A company in China made a rule that upset many people. They said workers who were not married by a certain age might lose their jobs. This rule also included people who were divorced. The company wanted these workers to get married soon.
People on social media were very unhappy with this rule. Local officials said the rule was against the law. The company took back the rule the next day. They admitted that the way they said things was not right.
In China, fewer people are getting married these days. This is causing worries about the future. The government is concerned because the population is getting smaller. They want more people to get married and have children.
Original news source: Chinese company that set deadline for single workers to get married responds to criticism (Sky News)
🎧 Listen:
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📖 Vocabulary:
| 1 | rule | A guideline or instruction that tells people what they can or cannot do |
| 2 | upset | Feeling unhappy or angry about something |
| 3 | divorced | No longer married to someone |
| 4 | officials | People who have important jobs in the government or organization |
| 5 | admitted | Said that something is true |
| 6 | population | All the people living in a certain area |
| 7 | concerned | Feeling worried or interested about something |
| 8 | government | The group of people who make decisions for a country |
| 9 | included | Being part of something |
| 10 | future | The time that comes after now |
| 11 | worried | Feeling nervous or anxious about something |
| 12 | social media | Websites and apps where people share and talk about things online |
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– CHARADES
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Each team takes turns sending one member to act out a word or phrase related to the article (e.g., “marriage,” “job,” “divorce”). The team must guess the word within a time limit.
– OPINION POLL
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article, such as “People should be married by a certain age” or “Companies can set rules about workers’ personal lives.” Students will walk around the classroom and ask their classmates to agree or disagree with each statement, noting their responses.
– HEADLINE CREATION
Instructions: In pairs, ask students to come up with a catchy headline for the news article. They should think about what would grab readers’ attention. After 5 minutes, each pair shares their headline with the class.
– THINK-PAIR-SHARE
Instructions: Pose a question related to the article, such as “What do you think about companies having rules about marriage?” Students think about their answer individually, then discuss with a partner before sharing their ideas with the class.
– VOCABULARY Pictionary
Instructions: Write key vocabulary words from the article on slips of paper. Students take turns drawing a word without speaking, while their classmates guess the word. This will help reinforce vocabulary in a fun way.
🤔 Comprehension Questions:
1. What rule did the company in China make about workers and marriage?
2. How did people feel about the company’s rule on social media?
3. What did local officials say about the company’s rule?
4. What did the company do after people complained about the rule?
5. Why is the government in China worried about fewer people getting married?
6. What does the government want more people to do besides getting married?
7. Who else did the company’s rule affect besides unmarried workers?
Go to answers ⇩
🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
A company in China made a (1)______ that (2)______ many (3)______. They said workers who were not married by a certain age might lose their jobs. This rule also included people who were (4)______. The company wanted these (5)______ to get married soon.
People on social (6)______ were very unhappy with this rule. Local officials said the rule was against the law. The company took back the rule the next day. They admitted that the way they said things was not right.
In (7)______, (8)______ people are getting (9)______ these days. This is causing worries about the future. The (10)______ is (11)______ because the population is getting (12)______. They want more people to get married and have children.
Go to answers ⇩
💬 Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is your opinion about companies making rules about marriage?
2. How would you feel if your job depended on being married?
3. Do you think it is fair to lose a job for not being married? Why or why not?
4. What is a good age to get married?
5. Do you like the idea of getting married? Why or why not?
6. How do you think people feel when they hear about this rule?
7. What do you think is more important, love or a job?
8. Have you ever felt pressure to do something like get married?
9. Why do you think fewer people are getting married these days?
10. Do you think the government should worry about marriage? Why?
11. How would you feel if someone told you to get married soon?
12. What is your idea of a happy family?
Individual Activities
📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. rule
2. upset
3. divorced
4. officials
5. admitted
6. population
7. concerned
8. government
9. included
10. future
11. worried
12. social media
Meanings:
(A) A guideline or instruction that tells people what they can or cannot do
(B) The group of people who make decisions for a country
(C) Being part of something
(D) Feeling unhappy or angry about something
(E) Feeling worried or interested about something
(F) All the people living in a certain area
(G) The time that comes after now
(H) Feeling nervous or anxious about something
(I) Said that something is true
(J) No longer married to someone
(K) People who have important jobs in the government or organization
(L) Websites and apps where people share and talk about things online
Go to answers ⇩
🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What did the company in China say about workers who were not married?
(a) They would get a bonus
(b) They might lose their jobs
(c) They could work from home
(d) They would get extra vacation
2. Who was upset about the company’s new rule?
(a) Local shop owners
(b) School teachers
(c) Tourists
(d) Workers
3. What did local officials say about the company’s rule?
(a) It was against the law
(b) It was a good idea
(c) It helped workers
(d) It was very popular
4. What did the company do the day after making the rule?
(a) They took back the rule
(b) They made it stricter
(c) They added more rules
(d) They hired more workers
5. What is happening to marriage rates in China?
(a) They are going up
(b) They are staying the same
(c) They are going down
(d) They are very high
6. Why is the Chinese government worried about fewer marriages?
(a) People are moving away
(b) The population is getting smaller
(c) There are too many children
(d) Workers are leaving the country
7. What did the company admit about their rule?
(a) It was a good idea
(b) It helped many people
(c) The way they said it was not right
(d) It was very popular
8. What did the company want workers to do?
(a) Work harder
(b) Take more breaks
(c) Change jobs
(d) Get married soon
Go to answers ⇩
🕵️ True or False Questions:
1. The government is worried about the smaller population.
2. In China, fewer people are getting married now.
3. A company in Japan made a rule about marriage and jobs.
4. Many people were upset about the company’s rule.
5. Local officials said the rule was in line with the law.
6. The rule also affected workers who were divorced.
7. The company implemented the rule the next day.
8. Workers who were not married by a certain age could receive promotions.
Go to answers ⇩
📝 Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!
Writing Questions:
Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
Check your answers with our free English writing assistant!
1. What new rule did the company in China make about workers and marriage?
2. How did people react to the company’s rule on social media?
3. What did local officials say about the company’s rule?
4. Why is the Chinese government worried about fewer people getting married?
5. What did the company do after they realized their rule was not right?
✅ Answers
🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What rule did the company in China make about workers and marriage?
The company said workers who were not married by a certain age might lose their jobs.
2. How did people feel about the company’s rule on social media?
People were very unhappy about the company’s rule on social media.
3. What did local officials say about the company’s rule?
Local officials said the rule was against the law.
4. What did the company do after people complained about the rule?
The company took back the rule the next day.
5. Why is the government in China worried about fewer people getting married?
The government is worried because the population is getting smaller.
6. What does the government want more people to do besides getting married?
The government wants more people to have children.
7. Who else did the company’s rule affect besides unmarried workers?
The rule also affected people who were divorced.
Go back to questions ⇧
🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) rule
(2) upset
(3) people
(4) divorced
(5) workers
(6) media
(7) China
(8) fewer
(9) married
(10) government
(11) concerned
(12) smaller
Go back to questions ⇧
📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. rule
Answer: (A) A guideline or instruction that tells people what they can or cannot do
2. upset
Answer: (D) Feeling unhappy or angry about something
3. divorced
Answer: (J) No longer married to someone
4. officials
Answer: (K) People who have important jobs in the government or organization
5. admitted
Answer: (I) Said that something is true
6. population
Answer: (F) All the people living in a certain area
7. concerned
Answer: (E) Feeling worried or interested about something
8. government
Answer: (B) The group of people who make decisions for a country
9. included
Answer: (C) Being part of something
10. future
Answer: (G) The time that comes after now
11. worried
Answer: (H) Feeling nervous or anxious about something
12. social media
Answer: (L) Websites and apps where people share and talk about things online
Go back to questions ⇧
🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What did the company in China say about workers who were not married?
Answer: (b) They might lose their jobs
2. Who was upset about the company’s new rule?
Answer: (d) Workers
3. What did local officials say about the company’s rule?
Answer: (a) It was against the law
4. What did the company do the day after making the rule?
Answer: (a) They took back the rule
5. What is happening to marriage rates in China?
Answer: (c) They are going down
6. Why is the Chinese government worried about fewer marriages?
Answer: (b) The population is getting smaller
7. What did the company admit about their rule?
Answer: (c) The way they said it was not right
8. What did the company want workers to do?
Answer: (d) Get married soon
Go back to questions ⇧
🕵️✅ True or False Answers:
1. The government is worried about the smaller population. (Answer: True)
2. In China, fewer people are getting married now. (Answer: True)
3. A company in Japan made a rule about marriage and jobs. (Answer: False)
4. Many people were upset about the company’s rule. (Answer: True)
5. Local officials said the rule was in line with the law. (Answer: False)
6. The rule also affected workers who were divorced. (Answer: True)
7. The company implemented the rule the next day. (Answer: False)
8. Workers who were not married by a certain age could receive promotions. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
