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News English Lessons
FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on News
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

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Media CEO Says People Will Pay for News (1st December, 2009)

People will pay to read news on the Internet. This is the opinion of Rupert Murdoch, who is one of the biggest names in newspapers. He is CEO of the media giant News Corporation. News Corp owns hundreds of newspaper, radio and TV stations all over the world. Mr. Murdoch said people would be happy to spend money on "information they need to rise in society". He said if newspapers disappear, it’s because they do not adapt and give readers what they want: “If we fail, we fail like a restaurant that makes meals that no one wants to eat."

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Not everyone will agree with Rupert Murdoch. Most of us nowadays expect free news on the Internet. Maybe it is too late to change that. He gives his ‘Wall Street Journal’ newspaper as an example of how people will pay. This has over one million subscribers. Murdoch told reporters: "We will…extend this model to all our news organizations such as ‘The Times’ in London. He attacked Internet sites that posted news his journalists wrote, saying: “To be impolite, it is theft.” It will be interesting to see whether he is right or not.

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PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	This is the opinion	a.	of the media giant
2	one of the biggest	b.	in society
3.	He is CEO	c.	to spend money
4.	people would be happy	d.	of Rupert Murdoch
5.	they need to rise	e.	they want
6.	give readers what	f.	names in newspapers

Paragraph 2

1.	Most of us nowadays	a.	subscribers
2	it is too late	b.	his journalists wrote
3.	over one million	c.	is right or not
4.	We will extend this	d.	expect free news
5.	sites that posted news	e.	model
6.	see whether he	f.	to change that

LISTENING GAP FILL

People will pay ______________ the Internet. This is the opinion of Rupert Murdoch, ______________ the biggest names in newspapers. He is CEO of ______________ News Corporation. News Corp. owns hundreds of newspapers, and radio and TV stations all over the world. Mr. Murdoch said people would be ______________ money on "information they need to rise in society". He said if newspapers disappear, it’s because they ______________ and give readers what they want: “______________, we fail like a restaurant that makes meals that no one wants to eat."

Not everyone ______________ Rupert Murdoch. Most _________________ expect free news on the Internet. Maybe it is too late to change that. He gives his ‘Wall Street Journal’ newspaper ______________ of how people will pay. This ______________ million subscribers. Murdoch told reporters: "We will…extend this model to all our news organizations such as ‘The Times’ in London.” He attacked Internet ______________ news his journalists wrote, saying: “To be impolite, it is theft.” It will be interesting to see whether ______________ not.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

People will pay to read news (1) ____ the Internet. This is the opinion of Rupert Murdoch, who is one of the biggest names in newspapers. He is CEO of the media (2) ____ News Corporation. News Corp. owns hundreds of newspapers, and radio and TV stations (3) ____ over the world. Mr. Murdoch said people would be happy to spend money on "information they need to (4) ____ in society". He said if newspapers disappear, it’s because they do not (5) ____ and give readers what they want: “If we fail, we fail like a restaurant that makes meals that no one wants to eat."

Not everyone will (6) ____ with Rupert Murdoch. Most of us (7) ____ expect free news on the Internet. Maybe it is too late to change that. He gives his ‘Wall Street Journal’ newspaper as an (8) ____ of how people will pay. This has over one million subscribers. Murdoch told reporters: "We will…extend this model to all our news organizations (9) ____ as ‘The Times’ in London.” He attacked Internet sites that posted news his journalists wrote, saying: “To be impolite, it is theft.” It will be interesting to see (10) ____ he is right or not.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	on	(b)	in	(c)	at
2.	(a)	monster	(b)	ogre	(c)	giant
3.	(a)	each	(b)	all	(c)	every
4.	(a)	rise	(b)	increase	(c)	raise
5.	(a)	adapt	(b)	adept	(c)	adopt
6.	(a)	agreement	(b)	agreeing	(c)	agree
7.	(a)	daily	(b)	nowadays	(c)	daytime
8.	(a)	e.g.	(b)	examples	(c)	example
9.	(a)	such	(b)	so	(c)	much
10.	(a)	weather	(b)	whether	(c)	whither

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	the oiinnop of Rupert Murdoch
2.	one of the getibgs names
3.	TV sintstoa
4.	rise in syitceo
5.	give errsdae what they want
6.	If we afli
Paragraph 2
7.	Most of us awodnays
8.	too late to ngecah
9.	an eamxlpe
10.	over one nmloili subscribers
11.	We will netexd this model
12.	see hrehetw he is right

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	our news organizations such as ‘The Times’ in London.” He attacked Internet sites that posted news his journalists
( )	adapt and give readers what they want: “If we fail, we fail like a restaurant that makes meals that no one wants to eat."
( )	of newspapers, and radio and TV stations all over the world. Mr. Murdoch said people would be happy to spend
( )	Not everyone will agree with Rupert Murdoch. Most of us nowadays expect free news on the Internet. Maybe it
( )	biggest names in newspapers. He is CEO of the media giant News Corporation. News Corp. owns hundreds
( )	money on "information they need to rise in society". He said if newspapers disappear, it’s because they do not
( )	is too late to change that. He gives his ‘Wall Street Journal’ newspaper as an example of how people
( 1 )	People will pay to read news on the Internet. This is the opinion of Rupert Murdoch, who is one of the
( )	wrote, saying: “To be impolite, it is theft.” It will be interesting to see whether he is right or not.
( )	will pay. This has over one million subscribers. Murdoch told reporters: "We will…extend this model to all

THE READING / TAPESCRIPT

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	pay news Internet will read the People to on.
2.	biggest the of One newspapers in names.
3.	People happy money be spend information would to on.
4.	Adapt want they what readers give and.
5.	makes no that that wants restaurant meals one A.
6.	news free expect nowadays us of Most.
7.	that too late Maybe to it change is.
8.	one subscribers This over million has.
9.	journalists his news posted that Sites wrote.
10.	whether See not or right is he.

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about news for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about news. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about news. Include imaginary interviews with two people – one of them thinks news should be free, the other one thinks we must pay for our news. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to Rupert Murdoch. Ask him three questions about news. Give him three of your opinions on paying for news. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

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News English Lessons FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on News (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)