A famous soccer player, Cristiano Ronaldo, is in trouble because some people are saying he made them lose money. They say he told them to use a big company called Binance to buy digital money, but they lost their money instead. Now, they want more than one billion dollars from him. They say that because Ronaldo told people about Binance, a lot more people wanted to use it, and they didn’t know the risks.

Binance, the company Ronaldo talked about, is also in trouble. They have to pay a lot of money because they broke some rules. The boss of Binance said he did something wrong and left the company. Some other big sports names and companies are in trouble too because they told people to use another company that didn’t work out.

Ronaldo and Binance haven’t said anything about this problem yet. But Ronaldo did say on the internet that he might work with Binance again. This whole thing is making people think that there should be better rules for when famous people tell others to buy digital money. It’s important because the way people use money is changing a lot.

Original news source: Cristiano Ronaldo faces $1bn lawsuit over Binance ads (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into two teams. Give each team a list of vocabulary words related to the article (e.g. soccer player, digital money, company, rules). One member from each team will come up to the front of the class and act out the word without speaking. The team members have to guess the word within a certain time limit. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs, students will take turns summarizing the article to their partner. Each student will have 1 minute to explain the main points of the article in their own words. After both students have shared their summaries, they can compare and discuss any differences or similarities.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Create a list of statements related to the article (e.g. “Famous people should be held responsible for the products they promote”). Have students stand up and move to different areas of the classroom to indicate their opinion on each statement. For example, one side of the room can represent “Agree,” the other side can represent “Disagree,” and the middle can represent “Neutral.” After each statement, students can discuss their opinions with a partner.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and a pen. Choose vocabulary words from the article and write them on small slips of paper. Each student will randomly select a word and draw a picture to represent it, without writing any words. The rest of the class will try to guess the word based on the drawing. The student who guesses correctly can then take a turn drawing.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will discuss and make predictions about the future of digital money and the role of famous people in promoting it. They can use the information from the article as well as their own ideas and experiences. After the discussion, each group can share their predictions with the class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is Cristiano Ronaldo?
2. Why are some people saying Ronaldo made them lose money?
3. What is Binance?
4. Why is Binance in trouble?
5. What did Ronaldo say on the internet about working with Binance again?
6. Why do people think there should be better rules for when famous people talk about buying digital money?
7. Why is it important to have better rules for buying digital money?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A famous soccer player, Cristiano (1)______, is in (2)______ because some people are saying he made them lose money. They say he told them to use a big company (3)______ Binance to buy digital money, but they lost their money instead. Now, they want more than one billion dollars from him. They say that because Ronaldo told people about (4)______, a lot (5)______ people wanted to use it, and they didn’t know the risks.

Binance, the company Ronaldo talked about, is also in trouble. They (6)______ to pay a lot of money because they broke some rules. The boss of Binance (7)______ he did something wrong and (8)______ the company. Some other big sports names and companies are in trouble too because they told people to use another company that didn’t (9)______ out.

Ronaldo and Binance haven’t said anything about this problem yet. But Ronaldo did say on the (10)______ that he might work with Binance again. This whole thing is making people think that there should be (11)______ rules for when (12)______ people tell others to buy digital money. It’s important because the way people use money is changing a lot.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is digital money?
2. How would you feel if you lost a lot of money because someone told you to use a company?
3. Do you like using digital money? Why or why not?
4. Do you think famous people should be allowed to tell others to buy digital money? Why or why not?
5. What do you think about the idea of having better rules for when famous people promote digital money?
6. How do you think people use money differently now compared to before?
7. What is a rule?
8. How would you feel if you were the boss of Binance and had to pay a lot of money?
9. Do you think it’s fair for people to ask for more than one billion dollars from Cristiano Ronaldo? Why or why not?
10. What do you think might happen if Ronaldo works with Binance again?
11. Have you ever used digital money? How was your experience?
12. Can you think of any other ways that famous people can influence others?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. soccer
2. money
3. company
4. digital
5. rules
6. internet
7. people
8. famous

Meanings:
(a) A sport where you kick a ball
(b) Something that is on a computer or phone
(c) A group of people who work together
(d) Well-known and liked by many people
(e) Something you use to buy things
(f) A group of humans
(g) A place where you can find information and play games
(h) Things you have to follow
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Who is in trouble because people say he made them lose money?
(a) Lionel Messi
(b) Neymar
(c) Cristiano Ronaldo
(d) Kylian Mbappe

2. What company did Ronaldo tell people to use?
(a) Amazon
(b) Binance
(c) Google
(d) Microsoft

3. Why do people want more than one billion dollars from Ronaldo?
(a) Ronaldo broke some rules
(b) Ronaldo left the company
(c) Ronaldo said he might work with Binance again
(d) They lost money using Binance

4. Why is Binance in trouble?
(a) They lost a lot of money
(b) They fired their boss
(c) They broke some rules
(d) They don’t want to work with Ronaldo anymore

5. Who said he did something wrong and left Binance?
(a) Cristiano Ronaldo
(b) Lionel Messi
(c) Neymar
(d) The boss of Binance

6. What do people think should happen because of this problem?
(a) There should be better rules for when famous people tell others to buy digital money
(b) Ronaldo should pay more than one billion dollars
(c) Binance should work with other big sports names and companies
(d) People should stop using digital money

7. What did Ronaldo say on the internet?
(a) He might work with Binance again
(b) He wants to play for a different soccer team
(c) He doesn’t like digital money
(d) He wants to retire from soccer

8. Why is it important to have better rules for when famous people tell others to buy digital money?
(a) Ronaldo and Binance are in trouble
(b) The way people use money is changing a lot
(c) People lost a lot of money using Binance
(d) Ronaldo said he might work with Binance again

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The boss of Binance admitted to doing something wrong and left the company.
2. Some people are blaming Ronaldo for their financial losses.
3. People did not lose money after using Binance.
4. Binance is facing legal trouble and has to pay a lot of money.
5. The people are not demanding over one billion dollars from Ronaldo.
6. Other sports names and companies are not facing trouble for recommending a different company.
7. Ronaldo recommended a company called Binance to people.
8. Cristiano Ronaldo is not a famous soccer player.
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 some people saying that Cristiano Ronaldo made them lose money?
2. What is the name of the company that Ronaldo told people to use?
3. Why is Binance in trouble?
4. What did the boss of Binance do when they got in trouble?
5. Why do people think there should be better rules for when famous people talk about buying digital money?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who is Cristiano Ronaldo?
Cristiano Ronaldo is a famous soccer player.

2. Why are some people saying Ronaldo made them lose money?
Some people are saying Ronaldo made them lose money because he told them to use a company called Binance to buy digital money, but they ended up losing their money instead.

3. What is Binance?
Binance is a big company where people can buy and sell digital money, like Bitcoin.

4. Why is Binance in trouble?
Binance is in trouble because they broke some rules and now they have to pay a lot of money. The boss of Binance also said he did something wrong and left the company.

5. What did Ronaldo say on the internet about working with Binance again?
Ronaldo said on the internet that he might work with Binance again, but he hasn’t said anything about the problem yet.

6. Why do people think there should be better rules for when famous people talk about buying digital money?
People think there should be better rules because when famous people talk about buying digital money, a lot more people want to do it too. But they might not know all the risks and end up losing their money.

7. Why is it important to have better rules for buying digital money?
It is important to have better rules for buying digital money because the way people use money is changing a lot. Digital money can be risky, and if people don’t know the risks, they can lose a lot of money. So, having better rules can protect people and make sure they understand what they are getting into.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Ronaldo
(2) trouble
(3) called
(4) Binance
(5) more
(6) have
(7) said
(8) left
(9) work
(10) internet
(11) better
(12) famous
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. soccer
Answer: (a) A sport where you kick a ball

2. money
Answer: (e) Something you use to buy things

3. company
Answer: (c) A group of people who work together

4. digital
Answer: (b) Something that is on a computer or phone

5. rules
Answer: (h) Things you have to follow

6. internet
Answer: (g) A place where you can find information and play games

7. people
Answer: (f) A group of humans

8. famous
Answer: (d) Well-known and liked by many people
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Who is in trouble because people say he made them lose money?
Answer: (c) Cristiano Ronaldo

2. What company did Ronaldo tell people to use?
Answer: (b) Binance

3. Why do people want more than one billion dollars from Ronaldo?
Answer: (d) They lost money using Binance

4. Why is Binance in trouble?
Answer: (c) They broke some rules

5. Who said he did something wrong and left Binance?
Answer: (d) The boss of Binance

6. What do people think should happen because of this problem?
Answer: (a) There should be better rules for when famous people tell others to buy digital money

7. What did Ronaldo say on the internet?
Answer: (a) He might work with Binance again

8. Why is it important to have better rules for when famous people tell others to buy digital money?
Answer: (b) The way people use money is changing a lot
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The boss of Binance admitted to doing something wrong and left the company. (Answer: True)
2. Some people are blaming Ronaldo for their financial losses. (Answer: True)
3. People did not lose money after using Binance. (Answer: False)
4. Binance is facing legal trouble and has to pay a lot of money. (Answer: True)
5. The people are not demanding over one billion dollars from Ronaldo. (Answer: False)
6. Other sports names and companies are not facing trouble for recommending a different company. (Answer: False)
7. Ronaldo recommended a company called Binance to people. (Answer: True)
8. Cristiano Ronaldo is not a famous soccer player. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧