Bedbugs are becoming a big problem in hotels in France and the UK. A company that helps get rid of pests, Rentokil, says there were 65% more bedbugs in the UK in the second part of 2023 than the year before. To stop this problem, hotels are using old and new technology. A UK company, Spotta, has made a tool that uses a special smell to attract bedbugs. If a bug goes inside, a camera takes a picture and sends it to a computer for checking. Another company, Valpas from Finland, has made a bug trap that can send a message over the internet to tell hotel owners if a bug is caught.
Some hotels are also using dogs to find bedbugs. These dogs are trained to smell bedbugs and are very good at finding them. Even though more bedbugs are being found, it is still not very likely that you will find them in UK hotels. But, people can get very scared if they hear about bedbugs in a hotel, which can hurt the hotel’s business. This is especially hard for hotels right now because they are already losing money because of the pandemic. Even though it costs money to use these bug-finding tools, it might be worth it to keep a good reputation.
In the end, hotels are learning that it is very important to find and stop bedbugs early. By using technology and trained dogs, they can find bedbugs before they become a big problem. This helps keep guests happy and keeps the hotel’s good name.
Original news source: Bedbugs: Hotels turn to tech as outbreaks rise (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Assign each pair to read the article.
3. Each pair must summarize the article in their own words, highlighting the main points.
4. Give each pair a few minutes to prepare their summary.
5. Have each pair take turns presenting their summary to the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Assign each group a question related to the article, such as “Do you think using dogs to find bedbugs is an effective method?”
3. Give the groups a few minutes to discuss and form their opinions.
4. Have each group present their opinions to the class.
5. Encourage discussion and debate among the groups.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write down key vocabulary words from the article on separate pieces of paper.
2. Divide the class into small groups.
3. Each group takes turns choosing a word and drawing it on the board without using any letters or numbers.
4. The rest of the group must guess the word based on the drawing.
5. Award points to the group that guesses correctly and rotate turns.
– Keyword Hangman
Instructions:
1. Choose important keywords from the article and write them as blanks on the board, like in the game Hangman.
2. Divide the class into two teams.
3. Have one student from each team guess a letter to fill in the blanks.
4. If the letter is correct, fill in the blanks with that letter. If not, mark a body part of the hangman.
5. Alternate turns between teams until one team guesses the entire keyword or the hangman is complete.
– Future Predictions
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Instruct each group to discuss and make predictions about the future of bedbug problems in hotels.
3. Encourage them to use the information from the article and their own ideas.
4. Have each group share their predictions with the class.
5. Engage in a class discussion about the different predictions and reasons behind them.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is becoming a big problem in hotels in France and the UK?
2. How much more bedbugs were there in the UK in the second part of 2023 compared to the year before?
3. What does the tool made by the UK company, Spotta, use to attract bedbugs?
4. What happens if a bug goes inside the tool made by Spotta?
5. What can the bug trap made by Valpas do?
6. How do some hotels find bedbugs?
7. Why is it important for hotels to find and stop bedbugs early?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Bedbugs are becoming a big problem in hotels in France and the UK. A company that helps get rid of pests, Rentokil, says there were 65% (1)______ bedbugs in the UK in the second part of 2023 than the year before. To stop this problem, hotels are using old and new technology. A UK company, Spotta, has made a (2)______ that uses a (3)______ smell to attract bedbugs. If a bug goes inside, a camera takes a picture and sends it to a (4)______ for (5)______. Another company, Valpas from Finland, has made a bug trap that can send a message over the internet to tell hotel owners if a bug is caught.
Some (6)______ are also using dogs to find bedbugs. These dogs are trained to smell bedbugs and are very good at finding them. Even though more bedbugs are being found, it is still not very likely that you will find them in UK hotels. But, people can get very scared if they (7)______ about bedbugs in a hotel, which can hurt the hotel’s business. This is especially hard for hotels right now because they are already losing (8)______ because of the (9)______. Even though it costs money to use these bug-finding tools, it might be worth it to (10)______ a good reputation.
In the end, hotels are learning that it is very important to find and stop (11)______ early. By using technology and trained (12)______, they can find bedbugs before they become a big problem. This helps keep guests happy and keeps the hotel’s good name.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is a bedbug?
2. How would you feel if you found a bedbug in your hotel room?
3. Do you like staying in hotels? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s a good idea for hotels to use dogs to find bedbugs? Why or why not?
5. How do you think hotels can keep a good reputation?
6. Have you ever heard of bedbugs before? What do you know about them?
7. How do you think technology can help hotels find and stop bedbugs?
8. Why do you think people get scared when they hear about bedbugs in a hotel?
9. Have you ever had a bad experience in a hotel? What happened?
10. Do you think it’s important for hotels to keep their guests happy? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the pandemic has affected hotels’ business?
12. Would you be willing to pay more money to stay in a hotel that guarantees no bedbugs? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. bedbugs
2. pests
3. technology
4. smell
5. camera
6. trap
7. dogs
8. reputation
Meanings:
(a) Annoying animals or insects that cause problems
(b) A device used to catch or capture something
(c) The opinion or belief that people have about someone or something
(d) The sense that helps you detect scents
(e) Animals that have a strong sense of smell and can find things
(f) The use of tools and machines to solve problems
(g) Small insects that live in beds and bite people
(h) A device that takes pictures
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What problem are hotels in France and the UK facing?
(a) Cockroaches
(b) Mosquitoes
(c) Ants
(d) Bedbugs
2. Which company has made a tool that uses a special smell to attract bedbugs?
(a) Rentokil
(b) Spotta
(c) Valpas
(d) None of the above
3. What does the tool made by Spotta do when a bedbug goes inside?
(a) Sprays bug repellent
(b) Makes a loud noise
(c) Takes a picture and sends it to a computer
(d) None of the above
4. Which company has made a bug trap that can send a message over the internet?
(a) Valpas
(b) Spotta
(c) Rentokil
(d) None of the above
5. How are some hotels finding bedbugs?
(a) Using bug repellent
(b) Using cameras
(c) Using trained dogs
(d) None of the above
6. Why is it important for hotels to find and stop bedbugs early?
(a) To save money on bug-finding tools
(b) To attract more bedbugs
(c) None of the above
(d) To keep guests happy and maintain a good reputation
7. What can happen to a hotel’s business if people hear about bedbugs?
(a) It can get hurt
(b) It can get bigger
(c) It can get more customers
(d) None of the above
8. Why are hotels finding it especially hard to deal with bedbugs right now?
(a) Because they don’t have enough bug-finding tools
(b) Because they are already losing money because of the pandemic
(c) Because they don’t have enough trained dogs
(d) None of the above
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. A company called Rentokil does not help get rid of pests like bedbugs.
2. No hotels are using dogs that are trained to smell bedbugs and find them.
3. Valpas, a company from Finland, has made a bug trap that can send a message over the internet to tell hotel owners if a bug is caught.
4. Bedbugs are not becoming a big problem in hotels in France and the UK.
5. There were 65% more bedbugs in the UK in the second part of 2023 than the year before.
6. Spotta, a UK company, has made a tool that uses a special smell to attract bedbugs.
7. Finding and stopping bedbugs early is very important for hotels to keep their guests happy and maintain a good reputation.
8. Hotels are not using old and new technology to stop the bedbug problem.
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 becoming a big problem in hotels in France and the UK?
2. How much more bedbugs were there in the UK in the second part of 2023 compared to the year before?
3. How does the tool made by Spotta attract bedbugs?
4. What can a bug trap made by Valpas do?
5. Why is it important for hotels to find and stop bedbugs early?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What is becoming a big problem in hotels in France and the UK?
Bedbugs are becoming a big problem in hotels in France and the UK.
2. How much more bedbugs were there in the UK in the second part of 2023 compared to the year before?
There were 65% more bedbugs in the UK in the second part of 2023 compared to the year before.
3. What does the tool made by the UK company, Spotta, use to attract bedbugs?
The tool made by the UK company, Spotta, uses a special smell to attract bedbugs.
4. What happens if a bug goes inside the tool made by Spotta?
If a bug goes inside the tool made by Spotta, a camera takes a picture and sends it to a computer for checking.
5. What can the bug trap made by Valpas do?
The bug trap made by Valpas can send a message over the internet to tell hotel owners if a bug is caught.
6. How do some hotels find bedbugs?
Some hotels use trained dogs that can smell bedbugs to find them.
7. Why is it important for hotels to find and stop bedbugs early?
It is important for hotels to find and stop bedbugs early to keep guests happy and maintain a good reputation.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) more
(2) tool
(3) special
(4) computer
(5) checking
(6) hotels
(7) hear
(8) money
(9) pandemic
(10) keep
(11) bedbugs
(12) dogs
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. bedbugs
Answer: (g) Small insects that live in beds and bite people
2. pests
Answer: (a) Annoying animals or insects that cause problems
3. technology
Answer: (f) The use of tools and machines to solve problems
4. smell
Answer: (d) The sense that helps you detect scents
5. camera
Answer: (h) A device that takes pictures
6. trap
Answer: (b) A device used to catch or capture something
7. dogs
Answer: (e) Animals that have a strong sense of smell and can find things
8. reputation
Answer: (c) The opinion or belief that people have about someone or something
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What problem are hotels in France and the UK facing?
Answer: (d) Bedbugs
2. Which company has made a tool that uses a special smell to attract bedbugs?
Answer: (b) Spotta
3. What does the tool made by Spotta do when a bedbug goes inside?
Answer: (c) Takes a picture and sends it to a computer
4. Which company has made a bug trap that can send a message over the internet?
Answer: (a) Valpas
5. How are some hotels finding bedbugs?
Answer: (c) Using trained dogs
6. Why is it important for hotels to find and stop bedbugs early?
Answer: (d) To keep guests happy and maintain a good reputation
7. What can happen to a hotel’s business if people hear about bedbugs?
Answer: (a) It can get hurt
8. Why are hotels finding it especially hard to deal with bedbugs right now?
Answer: (b) Because they are already losing money because of the pandemic
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. A company called Rentokil does not help get rid of pests like bedbugs. (Answer: False)
2. No hotels are using dogs that are trained to smell bedbugs and find them. (Answer: False)
3. Valpas, a company from Finland, has made a bug trap that can send a message over the internet to tell hotel owners if a bug is caught. (Answer: True)
4. Bedbugs are not becoming a big problem in hotels in France and the UK. (Answer: False)
5. There were 65% more bedbugs in the UK in the second part of 2023 than the year before. (Answer: True)
6. Spotta, a UK company, has made a tool that uses a special smell to attract bedbugs. (Answer: True)
7. Finding and stopping bedbugs early is very important for hotels to keep their guests happy and maintain a good reputation. (Answer: True)
8. Hotels are not using old and new technology to stop the bedbug problem. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
