Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, was not invited to a big meeting in the UK. This happened because of things he said online during some riots last month. He was upset and said the UK lets bad people out of jail but punishes people for what they say online. His comments during the riots, including saying there might be a civil war and criticizing the prime minister, made some UK leaders unhappy.

The UK government didn’t invite Musk because they were worried about their reputation. They want to be careful about who they are seen with, especially when it comes to people with controversial backgrounds. Even though they want to attract investors from around the world, they decided not to invite Musk to keep a good image. Musk has thought about building another big factory in Europe but has concerns about the UK because of Brexit.

Musk is a big name in technology and cars, but the UK government decided his online comments were too risky for their image. This shows how important it is for them to keep a positive reputation. They want to avoid being linked with people who might cause problems for their image. This decision highlights how social media posts can affect business opportunities and relationships.

Original news source: Musk hits back after being shunned from UK summit (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Choose key words or phrases from the article related to Elon Musk, the UK government, online comments, reputation, and social media. Act out these words or phrases without speaking while your classmates guess what they are.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select vocabulary words from the article and draw them on the board while your classmates try to guess the word. Encourage students to draw simple representations to help expand their vocabulary.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and have them discuss whether they agree or disagree with the UK government’s decision not to invite Elon Musk. Each group should come up with reasons to support their opinion. After the discussion, each group presents their findings to the class.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Choose keywords from the article and play a game of hangman with the class. Have students guess the letters to uncover the keyword related to the article. This activity helps reinforce vocabulary from the text.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Ask students to think about a time when they posted something online and it had unintended consequences. Have them pair up with a classmate to share their experiences. After discussing in pairs, select a few students to share their stories with the whole class. This activity encourages reflection on the impact of online communication.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Why was Elon Musk not invited to a big meeting in the UK?
2. What did Elon Musk say online during the riots that made UK leaders unhappy?
3. Why was the UK government worried about their reputation when it came to inviting Elon Musk?
4. What are the UK government’s concerns about being seen with people with controversial backgrounds?
5. Why did the UK government decide not to invite Elon Musk even though they want to attract investors?
6. Why is it important for the UK government to keep a positive reputation?
7. How can social media posts affect business opportunities and relationships, according to the article?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, was not (1)______ to a big meeting in the UK. This (2)______ because of things he said online during some riots last month. He was upset and said the UK lets bad (3)______ out of jail but punishes people for what they say online. His comments during the riots, including saying there might be a (4)______ war and criticizing the prime (5)______, made some UK leaders unhappy.

The UK government didn’t (6)______ Musk because they were worried about their reputation. They want to be careful about who they are seen with, especially when it comes to people with controversial backgrounds. Even though they want to attract investors from around the world, they (7)______ not to invite Musk to keep a (8)______ image. Musk has thought about building another big factory in Europe but has concerns about the UK because of Brexit.

Musk is a big name in (9)______ and cars, but the UK government decided his online comments were too risky for their image. This shows how important it is for them to keep a positive reputation. They want to avoid being linked with people who might (10)______ problems for their image. This decision (11)______ how social media posts can (12)______ business opportunities and relationships.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is social media?
2. How would you feel if you were not invited to a big meeting?
3. Do you think it’s fair to not invite someone because of what they say online?
4. Why do you think the UK government didn’t invite Elon Musk?
5. Do you like using social media? Why or why not?
6. What is a reputation?
7. How important do you think reputation is for a person or a country?
8. Why do you think the UK government wants to attract investors from around the world?
9. Do you think it’s okay for a government to decide who they want to be seen with?
10. How do you think social media posts can affect business opportunities?
11. Why do you think Elon Musk was upset about not being invited?
12. What would you do if you were in Elon Musk’s situation?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. invited
2. riots
3. punishes
4. civil war
5. reputation
6. controversial
7. investors
8. factory
9. Brexit
10. risky
11. highlights
12. opportunities

Meanings:
(A) What people think about someone or something
(B) The UK’s decision to leave the European Union
(C) A building where things are made
(D) Could be dangerous or cause problems
(E) Makes someone suffer for doing something wrong
(F) Shows something clearly or makes it stand out
(G) People who put money into a business to make more money
(H) Chances to do something or get something good
(I) A war between people in the same country
(J) Violent disturbances by a crowd
(K) Causing disagreement or discussion
(L) Asked to come to a place or event
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Why was Elon Musk not invited to a big meeting in the UK?
(a) Because of things he said online during riots
(b) Because he was too busy
(c) Because he doesn’t like the UK
(d) Because he was sick

2. What did Elon Musk say during the riots that upset some UK leaders?
(a) He loves the UK
(b) He wants to move to the UK
(c) He supports the prime minister
(d) There might be a civil war

3. Why did the UK government not invite Elon Musk to the meeting?
(a) They didn’t have his contact information
(b) They didn’t like his car company
(c) They wanted to surprise him
(d) They were worried about their reputation

4. What did Elon Musk think about building in Europe but had concerns about?
(a) Brexit in the UK
(b) The weather in Spain
(c) The food in Italy
(d) The language in France

5. Why did the UK government decide not to invite Musk even though they want to attract investors?
(a) To make him upset
(b) To save money
(c) To keep a good image
(d) To have a smaller meeting

6. What does the article say about the importance of social media posts?
(a) They don’t matter at all
(b) They can affect business opportunities and relationships
(c) They are always positive
(d) They are only for fun

7. What did Elon Musk criticize during the riots?
(a) The weather
(b) The food
(c) The prime minister
(d) The UK government

8. What did Elon Musk say about the UK letting bad people out of jail?
(a) He agreed with it
(b) He said it but was not invited to the meeting
(c) He never mentioned it
(d) He disagreed with it

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. He was not invited to a big meeting in the UK.
2. Elon Musk is not the wealthiest person in the world.
3. The UK government decided not to invite Musk to keep a good image.
4. Musk has considered building another large factory in Asia.
5. Musk praised the UK government during the riots.
6. This decision shows how social media posts can affect business opportunities and relationships.
7. The UK government didn’t invite Musk because they were worried about their reputation.
8. This happened because of things she said online during some protests last month.
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 was Elon Musk not invited to a big meeting in the UK?
2. How did Elon Musk feel about not being invited to the meeting?
3. Why did the UK government decide not to invite Elon Musk?
4. What did Elon Musk say online that made some UK leaders unhappy?
5. How can social media posts affect business opportunities and relationships, according to the article?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why was Elon Musk not invited to a big meeting in the UK?
Elon Musk was not invited because of things he said online during some riots last month.

2. What did Elon Musk say online during the riots that made UK leaders unhappy?
Elon Musk said there might be a civil war and criticized the prime minister, which made UK leaders unhappy.

3. Why was the UK government worried about their reputation when it came to inviting Elon Musk?
The UK government was worried about their reputation because of Elon Musk’s controversial online comments.

4. What are the UK government’s concerns about being seen with people with controversial backgrounds?
The UK government is worried about being linked with people who might cause problems for their image.

5. Why did the UK government decide not to invite Elon Musk even though they want to attract investors?
The UK government decided not to invite Elon Musk to keep a good image, even though they want to attract investors.

6. Why is it important for the UK government to keep a positive reputation?
It is important for the UK government to keep a positive reputation to maintain good relationships and business opportunities.

7. How can social media posts affect business opportunities and relationships, according to the article?
Social media posts can affect business opportunities and relationships by influencing how people see and think about a person or a company.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) invited
(2) happened
(3) people
(4) civil
(5) minister
(6) invite
(7) decided
(8) good
(9) technology
(10) cause
(11) highlights
(12) affect
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. invited
Answer: (L) Asked to come to a place or event

2. riots
Answer: (J) Violent disturbances by a crowd

3. punishes
Answer: (E) Makes someone suffer for doing something wrong

4. civil war
Answer: (I) A war between people in the same country

5. reputation
Answer: (A) What people think about someone or something

6. controversial
Answer: (K) Causing disagreement or discussion

7. investors
Answer: (G) People who put money into a business to make more money

8. factory
Answer: (C) A building where things are made

9. Brexit
Answer: (B) The UK’s decision to leave the European Union

10. risky
Answer: (D) Could be dangerous or cause problems

11. highlights
Answer: (F) Shows something clearly or makes it stand out

12. opportunities
Answer: (H) Chances to do something or get something good
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Why was Elon Musk not invited to a big meeting in the UK?
Answer: (a) Because of things he said online during riots

2. What did Elon Musk say during the riots that upset some UK leaders?
Answer: (d) There might be a civil war

3. Why did the UK government not invite Elon Musk to the meeting?
Answer: (d) They were worried about their reputation

4. What did Elon Musk think about building in Europe but had concerns about?
Answer: (a) Brexit in the UK

5. Why did the UK government decide not to invite Musk even though they want to attract investors?
Answer: (c) To keep a good image

6. What does the article say about the importance of social media posts?
Answer: (b) They can affect business opportunities and relationships

7. What did Elon Musk criticize during the riots?
Answer: (c) The prime minister

8. What did Elon Musk say about the UK letting bad people out of jail?
Answer: (b) He said it but was not invited to the meeting
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. He was not invited to a big meeting in the UK. (Answer: True)
2. Elon Musk is not the wealthiest person in the world. (Answer: False)
3. The UK government decided not to invite Musk to keep a good image. (Answer: True)
4. Musk has considered building another large factory in Asia. (Answer: False)
5. Musk praised the UK government during the riots. (Answer: False)
6. This decision shows how social media posts can affect business opportunities and relationships. (Answer: True)
7. The UK government didn’t invite Musk because they were worried about their reputation. (Answer: True)
8. This happened because of things she said online during some protests last month. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧