A man named Andy Hibbert started a company in London that let people share their cars with others. It was like a hotel for cars. People could make money by letting tourists drive their cars when they didn’t need them. But when people stopped traveling because of a big sickness and a war, Andy’s company had to change and let people share cars from their homes. Bad people then started using the cars to do bad things and tricked the company’s computer checks.

Andy’s company had a lot of problems. First, the sickness made it hard for people to travel, which hurt his business. Then, bad people started using the cars for crimes, which cost the company a lot of money to fix. But Andy isn’t giving up. He’s now thinking about starting a new business that helps farms be better for the Earth.

Andy’s company shows that new businesses need to be careful and think about what could go wrong. Bad people can cause a lot of trouble if they find a way to cheat. Many new businesses don’t work out, but that’s okay. Andy is not embarrassed to talk about his business not working. He’s ready to try new ideas.

Original news source: Covid and criminals ruined my Airbnb for cars idea’ (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Have students read the article individually and then summarize the main points in their own words. They can then pair up and share their summaries with a partner, discussing any similarities or differences.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and ask them to discuss their opinions on the article. They can answer questions such as “Do you think Andy’s company was a good idea?” or “What do you think about people sharing cars?” After the discussion, each group can share their opinions with the rest of the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate slips of paper and place them in a bag or box. Divide the class into teams and have one student from each team come up to the front. They will draw a slip of paper and have to draw the word on the board while their team tries to guess what it is. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have students think about the article and write down one question they have about it. Then, pair them up and have them share their questions with each other. After discussing, they can share their questions with the rest of the class and have a class discussion to find answers.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to imagine what might happen in the future for Andy’s new business or for the car-sharing industry in general. They can write down their predictions and then share them with a partner. After the discussion, each pair can share their predictions with the rest of the class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did Andy Hibbert’s company let people do with their cars?
2. Why did Andy’s company have to change and let people share cars from their homes?
3. What happened when bad people started using the cars?
4. What were some of the problems that Andy’s company faced?
5. What is Andy thinking about starting a new business for?
6. Why is it important for new businesses to be careful and think about what could go wrong?
7. Is Andy embarrassed that his business didn’t work out?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A man named Andy Hibbert started a company in London that let people share their (1)______ with others. It was like a hotel for cars. People could make money by (2)______ tourists drive their cars when they didn’t need them. But when people stopped (3)______ because of a big sickness and a war, Andy’s company had to (4)______ and let people share cars from their homes. Bad people then started using the cars to do bad (5)______ and tricked the company’s (6)______ checks.

Andy’s company had a lot of problems. First, the sickness made it hard for people to travel, which hurt his (7)______. Then, bad (8)______ started (9)______ the cars for crimes, which cost the company a lot of money to fix. But Andy isn’t giving up. He’s now thinking about starting a new business that helps farms be better for the Earth.

Andy’s company shows that new businesses need to be (10)______ and think about what could go wrong. Bad people can cause a lot of trouble if they find a way to cheat. Many new businesses don’t (11)______ out, but that’s okay. Andy is not embarrassed to talk about his business not working. He’s (12)______ to try new ideas.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a company?
2. How would you feel if you could make money by letting tourists drive your car?
3. Do you like the idea of sharing cars with others? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s a good idea to start a new business that helps farms be better for the Earth? Why or why not?
5. What could go wrong when starting a new business?
6. How do you think bad people tricked the company’s computer checks?
7. Have you ever had a problem with a new business? What happened?
8. Why do you think Andy is not embarrassed to talk about his business not working?
9. How do you think bad people can cause trouble for a company?
10. Have you ever thought about starting your own business? What would it be?
11. What do you think Andy will do if his new business idea doesn’t work out?
12. How important do you think it is for new businesses to try new ideas? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. company
2. cars
3. share
4. bad
5. business
6. trouble
7. new
8. ideas

Meanings:
(a) To let someone else use something that you have
(b) Not good or nice
(c) Problems or difficulties
(d) A group of people who work together
(e) Something that is not old or used before
(f) Vehicles that people drive
(g) Thoughts or plans for doing something different
(h) A way to make money or sell things
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Andy Hibbert’s company allow people to do with their cars?
(a) Sell them to tourists
(b) Rent them out to hotels
(c) Share them with others
(d) Keep them in storage

2. Why did Andy’s company have to change its business model?
(a) The company ran out of cars to share
(b) People stopped traveling due to a sickness and a war
(c) The government banned car sharing
(d) Tourists stopped visiting London

3. What problem did Andy’s company face when people started sharing cars from their homes?
(a) Bad people used the cars for illegal activities
(b) The company’s computer checks malfunctioned
(c) People didn’t want to share their cars anymore
(d) The cars were not in good condition

4. What did bad people do with the shared cars?
(a) Used them for crimes
(b) Sold them to tourists
(c) Tricked the company’s computer checks
(d) Kept them for themselves

5. Why did Andy’s company lose a lot of money?
(a) The company had to fix its computer checks
(b) The company had to pay for people’s travel expenses
(c) People stopped sharing their cars
(d) Bad people used the cars for crimes

6. What is Andy thinking about doing next?
(a) Giving up on starting new businesses
(b) Starting a new business that helps farms be better for the Earth
(c) Expanding his car sharing company to other cities
(d) Starting a hotel for cars instead

7. What lesson does Andy’s company teach about new businesses?
(a) They should never try new ideas
(b) They should only focus on making money
(c) They should always be embarrassed if their business doesn’t work out
(d) They need to be careful and think about what could go wrong

8. What is Andy’s attitude towards his business not working out?
(a) He is ashamed and doesn’t want to talk about it
(b) He blames bad people for ruining his business
(c) He is not embarrassed and is ready to try new ideas
(d) He regrets starting the company in the first place

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Andy is giving up and is not thinking about starting a new business that helps farms be better for the Earth.
2. Andy Hibbert did not start a company in London that let people share their cars with others.
3. The company had to change its business model when people stopped traveling because of a big sickness and a war.
4. The company did not encounter any problems, including the sickness, making it easy for people to travel, and good people using the cars for crimes.
5. Andy’s company shows that new businesses need to be careful and think about what could go wrong.
6. The company was not like a hotel for cars, where people could make money by letting tourists drive their cars when they didn’t need them.
7. Bad people started using the cars for crimes and tricked the company’s computer checks.
8. Andy is not embarrassed to talk about his business not working and is ready to try new ideas.
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 kind of company did Andy Hibbert start in London?
2. How did the big sickness and war affect Andy’s company?
3. Why did bad people start using the cars for bad things?
4. What problems did Andy’s company face because of the bad people?
5. What is Andy thinking about doing next with his business?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did Andy Hibbert’s company let people do with their cars?
Andy Hibbert’s company let people share their cars with others.

2. Why did Andy’s company have to change and let people share cars from their homes?
Andy’s company had to change because people stopped traveling due to a big sickness and a war.

3. What happened when bad people started using the cars?
When bad people started using the cars, they did bad things and tricked the company’s computer checks.

4. What were some of the problems that Andy’s company faced?
Some of the problems that Andy’s company faced were the sickness making it hard for people to travel and bad people using the cars for crimes, which cost the company a lot of money to fix.

5. What is Andy thinking about starting a new business for?
Andy is thinking about starting a new business that helps farms be better for the Earth.

6. Why is it important for new businesses to be careful and think about what could go wrong?
It is important for new businesses to be careful and think about what could go wrong because bad people can cause a lot of trouble if they find a way to cheat.

7. Is Andy embarrassed that his business didn’t work out?
No, Andy is not embarrassed that his business didn’t work out. He is ready to try new ideas.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) cars
(2) letting
(3) traveling
(4) change
(5) things
(6) computer
(7) business
(8) people
(9) using
(10) careful
(11) work
(12) ready
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. company
Answer: (d) A group of people who work together

2. cars
Answer: (f) Vehicles that people drive

3. share
Answer: (a) To let someone else use something that you have

4. bad
Answer: (b) Not good or nice

5. business
Answer: (h) A way to make money or sell things

6. trouble
Answer: (c) Problems or difficulties

7. new
Answer: (e) Something that is not old or used before

8. ideas
Answer: (g) Thoughts or plans for doing something different
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Andy Hibbert’s company allow people to do with their cars?
Answer: (c) Share them with others

2. Why did Andy’s company have to change its business model?
Answer: (b) People stopped traveling due to a sickness and a war

3. What problem did Andy’s company face when people started sharing cars from their homes?
Answer: (a) Bad people used the cars for illegal activities

4. What did bad people do with the shared cars?
Answer: (a) Used them for crimes

5. Why did Andy’s company lose a lot of money?
Answer: (d) Bad people used the cars for crimes

6. What is Andy thinking about doing next?
Answer: (b) Starting a new business that helps farms be better for the Earth

7. What lesson does Andy’s company teach about new businesses?
Answer: (d) They need to be careful and think about what could go wrong

8. What is Andy’s attitude towards his business not working out?
Answer: (c) He is not embarrassed and is ready to try new ideas
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Andy is giving up and is not thinking about starting a new business that helps farms be better for the Earth. (Answer: False)
2. Andy Hibbert did not start a company in London that let people share their cars with others. (Answer: False)
3. The company had to change its business model when people stopped traveling because of a big sickness and a war. (Answer: True)
4. The company did not encounter any problems, including the sickness, making it easy for people to travel, and good people using the cars for crimes. (Answer: False)
5. Andy’s company shows that new businesses need to be careful and think about what could go wrong. (Answer: True)
6. The company was not like a hotel for cars, where people could make money by letting tourists drive their cars when they didn’t need them. (Answer: False)
7. Bad people started using the cars for crimes and tricked the company’s computer checks. (Answer: True)
8. Andy is not embarrassed to talk about his business not working and is ready to try new ideas. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧