The Reading / Listening - Working Week - Level 3

One of the world's most successful business leaders, Elon Musk, has said that people need to work from around 80 to over 100 hours per week to "change the world". Mr Musk knows what he is talking about because he has his finger in many pies. He is the founder, CEO and lead designer of SpaceX; the co-founder and CEO of the car company Tesla; and the co-founder of PayPal. He works very hard on many projects that have changed and could change our lives. He said he is a workaholic but he loves what he does. He talked about working hard in an interview with the technology news website Recode. He said: "There are way easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week."

It is not just Mr Musk who works hard. Workers at his companies also put in very long hours. Musk said "everyone" at Tesla has worked 100 hours per week at times this year. He said this was necessary to make sure the Tesla Model 3 car could survive. He said: "There wasn't some other way to do this." Musk acknowledged that some Tesla employees were unhappy with working so hard. He said some workers called the hours "excessive," while others said they prefer to work 70 or more hours per week. Musk said the "pain level" of working hard increases above 80 hours a week, but he didn't say what the pain was. The average CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company works around 70 hours a week.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Working Week - Level 0 Working Week - Level 1   or  Working Week - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-says-80-hours-per-week-needed-change-the-world-2018-11
  • https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/05/elon-musk-on-working-120-hours-a-week-youll-go-bonkers.html
  • https://thetechportal.com/2018/11/04/elon-musk-minute-interview/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. THE WORKING WEEK: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about the working week. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       successful / business / leaders / finger / pies / CEO / designer / car company / news /
       workers / long hours / survive / working hard / pain level / average / multi-billion
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. LIMIT: Students A strongly believe the working week should be limited to 40 hours; Students B strongly believe there should be no limit.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. LEADERS: Who are the best leaders? Complete this table and share what you wrote with your partner(s). Change partners often.


Leader in...

Who?

Why?

business

 

 

sport

 

 

politics

 

 

religion

 

 

fashion

 

 

environmentalism

 

 

MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. CHANGE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "change". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. BUSINESS: Rank these with your partner. Put the most exciting businesses to work in at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • energy
  • fashion
  • education
  • robotics
  • space
  • cars
  • IT
  • sport

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. successful a. An idea or program that is carefully planned and designed to achieve a particular aim.
      2. finger in many pies b. A person who starts a company, institution or other organisation.
      3. founder c. Doing lots of different things or projects at the same time.
      4. lead d. A conversation between a journalist or radio or television presenter and a famous or interesting person.
      5. projects e. Doing very well in an aim or purpose.
      6. workaholic f. Most important; main.
      7. interview g. A person who cannot stop working hard and long hours.

    Paragraph 2

      8. necessary h. Manage to keep going in difficult situations.
      9. survive i. A chief executive officer, the highest person in a company who has to make all the big decisions.
      10. acknowledged j. More than is necessary, normal, or desirable.
      11. employees k. Accepted something as being true.
      12. excessive l. Like one thing or person better than another or others.
      13. prefer m. A person employed for wages or salary.
      14. CEO n. Required to be done; needed.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The article called Elon Musk a successful business leader.     T / F
  2. The article says Mr Musk has his finger in many pies.     T / F
  3. Mr Musk helped to start the company PayPal.     T / F
  4. Mr Musk said his companies are the easiest companies to work for.     T / F
  5. Workers at Musk's companies do not work more than 80 hours a week.   T / F
  6. Mr Musk said all workers at his companies were happy.     T / F
  7. Some of Mr Musk's workers prefer to work over 70 hours a week.     T / F
  8. The average CEO of multi-billion-dollar companies work 90 hours a week. T / F

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

  1. successful
  2. around
  3. lead
  4. founder
  5. interview
  6. just
  7. necessary
  8. acknowledged
  9. excessive
  10. average
  1. only
  2. creator
  3. typical
  4. needed
  5. approximately
  6. too much
  7. discussion
  8. doing well
  9. accepted
  10. head

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

  1. the world's most successful
  2. he has his finger
  3. the co-founder and CEO
  4. he is a workaholic but
  5. There are way
  6. Workers at his companies also
  7. worked 100 hours per week
  8. There wasn't some other
  9. He said some workers called the hours
  10. The average CEO of a multi-
  1. put in very long hours
  2. easier places to work
  3. he loves what he does
  4. way to do this
  5. billion-dollar company
  6. in many pies
  7. "excessive"
  8. business leaders
  9. at times this year
  10. of the car company Tesla

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
finger
workaholic
per
ever
projects
interview
successful
lead

One of the world's most (1) ____________ business leaders, Elon Musk, has said that people need to work from around 80 to over 100 hours (2) ____________ week to "change the world". Mr Musk knows what he is talking about because he has his (3) ____________ in many pies. He is the founder, CEO and (4) ____________ designer of SpaceX; the co-founder and CEO of the car company Tesla; and the co-founder of PayPal. He works very hard on many (5) ____________ that have changed and could change our lives. He said he is a (6) ____________ but he loves what he does. He talked about working hard in an (7) ____________ with the technology news website Recode. He said: "There are way easier places to work, but nobody (8) ____________ changed the world on 40 hours a week."

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
sure
so
average
just
level
times
acknowledged
prefer

It is not (9) ____________ Mr Musk who works hard. Workers at his companies also put in very long hours. Musk said "everyone" at Tesla has worked 100 hours per week at (10) ____________ this year. He said this was necessary to make (11) ____________ the Tesla Model 3 car could survive. He said: "There wasn't some other way to do this." Musk (12) ____________ that some Tesla employees were unhappy with working (13) ____________ hard. He said some workers called the hours "excessive," while others said they (14) ____________ to work 70 or more hours per week. Musk said the "pain (15) ____________ " of working hard increases above 80 hours a week, but he didn't say what the pain was. The (16) ____________ CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company works around 70 hours a week.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  Mr Musk knows what he is talking about because he has his finger ______
     a.  in many spies
     b.  in many pays
     c.  in many pries
     d.  in many pies
2)  He is the founder, CEO and lead ______ SpaceX
     a.  designer of
     b.  designer off
     c.  design area of
     d.  designer air
3)  He works very hard on many projects that have changed and could ______
     a.  change our lives
     b.  change our lively
     c.  change our alive
     d.  change our relives
4)  He talked about working hard in an interview with the technology ______
     a.  new website
     b.  newts website
     c.  mews website
     d.  news website
5)  easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 ______
     a.  hours a week
     b.  hours the week
     c.  hours of week
     d.  hours are week

6)  Workers at his companies also put in ______
     a.  very longing hours
     b.  very longer hours
     c.  very long ours
     d.  very long hours
7)  Musk said "everyone" at Tesla has worked 100 hours per week ______ year
     a.  at times those
     b.  at times these
     c.  at times this
     d.  at times that's
8)  Musk acknowledged that some Tesla employees were unhappy with ______
     a.  working so hardly
     b.  working so hard
     c.  working so harsh
     d.  working so hark
9)  some workers called the hours "excessive," while others said they ______
     a.  preference to work
     b.  preferable to work
     c.  prefer to work
     d.  prefers to work
10)  working hard increases above 80 hours a week, but he didn't say what ______
     a.  the plain was
     b.  the pane was
     c.  the plane was
     d.  the pain was

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

One (1) ___________________ most successful business leaders, Elon Musk, has said that people need to work (2) ___________________ to over 100 hours per week to "change the world". Mr Musk knows what he is talking about because he has his finger (3) ___________________. He is the founder, CEO and lead designer of SpaceX; the co-founder and CEO of the car company Tesla; and the co-founder of PayPal. He works very hard on many projects that have (4) ___________________ change our lives. He said he is a workaholic but he loves what he does. He talked about working hard (5) ___________________ with the technology news website Recode. He said: "There are (6) ___________________ to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week."

It (7) ___________________ Mr Musk who works hard. Workers at his companies also put in very long hours. Musk said "everyone" at Tesla has worked 100 hours per week (8) ___________________ year. He said this was necessary to make sure the Tesla Model 3 car could survive. He said: "There wasn't some other (9) ___________________ this." Musk acknowledged that some Tesla employees were unhappy with (10) ___________________. He said some workers called the hours "excessive," while others said (11) ___________________ work 70 or more hours per week. Musk said the "pain level" of working hard increases above 80 hours a week, but he didn't say what (12) ___________________. The average CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company works around 70 hours a week.

Comprehension questions

  1. What kind of leader did the article say Elon Musk was?
  2. What did the article say Mr Musk had his finger in?
  3. What company is Mr Musk the founder, CEO and lead designer of?
  4. What word did the article use to describe Mr Musk working a lot?
  5. What is the name of the website that interviewed Mr Musk?
  6. How many hours have workers at Tesla worked at times this year?
  7. What car did Mr Musk want to make sure of the survival of?
  8. What did some Tesla workers say they preferred?
  9. When did Mr Musk say the "pain level" increases?
  10. How long does the average CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company work?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What kind of leader did the article say Elon Musk was?
a) a great leader
b) a natural leader
c) a business leader
d) a bossy leader
2) What did the article say Mr Musk had his finger in?
a) many pies
b) his ears
c) his mouth
d) a fingerprint scanner
3) What company is Mr Musk the founder, CEO and lead designer of?
a) SpaceX
b) PayPal
c) Tesla
d) eBay
4) What word did the article use to describe Mr Musk working a lot?
a) alcoholic
b) workaholic
c) shopaholic
d) chocoholic
5) What is the name of the website that interviewed Mr Musk?
a) Code
b) Coder
c) Decode
d) Recode

6) How many hours have workers at Tesla worked at times this year?
a) 90
b) 100
c) 70
d) 80
7) What car did Mr Musk want to make sure of the survival of?
a) the Tesla Model 3
b) the Musk Model 3
c) the Tesla Musk
d) the Tesla X
8) What did some Tesla workers say they preferred?
a) to go home
b) 35-hour weeks
c) to work over 70 hours
d) long weekends
9) When did Mr Musk say the "pain level" increases?
a) above 120 hours
b) above 100 hours
c) above 90 hours
d) above 80 hours
10) How long does the average CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company work?
a) around 70 hours
b) around 75 hours
c) around 65 hours
d) around 80 hours

Role play

Role  A – Space
You think space is the most exciting business to be in. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their businesses. Also, tell the others which is the least exciting of these (and why): energy, fashion or robotics.

Role  B – Energy
You think energy is the most exciting business to be in. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their businesses. Also, tell the others which is the least exciting of these (and why): space, fashion or robotics.

Role  C – Fashion
You think fashion is the most exciting business to be in. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their businesses. Also, tell the others which is the least exciting of these (and why): energy, space or robotics.

Role  D – Robotics
You think robotics is the most exciting business to be in. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their businesses. Also, tell the others which is the least exciting of these (and why): energy, fashion or space.

After reading / listening

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

'work'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'week'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • 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:

    • just
    • times
    • survive
    • unhappy
    • level
    • CEO
    • successful
    • finger
    • designer
    • projects
    • interview
    • easier

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic 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.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - Work over 80 hours a week to change the world

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

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'working'?
    3. What kind of people become successful business leaders?
    4. What do you know about Elon Musk?
    5. How many hours a week would you like to work?
    6. What do you think or working 100 hours a week?
    7. Would you like to change the world?
    8. What business people have changed the world?
    9. What kind of company would you like to be CEO of?
    10. Do you think you would be a good CEO?

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

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'week'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. Should there be a limit on the number of hours worked?
    5. Could you work for a company that asks you to work 100 hours?
    6. What is your perfect job?
    7. Are you a hard worker?
    8. What "pain" would you get from working so hard?
    9. Should CEOs get huge salaries?
    10. What questions would you like to ask Elon Musk?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

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

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

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

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    One of the world's (1) ____ successful business leaders, Elon Musk, has said that people need to work from around 80 to over 100 hours (2) ____ week to "change the world". Mr Musk knows what he is talking about because he has his (3) ____ in many pies. He is the founder, CEO and lead designer of SpaceX; the co-founder and CEO of the car company Tesla; and the co-founder of PayPal. He works very hard on many projects that have changed and could (4) ____ our lives. He said he is a (5) ____ but he loves what he does. He talked about working hard in an interview with the technology news website Recode. He said: "There are (6) ____ easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week."

    It is not (7) ____ Mr Musk who works hard. Workers at his companies also put in very long hours. Musk said "everyone" at Tesla has worked 100 hours per week at times this year. He said this was (8) ____ to make sure the Tesla Model 3 car could survive. He said: "There wasn't some other way to do this." Musk acknowledged that some Tesla employees were unhappy (9) ____ working so hard. He said some workers called the hours "excessive," (10) ____ others said they prefer to work 70 or more hours per week. Musk said, the "pain (11) ____" of working hard increases above 80 hours a week, but he didn't say what the pain was. The (12) ____ CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company works around 70 hours a week.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     mostly     (b)     must     (c)     most     (d)     mast    
    2. (a)     per     (b)     pre     (c)     par     (d)     purr    
    3. (a)     finger     (b)     toe     (c)     nose     (d)     tongue    
    4. (a)     change     (b)     changed     (c)     changing     (d)     changes    
    5. (a)     alcoholic     (b)     chocoholic     (c)     shopaholic     (d)     workaholic    
    6. (a)     pay     (b)     day     (c)     may     (d)     way    
    7. (a)     just     (b)     adjust     (c)     justly     (d)     justice    
    8. (a)     necessarily     (b)     necessitate     (c)     needy     (d)     necessary    
    9. (a)     with     (b)     as     (c)     such     (d)     that    
    10. (a)     which     (b)     while     (c)     whichever     (d)     whiling    
    11. (a)     bevel     (b)     level     (c)     revel     (d)     devil    
    12. (a)     average     (b)     sum     (c)     median     (d)     mean

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. lucfusssec business leaders
    2. lead sdgiener of SpaceX
    3. the nr-oedfocu and CEO
    4. He works very hard on many jotecspr
    5. he is a wclaikrooh
    6. in an erteiniwv

    Paragraph 2

    1. He said this was nryecseas
    2. make sure the Tesla Model 3 car could ivvesru
    3. Tesla epeomyels
    4. workers called the hours exevsiesc
    5. they rpreef to work
    6. The grvaaee CEO

    Put the text back together

    (...)  hours. Musk said "everyone" at Tesla has worked 100 hours per week at times this year. He said this was necessary to make
    (...)  easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week."
    1  ) One of the world's most successful business leaders, Elon Musk, has said that people need to
    (...)  talking about because he has his finger in many pies. He is the founder, CEO and lead designer
    (...)  was. The average CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company works around 70 hours a week.
    (...)  does. He talked about working hard in an interview with the technology news website Recode. He said: "There are way
    (...)  sure the Tesla Model 3 car could survive. He said: "There wasn't some other way to do
    (...)  It is not just Mr Musk who works hard. Workers at his companies also put in very long
    (...)  of SpaceX; the co-founder and CEO of the car company Tesla; and the co-founder of PayPal. He works very hard on many
    (...)  level" of working hard increases above 80 hours a week, but he didn't say what the pain
    (...)  work from around 80 to over 100 hours per week to "change the world". Mr Musk knows what he is
    (...)  this." Musk acknowledged that some Tesla employees were unhappy with working so hard. He said some workers
    (...)  called the hours "excessive," while others said they prefer to work 70 or more hours per week. Musk said the "pain
    (...)  projects that have changed and could change our lives. He said he is a workaholic but he loves what he

    Put the words in the right order

    1. the   most   of   One   leaders   .   business   world's   successful
    2. many   He   has   pies   .   finger   in   his
    3. projects   .   He   very   works   hard   many   on
    4. talked   about   He   hard   in   an   interview   .   working
    5. way   work   .   There   are   easier   places   to
    6. is   It   who   just   works   Musk   not   hard   .
    7. Tesla   at   week   .   has   worked   hours   Everyone   per   100
    8. wasn't   to   do   some   other   There   this   .   way
    9. said   He   workers   the   called   hours   some   excessive   .
    10. multi-billion-dollar   company   .   a   The   CEO   average   of

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    One of the world's most / mostly successful business leaders, Elon Musk, has said that people need to work from around 80 to overly / over 100 hours per week to "change the world". Mr Musk knows what he is talking about because he has his tongue / finger in many pies. He is the founder, CEO and lead / iron designer of SpaceX; the co-founder and CEO of the car company Tesla; and the co-founder of PayPal. He works very hardly / hard on many projects that have changed and could change our lives. He said he is a workaholic / chocoholic but he loves what he works / does. He talked about working hard in an interview / interviewer with the technology news website Recode. He said: "There are way / wait easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world in / on 40 hours a week."

    It is not just Mr Musk who workers / works hard. Workers at his companies also put in very long hours. Musk said "everyone" at Tesla has worked 100 hours per week that / at times this year. He said this was necessary to make sure / surely the Tesla Model 3 car could survival / survive. He said: "There wasn't some other way to do / be this." Musk acknowledged that some Tesla employees were unhappily / unhappy with working so hard. He said some workers called the hours "excessive," while other / others said they prefer to work 70 or more hours per week. Musk said the "plain / pain level" of working hard increases above 80 hours a week, but he didn't say what the pain was. The averaged / average CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company works around / abound 70 hours a week.

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    O n_ _f t h_ w_r l d ' s m_s t s_c c_s s f_l b_s_n_s s l__ d_r s , E l_n M_s k , h_s s__ d t h_t p__ p l_ n__ d t_ w_r k f r_m _r__ n d 8 0 t_ _v_r 1 0 0 h__ r s p_r w__ k t_ " c h_n g_ t h_ w_r l d " . M r M_s k k n_w s w h_t h_ _s t_l k_n g _b__ t b_c__ s_ h_ h_s h_s f_n g_r _n m_n y p__ s . H_ _s t h_ f__ n d_r , C E O _n d l__ d d_s_g n_r _f S p_c_X ; t h_ c_- f__ n d_r _n d C E O _f t h_ c_r c_m p_n y T_s l_; _n d t h_ c_- f__ n d_r _f P_y P_l . H_ w_r k s v_r y h_r d _n m_n y p r_j_c t s t h_t h_v_ c h_n g_d _n d c__ l d c h_n g_ __ r l_v_s . H_ s__ d h_ _s _ w_r k_h_l_c b_t h_ l_v_s w h_t h_ d__ s . H_ t_l k_d _b__ t w_r k_n g h_r d _n _n _n t_r v__ w w_t h t h_ t_c h n_l_g y n_w s w_b s_t_ R_c_d_. H_ s__ d : " T h_r_ _r_ w_y __ s__ r p l_c_s t_ w_r k , b_t n_b_d y _v_r c h_n g_d t h_ w_r l d _n 4 0 h__ r s _ w__ k . "

    I t _s n_t j_s t M r M_s k w h_ w_r k s h_r d . W_r k_r s _t h_s c_m p_n__ s _l s_ p_t _n v_r y l_n g h__ r s . M_s k s__ d "_v_r y_n_" _t T_s l_ h_s w_r k_d 1 0 0 h__ r s p_r w__ k _t t_m_s t h_s y__ r . H_ s__ d t h_s w_s n_c_s s_r y t_ m_k_ s_r_ t h_ T_s l_ M_d_l 3 c_r c__ l d s_r v_v_. H_ s__ d : " T h_r_ w_s n ' t s_m_ _t h_r w_y t_ d_ t h_s . " M_s k _c k n_w l_d g_d t h_t s_m_ T_s l_ _m p l_y__ s w_r_ _n h_p p y w_t h w_r k_n g s_ h_r d . H_ s__ d s_m_ w_r k_r s c_l l_d t h_ h__ r s "_x c_s s_v_, " w h_l_ _t h_r s s__ d t h_y p r_f_r t_ w_r k 7 0 _r m_r_ h__ r s p_r w__ k . M_s k s__ d , t h_ " p__ n l_v_l " _f w_r k_n g h_r d _n c r__ s_s _b_v_ 8 0 h__ r s _ w__ k , b_t h_ d_d n ' t s_y w h_t t h_ p__ n w_s . T h_ _v_r_g_ C E O _f _ m_l t_- b_l l__ n - d_l l_r c_m p_n y w_r k s _r__ n d 7 0 h__ r s _ w__ k .

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    one of the worlds most successful business leaders elon musk has said that people need to work from around 80 to over 100 hours per week to change the world mr musk knows what he is talking about because he has his finger in many pies he is the founder ceo and lead designer of spacex the cofounder and ceo of the car company tesla and the cofounder of paypal he works very hard on many projects that have changed and could change our lives he said he is a workaholic but he loves what he does he talked about working hard in an interview with the technology news website recode he said there are way easier places to work but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week

    it is not just mr musk who works hard workers at his companies also put in very long hours musk said everyone at tesla has worked 100 hours per week at times this year he said this was necessary to make sure the tesla model 3 car could survive he said there wasnt some other way to do this musk acknowledged that some tesla employees were unhappy with working so hard he said some workers called the hours excessive while others said they prefer to work 70 or more hours per week musk said the pain level of working hard increases above 80 hours a week but he didnt say what the pain was the average ceo of a multibilliondollar company works around 70 hours a week.

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Oneoftheworld'smostsuccessfulbusinessleaders,ElonMusk,hassaidt
    hatpeopleneedtoworkfromaround80toover100hoursperweekto"cha
    ngetheworld".MrMuskknowswhatheistalkingaboutbecausehehashis
    fingerinmanypies.Heisthefounder,CEOandleaddesignerofSpaceX;t
    heco-founderandCEOofthecarcompanyTesla;andtheco-foundero
    fPayPal.Heworksveryhardonmanyprojectsthathavechangedandcoul
    dchangeourlives.Hesaidheisaworkaholicbutheloveswhathedoes.He
    talkedaboutworkinghardinaninterviewwiththetechnologynewswebs
    iteRecode.Hesaid:"Therearewayeasierplacestowork,butnobodyeve
    rchangedtheworldon40hoursaweek."ItisnotjustMrMuskwhoworksh
    ard.Workersathiscompaniesalsoputinverylonghours.Musksaid"ever
    yone"atTeslahasworked100hoursperweekattimesthisyear.Hesaidth
    iswasnecessarytomakesuretheTeslaModel3carcouldsurvive.Hesaid
    :"Therewasn'tsomeotherwaytodothis."Muskacknowledgedthatsom
    eTeslaemployeeswereunhappywithworkingsohard.Hesaidsomewor
    kerscalledthehours"excessive,"whileotherssaidtheyprefertowork70
    ormorehoursperweek.Musksaidthe"painlevel"ofworkinghardincrea
    sesabove80hoursaweek,buthedidn'tsaywhatthepainwas.Theavera
    geCEOofamulti-billion-dollarcompanyworksaround70hoursaweek.

    Free writing

    Write about working week for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    There should be a limit of working 35 hours a week for everyone. Discuss.

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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 this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. THE WORKING WEEK: Make a poster about the working week. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. CHANGING THE WORLD: Write a magazine article about working 80 or more hours a week to change the world. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    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. 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.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on the working week. Ask him/her three questions about the working week. Give him/her three of your ideas. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

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    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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