The people who watch the UK’s money say the country will not grow as fast as they thought before. Prices are going up and it’s hard for people to buy what they need. The money watchers think it will take a long time for things to get as good as they were before the sickness that spread all over the world. They also say that prices will stay high for longer than they hoped.

The UK is having trouble because things cost a lot, and people can’t spend much. The Bank of England, which is like a big money bank for the whole country, thinks the UK won’t grow much in the next two years. This big bank has made it more expensive to borrow money to try to make prices stop going up so fast. But this can also make it hard for people to pay for their homes and for businesses to spend money on new things.

The man in charge of the UK’s money, Mr. Hunt, knows they need to make things better. He has some ideas to help businesses and make it easier for them to grow. He also thinks the government won’t have to borrow as much money as they thought before. But the other big team, called Labour, says the government made some bad choices and people are having a tough time because of it.

Original news source: UK economy growth forecasts slashed for next two years (BBC)

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Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary

Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a copy of the article. Instruct them to read the article and then work together to write a summary of the main points. After a designated time, have each group share their summary with the class.

– Opinion Poll

Instructions: Write the following question on the board: “Do you think the UK’s economy will improve in the next two years?” Give each student a slip of paper and ask them to write “Yes” or “No” as their answer. Collect the slips of paper and tally the results on the board. Then, facilitate a class discussion where students can explain their opinions and discuss the reasons behind their answers.

– Vocabulary Pictionary

Instructions: Write a list of key vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair a piece of paper and ask them to take turns choosing a word from the list and drawing a quick sketch to represent it. The partner must try to guess the word based on the drawing. After a few rounds, switch roles.

– Pros and Cons

Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. Assign one group to argue the pros of the UK’s economic situation described in the article, and assign the other group to argue the cons. Give the groups a few minutes to brainstorm their arguments, and then have a debate where each group takes turns presenting their points. Encourage students to use the vocabulary and ideas from the article to support their arguments.

– Future Predictions

Instructions: In pairs, have students take turns making predictions about the future of the UK’s economy based on the information in the article. They can discuss things like whether prices will continue to rise, if the government’s plans will be successful, and how the economy might affect people’s lives. After each student makes a prediction, their partner should ask follow-up questions to encourage a deeper discussion.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Why do the people who watch the UK’s money think the country won’t grow as fast as they thought before?
2. What is happening to prices in the UK?
3. How long do the money watchers think it will take for things to get as good as they were before?
4. What does the Bank of England think about the UK’s growth in the next two years?
5. Why did the Bank of England make it more expensive to borrow money?
6. What does Mr. Hunt want to do to help businesses grow?
7. What does the other big team called Labour say about the government’s choices?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

The people who watch the UK’s money say the country will not grow as fast as they thought before. Prices are going up and it’s (1)______ for people to buy what they need. The money watchers think it will take a long (2)______ for things to get as good as they were before the (3)______ that spread all over the world. They also say that prices will stay high for longer than they hoped.

The UK is having trouble because things cost a lot, and people can’t (4)______ much. The Bank of (5)______, which is like a big money (6)______ for the whole country, thinks the UK won’t grow much in the next two years. This big bank has made it more expensive to borrow money to try to make prices stop going up so fast. But this can also make it hard for (7)______ to pay for their homes and for (8)______ to spend money on new things.

The man in charge of the UK’s money, Mr. Hunt, knows they (9)______ to make things better. He has some ideas to help businesses and make it (10)______ for them to (11)______. He also thinks the government won’t have to borrow as much money as they thought before. But the other big team, called Labour, says the government (12)______ some bad choices and people are having a tough time because of it.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What are some things that are getting more expensive in the UK?
2. How do you think people feel when they can’t buy what they need?
3. Do you think it’s good or bad that prices will stay high for a long time? Why or why not?
4. What is the Bank of England and what does it do?
5. How do you think it feels when it’s hard to pay for your home?
6. Do you think it’s a good idea to make it more expensive to borrow money? Why or why not?
7. What are some ideas Mr. Hunt has to help businesses grow?
8. Do you think it’s fair to say the government made some bad choices? Why or why not?
9. How do you think the UK can make things better?
10. What would you do if things in your country were getting more expensive and you couldn’t buy what you needed?
11. Do you think it’s important for the government to help businesses? Why or why not?
12. How do you think the UK’s money situation affects people’s lives?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. grow
2. prices
3. borrow
4. businesses
5. government
6. tough
7. choices
8. team

Meanings:
(a) Difficult or hard
(b) Decisions or options that you can choose from
(c) The group of people who make decisions for a country
(d) To take money from someone with the promise to pay it back later
(e) Companies or organizations that sell goods or services
(f) The amount of money something costs
(g) To get bigger or increase in size
(h) A group of people who work together towards a common goal
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What are the money watchers saying about the UK’s growth?
(a) It will grow faster than they thought before.
(b) It will stay the same as they thought before.
(c) They don’t know how fast it will grow.
(d) It will not grow as fast as they thought before.

2. Why is the UK having trouble?
(a) Things are cheap and people can spend a lot.
(b) Things cost a lot but people can still spend a lot.
(c) Things cost a lot and people can’t spend much.
(d) Things are cheap and people can’t spend much.

3. What is the Bank of England?
(a) A small money bank for the whole country.
(b) A big money bank for the whole country.
(c) A big money bank for a small part of the country.
(d) A small money bank for a small part of the country.

4. What has the Bank of England done to try to make prices stop going up so fast?
(a) Made it cheaper to borrow money.
(b) Made it more expensive to save money.
(c) Made it cheaper to save money.
(d) Made it more expensive to borrow money.

5. Why might it be hard for people to pay for their homes?
(a) Borrowing money has become cheaper.
(b) Borrowing money has become more expensive.
(c) Saving money has become more expensive.
(d) Saving money has become cheaper.

6. Who is in charge of the UK’s money?
(a) Mr. Hunt.
(b) Mr. Smith.
(c) Mr. Johnson.
(d) Mr. Brown.

7. What does Mr. Hunt think about the government’s borrowing?
(a) They will have to borrow more money than they thought before.
(b) They will have to borrow the same amount of money as they thought before.
(c) They won’t have to borrow as much money as they thought before.
(d) They won’t have to borrow any money.

8. What does the other big team, called Labour, say about the government’s choices?
(a) They made some bad choices and people are having a tough time because of it.
(b) They made some good choices and people are having an easy time because of it.
(c) They made some bad choices but people are having an easy time because of it.
(d) They made some good choices but people are having a tough time because of it.

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. The opposition party, Labour, blames the government for making poor choices that have caused difficulties for people.
2. It is difficult for people to buy the things they need because of the high prices.
3. The UK’s economy is not growing as fast as expected, and prices are increasing.
4. The person in charge of the UK’s money, Mr. Hunt, has plans to hinder businesses and make it harder for them to grow.
5. Prices are expected to remain low for a shorter period than originally hoped.
6. The Bank of England has made borrowing money less expensive to control the rising prices.
7. The experts predict that it will take a short time for the UK’s economy to recover from the global sickness.
8. The Bank of England believes that the UK’s economic growth will be slow in the next two years.
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 that the UK is facing with its money?
2. Why are prices going up in the UK?
3. What does the Bank of England do?
4. Why is it more expensive to borrow money now?
5. Who is in charge of the UK’s money and what are his ideas to help businesses?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Why do the people who watch the UK’s money think the country won’t grow as fast as they thought before?
Because prices are going up and it’s hard for people to buy things they need.

2. What is happening to prices in the UK?
Prices are going up.

3. How long do the money watchers think it will take for things to get as good as they were before?
They think it will take a long time for things to get as good as they were before.

4. What does the Bank of England think about the UK’s growth in the next two years?
The Bank of England thinks the UK won’t grow much in the next two years.

5. Why did the Bank of England make it more expensive to borrow money?
To try to make prices stop going up so fast.

6. What does Mr. Hunt want to do to help businesses grow?
He wants to make it easier for businesses to grow.

7. What does the other big team called Labour say about the government’s choices?
Labour says the government made some bad choices and people are having a tough time because of it.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) hard
(2) time
(3) sickness
(4) spend
(5) England
(6) bank
(7) people
(8) businesses
(9) need
(10) easier
(11) grow
(12) made
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. grow
Answer: (g) To get bigger or increase in size

2. prices
Answer: (f) The amount of money something costs

3. borrow
Answer: (d) To take money from someone with the promise to pay it back later

4. businesses
Answer: (e) Companies or organizations that sell goods or services

5. government
Answer: (c) The group of people who make decisions for a country

6. tough
Answer: (a) Difficult or hard

7. choices
Answer: (b) Decisions or options that you can choose from

8. team
Answer: (h) A group of people who work together towards a common goal
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What are the money watchers saying about the UK’s growth?
Answer: (d) It will not grow as fast as they thought before.

2. Why is the UK having trouble?
Answer: (c) Things cost a lot and people can’t spend much.

3. What is the Bank of England?
Answer: (b) A big money bank for the whole country.

4. What has the Bank of England done to try to make prices stop going up so fast?
Answer: (d) Made it more expensive to borrow money.

5. Why might it be hard for people to pay for their homes?
Answer: (b) Borrowing money has become more expensive.

6. Who is in charge of the UK’s money?
Answer: (a) Mr. Hunt.

7. What does Mr. Hunt think about the government’s borrowing?
Answer: (c) They won’t have to borrow as much money as they thought before.

8. What does the other big team, called Labour, say about the government’s choices?
Answer: (a) They made some bad choices and people are having a tough time because of it.
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. The opposition party, Labour, blames the government for making poor choices that have caused difficulties for people. (Answer: True)
2. It is difficult for people to buy the things they need because of the high prices. (Answer: True)
3. The UK’s economy is not growing as fast as expected, and prices are increasing. (Answer: True)
4. The person in charge of the UK’s money, Mr. Hunt, has plans to hinder businesses and make it harder for them to grow. (Answer: False)
5. Prices are expected to remain low for a shorter period than originally hoped. (Answer: False)
6. The Bank of England has made borrowing money less expensive to control the rising prices. (Answer: False)
7. The experts predict that it will take a short time for the UK’s economy to recover from the global sickness. (Answer: False)
8. The Bank of England believes that the UK’s economic growth will be slow in the next two years. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧