The Reading / Listening - K-pop - Level 1

South Korean pop music is now popular worldwide. In the past few years, the boy band BTS has been successful in America and Europe. They are the first K-pop band to have a number one song in the U.S. This caused big record labels to put money into Korean bands. The world's biggest music label, Universal, will join a live-streaming music platform set up by Korea's biggest record labels. It will invest in Big Hit Entertainment, the company BTS belongs to.

Universal also teamed up with YG Entertainment. The girl band BLACKPINK may be YG's next success. YG said: "We will work closely with…Universal…globally for the successful…debut and promotion of BLACKPINK. In addition, we will do our best to help other YG artists to break through into the North American and European markets." YG added: "Real talent rises above culture and language and has no boundaries."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    K-pop - Level 0,  K-pop - Level 2   or  K-pop - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/business-55993098
  • https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/universal-signs-k-pop-girl-band-to-interscope-can-they-repeat-bts-success/
  • https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/universal-music-group-joins-forces-with-k-pop-labels-for-livestreaming-platform-40073719.html


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Universal also teamed
  2. girl
  3. work closely
  4. the successful
  5. we will do
  6. help other YG artists to break
  7. European
  8. Real talent rises
  1. through
  2. debut
  3. above culture
  4. up with YG
  5. markets
  6. band
  7. our best
  8. with Universal

Paragraph 2

  1. K-pop is now very
  2. In the past
  3. BTS has had a lot of success
  4. have a number
  5. on the US music
  6. The popularity
  7. join a live-streaming music
  8. Universal will invest
  1. of K-pop
  2. in America
  3. one song
  4. in Big Hit
  5. popular worldwide
  6. platform
  7. few years
  8. charts

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

South Korean pop music (1) ___________________ worldwide. In the (2) ___________________, the boy band BTS has been successful in America and Europe. They are the first K-pop band to have a number (3) ___________________ the U.S. This caused big record labels to (4) ___________________ Korean bands. The world's biggest music label, Universal, will join a live-streaming music platform (5) ___________________ Korea's biggest record labels. It (6) ___________________ Big Hit Entertainment, the company BTS belongs to.

Universal also (7) ___________________ YG Entertainment. The girl band BLACKPINK may be YG's next success. YG said: "We will (8) ___________________…Universal…globally for the successful…debut (9) ___________________ BLACKPINK. In addition, we will (10) ___________________ to help other YG artists to break (11) ___________________ North American and European markets." YG added: "Real talent rises above culture and (12) ___________________ no boundaries."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

SouthKoreanpopmusicisnowpopularworldwide.Inthepastfewyears,t
heboybandBTShasbeensuccessfulinAmericaandEurope.Theyarethe
firstK-popbandtohaveanumberonesongintheU.S.Thiscausedbigre
cordlabelstoputmoneyintoKoreanbands.Theworld'sbiggestmusiclab
el,Universal,willjoinalive-streamingmusicplatformsetupbyKorea'sbi
ggestrecordlabels.ItwillinvestinBigHitEntertainment,thecompanyB
TSbelongsto.UniversalalsoteamedupwithYGEntertainment.Thegirlb
andBLACKPINKmaybeYG'snextsuccess.YGsaid:"Wewillworkclosely
with…Universal…globallyforthesuccessful…debutandpromotionofBL
ACKPINK.Inaddition,wewilldoourbesttohelpotherYGartiststobreakt
hroughintotheNorthAmericanandEuropeanmarkets."YGadded:"Rea
ltalentrisesabovecultureandlanguageandhasnoboundaries."

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 — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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