The President of the United States, Joe Biden, and the President of China, Xi Jinping, are going to meet in San Francisco next week. This will be their second meeting since Biden became President. They will talk about many things like the war in Israel, Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and election problems. They hope to make their countries get along better, avoid fights, and keep talking to each other. But, they don’t think they will solve all their problems at this meeting.

One of the main things they will talk about is Taiwan. China wants the US to promise that they don’t want Taiwan to be independent. The US is worried about China’s military actions near Taiwan. They will also talk about US rules on selling technology to China and arguments about who owns land in the South China and East China Seas. Also, Biden will ask China to help stop Iran from causing more violence in the Middle East.

The relationship between the US and China has not been good recently. Both countries blame each other for the problems. Biden’s team has been trying to make things better and restart military talks with China, but it hasn’t worked very well. This meeting is seen as a chance to make the relationship more stable, not to solve all their problems.

Original news source: Biden and Xi Jinping to meet in California (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: Students will work in pairs to summarize the article in their own words, aiming to condense the information into three or four sentences. They should focus on the main points: the meeting between the US and China’s Presidents, the topics of discussion, and the goal of improving relations.

– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Create a line in the classroom representing a spectrum of opinions, from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”. Read out statements related to the article such as “All countries should work together to solve international problems” or “It’s important for the US and China to have a good relationship”. Students position themselves along the spectrum according to their opinion, then discuss their reasons with the person next to them.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Play a game of hangman using key vocabulary from the article. Words could include “meeting”, “Taiwan”, “technology”, “military”, and “violence”. This will reinforce new vocabulary and ensure that students understand the key terms from the reading.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Pose a question about the article, such as “Why is the meeting between the two Presidents important?” or “What are some of the challenges the US and China face in their relationship?”. Students first think about their answer individually, then pair up to discuss their thoughts, and finally share their conclusions with the whole class.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Ask students to write a short paragraph predicting what they think will happen after the meeting between the Presidents. Will relations improve? Will there be no change? Encourage them to use vocabulary and information from the article to support their predictions. Share and discuss as a class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Where are the Presidents of the United States and China going to meet next week?
2. How many times have the Presidents met since Biden became President?
3. What are some of the topics they will talk about during their meeting?
4. What does China want the US to promise about Taiwan?
5. Why is the US worried about China’s actions near Taiwan?
6. What will Biden ask China to help with in the Middle East?
7. Has the relationship between the US and China been good or bad recently?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The President of the United States, Joe (1)______, and the President of China, Xi Jinping, are going to meet in San Francisco (2)______ week. This will be their second meeting since Biden became President. They will talk about many things like the war in Israel, Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and (3)______ problems. They hope to make their countries get along better, avoid (4)______, and keep talking to each other. But, they don’t think they will solve all their problems at this meeting.

One of the main things they will talk about is (5)______. China wants the US to promise that they don’t want Taiwan to be (6)______. The US is worried about China’s military actions near Taiwan. They will also (7)______ about US rules on selling (8)______ to China and arguments about who owns land in the South China and East China (9)______. Also, Biden will ask China to help stop Iran from causing more violence in the Middle East.

The relationship between the US and (10)______ has not been good recently. Both countries blame each other for the problems. Biden’s (11)______ has been trying to make things better and restart military talks with China, but it hasn’t worked very well. This (12)______ is seen as a chance to make the relationship more stable, not to solve all their problems.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a president?
2. How would you feel if the leader of your country met with the leader of another country?
3. Do you like it when people from different countries talk to each other? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important for countries to be friends? Why?
5. What do you do when you have a problem with a friend? Do you talk to them like these presidents?
6. Have you ever had to make a promise? How did it make you feel?
7. How do you think the presidents can avoid fights?
8. Do you think it’s good to keep talking even if people don’t agree? Why or why not?
9. What is a meeting?
10. If you were the president, what would you talk about with another country’s president?
11. Do you think it’s okay to ask for help from others when there’s a big problem? Why?
12. What do you think makes a good relationship between countries?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. President
2. meeting
3. independent
4. military
5. technology
6. arguments
7. violence
8. relationship

Meanings:
(a) When a place or country is not controlled by another place or country
(b) When people come together to talk about something
(c) Things related to the army and fighting
(d) When people hurt each other and cause harm
(e) The use of machines and computers to do things
(f) The leader of a country, like the boss
(g) When people have different opinions and fight about them
(h) How two people or countries feel about each other
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who is the President of the United States?
(a) Xi Jinping
(b) Joe Biden
(c) Donald Trump
(d) Vladimir Putin

2. Where will the meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping take place?
(a) New York
(b) Beijing
(c) San Francisco
(d) London

3. What will Joe Biden and Xi Jinping talk about during their meeting?
(a) Climate change and renewable energy
(b) Sports and entertainment
(c) Food and travel
(d) The war in Israel, Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and election problems

4. What is one of the main things they will discuss about Taiwan?
(a) China wants the US to support Taiwan’s independence
(b) China wants the US to promise that they don’t want Taiwan to be independent
(c) The US wants China to promise that they don’t want Taiwan to be independent
(d) The US wants China to support Taiwan’s independence

5. Why is the US worried about China’s military actions near Taiwan?
(a) They fear it could lead to a war
(b) They want to sell technology to China
(c) They want to buy land from China
(d) They want to visit Taiwan for vacation

6. What other issues will they discuss during the meeting?
(a) The weather and climate in their countries
(b) Their favorite movies and TV shows
(c) US rules on selling technology to China and arguments about who owns land in the South China and East China Seas
(d) Their favorite sports teams

7. What is one thing Biden will ask China to help with?
(a) Start a war with another country
(b) Give the US money
(c) Build a wall along the US-Mexico border
(d) Stop Iran from causing more violence in the Middle East

8. What is the purpose of this meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping?
(a) To make the relationship between the US and China more stable
(b) To solve all the problems between the two countries
(c) To start a war with each other
(d) To talk about their favorite hobbies

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The Presidents of the United States and China will meet in San Francisco next week.
2. However, they expect to solve all their problems at this meeting.
3. The US is concerned about China’s military actions near Taiwan.
4. Their goal is to worsen relations between their countries and provoke conflicts.
5. The relationship between the US and China has been strained recently, with both countries blaming each other for the issues.
6. They will not discuss topics such as the war in Israel, Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and election problems.
7. This will be their first meeting since Joe Biden became President.
8. One of the main topics of discussion will be Taiwan and China’s desire for the US to not support its independence.
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. Where are Joe Biden and Xi Jinping going to meet next week?
2. Is this the first time Biden and Xi Jinping are meeting since Biden became President?
3. What are two topics they will talk about at the meeting?
4. Why is the US worried about China’s actions near Taiwan?
5. What does Biden hope to do with the relationship between the US and China?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Where are the Presidents of the United States and China going to meet next week?
They are going to meet in San Francisco.

2. How many times have the Presidents met since Biden became President?
This will be their second meeting.

3. What are some of the topics they will talk about during their meeting?
They will talk about the war in Israel, Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, election problems, and how to get along better.

4. What does China want the US to promise about Taiwan?
China wants the US to promise that they don’t want Taiwan to be its own country.

5. Why is the US worried about China’s actions near Taiwan?
The US is worried because China is showing off its military power near Taiwan.

6. What will Biden ask China to help with in the Middle East?
Biden will ask China to help stop Iran from causing more violence.

7. Has the relationship between the US and China been good or bad recently?
The relationship has been bad recently.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Biden
(2) next
(3) election
(4) fights
(5) Taiwan
(6) independent
(7) talk
(8) technology
(9) Seas
(10) China
(11) team
(12) meeting
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. President
Answer: (f) The leader of a country, like the boss

2. meeting
Answer: (b) When people come together to talk about something

3. independent
Answer: (a) When a place or country is not controlled by another place or country

4. military
Answer: (c) Things related to the army and fighting

5. technology
Answer: (e) The use of machines and computers to do things

6. arguments
Answer: (g) When people have different opinions and fight about them

7. violence
Answer: (d) When people hurt each other and cause harm

8. relationship
Answer: (h) How two people or countries feel about each other
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who is the President of the United States?
Answer: (b) Joe Biden

2. Where will the meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping take place?
Answer: (c) San Francisco

3. What will Joe Biden and Xi Jinping talk about during their meeting?
Answer: (d) The war in Israel, Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and election problems

4. What is one of the main things they will discuss about Taiwan?
Answer: (b) China wants the US to promise that they don’t want Taiwan to be independent

5. Why is the US worried about China’s military actions near Taiwan?
Answer: (a) They fear it could lead to a war

6. What other issues will they discuss during the meeting?
Answer: (c) US rules on selling technology to China and arguments about who owns land in the South China and East China Seas

7. What is one thing Biden will ask China to help with?
Answer: (d) Stop Iran from causing more violence in the Middle East

8. What is the purpose of this meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping?
Answer: (a) To make the relationship between the US and China more stable
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The Presidents of the United States and China will meet in San Francisco next week. (Answer: True)
2. However, they expect to solve all their problems at this meeting. (Answer: False)
3. The US is concerned about China’s military actions near Taiwan. (Answer: True)
4. Their goal is to worsen relations between their countries and provoke conflicts. (Answer: False)
5. The relationship between the US and China has been strained recently, with both countries blaming each other for the issues. (Answer: True)
6. They will not discuss topics such as the war in Israel, Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and election problems. (Answer: False)
7. This will be their first meeting since Joe Biden became President. (Answer: False)
8. One of the main topics of discussion will be Taiwan and China’s desire for the US to not support its independence. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧