Not mentioned in the article
(b) He wants to work with them again
(c) He doesn’t want to work with them again
(d) He is not sure yet

7. What are people talking about in relation to famous people and money websites?
(a) More money
(b) More famous people
(c) No rules
(d) Better rules

8. What kind of language should be used when explaining the article to ESL beginners?
(a) Very difficult words
(b) No words
(c) Medium difficulty words
(d) Very easy words

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo told people to use a website called Binance.
2. The boss of Binance admitted to doing something wrong and left his job.
3. Ronaldo has already addressed this situation and has no plans to collaborate with Binance again.
4. People want Ronaldo to give them back more than $1 billion.
5. People believe celebrities shouldn’t disclose if they receive payment for endorsing financial websites.
6. Other major organizations that discussed a different financial platform are facing no issues.
7. Some people made a profit after using Binance despite what Ronaldo said.
8. Ronaldo made more people interested in using Binance.
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. What did Cristiano Ronaldo tell people to do?
2. What happened to the people who did what Ronaldo said?
3. How much money do the upset people want Ronaldo to pay them back?
4. What did the boss of Binance say about his job?
5. What are people talking about when it comes to famous people and money websites?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is in trouble because he told people to use a big money website?
Cristiano Ronaldo is in trouble.

2. Why are some people upset with Cristiano Ronaldo?
Some people are upset because they lost their money after following Ronaldo’s advice.

3. How much money do they want Ronaldo to pay them back?
They want Ronaldo to pay them back more than $1 billion.

4. What do they say famous people should do if they get money for saying nice things about a money website?
They say famous people should tell everyone if they get money for saying nice things about a money website.

5. What is the name of the money website that Ronaldo told people to use?
The money website is called Binance.

6. What did the boss of Binance say he did wrong?
The boss of Binance said he did something wrong and left his job.

7. What are people talking about in regards to famous people and money websites?
People are talking about the need for better rules when famous people promote money websites.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) lost
(2) upset
(3) want
(4) Binance
(5) things
(6) other
(7) working
(8) rules
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Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. soccer
Answer: (h) A game where you kick a ball

2. trouble
Answer: (a) When something bad happens

3. money
Answer: (c) Something you use to buy things

4. upset
Answer: (g) Feeling sad or angry

5. website
Answer: (d) A place on the internet

6. boss
Answer: (b) The person in charge

7. groups
Answer: (e) A bunch of people together

8. rules
Answer: (f) Things you have to follow to be fair
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who is in trouble because he told people to use a money website called Binance?
Answer: (c) Cristiano Ronaldo

2. How much money do people want Ronaldo to pay them back?
Answer: (b) More than $1 billion

3. What do people say famous people should do if they get money for saying nice things about a money website?
Answer: (b) Tell everyone

4. What did the boss of Binance do after doing something wrong?
Answer: (c) Left his job

5. Which other big groups are in trouble for talking about a money website that didn’t work well?
Answer: (a) Not mentioned in the article

6. What did Ronaldo say about working with Binance again?
Answer: (a) Not mentioned in the article

7. What are people talking about in relation to famous people and money websites?
Answer: (d) Better rules

8. What kind of language should be used when explaining the article to ESL beginners?
Answer: (d) Very easy words
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo told people to use a website called Binance. (Answer: True)
2. The boss of Binance admitted to doing something wrong and left his job. (Answer: True)
3. Ronaldo has already addressed this situation and has no plans to collaborate with Binance again. (Answer: False)
4. People want Ronaldo to give them back more than $1 billion. (Answer: True)
5. People believe celebrities shouldn’t disclose if they receive payment for endorsing financial websites. (Answer: False)
6. Other major organizations that discussed a different financial platform are facing no issues. (Answer: False)
7. Some people made a profit after using Binance despite what Ronaldo said. (Answer: False)
8. Ronaldo made more people interested in using Binance. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧