A company in Somerset, England that makes drinks is having a problem with a big store from Germany. The English company says the German store made a drink that looks and tastes too much like their lemon cider. They are talking about it in court in London. The English company says the German store’s drink is too similar, but the German store says it’s not true.

The English company started selling their lemon cider in February 2020. The German store started selling their drink in May 2022. The English company’s lawyer wants the judge to try both drinks without knowing which is which to see if they are the same. The English company says they worked hard and spent a lot of money to make their drink popular.

The German store’s lawyers say their drink is different because it has a different name and look. They say the most special thing about the English company’s drink is its name. The German store had a similar problem last year with another store over a Christmas drink. The judge hasn’t decided who is right yet.

Original news source: Judge invited to taste test cider in Aldi row (BBC)

Listen

Slow

Normal

Fast

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Provide each team with a list of words related to the article (e.g. company, drink, court, lemon cider, German store). One student from each team will act out a word without speaking while their team tries to guess the word. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students take turns summarizing the article in their own words. Encourage them to include the main points and key details. Afterward, have a class discussion to compare and discuss their summaries.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a list of vocabulary words from the article (e.g. cider, similar, judge, lawyers). One student will choose a word and draw it while their partner tries to guess the word. They can only communicate through drawing, no speaking allowed. The pair that guesses the most words correctly wins.

– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a set of sentence strips with key points from the article (e.g. “A company in Somerset, England is having a problem with a German store.” “The English company says the German store’s drink is too similar.”) Each group must arrange the sentence strips in the correct order to summarize the article as quickly as possible. The group that completes the task first wins.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Assign one student to represent the English company and the other student to represent the German store. Have them brainstorm and discuss the pros and cons of their respective positions in the court case. Then, pair up the students from different pairs to debate and defend their positions. Encourage them to use the vocabulary and arguments from the article.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the problem between the English company and the German store?
2. When did the English company start selling their lemon cider?
3. When did the German store start selling their drink?
4. What does the English company’s lawyer want the judge to do?
5. Why does the German store say their drink is different?
6. Did the German store have a similar problem before?
7. Has the judge made a decision yet?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A company in Somerset, England that makes drinks is (1)______ a problem with a big (2)______ from Germany. The English company says the German store made a drink that looks and tastes too much like their (3)______ cider. They are talking about it in court in London. The (4)______ (5)______ says the German store’s drink is too similar, but the German store says it’s not true.

The English company started (6)______ their lemon cider in February 2020. The German store started selling their drink in May 2022. The English company’s lawyer wants the judge to try both drinks without knowing which is which to see if they are the same. The English company (7)______ they worked hard and spent a lot of money to make their drink (8)______.

The (9)______ store’s lawyers say their drink is different because it has a different name and look. They say the most special thing about the English company’s drink is its name. The German store had a similar problem last (10)______ with another store over a (11)______ drink. The judge hasn’t decided who is (12)______ yet.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a lemon cider?
2. How would you feel if someone made a drink that looked and tasted just like a drink you made?
3. Do you like trying new drinks? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s fair for the judge to try both drinks without knowing which is which? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever had a problem with someone copying something you made? What happened?
6. How do you think the English company feels about the German store’s drink?
7. Do you think the German store’s drink is really the same as the English company’s drink? Why or why not?
8. How important do you think the name of a drink is?
9. Have you ever tried a drink that you didn’t like? What was it?
10. Do you think it’s fair for the German store to say their drink is different because it has a different name and look? Why or why not?
11. What do you think will happen in the court case? Why?
12. Do you think it’s important for companies to protect their products from being copied? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. company
2. problem
3. court
4. similar
5. lawyer
6. popular
7. different
8. decide

Meanings:
(a) Almost the same, but not exactly
(b) Something that is not going well or causing trouble
(c) To make a choice or judgment about something
(d) A group of people who make or sell things
(e) A place where people go to solve legal problems
(f) Liked by many people
(g) A person who helps you with legal issues
(h) Not the same as something else
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Where is the company that is having a problem with the German store located?
(a) Berlin, Germany
(b) London, England
(c) Somerset, England
(d) Moscow, Russia

2. What kind of drink is the English company accusing the German store of copying?
(a) Orange juice
(b) Lemon cider
(c) Cola
(d) Coffee

3. Where is the court case taking place?
(a) Berlin
(b) Somerset
(c) Moscow
(d) London

4. When did the English company start selling their lemon cider?
(a) February 2020
(b) May 2022
(c) December 2021
(d) April 2019

5. When did the German store start selling their drink?
(a) February 2020
(b) December 2021
(c) May 2022
(d) April 2019

6. What does the English company want the judge to do?
(a) Decide who is right immediately
(b) Try both drinks without knowing which is which
(c) Give them a lot of money
(d) Close the German store

7. What do the German store’s lawyers say makes their drink different?
(a) It tastes better than the English company’s drink
(b) It is cheaper than the English company’s drink
(c) It is made in Germany
(d) It has a different name and look

8. What happened to the German store last year?
(a) They had a similar problem with another store over a Christmas drink
(b) They won a lot of money in a court case
(c) They closed down
(d) They started selling lemon cider

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The English company’s lawyer doesn’t want the judge to taste both drinks without knowing which is which to see if they are the same.
2. The English company started selling their lemon cider in February 2020, while the German store started selling their drink in May 2022.
3. The German store had a different problem last year with another store over a Christmas drink.
4. The German store’s lawyers argue that their drink is the same because it has the same name and appearance.
5. The English company says they didn’t work hard and didn’t spend a lot of money to make their drink popular.
6. The English company and the German store are talking about this problem in a court in London.
7. The judge has not yet made a decision about who is right in this case.
8. A company in England is upset because a big store in Germany made a drink that looks and tastes too much like their lemon cider.
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 is the problem between the English company and the German store?
2. When did the English company start selling their lemon cider?
3. What does the English company want the judge to do?
4. How do the German store’s lawyers say their drink is different?
5. Has the judge made a decision yet?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What is the problem between the English company and the German store?
The problem is that the German store made a drink that looks and tastes too much like the English company’s lemon cider.

2. When did the English company start selling their lemon cider?
The English company started selling their lemon cider in February 2020.

3. When did the German store start selling their drink?
The German store started selling their drink in May 2022.

4. What does the English company’s lawyer want the judge to do?
The English company’s lawyer wants the judge to try both drinks without knowing which is which to see if they are the same.

5. Why does the German store say their drink is different?
The German store says their drink is different because it has a different name and look.

6. Did the German store have a similar problem before?
Yes, the German store had a similar problem last year with another store over a Christmas drink.

7. Has the judge made a decision yet?
No, the judge hasn’t made a decision yet.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) having
(2) store
(3) lemon
(4) English
(5) company
(6) selling
(7) says
(8) popular
(9) German
(10) year
(11) Christmas
(12) right
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. company
Answer: (d) A group of people who make or sell things

2. problem
Answer: (b) Something that is not going well or causing trouble

3. court
Answer: (e) A place where people go to solve legal problems

4. similar
Answer: (a) Almost the same, but not exactly

5. lawyer
Answer: (g) A person who helps you with legal issues

6. popular
Answer: (f) Liked by many people

7. different
Answer: (h) Not the same as something else

8. decide
Answer: (c) To make a choice or judgment about something
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Where is the company that is having a problem with the German store located?
Answer: (c) Somerset, England

2. What kind of drink is the English company accusing the German store of copying?
Answer: (b) Lemon cider

3. Where is the court case taking place?
Answer: (d) London

4. When did the English company start selling their lemon cider?
Answer: (a) February 2020

5. When did the German store start selling their drink?
Answer: (c) May 2022

6. What does the English company want the judge to do?
Answer: (b) Try both drinks without knowing which is which

7. What do the German store’s lawyers say makes their drink different?
Answer: (d) It has a different name and look

8. What happened to the German store last year?
Answer: (a) They had a similar problem with another store over a Christmas drink
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The English company’s lawyer doesn’t want the judge to taste both drinks without knowing which is which to see if they are the same. (Answer: False)
2. The English company started selling their lemon cider in February 2020, while the German store started selling their drink in May 2022. (Answer: True)
3. The German store had a different problem last year with another store over a Christmas drink. (Answer: False)
4. The German store’s lawyers argue that their drink is the same because it has the same name and appearance. (Answer: False)
5. The English company says they didn’t work hard and didn’t spend a lot of money to make their drink popular. (Answer: False)
6. The English company and the German store are talking about this problem in a court in London. (Answer: True)
7. The judge has not yet made a decision about who is right in this case. (Answer: True)
8. A company in England is upset because a big store in Germany made a drink that looks and tastes too much like their lemon cider. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧