The Reading / Listening - Disney - Level 2

Disney is cutting hundreds of jobs. Since 2023, it has cut more than 8,000 jobs worldwide. The company wants to reduce costs by $7.5 billion a year. The latest job losses are in marketing departments. A Disney spokesperson told the Fox Business website: "As our industry transforms at a rapid pace, we continue to [look at] ways to efficiently manage our businesses, while fuelling the…creativity and innovation that consumers value  and expect." The CEO of Disney said the cuts would keep the company healthy. He said: "We remain [positive] about the direction of the company."

Disney is one of the most famous companies in the world. It was founded in 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney. In 1928, they made a short film called "Steamboat Willie". This was one of the first cartoons with sound. It was the debut of Mickey Mouse. Disney is now a huge entertainment company. It owns the animation companies Pixar and Marvel Studios, and big names like ESPN, National Geographic, and ABC News. It also has theme parks in the USA, France, Japan and China. It recently announced plans to build a new park in Abu Dhabi.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Disney - Level 0 Disney - Level 1   or  Disney - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/disney-cuts-hundreds-tv-film-jobs-amid-streaming-expansion
  • https://finance.yahoo.com/news/disney-to-lay-off-several-hundred-employees-globally-193146536.html
  • https://www.aol.com/disney-lays-off-hundreds-employees-181740241.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walt_Disney_Company


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. Disney is cutting
  2. The company wants to
  3. The latest job
  4. in marketing
  5. our industry transforms at a
  6. creativity and
  7. the cuts would keep the company
  8. remain positive about the direction
  1. losses
  2. healthy
  3. innovation
  4. rapid pace
  5. of the company
  6. departments
  7. reduce costs
  8. hundreds of jobs

Paragraph 2

  1. one of the most famous companies
  2. It was founded
  3. they made a
  4. one of the first cartoons
  5. It was the debut
  6. Disney is now a huge entertainment
  7. It also has theme
  8. It recently announced
  1. short film
  2. parks in the USA
  3. in 1923
  4. of Mickey Mouse
  5. with sound
  6. plans
  7. in the world
  8. company

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Disney is (1) _________________________________________________ jobs. Since 2023, it has cut more than 8,000 jobs worldwide. The company wants to reduce costs by $7.5 billion a year. The (2) _________________________________________________ are in marketing departments. A Disney spokesperson told the Fox Business website: "As (3) _________________________________________________ at a rapid pace, we continue to [look at] ways (4) _________________________________________________ our businesses, while fuelling the...creativity and innovation that consumers (5) _________________________________________________." The CEO of Disney said the cuts would keep the company healthy. He said: "We remain [positive] about the (6) _________________________________________________ company."

Disney is one (7) _________________________________________________ famous companies in the world. It (8) _________________________________________________ 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney. In 1928, they made a (9) _________________________________________________ "Steamboat Willie". This was one of the first cartoons with sound. It was (10) _________________________________________________ Mickey Mouse. Disney is now a huge entertainment company. It owns the animation companies Pixar and Marvel Studios, and (11) _________________________________________________ ESPN, National Geographic, and ABC News. It also has theme parks in the USA, France, Japan and China. It recently announced (12) _________________________________________________ a new park in Abu Dhabi.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Disneyiscuttinghundredsofjobs.Since2023,ithascutmorethan8,000
jobsworldwide.Thecompanywantstoreducecostsby$7.5billionayear
.Thelatestjoblossesareinmarketingdepartments.ADisneyspokesper
sontoldtheFoxBusinesswebsite:"Asourindustrytransformsatarapidp
ace,wecontinueto[lookat]waystoefficientlymanageourbusinesses,
whilefuellingthe...creativityandinnovationthatconsumersvalue and
expect."TheCEOofDisneysaidthecutswouldkeepthecompanyhealthy
.Hesaid:"Weremain[positive]aboutthedirectionofthecompany."Dis
neyisoneofthemostfamouscompaniesintheworld.Itwasfoundedin19
23bybrothersWaltandRoyDisney.In1928,theymadeashortfilmcalled
"SteamboatWillie".Thiswasoneofthefirstcartoonswithsound.Itwasth
edebutofMickeyMouse.Disneyisnowahugeentertainmentcompany.I
townstheanimationcompaniesPixarandMarvelStudios,andbignames
likeESPN,NationalGeographic,andABCNews.Italsohasthemeparksin
theUSA,France,JapanandChina.Itrecentlyannouncedplanstobuildan
ewparkinAbuDhabi.

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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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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