A big company named Amazon has to pay a lot of money in France because they watched their workers too much. The group in France that makes sure people’s private information is safe said Amazon did something wrong. Amazon kept track of what workers did with their handheld machines in a bad way. Amazon doesn’t agree with this and wants to change the decision.

People have been worried about how Amazon watches its workers before. In the UK, people didn’t like how Amazon checked if workers were doing their jobs fast enough. A big boss at Amazon said that workers could lose their jobs if they were too slow three times. A group of important people in the UK and a workers’ group both said it’s not good to watch workers so closely.

The problems at Amazon’s places in France started when workers and news stories said bad things about how Amazon treated them. The French group found out that Amazon knew too much about what workers did, even when they took breaks. Amazon also didn’t tell workers and visitors enough about the cameras watching them. The French group said Amazon was being too nosy and didn’t need to know every little thing the workers did.

Original news source: Amazon fined for ‘excessive’ surveillance of workers (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Ask the students to read the article and write a summary of the main points in their own words. Then, have them share their summaries with a partner or in small groups. Encourage them to discuss any questions or opinions they have about the topic.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a set of questions related to the article (e.g. Do you think it is fair for companies to monitor their workers? Why or why not?). Instruct the students to discuss the questions and record their opinions. Afterward, have each group share their opinions with the class and facilitate a discussion.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select a few key vocabulary words from the article (e.g. company, workers, watched, private information). Write each word on a separate piece of paper or index card. Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team will come to the front of the class and draw a picture to represent the word without using any letters or numbers. The first team to correctly guess the word gets a point. Repeat with different words and continue until all words have been used.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. Assign one group to come up with the pros (advantages) of Amazon monitoring its workers, and the other group to come up with the cons (disadvantages). Give the groups a few minutes to brainstorm and write down their ideas. Then, have each group present their arguments to the class. Encourage respectful debate and discussion.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask the students to imagine what the future might look like for Amazon and its workers. Will companies continue to monitor their employees? Will there be new laws or regulations to protect workers’ privacy? Have the students write down their predictions and share them with a partner or in small groups. Afterward, facilitate a class discussion and encourage students to support their predictions with reasons or evidence from the article.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why does Amazon have to pay a lot of money in France?
2. What did Amazon do wrong with their workers’ handheld machines?
3. Why didn’t people in the UK like how Amazon checked if workers were doing their jobs fast enough?
4. What happened when workers and news stories said bad things about how Amazon treated them?
5. What did the French group find out about Amazon and the workers’ breaks?
6. Why did the French group say Amazon was being too nosy?
7. What does Amazon want to do about the decision made by the French group?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A big company named (1)______ has to pay a lot of money in France because they watched their (2)______ too much. The group in France that makes sure people’s private information is (3)______ said Amazon did something wrong. Amazon kept track of what workers did with their handheld machines in a bad way. Amazon doesn’t (4)______ with this and (5)______ to change the decision.

People have been worried about how Amazon (6)______ its workers before. In the UK, people didn’t like how Amazon checked if workers were doing their jobs fast enough. A big boss at Amazon said that workers could lose their jobs if they were too slow three (7)______. A (8)______ of important people in the UK and a workers’ group both (9)______ it’s not good to watch workers so closely.

The problems at Amazon’s places in France started when workers and news stories said bad things about how Amazon treated them. The French group (10)______ out that Amazon knew too much about what workers did, even when they took breaks. Amazon also didn’t (11)______ workers and visitors (12)______ about the cameras watching them. The French group said Amazon was being too nosy and didn’t need to know every little thing the workers did.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is Amazon?
2. How would you feel if your boss watched everything you did at work?
3. Do you think it’s fair for Amazon to check if workers are doing their jobs fast enough? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the French group’s decision that Amazon did something wrong?
5. Have you ever had a job where you felt like your boss watched you too much? How did it make you feel?
6. Do you think it’s important for workers to have privacy at work? Why or why not?
7. How do you think the workers at Amazon felt when they found out they were being watched all the time?
8. Do you like the idea of cameras watching you at work? Why or why not?
9. What would you do if you found out your boss was watching you without telling you?
10. How do you think Amazon could change the way they watch their workers?
11. Do you think it’s right for Amazon to know every little thing the workers do? Why or why not?
12. What do you think should happen to Amazon now that they have to pay a lot of money in France?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. Amazon
2. France
3. private
4. handheld
5. decision
6. checked
7. boss
8. important
9. closely
10. treated
11. visitors
12. nosy

Meanings:
(A) Looked at something carefully to see if it’s correct or not
(B) A country in Europe that is famous for the Eiffel Tower and croissants
(C) The person who is in charge at work
(D) Small enough to hold in your hand
(E) Something that is very special or has a lot of value
(F) A very big company that sells things online and sends them to your house
(G) Someone who wants to know too much about other people’s business
(H) Something that belongs to you and you don’t want to share with everyone
(I) Watching someone very, very carefully
(J) The choice or answer someone gives to solve a problem
(K) People who come to see a place or someone
(L) How someone is acting towards someone else
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What company had to pay a lot of money in France?
(a) Google
(b) Apple
(c) Amazon
(d) Microsoft

2. Why did Amazon have to pay a lot of money in France?
(a) They didn’t watch their workers enough
(b) They didn’t pay their workers enough
(c) They didn’t have enough workers
(d) They watched their workers too much

3. What did the French group say Amazon did wrong?
(a) Kept track of what workers did in a bad way
(b) Gave workers too many breaks
(c) Didn’t watch workers enough
(d) Paid workers too much money

4. Where else did people worry about how Amazon watches its workers?
(a) Germany
(b) Spain
(c) Italy
(d) The UK

5. What did the big boss at Amazon say could happen if workers were too slow?
(a) They could get a raise
(b) They could lose their jobs
(c) They could get a promotion
(d) They could get a bonus

6. Who didn’t like how Amazon checked if workers were doing their jobs fast enough?
(a) People in France
(b) People in Germany
(c) People in the UK
(d) People in Spain

7. What did the French group say Amazon was being?
(a) Too nosy
(b) Too friendly
(c) Too lazy
(d) Too busy

8. What did the French group say Amazon didn’t need to know?
(a) Nothing about the workers
(b) Every little thing the workers did
(c) Only some things about the workers
(d) Everything about the workers

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. A big boss at Amazon said workers could lose their jobs if they were too slow three times.
2. Amazon agrees with the decision and wants to change it.
3. A group in France that shares people’s private information said Amazon did something wrong.
4. Amazon, a big company, had to pay a lot of money in France because they were watching their workers too much.
5. Workers and news stories in France said bad things about how Amazon treated them, which caused problems for Amazon.
6. A group of important people in the UK and a workers’ group both said it’s not good to watch workers so closely.
7. Amazon didn’t keep track of what workers did with their handheld machines in a bad way.
8. In the UK, people liked how Amazon checked if workers were doing their jobs fast enough.
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 did Amazon have to pay a lot of money in France?
2. What did Amazon do wrong according to the group in France?
3. Why were people in the UK worried about how Amazon watches its workers?
4. What did the French group find out about Amazon’s treatment of workers?
5. Why did the French group say Amazon was being too nosy?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why does Amazon have to pay a lot of money in France?
Amazon has to pay a lot of money in France because they watched their workers too much.

2. What did Amazon do wrong with their workers’ handheld machines?
Amazon kept track of what workers did with their handheld machines in a bad way.

3. Why didn’t people in the UK like how Amazon checked if workers were doing their jobs fast enough?
People in the UK didn’t like how Amazon checked if workers were doing their jobs fast enough because it made them feel pressured and worried about losing their jobs.

4. What happened when workers and news stories said bad things about how Amazon treated them?
When workers and news stories said bad things about how Amazon treated them, a group in France that makes sure people’s private information is safe investigated and found out that Amazon did something wrong.

5. What did the French group find out about Amazon and the workers’ breaks?
The French group found out that Amazon knew too much about what workers did, even when they took breaks.

6. Why did the French group say Amazon was being too nosy?
The French group said Amazon was being too nosy because they didn’t need to know every little thing the workers did.

7. What does Amazon want to do about the decision made by the French group?
Amazon wants to change the decision made by the French group.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Amazon
(2) workers
(3) safe
(4) agree
(5) wants
(6) watches
(7) times
(8) group
(9) said
(10) found
(11) tell
(12) enough
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. Amazon
Answer: (F) A very big company that sells things online and sends them to your house

2. France
Answer: (B) A country in Europe that is famous for the Eiffel Tower and croissants

3. private
Answer: (H) Something that belongs to you and you don’t want to share with everyone

4. handheld
Answer: (D) Small enough to hold in your hand

5. decision
Answer: (J) The choice or answer someone gives to solve a problem

6. checked
Answer: (A) Looked at something carefully to see if it’s correct or not

7. boss
Answer: (C) The person who is in charge at work

8. important
Answer: (E) Something that is very special or has a lot of value

9. closely
Answer: (I) Watching someone very, very carefully

10. treated
Answer: (L) How someone is acting towards someone else

11. visitors
Answer: (K) People who come to see a place or someone

12. nosy
Answer: (G) Someone who wants to know too much about other people’s business
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What company had to pay a lot of money in France?
Answer: (c) Amazon

2. Why did Amazon have to pay a lot of money in France?
Answer: (d) They watched their workers too much

3. What did the French group say Amazon did wrong?
Answer: (a) Kept track of what workers did in a bad way

4. Where else did people worry about how Amazon watches its workers?
Answer: (d) The UK

5. What did the big boss at Amazon say could happen if workers were too slow?
Answer: (b) They could lose their jobs

6. Who didn’t like how Amazon checked if workers were doing their jobs fast enough?
Answer: (c) People in the UK

7. What did the French group say Amazon was being?
Answer: (a) Too nosy

8. What did the French group say Amazon didn’t need to know?
Answer: (b) Every little thing the workers did
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. A big boss at Amazon said workers could lose their jobs if they were too slow three times. (Answer: True)
2. Amazon agrees with the decision and wants to change it. (Answer: False)
3. A group in France that shares people’s private information said Amazon did something wrong. (Answer: False)
4. Amazon, a big company, had to pay a lot of money in France because they were watching their workers too much. (Answer: True)
5. Workers and news stories in France said bad things about how Amazon treated them, which caused problems for Amazon. (Answer: True)
6. A group of important people in the UK and a workers’ group both said it’s not good to watch workers so closely. (Answer: True)
7. Amazon didn’t keep track of what workers did with their handheld machines in a bad way. (Answer: False)
8. In the UK, people liked how Amazon checked if workers were doing their jobs fast enough. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧