Sweden is a country where people pay a lot of taxes and everyone is treated equally. But now, there are more very rich people in Sweden than before. In 1996, there were only 28 billionaires, but by 2021, there were 542. This happened because of things like new tech companies, low interest rates, and tax rules that help rich people. However, people in Sweden don’t talk much about the rich and poor gap.

One big reason for more rich people is Sweden’s tech industry, called the Silicon Valley of Europe. Many new tech companies like Skype and Spotify started there. These companies made a lot of money for their owners. Also, low interest rates made it easy to borrow money to invest in things like tech companies. This made many people very rich.

Original news source: The rise of Sweden’s super rich (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Provide each group with a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the students to read the article and summarize the main points in their own words.
4. After a designated time, have each group share their summaries with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Write the following question on the board: “Do you think the increasing number of billionaires is a positive or negative thing for Sweden?”
2. Have the students individually write down their answer.
3. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
4. Instruct the students to discuss their answers and reasons with their partners.
5. After the discussion, conduct a poll by asking each student to share their opinion and provide a short explanation.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write a selection of vocabulary words from the article on the board (e.g., billionaires, tech industry, interest rates).
2. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
3. Assign a word to each group.
4. Instruct the students to draw a picture that represents the word without using any letters or numbers.
5. Have the groups take turns showing their drawings to the class, while the rest of the students try to guess the word.

– Headline Creation
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Instruct each group to come up with a catchy headline that summarizes the main idea of the article.
3. Allow the students to discuss and brainstorm together.
4. After a designated time, have each group share their headline with the class.
5. Encourage the students to vote for their favorite headline.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions:
1. Ask the students to individually think about the following question: “What are some possible reasons for the increase in the number of billionaires in Sweden?”
2. Divide the class into pairs.
3. Instruct the students to share their ideas with their partners.
4. After the discussion, ask a few pairs to share their thoughts with the class.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What is Sweden known for?
2. How many billionaires were there in 1996?
3. How many billionaires are there in Sweden now?
4. Why are there more rich people in Sweden now?
5. What is the tech industry in Sweden called?
6. Can you give an example of a tech company that started in Sweden?
7. Why did low interest rates help people become rich in Sweden?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Sweden is a (1)______ where people pay a lot of taxes and everyone is treated equally. But now, there are more very rich people in Sweden than before. In 1996, there (2)______ only 28 billionaires, but by 2021, there were 542. This happened because of things like new tech companies, low interest rates, and tax rules that (3)______ rich people. However, people in (4)______ don’t talk much about the rich and poor gap.

One big reason for more rich people is Sweden’s (5)______ industry, called the Silicon Valley of (6)______. Many new tech companies like Skype and Spotify started there. These (7)______ made a lot of money for their owners. Also, low (8)______ rates made it easy to borrow money to invest in things like tech companies. This made many people very rich.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a billionaire?
2. How would you feel if you were very rich?
3. Do you like technology? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s fair that some people are very rich and others are not? Why or why not?
5. What is a tech company?
6. How would you feel if you started a tech company and became very rich?
7. Do you think it’s important to talk about the gap between rich and poor? Why or why not?
8. What is the Silicon Valley of Europe?
9. How would you feel if you lived in the Silicon Valley of Europe?
10. Do you think it’s good or bad that low interest rates made it easy for people to borrow money? Why or why not?
11. What is a tax rule?
12. How would you feel if you had to pay a lot of taxes?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. taxes
2. equally
3. billionaires
4. interest
5. invest
6. industry
7. companies
8. owners
9. borrow
10. gap

Meanings:
(A) A group of businesses that make the same kind of things
(B) Money people pay to the government
(C) To put money into something to make more money
(D) To take and use something that you will give back later
(E) A space or difference between two things
(F) In the same way for everyone
(G) People who have something, like a business
(H) Businesses that sell things or services
(I) Extra money you pay when you borrow money
(J) People who have a lot of money, more than a million dollars
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the main reason why there are more rich people in Sweden now?
(a) High taxes
(b) New tech companies
(c) Equal treatment
(d) Talking about the rich and poor gap

2. What is the tech industry in Sweden called?
(a) Silicon Valley of Europe
(b) Hollywood of Europe
(c) Big Apple of Europe
(d) Bollywood of Europe

3. Which two companies mentioned in the article made a lot of money for their owners?
(a) Facebook and Twitter
(b) Google and Amazon
(c) Skype and Spotify
(d) Netflix and Apple

4. What made it easy for people to borrow money in Sweden?
(a) Low interest rates
(b) High interest rates
(c) No interest rates
(d) Expensive interest rates

5. What is the main topic that people in Sweden don’t talk much about?
(a) The weather
(b) Sports
(c) The rich and poor gap
(d) Food

6. How many billionaires were there in Sweden in 1996?
(a) 542
(b) 1996
(c) 2021
(d) 28

7. What helped rich people in Sweden become richer?
(a) High interest rates
(b) Equal treatment
(c) Talking about the rich and poor gap
(d) Tax rules

8. What country is Sweden often compared to because of its tech industry?
(a) Hollywood
(b) Silicon Valley
(c) Bollywood
(d) Wall Street

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. People in Sweden often discuss the wealth disparity between rich and poor.
2. By 2021, there were 542 billionaires in Sweden.
3. Companies such as Skype and Spotify did not originate in Sweden and did not make their founders wealthy.
4. In Sweden, there are more very rich people now than before.
5. Low interest rates in Sweden made it easy to borrow money.
6. In 1996, there were only 28 billionaires in Sweden.
7. Sweden’s tech industry is not known as the Silicon Valley of Europe.
8. The successful tech startups in Sweden did not yield significant profits for their owners.
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. How many billionaires were there in Sweden in 1996?
2. Why are there more rich people in Sweden now?
3. What is the tech industry in Sweden called?
4. What are some tech companies that started in Sweden?
5. How did low interest rates help people become rich in Sweden?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is Sweden known for?
Sweden is known for having high taxes and treating everyone equally.

2. How many billionaires were there in 1996?
In 1996, there were only 28 billionaires in Sweden.

3. How many billionaires are there in Sweden now?
As of 2021, there are 542 billionaires in Sweden.

4. Why are there more rich people in Sweden now?
There are more rich people in Sweden now because of new tech companies, low interest rates, and tax rules that help rich people.

5. What is the tech industry in Sweden called?
The tech industry in Sweden is called the Silicon Valley of Europe.

6. Can you give an example of a tech company that started in Sweden?
Yes, Skype and Spotify are examples of tech companies that started in Sweden.

7. Why did low interest rates help people become rich in Sweden?
Low interest rates made it easy for people to borrow money and invest in things like tech companies, which helped them become rich.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) country
(2) were
(3) help
(4) Sweden
(5) tech
(6) Europe
(7) companies
(8) interest
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. taxes
Answer: (B) Money people pay to the government

2. equally
Answer: (F) In the same way for everyone

3. billionaires
Answer: (J) People who have a lot of money, more than a million dollars

4. interest
Answer: (I) Extra money you pay when you borrow money

5. invest
Answer: (C) To put money into something to make more money

6. industry
Answer: (A) A group of businesses that make the same kind of things

7. companies
Answer: (H) Businesses that sell things or services

8. owners
Answer: (G) People who have something, like a business

9. borrow
Answer: (D) To take and use something that you will give back later

10. gap
Answer: (E) A space or difference between two things
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the main reason why there are more rich people in Sweden now?
Answer: (b) New tech companies

2. What is the tech industry in Sweden called?
Answer: (a) Silicon Valley of Europe

3. Which two companies mentioned in the article made a lot of money for their owners?
Answer: (c) Skype and Spotify

4. What made it easy for people to borrow money in Sweden?
Answer: (a) Low interest rates

5. What is the main topic that people in Sweden don’t talk much about?
Answer: (c) The rich and poor gap

6. How many billionaires were there in Sweden in 1996?
Answer: (d) 28

7. What helped rich people in Sweden become richer?
Answer: (d) Tax rules

8. What country is Sweden often compared to because of its tech industry?
Answer: (b) Silicon Valley
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. People in Sweden often discuss the wealth disparity between rich and poor. (Answer: False)
2. By 2021, there were 542 billionaires in Sweden. (Answer: True)
3. Companies such as Skype and Spotify did not originate in Sweden and did not make their founders wealthy. (Answer: False)
4. In Sweden, there are more very rich people now than before. (Answer: True)
5. Low interest rates in Sweden made it easy to borrow money. (Answer: True)
6. In 1996, there were only 28 billionaires in Sweden. (Answer: True)
7. Sweden’s tech industry is not known as the Silicon Valley of Europe. (Answer: False)
8. The successful tech startups in Sweden did not yield significant profits for their owners. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧