The Reading / Listening - Being a Trillionaire - Level 4

Elon Musk is the world's wealthiest person. He is now set to become the very first dollar trillionaire. He was awarded a new pay deal by Tesla shareholders last week. Seventy-five per cent of shareholder votes backed a stratospheric $1 trillion pay package. It consists of up to 423.7 million shares of Tesla stock over the next 10 years. This would increase Mr Musk's stake in Tesla to almost 29 per cent. It depends on Musk increasing Tesla's market value.

Shareholders backed the deal to stop Mr Musk from leaving Tesla. The Tesla board warned of a "possibility that he may pursue other interests should [the deal] be denied". It said Musk could "achieve goals that others will perceive as impossible". An industry analyst said: "Tesla needs Musk to take it into the autonomous driving, robotic future." Mr Musk hopes to change Tesla's focus to selling self-driving cars, robotaxis, and humanoid autonomous robots.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Being a Trillionaire - Level 5 or  Being a Trillionaire - Level 6

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/05/business/elon-musk-trillionaire-or-leave-tesla
  • https://fortune.com/2025/11/06/elon-musk-trillionaire-path-tesla-approves-massive-pay-package/
  • https://gizmodo.com/telsa-shareholders-decide-elon-musk-should-be-the-worlds-first-trillionaire-2000682469


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. Seventy-five per cent of
  2. a stratospheric
  3. 423.7 million shares of
  4. over the
  5. increase Mr Musk's stake in Tesla
  6. It depends
  7. increasing Tesla's
  1. shareholder votes
  2. market value
  3. next 10 years
  4. new pay deal
  5. Tesla stock
  6. on Musk
  7. $1 trillion pay package
  8. to almost 29 per cent

Paragraph 2

  1. shareholders
  2. the Tesla
  3. he may pursue other
  4. should the deal be
  5. achieve goals that others
  6. an industry
  7. change Tesla's focus
  8. humanoid autonomous
  1. to selling self-driving cars
  2. denied
  3. backed the deal
  4. robots
  5. board
  6. will perceive as impossible
  7. analyst
  8. interests

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Elon Musk is the world's wealthiest person. He is now (1) ________________________________________________ the very first dollar trillionaire. He was (2) ________________________________________________ pay deal by Tesla shareholders last week. Seventy-five per cent of shareholder votes (3) ________________________________________________ $1 trillion pay package. It consists of up to 423.7 million shares of Tesla (4) ________________________________________________ next 10 years. (5) ________________________________________________ Mr Musk's stake in Tesla to almost 29 per cent. (6) ________________________________________________ Musk increasing Tesla's market value.

Shareholders (7) ________________________________________________ to stop Mr Musk from leaving Tesla. The Tesla (8) ________________________________________________ a "possibility that he may (9) ________________________________________________ should [the deal] be denied". It said Musk could "achieve goals that others will (10) ________________________________________________". An industry analyst said: "Tesla needs Musk to take it into the autonomous (11) ________________________________________________." Mr Musk hopes to change Tesla's focus to selling self-driving cars, (12) ________________________________________________ autonomous robots.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ElonMuskistheworld'swealthiestperson.Heisnowsettobecomethever
yfirstdollartrillionaire.HewasawardedanewpaydealbyTeslasharehol
derslastweek.Seventy-fivepercentofshareholdervotesbackedastrat
ospheric$1trillionpaypackage.Itconsistsofupto423.7millionshareso
fTeslastockoverthenext10years.ThiswouldincreaseMrMusk'sstakei
nTeslatoalmost29percent.ItdependsonMuskincreasingTesla'smark
etvalue.ShareholdersbackedthedealtostopMrMuskfromleavingTesl
a.TheTeslaboardwarnedofa"possibilitythathemaypursueotherintere
stsshould[thedeal]bedenied".ItsaidMuskcould"achievegoalsthatoth
erswillperceiveasimpossible".Anindustryanalystsaid:"TeslaneedsM
usktotakeitintotheautonomousdriving,roboticfuture."MrMuskhopes
tochangeTesla'sfocustosellingself-drivingcars,robotaxis,andhuman
oidautonomousrobots.

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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_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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