The Reading / Listening - Valentine's Day - Level 5

Valentine's Day makes us think of romance; of red roses, pink hearts and candlelit dinners. We rarely think about breaking up with our partner. The restaurant chain Pizza Hut is selling a Valentine's pizza for those who want to break up with their partner. Pizza Hut is selling "Hot Honey Goodbye Pies". It will write the name of your soon-to-be ex on the pizza box. Pizza Hut also has an online service to aid the break-up. Customers can visit GoodbyePies.com to send a break-up message, and a link for the "future-ex" to receive a complimentary pizza to help them get over being dumped.

Pizza Hut said: "With the launch of Goodbye Pies, we are bringing that perfect blend of sweet and heat…to real life. We are delivering spicy news in the sweetest way for Valentine's Day." Its website said: "Break-ups are awkward. We can help. Send a free…Goodbye Pie from now through Valentine's Day, and the delivery driver will deliver the bad news in the best way." It added: "We'll generate an expertly crafted, carefully curated, and potentially plausible break-up excuse for you." A poll stated that 45 per cent of people believe it is best to end a relationship before February 14.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Valentine's Day - Level 4 or  Valentine's Day - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/marketing/restaurants-embrace-darker-side-valentines-day
  • https://nypost.com/2024/02/07/news/pizza-hut-offering-goodbye-pies-to-help-couples-break-up-for-valentines-day/
  • https://goodbyepies.com


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. Valentine's Day makes
  2. pink hearts
  3. think about breaking
  4. The restaurant
  5. the name of your soon-
  6. send a break-up
  7. receive a
  8. help them get over being
  1. dumped
  2. up with our partner
  3. complimentary pizza
  4. and candlelit dinners
  5. message
  6. chain Pizza Hut
  7. us think of romance
  8. to-be ex

Paragraph 2

  1. that perfect blend
  2. delivering spicy news in
  3. Break-ups are
  4. delivery
  5. deliver the bad news
  6. carefully
  7. potentially plausible
  8. it is best to end
  1. curated
  2. driver
  3. a relationship
  4. of sweet and heat
  5. awkward
  6. break-up excuse
  7. the sweetest way
  8. in the best way

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Valentine's Day makes us (1) ___________________; of red roses, pink hearts (2) ___________________. We rarely think about breaking up with our partner. The restaurant chain Pizza Hut is selling a Valentine's pizza for (3) ___________________ to break up with their partner. Pizza Hut is selling "Hot Honey Goodbye Pies". It will write the name of (4) ___________________ on the pizza box. Pizza Hut also has an online (5) ___________________ the break-up. Customers can visit GoodbyePies.com to send a break-up message, and a link for the "future-ex" to receive (6) ___________________ to help them get over being dumped.

Pizza Hut said: "With (7) ___________________ Goodbye Pies, we are bringing that (8) ___________________ sweet and heat…to real life. We are delivering spicy news in the sweetest way for Valentine's Day." Its website said: "(9) ___________________. We can help. Send a free…Goodbye Pie from now through Valentine's Day, and the (10) ___________________ deliver the bad news in the best way." It added: "We'll generate (11) __________________, carefully curated, (12) ___________________ break-up excuse for you." A poll stated that 45 per cent of people believe it is best to end a relationship before February 14.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Valentine'sDaymakesusthinkofromance;ofredroses,pinkheartsand
candlelitdinners.Werarelythinkaboutbreakingupwithourpartner.Th
erestaurantchainPizzaHutissellingaValentine'spizzaforthosewhowa
nttobreakupwiththeirpartner.PizzaHutisselling"HotHoneyGoodbyeP
ies".Itwillwritethenameofyoursoon-to-beexonthepizzabox.PizzaHu
talsohasanonlineservicetoaidthebreak-up.CustomerscanvisitGoo
dbyePies.comtosendabreak-upmessage,andalinkforthe"future-ex
"toreceiveacomplimentarypizzatohelpthemgetoverbeingdumped.Pi
zzaHutsaid:"WiththelaunchofGoodbyePies,wearebringingthatperfe
ctblendofsweetandheat…toreallife.Wearedeliveringspicynewsinthe
sweetestwayforValentine'sDay."Itswebsitesaid:"Break-upsarea
wkward.Wecanhelp.Sendafree…GoodbyePiefromnowthroughValen
tine'sDay,andthedeliverydriverwilldeliverthebadnewsinthebestway
."Itadded:"We'llgenerateanexpertlycrafted,carefullycurated,andpo
tentiallyplausiblebreak-upexcuseforyou."Apollstatedthat45percen
tofpeoplebelieveitisbesttoendarelationshipbeforeFebruary14.

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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