In China, not as many people are getting married or having babies as before. The leaders in China want this to change. Last year, not many babies were born, and not many people got married. Young people in China don’t want to get married or have babies because they don’t have many jobs and things cost a lot. The leaders are trying to make young people want to get married and have babies, but the young people don’t think it’s a good idea.

There are many single people in China. Men who live in the countryside and women who live in cities don’t want to get married for different reasons. Men need to have money and a good job to get married. Women can wait to find someone they really like. Women also think that the leaders only tell them to get married and have babies, but they don’t tell the men to do anything. This makes the women not want to have babies even more.

Original news source: China’s matchmaking mums have a powerful ally: The Party (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Begin the class by asking students if they think it’s important to get married and have children. Have them raise their hands for ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘not sure’. Record the numbers on the board. This will get them thinking about the topic of the article in simple terms that beginner ESL students can understand.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary from the article on pieces of paper (e.g., married, babies, leaders, jobs, countryside, city). Divide students into two teams. Players take turns drawing the words for their teammates to guess, without using any verbal clues. This will help students to associate words with images, aiding vocabulary retention.

– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Pair students up and assign one to be a news reporter and the other to be a citizen of China. The news reporter will ask questions about why fewer people are getting married or having babies, based on the information from the article. This allows students to practice speaking and listening in a structured role-play scenario.

– Mind Map
Instructions: As a class, create a mind map on the board about the reasons why young people in China may not want to get married or have children. Start with the central idea “Marriage and Babies in China” and branch out into reasons given in the article. Encourage students to contribute in English and draw connections between ideas.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to think about what might happen if the trends described in the article continue. Will there be more single people? How will it affect the country? Will the government take action? Students can work in small groups and use simple future tense to make predictions, then share with the class. This engages them with the material in a way that also practices grammar and speaking skills.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What are less people in China doing now than before?
2. What do the leaders in China want people to do more?
3. Why do young people in China not want to get married or have babies?
4. Who are trying to make young people get married and have babies?
5. Where do the men who don’t want to get married live?
6. What do women want to have before they get married?
7. How do women feel when leaders tell them to get married and have babies?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In China, not as many people are getting married or having (1)______ as before. The leaders in China (2)______ this to change. Last year, not many babies were born, and not many people got married. Young people in China don’t want to get married or have babies because they don’t have many jobs and things cost a lot. The leaders are (3)______ to (4)______ young people want to get married and have babies, but the young people don’t think it’s a good idea.

There are many (5)______ people in China. Men who live in the countryside and women who live in cities don’t want to get married for different reasons. Men need to have (6)______ and a good job to get married. Women can wait to (7)______ someone they really like. Women also think that the leaders only (8)______ them to get married and have babies, but they don’t tell the men to do anything. This makes the women not want to have babies even more.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a baby?
2. Do you like going to weddings?
3. How would you feel if you had a baby?
4. What is a job?
5. Do you think having a job is important for getting married? Why or why not?
6. What things do you like to buy that cost money?
7. Do you think it’s good to have a lot of money to get married? Why?
8. What does it mean to wait for someone you like?
9. Do you like to listen to leaders? Why or why not?
10. Do you think boys and girls should do the same things? Why?
11. Would you want to live in the countryside or in a city? Why?
12. Do you think it’s important to get married and have babies? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. married
2. babies
3. jobs
4. cost
5. single
6. countryside
7. women
8. men

Meanings:
(a) Girls who are grown up but not old
(b) How much money you need to buy something
(c) When two people love each other and live together
(d) The place where there are lots of farms and animals
(e) Little boys and girls that are very small
(f) Boys who are grown up but not old
(g) When someone doesn’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend
(h) Things that people do to make money
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why don’t many young people in China want to get married or have babies?
(a) They don’t like babies.
(b) They don’t have many jobs and things cost a lot.
(c) They want to travel the world.
(d) They want to focus on their hobbies.

2. Who wants young people in China to get married and have babies?
(a) The young people themselves.
(b) The parents of the young people.
(c) The teachers in China.
(d) The leaders in China.

3. Why don’t men in the countryside want to get married?
(a) They need to have money and a good job.
(b) They don’t like women.
(c) They want to stay single forever.
(d) They want to focus on their studies.

4. Why don’t women in the cities want to get married?
(a) They don’t like men.
(b) They want to focus on their careers.
(c) They can wait to find someone they really like.
(d) They want to travel the world.

5. What do women in China think about the leaders’ advice?
(a) They think the leaders give good advice.
(b) They think the leaders don’t care about them.
(c) They think the leaders are their friends.
(d) They think the leaders only tell them to get married and have babies, but not the men.

6. What do the leaders in China want young people to do?
(a) Get married and have babies.
(b) Travel the world.
(c) Study hard.
(d) Stay single forever.

7. What happened last year in China?
(a) Many babies were born and many people got married.
(b) Everyone in China got married and had babies.
(c) Not many babies were born and not many people got married.
(d) No one in China got married or had babies.

8. What do young people in China think about getting married and having babies?
(a) They think it’s the best idea.
(b) They don’t think it’s a good idea.
(c) They think it’s a fun idea.
(d) They think it’s a silly idea.

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The leaders in China do not want more people to get married and have babies.
2. Women do not think that the leaders only tell them to get married and have babies, and they tell the men to do everything.
3. In China, fewer people are getting married and having babies than before.
4. Men in the countryside and women in cities don’t want to get married for different reasons.
5. Young people in China don’t want to get married or have babies because they don’t have many jobs and things cost a lot.
6. There are few single people in China.
7. Last year, not many babies were born and not many people got married.
8. The leaders are not trying to make young people want to get married and have babies, and the young people think it’s a good idea.
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 do the leaders in China want more people to do?
2. Why don’t young people in China want to get married or have babies?
3. What do men need to have before they can get married?
4. What do women want to do before they get married?
5. How do women feel when the leaders tell them to get married and have babies?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What are less people in China doing now than before?
Less people are getting married and having babies.

2. What do the leaders in China want people to do more?
The leaders want people to get married and have more babies.

3. Why do young people in China not want to get married or have babies?
Young people don’t have many jobs and things cost a lot of money.

4. Who are trying to make young people get married and have babies?
The leaders are trying to make young people get married and have babies.

5. Where do the men who don’t want to get married live?
The men who don’t want to get married live in the countryside.

6. What do women want to have before they get married?
Women want to find someone they really like before they get married.

7. How do women feel when leaders tell them to get married and have babies?
Women feel unhappy because the leaders don’t tell men to do anything, only the women.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) babies
(2) want
(3) trying
(4) make
(5) single
(6) money
(7) find
(8) tell
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. married
Answer: (c) When two people love each other and live together

2. babies
Answer: (e) Little boys and girls that are very small

3. jobs
Answer: (h) Things that people do to make money

4. cost
Answer: (b) How much money you need to buy something

5. single
Answer: (g) When someone doesn’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend

6. countryside
Answer: (d) The place where there are lots of farms and animals

7. women
Answer: (a) Girls who are grown up but not old

8. men
Answer: (f) Boys who are grown up but not old
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why don’t many young people in China want to get married or have babies?
Answer: (b) They don’t have many jobs and things cost a lot.

2. Who wants young people in China to get married and have babies?
Answer: (d) The leaders in China.

3. Why don’t men in the countryside want to get married?
Answer: (a) They need to have money and a good job.

4. Why don’t women in the cities want to get married?
Answer: (c) They can wait to find someone they really like.

5. What do women in China think about the leaders’ advice?
Answer: (d) They think the leaders only tell them to get married and have babies, but not the men.

6. What do the leaders in China want young people to do?
Answer: (a) Get married and have babies.

7. What happened last year in China?
Answer: (c) Not many babies were born and not many people got married.

8. What do young people in China think about getting married and having babies?
Answer: (b) They don’t think it’s a good idea.
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The leaders in China do not want more people to get married and have babies. (Answer: False)
2. Women do not think that the leaders only tell them to get married and have babies, and they tell the men to do everything. (Answer: False)
3. In China, fewer people are getting married and having babies than before. (Answer: True)
4. Men in the countryside and women in cities don’t want to get married for different reasons. (Answer: True)
5. Young people in China don’t want to get married or have babies because they don’t have many jobs and things cost a lot. (Answer: True)
6. There are few single people in China. (Answer: False)
7. Last year, not many babies were born and not many people got married. (Answer: True)
8. The leaders are not trying to make young people want to get married and have babies, and the young people think it’s a good idea. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧