Breaking News English

        

1. FREE WI-FI: Walk around the class and talk to other students about free Wi-Fi. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

centuries / novel ways / mediocre / connected / coffee makers / book a room / online / public relations / survey results / laptops / intuitive / freebies / clientele / amenity

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. HOTELS: How could you make them better? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.

Improve…	Current problems	Improvements
Wi-Fi
room service
the rooms
check-in
bathrooms
booking

4. HUMAN RIGHT: Students A strongly believe free Internet access is a human right; Students B strongly believe otherwise.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. FREEBIES: What are the best freebies? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners and share your rankings again.

Wi-Fi desserts songs English lessons

phone calls T-shirts advice transport

6. GUEST: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word 'guest'. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	The article says free Wi-Fi could greatly change a hotel guest's stay.	T / F
b.	Most hotel guests prefer free luxuries to free Internet access.	T / F
c.	More than half of those who took a survey said free Wi-Fi was a must.	T / F
d.	Around 30 per cent of those polled said hotels should have free Wi-Fi.	T / F
e.	A website spokesman was surprised at the results of his site's survey.	T / F
f.	The man said guests always brought a laptop but not a toothbrush.	T / F
g.	The article said charging for Wi-Fi is like charging for water.	T / F
h.	Hotels in many nations will soon be doing similar to those in the UAE.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	centuries	a.	doing the same
2.	complimentary	b.	run-of-the-mill
3.	mediocre	c.	poll
4.	connected	d.	over the top
5.	exorbitant	e.	free
6.	survey	f.	natural
7.	explosion	g.	ages
8.	intuitive	h.	mushrooming
9.	attracting	i.	online
10.	following suit	j.	drawing

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	different and novel	a.	packing a toothbrush
2.	mediocre	b.	exorbitant charges
3.	have the little	c.	and social media
4.	38% said free Wi-Fi	d.	ways
5.	tired of paying the often	e.	luxuries
6.	director of public relations	f.	suit
7.	the explosion of mobile use	g.	clientele
8.	as intuitive as	h.	or superlative
9.	attracting business	i.	in the past few years
10.	quickly following	j.	was a must

 

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

For centuries hotels have been thinking of different and (1) ____________ ways to attract guests. A free this or a complimentary (2) ____________ can be the difference between someone thinking their hotel stay was mediocre or superlative. A new survey (3) ____________ that the twenty-first century guest needs free Wi-Fi Internet access to make his or her stay complete. According to Hotels.com, hotel guests (4) ____________ preferred to be connected in their rooms than have the little (5) ____________ such as Italian espresso coffee makers, video game consoles or a gym to work out in. Of 415 people who responded to the website's (6) ____________, more than 38% said free Wi-Fi was a must when deciding where to book a room. Just under a (7) ____________ of respondents said they wanted it to be a standard amenity at hotels. Many people are (8) ____________ of paying the often exorbitant charges to get online.		much third that tired novel survey reveals luxuries
Taylor L. Cole, director of (9) ____________ relations and social media for Hotels.com, said the results of the survey were as he expected: "Given the explosion of mobile (10) ____________ in the past few years, it is no surprise that travellers are requiring free and fast Wi-Fi," he said. He added that: "Many guests never travel without their tablets, smartphones and (11) ____________. It's as intuitive as (12) ____________ a toothbrush. Guests use these items in their rooms to plan activities for the next day." Internet these days is seen as an automatic (13) ____________ in many parts of the world. Charging for it is like asking guests to pay for (14) ____________. Countries with a strong focus on attracting business clientele and higher end travellers are leading the (15) ____________ in providing free Wi-Fi. The United Arab Emirates is one destination where it is unlikely that Wi-Fi will be added to your hotel bill. Other countries are quickly following (16) ____________.		packing laptops use suit water public way freebie

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

For centuries hotels have been thinking of different and ________________ guests. A free this or a complimentary that can be the difference between someone thinking their hotel __________________ or superlative. A new survey reveals that the twenty-first century guest needs free Wi-Fi Internet access to make his or her stay complete. According to Hotels.com, hotel guests __________________ be connected in their rooms than have the little luxuries such as Italian espresso coffee makers, video game consoles or a gym __________________. Of 415 people who responded to the website's survey, more than 38% said free Wi-Fi was a must when deciding where to book a room. Just under a __________________ said they wanted it to be a standard amenity at hotels. Many people are tired of paying __________________ charges to get online.

Taylor L. Cole, director __________________ and social media for Hotels.com, said the results of the survey were as he expected: "Given the __________________ use in the past few years, it is no surprise that travellers are requiring free and fast Wi-Fi," he said. He added that: "Many guests never travel without their tablets, smartphones and laptops. It's as __________________ a toothbrush. Guests use these items in their rooms to plan activities for the next day." Internet these days is seen as an __________________ many parts of the world. Charging for it is like asking guests to pay for water. Countries with __________________ attracting business clientele and higher end travellers are leading the way in providing free Wi-Fi. The United Arab Emirates is one destination where it is unlikely that Wi-Fi will be added to your hotel bill. Other countries are ____________________.

 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'follow' and 'suit'.

follow

suit

• Share your findings with your partners.

• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

novel reveals access gym third tired

expected surprise tablets automatic focus suit

FREE WI-FI SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about free Wi-Fi in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

• Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

 
 

FREE WI-FI DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word 'Wi-Fi'?
c)	Do you need Wi-Fi? Why?
d)	Should Wi-Fi always be free in hotels?
e)	What other things should be free in hotels?
f)	Do you think the whole world will be connected with free Wi-Fi one day?
g)	What are the benefits of Wi-Fi?
h)	Does free Wi-Fi make a hotel stay much better?
i)	How high up your hotel wish list is free Wi-Fi?
j)	Do you think charges for Wi-Fi at hotels are exorbitant?

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STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article?
b)	Have you ever been frustrated at not getting Wi-Fi access?
c)	Do you always travel with a laptop or other Internet enabled device?
d)	What does "Wi-Fi" mean?
e)	Are there any dangers of using Wi-Fi?
f)	Is paying for Wi-Fi at a hotel the same as paying for water?
g)	Do you think hotels would get more guests if they provided free Wi-Fi?
h)	If hotels charge $10 a day fir Wi-Fi, that's like paying $3,650 a year. What do you think of that?
i)	How has Wi-Fi changed the world?
j)	What questions would you like to ask a hotel owner about free Wi-Fi?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

For centuries hotels have been (1) ____ of different and novel ways to attract guests. A free this or a complimentary that can be the difference between someone thinking their hotel stay was (2) ____ or superlative. A new survey reveals that the twenty-first century guest needs free Wi-Fi Internet access to make his or her stay (3) ____. According to Hotels.com, hotel guests much preferred to be connected in their rooms than have the little (4) ____ such as Italian espresso coffee makers, video game consoles or a gym to work out in. (5) ____ 415 people who responded to the website's survey, more than 38% said free Wi-Fi was a must when deciding where to book a room. Just under a third of respondents said they wanted it to be a standard amenity at hotels. Many people are (6) ____ of paying the often exorbitant charges to get online.

Taylor L. Cole, director of public relations and social media for Hotels.com, said the results of the survey were (7) ____ he expected: "Given the explosion of mobile use in the past few years, it is no surprise that travellers are requiring free and fast Wi-Fi," he said. He added that: "Many guests never travel without their tablets, smartphones and laptops. It's as (8) ____ as packing a toothbrush. Guests use these items in their rooms to plan activities for the next day." Internet these days is seen as an automatic (9) ____ in many parts of the world. Charging for it is like asking guests to pay for water. Countries with a strong focus (10) ____ attracting business clientele and higher end travellers are leading the way in providing free Wi-Fi. The United Arab Emirates is one destination where it is unlikely that Wi-Fi will be (11) ____ to your hotel bill. Other countries are quickly following (12) ____.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	thinks	(b)	thought	(c)	thinker	(d)	thinking
2.	(a)	electrical	(b)	mediocre	(c)	drenched	(d)	rusting
3.	(a)	complete	(b)	compete	(c)	replete	(d)	pleat
4.	(a)	luxurious	(b)	luxuriates	(c)	luxuries	(d)	luxuriant
5.	(a)	For	(b)	Whom	(c)	Of	(d)	That
6.	(a)	rested	(b)	tired	(c)	relaxed	(d)	fatigued
7.	(a)	as	(b)	has	(c)	was	(d)	is
8.	(a)	interested	(b)	interactive	(c)	inaction	(d)	intuitive
9.	(a)	request	(b)	freebie	(c)	presentation	(d)	packaging
10.	(a)	of	(b)	in	(c)	at	(d)	on
11.	(a)	multiplied	(b)	subtracted	(c)	added	(d)	divided
12.	(a)	suit	(b)	garment	(c)	clothing	(d)	dress

 
 

WRITING

Write about free Wi-Fi for 10 minutes. Correct your partner's paper.

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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 out more about Wi-Fi. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. FREE WI-FI: Make a poster about free Wi-Fi. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. HOTEL WI-FI: Write a magazine article about free Wi-Fi in hotels. Include imaginary interviews with people who say it must be free and hoteliers who want to make a profit.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to a hotel owner. Ask him/her three questions about free Wi-Fi in his/her hotel. Give him/her three ideas on how to make a guest's stay better. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

 

 
 

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

T

b.

F

c.

F

d.

T

e.

F

f.

F

g.

T

h.

T

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.	centuries	a.	ages
2.	complimentary	b.	free
3.	mediocre	c.	run-of-the-mill
4.	connected	d.	online
5.	exorbitant	e.	over the top
6.	survey	f.	poll
7.	explosion	g.	mushrooming
8.	intuitive	h.	natural
9.	attracting	i.	drawing
10.	following suit	j.	doing the same

PHRASE MATCH:

1.	different and novel	a.	ways
2.	mediocre	b.	or superlative
3.	have the little	c.	luxuries
4.	38% said free Wi-Fi	d.	was a must
5.	tired of paying the often	e.	exorbitant charges
6.	director of public relations	f.	and social media
7.	the explosion of mobile use	g.	in the past few years
8.	as intuitive as	h.	packing a toothbrush
9.	attracting business	i.	clientele
10.	quickly following	j.	suit

GAP FILL:

Free Wi-Fi top of hotel guests wish list

For centuries hotels have been thinking of different and (1) novel ways to attract guests. A free this or a complimentary (2) that can be the difference between someone thinking their hotel stay was mediocre or superlative. A new survey (3) reveals that the twenty-first century guest needs free Wi-Fi Internet access to make his or her stay complete. According to Hotels.com, hotel guests (4) much preferred to be connected in their rooms than have the little (5) luxuries such as Italian espresso coffee makers, video game consoles or a gym to work out in. Of 415 people who responded to the website's (6) survey, more than 38% said free Wi-Fi was a must when deciding where to book a room. Just under a (7) third of respondents said they wanted it to be a standard amenity at hotels. Many people are (8) tired of paying the often exorbitant charges to get online.

Taylor L. Cole, director of (9) public relations and social media for Hotels.com, said the results of the survey were as he expected: "Given the explosion of mobile (10) use in the past few years, it is no surprise that travellers are requiring free and fast Wi-Fi," he said. He added that: "Many guests never travel without their tablets, smartphones and (11) laptops. It's as intuitive as (12) packing a toothbrush. Guests use these items in their rooms to plan activities for the next day." Internet these days is seen as an automatic (13) freebie in many parts of the world. Charging for it is like asking guests to pay for (14) water. Countries with a strong focus on attracting business clientele and higher end travellers are leading the (15) way in providing free Wi-Fi. The United Arab Emirates is one destination where it is unlikely that Wi-Fi will be added to your hotel bill. Other countries are quickly following (16) suit.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - d

2 - b

3 - a

4 - c

5 - c

6 - b

7 - a

8 - d

9 - b

10 - d

11 - c

12 - a

 

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