In China, fewer people are getting married and having babies, which worries the government. Last year, for the first time in a long time, there were fewer people in China. Not many people are getting married, and the number of babies born is very low. Young people in China don’t want to get married or have kids because they don’t have many jobs and things cost a lot.
There are many single people in China who find it hard to find someone to marry. Men who live in the countryside need to have money and a good job to get married. But women who live in the countryside can wait to find the right person. Women who live in cities think differently about marriage now and don’t want to just have kids because they are supposed to.
The Chinese government hasn’t really helped with the problems that make people not want to get married or have kids. Young people in China are saying they won’t do what the government wants just because they are told to. They want to make their own choices about their lives. They call themselves the “last generation” because they want to live the way they want.
Original news source: China’s matchmaking mums have a powerful ally: The Party (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Start by explaining the concept of an opinion poll. Then, present the students with a statement from the article, such as “Young people should not feel pressured to get married or have children.” Ask students to raise their hands if they agree or disagree. After the show of hands, encourage a few students to share their opinions and reasons in English, fostering a discussion about societal expectations in different cultures.
– News Reporter Role-play
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student plays the role of a news reporter, and the other is an expert on demographic trends in China. The reporter should ask the expert questions based on information from the article, such as why fewer people in China are getting married or having babies. After a few minutes, have students switch roles. This activity will encourage speaking practice and help students use new vocabulary in context.
– Word Association
Instructions: Write the word “marriage” on the board. Ask students to call out words or phrases they associate with marriage, such as “wedding,” “family,” “love,” etc. Write down their associations around the central word, creating a word web. Repeat the process with the word “government.” This will activate prior knowledge and help students make connections with the content of the article.
– Sketch It
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a different part of the article. Without writing any words, students must create a sketch that represents the main idea of their assigned section. Once everyone is done, each group presents their sketch to the class, and the other students guess which part of the article it illustrates. This activity encourages comprehension and creative thinking.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Based on the article’s content, ask students to work in pairs to discuss and write down predictions about the future of China’s population trends. Prompt them with questions such as: “What do you think will happen in 10 years if fewer people in China get married and have babies?” Afterward, have each pair share their predictions with the class, fostering future tense practice and critical thinking.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is happening to the number of people getting married and having babies in China?
2. What happened in China last year for the first time in a long time?
3. Why don’t young people in China want to get married or have kids?
4. What do men in the countryside need to have to get married?
5. How do women in the cities feel about marriage now?
6. Has the Chinese government solved the problems that stop people from wanting to get married or have kids?
7. What do young people in China call themselves, and why?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
In (1)______, fewer people are getting married and having babies, which worries the government. Last year, for the (2)______ time in a (3)______ time, there were fewer people in China. Not many people are getting married, and the number of babies born is very low. Young people in China don’t (4)______ to get (5)______ or have kids because they don’t have many jobs and things cost a lot.
There are many single people in China who find it hard to find someone to marry. Men who live in the countryside (6)______ to have money and a good job to get married. But women who live in the countryside can wait to find the right person. (7)______ who live in cities think differently about marriage now and don’t want to just (8)______ kids because they are supposed to.
The (9)______ government hasn’t really helped with the problems that make people not want to get married or have kids. Young (10)______ in China are saying they won’t do what the government (11)______ just because they are told to. They want to make their own (12)______ about their lives. They call themselves the “last generation” because they want to live the way they want.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is marriage?
2. Do you like the idea of getting married one day? Why or why not?
3. How would you feel if things were very expensive in your country?
4. What do you think are good reasons to have a baby?
5. Do you think it’s important to have a job before getting married? Why?
6. Why do you think some women in cities don’t want to just have kids?
7. What do you think the word “single” means?
8. How would you feel if you had to wait a long time to find the right person to marry?
9. What is a “government”?
10. Do you think the government should help people with their problems? Why or why not?
11. What does it mean to make your own choices about your life?
12. Do you think it’s okay to not do what others expect from you? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. married
2. babies
3. worried
4. jobs
5. countryside
6. cities
7. government
8. choices
Meanings:
(a) Areas that are outside of big cities, with farms and nature
(b) When two people have a special ceremony and become husband and wife
(c) Decisions that you make for yourself about what you want to do
(d) Things that people do to earn money and have a career
(e) The people who make rules and decisions for a country
(f) Small humans that are born from their mother’s body
(g) Big places with lots of buildings and people
(h) Feeling scared or anxious about something
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Why is the Chinese government worried?
(a) Fewer people are getting married and having babies
(b) More people are getting married and having babies
(c) People are getting married but not having babies
(d) People are having babies but not getting married
2. What happened for the first time in a long time in China last year?
(a) There were fewer people
(b) There were more people
(c) There were more babies
(d) There were more marriages
3. Why don’t young people in China want to get married or have kids?
(a) They have too many jobs and things cost too little
(b) They have many jobs and things cost a lot
(c) They don’t have many jobs and things cost a lot
(d) They don’t have many jobs and things cost too little
4. Why do men in the countryside need money and a good job to get married?
(a) Because men in the countryside have high expectations
(b) Because women in the countryside have high expectations
(c) Because the government requires it
(d) Because it is a tradition in China
5. What do women in the countryside have the luxury of doing?
(a) Getting married right away
(b) Having children right away
(c) Waiting to find the right person to marry
(d) Not getting married or having children
6. How do women in cities think differently about marriage now?
(a) They want to have kids because they are supposed to
(b) They don’t want to just have kids because they are supposed to
(c) They want to get married because they are supposed to
(d) They don’t want to get married or have kids
7. How has the Chinese government helped with the problems of not wanting to get married or have kids?
(a) They have provided more jobs
(b) They have made things cheaper
(c) They have encouraged people to get married and have kids
(d) They haven’t really helped
8. What do young people in China want to do?
(a) Do what the government wants just because they are told to
(b) Call themselves the “last generation”
(c) Get married and have kids just because they are supposed to
(d) Make their own choices about their lives
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Last year, there were fewer people in China for the first time in a long time.
2. Men who live in the city need to have money and a good job to get married.
3. The Chinese government hasn’t really helped with the problems that make people not want to get married or have kids.
4. Many married people in China find it easy to find someone to marry.
5. Young people in China want to get married and have kids because they have many jobs and things cost less.
6. Women who live in the countryside can wait to find the right person.
7. In China, more people are getting married and having babies, which pleases the government.
8. Women who live in cities think differently about marriage now and don’t want to just have kids because they are supposed to.
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 are fewer people in China getting married and having babies?
2. What is happening to China’s population?
3. What do men in the countryside need to have to get married?
4. How do women in cities feel about marriage and having kids?
5. What name do young people in China use to call themselves, and why?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What is happening to the number of people getting married and having babies in China?
Fewer people are getting married and having babies in China.
2. What happened in China last year for the first time in a long time?
Last year, the number of people in China went down for the first time in many years.
3. Why don’t young people in China want to get married or have kids?
Young people in China don’t want to get married or have kids because they don’t have enough jobs and things are expensive.
4. What do men in the countryside need to have to get married?
Men in the countryside need to have money and a good job to get married.
5. How do women in the cities feel about marriage now?
Women in the cities now think differently about marriage and don’t want to just have kids because they are expected to.
6. Has the Chinese government solved the problems that stop people from wanting to get married or have kids?
No, the Chinese government hasn’t really helped with the problems that make people not want to get married or have kids.
7. What do young people in China call themselves, and why?
Young people in China call themselves the “last generation” because they want to make their own choices and live the way they want.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) China
(2) first
(3) long
(4) want
(5) married
(6) need
(7) Women
(8) have
(9) Chinese
(10) people
(11) wants
(12) choices
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. married
Answer: (b) When two people have a special ceremony and become husband and wife
2. babies
Answer: (f) Small humans that are born from their mother’s body
3. worried
Answer: (h) Feeling scared or anxious about something
4. jobs
Answer: (d) Things that people do to earn money and have a career
5. countryside
Answer: (a) Areas that are outside of big cities, with farms and nature
6. cities
Answer: (g) Big places with lots of buildings and people
7. government
Answer: (e) The people who make rules and decisions for a country
8. choices
Answer: (c) Decisions that you make for yourself about what you want to do
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. Why is the Chinese government worried?
Answer: (a) Fewer people are getting married and having babies
2. What happened for the first time in a long time in China last year?
Answer: (a) There were fewer people
3. Why don’t young people in China want to get married or have kids?
Answer: (c) They don’t have many jobs and things cost a lot
4. Why do men in the countryside need money and a good job to get married?
Answer: (b) Because women in the countryside have high expectations
5. What do women in the countryside have the luxury of doing?
Answer: (c) Waiting to find the right person to marry
6. How do women in cities think differently about marriage now?
Answer: (b) They don’t want to just have kids because they are supposed to
7. How has the Chinese government helped with the problems of not wanting to get married or have kids?
Answer: (d) They haven’t really helped
8. What do young people in China want to do?
Answer: (d) Make their own choices about their lives
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Last year, there were fewer people in China for the first time in a long time. (Answer: True)
2. Men who live in the city need to have money and a good job to get married. (Answer: False)
3. The Chinese government hasn’t really helped with the problems that make people not want to get married or have kids. (Answer: True)
4. Many married people in China find it easy to find someone to marry. (Answer: False)
5. Young people in China want to get married and have kids because they have many jobs and things cost less. (Answer: False)
6. Women who live in the countryside can wait to find the right person. (Answer: True)
7. In China, more people are getting married and having babies, which pleases the government. (Answer: False)
8. Women who live in cities think differently about marriage now and don’t want to just have kids because they are supposed to. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧
