A man named Elon Musk is upset because some big companies stopped putting their ads on a website called X. These companies don't want their ads to show up next to bad posts. X makes most of its money from ads, so this is a big problem. Musk might have to use his own money or talk to banks to help X stay open.
X is also losing money because it's not making as much from ads as before. They have to pay a lot of people who work there and pay back money they borrowed. If X can't pay its workers or the money it owes, it could close down. This would be bad for Musk's name and make it harder for him to borrow money later.
Musk is trying to make money for X in new ways. He started services for talking and watching videos and wants X to do many things, like chatting and paying for stuff online. X has a lot of old talks that can help make smart robots that chat. But these new ideas need time to make money, and right now, X needs to find a way to make up for the money it lost because the big companies stopped putting their ads on the website.
Original news source: Could X go bankrupt under Elon Musk? (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a set of vocabulary words related to the article. One student from each group will choose a word and draw a picture representing that word, while the other students in the group try to guess the word. The first student to correctly guess the word gets a point for their team. Continue until all the words have been used or the time limit is reached. The team with the most points wins.
– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Have the students read the article individually. Then, ask them to think about one question related to the article. After a few minutes, have them pair up with a partner and share their question and their thoughts on it. Finally, have a class discussion where each pair shares their question and thoughts with the rest of the class.
– Headline Creation
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of vocabulary words from the article. In their groups, the students have to come up with a catchy newspaper headline using as many of the vocabulary words as possible. After a few minutes, have each group share their headline with the rest of the class and vote on the best one.
– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a copy of the article. Set a timer for 5 minutes. In that time, each pair has to summarize the article as quickly and concisely as possible. After the time is up, have each pair take turns presenting their summary to the rest of the class. The class can then discuss any differences or similarities between the different summaries.
– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. Group A will discuss the statement "Big companies should stop putting their ads on websites with bad posts." Group B will discuss the statement "Big companies should continue putting their ads on websites with bad posts." Each group should come up with arguments to support their opinion. After a few minutes, have a class debate where students from each group present their arguments. Encourage students to respond and ask questions to each other.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
Elon Musk is upset because some big companies stopped putting their ads on a website called X.
The name of the website is X.
X makes most of its money from ads.
It is a big problem because X relies on the money from ads to stay open and pay its workers.
If X can't pay its workers or the money it owes, it could close down.
Musk is trying to make money for X by starting services for talking and watching videos and by adding features like chatting and paying for stuff online.
X needs to find a way to make up for the money it lost because it needs the money to pay its workers and the money it owes.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A man named Elon Musk is because some big companies stopped their ads on a website called X. These companies don't want their ads to show up next to bad posts. X makes most of its from ads, so this is a big problem. Musk might have to use his own money or talk to to X open. X is also losing money because it's not making as much from ads as before. They have to pay a lot of people who work there and pay back money they borrowed. If X can't pay its workers or the money it owes, it could close down. This would be bad for 's name and it harder for him to borrow money later. Musk is trying to make money for X in new ways. He started services for and watching videos and wants X to do many things, like chatting and paying for stuff online. X has a lot of old talks that can help make smart robots that chat. But these new need time to make money, and right now, X to find a way to make up for the money it lost because the big stopped putting their ads on the website.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a website?
2. How would you feel if you couldn't pay the people who work for you?
3. Do you think it's important for a company to make money from ads? Why or why not?
4. What are some other ways a website can make money?
5. Do you like watching videos online? Why or why not?
6. How do you think Elon Musk feels about the big companies stopping their ads on X? Why?
7. What would happen if X closed down?
8. Do you think it's easy or hard for X to find a way to make up for the lost money? Why?
9. What is a smart robot?
10. How do you think X can make money from chatting and paying for stuff online?
11. Would you be upset if you had to use your own money to keep a website open? Why or why not?
12. What do you think will happen to X in the future? Why?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.
Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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