A man named Ian wanted to buy a website name for his new robot helper company. The website name he wanted was already taken by someone else. Ian talked to the person who had it and they agreed he could buy it for a lot of money, $12,000. This is a lot like what is happening with other robot helper website names. They are being sold for more and more money.
Many companies want to have good names for their websites that are easy to remember. They want people to find them easily when they look on the internet. But some people are buying these names first and then selling them for a lot of money. The story says that companies should be careful and not spend too much money just because robot helpers are popular. The story also says that robot helpers are becoming a big deal and lots of companies want to show they are good at making them.
Original news source: The race to buy AI website addresses (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Have one student from each team come to the front. Show them a word from the article (e.g., “robot”, “website”, “company”, “internet”) without letting the other students see. The student must draw the word on the board while their team tries to guess the word in English. Set a timer for each round (1-2 minutes). The team with the most correct guesses wins.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Write statements on the board like “Buying a website name for $12,000 is too expensive” or “Robot helpers will be very important in the future.” Students will walk to different corners of the room to indicate if they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with the statement. This will help them practice expressing their opinions and learn related vocabulary.
– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Play a game of hangman using key vocabulary from the article (e.g., “investment”, “negotiate”, “domain”, “trend”). This will help students recognize and remember the spelling of new words they’ve encountered in the article.
– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Pair up students and assign one to be a news reporter and the other to be Ian, the man from the article. The reporter will ask questions about why Ian wanted the website name and how he felt about paying so much money for it. Students will take turns playing each role, practicing speaking, listening, and using vocabulary from the article.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Ask students to think of the pros and cons of buying an expensive website name for a business. Have them list their ideas on the board under two columns labeled “Pros” and “Cons.” Then, discuss as a class whether it’s a good idea to spend a lot of money on a website name. This activity encourages critical thinking and the use of English in a business context.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What did Ian want to buy for his company?
2. Was the website name Ian wanted already taken by someone else?
3. How much money did Ian agree to pay for the website name?
4. What is happening with other robot helper website names?
5. Why do companies want good website names?
6. What do some people do with website names they buy?
7. What are robot helpers and are they becoming important?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A man (1)______d Ian wanted to buy a website name for his new robot helper company. The website name he wanted was already taken by someone else. Ian talked to the person who had it and they (2)______ he could buy it for a lot of money, $12,000. This is a lot like what is happening with other robot helper website names. They are being sold for (3)______ and more money.
(4)______ companies want to have good names for their websites that are easy to remember. They want people to find them easily when they look on the internet. But some people are buying these names first and then selling them for a lot of (5)______. The story (6)______ that companies should be careful and not spend too much money just because robot helpers are (7)______. The story also says that robot helpers are (8)______ a big deal and lots of companies want to show they are good at making them.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is a robot?
2. Do you like robots? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if you had a robot helper at home?
4. What name would you give to a robot?
5. Do you think it is good to sell website names for a lot of money? Why?
6. Would you like to have a company? What would you sell?
7. What is a website?
8. Do you think having an easy name for a website is important? Why or why not?
9. How do you feel when something you want to buy is too expensive?
10. Have you ever wanted something that someone else had? What did you do?
11. Do you think robot helpers will be in every home one day? Why or why not?
12. If you could make a robot, what would you want it to do for you?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. website
2. robot
3. company
4. money
5. names
6. internet
7. popular
8. companies
Meanings:
(a) A place where you can find information and play games on the computer
(b) A place on the computer where you can find information
(c) Words that are used to call someone or something
(d) Something you use to buy things
(e) A machine that can do tasks by itself
(f) Groups of people who sell things or do work together
(g) A group of people who work together
(h) Something that many people like
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What did Ian want to buy for his new robot helper company?
(a) A robot
(b) A car
(c) A website name
(d) A house
2. How much money did Ian agree to pay for the website name?
(a) $1,000
(b) $12,000
(c) $120
(d) $120,000
3. Why do companies want good names for their websites?
(a) To make a lot of money
(b) So people can find them easily
(c) To keep the names for themselves
(d) To show off to other companies
4. What are some people doing with robot helper website names?
(a) Buying them and selling them for a lot of money
(b) Giving them away for free
(c) Keeping them for themselves
(d) Forgetting about them
5. What should companies be careful about when buying website names for robot helpers?
(a) Buying from the first person they find
(b) Spending all their money
(c) Buying names that are hard to remember
(d) Not spending too much money
6. What does the story say about robot helpers?
(a) They are not popular
(b) They are too expensive
(c) They are not useful
(d) They are becoming a big deal
7. Why do lots of companies want to show they are good at making robot helpers?
(a) Because they want to make money
(b) Because they have nothing else to do
(c) Because robot helpers are popular
(d) Because they are bored
8. What is the main problem for companies with robot helper website names?
(a) They are being sold for more and more money
(b) They are too easy to find
(c) They are not popular
(d) They are not good names
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Ian did not talk to the person who had it and they did not agree he could buy it for $12,000.
2. Some people are buying website names first and then selling them for a lot of money.
3. Many companies do not want good names for their websites that are easy to remember.
4. The story says that companies should be careful and not spend too much money just because robot helpers are popular.
5. Other robot helper website names are also being sold for a lot of money.
6. Robot helpers are becoming a big deal and lots of companies want to show they are good at making them.
7. The website name he wanted was not already taken by someone else.
8. A man named Ian did not want to buy a website name for his new robot helper 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. What did Ian want to buy for his new company?
2. Was the website name Ian wanted already taken by someone else?
3. How much money did Ian agree to pay for the website name?
4. Why do companies want good names for their websites?
5. What should companies be careful about when buying website names?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What did Ian want to buy for his company?
Ian wanted to buy a website name for his new robot helper company.
2. Was the website name Ian wanted already taken by someone else?
Yes, the website name was already taken by someone else.
3. How much money did Ian agree to pay for the website name?
Ian agreed to pay $12,000 for the website name.
4. What is happening with other robot helper website names?
Other robot helper website names are being sold for more and more money.
5. Why do companies want good website names?
Companies want good website names because they are easy to remember, and they want people to find them easily on the internet.
6. What do some people do with website names they buy?
Some people buy website names and then sell them for a lot of money.
7. What are robot helpers and are they becoming important?
Robot helpers are machines that help people, and they are becoming a big deal because many companies want to show they are good at making them.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) name
(2) agreed
(3) more
(4) Many
(5) money
(6) says
(7) popular
(8) becoming
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. website
Answer: (b) A place on the computer where you can find information
2. robot
Answer: (e) A machine that can do tasks by itself
3. company
Answer: (g) A group of people who work together
4. money
Answer: (d) Something you use to buy things
5. names
Answer: (c) Words that are used to call someone or something
6. internet
Answer: (a) A place where you can find information and play games on the computer
7. popular
Answer: (h) Something that many people like
8. companies
Answer: (f) Groups of people who sell things or do work together
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What did Ian want to buy for his new robot helper company?
Answer: (c) A website name
2. How much money did Ian agree to pay for the website name?
Answer: (b) $12,000
3. Why do companies want good names for their websites?
Answer: (b) So people can find them easily
4. What are some people doing with robot helper website names?
Answer: (a) Buying them and selling them for a lot of money
5. What should companies be careful about when buying website names for robot helpers?
Answer: (d) Not spending too much money
6. What does the story say about robot helpers?
Answer: (d) They are becoming a big deal
7. Why do lots of companies want to show they are good at making robot helpers?
Answer: (c) Because robot helpers are popular
8. What is the main problem for companies with robot helper website names?
Answer: (a) They are being sold for more and more money
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Ian did not talk to the person who had it and they did not agree he could buy it for $12,000. (Answer: False)
2. Some people are buying website names first and then selling them for a lot of money. (Answer: True)
3. Many companies do not want good names for their websites that are easy to remember. (Answer: False)
4. The story says that companies should be careful and not spend too much money just because robot helpers are popular. (Answer: True)
5. Other robot helper website names are also being sold for a lot of money. (Answer: True)
6. Robot helpers are becoming a big deal and lots of companies want to show they are good at making them. (Answer: True)
7. The website name he wanted was not already taken by someone else. (Answer: False)
8. A man named Ian did not want to buy a website name for his new robot helper company. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
