The Reading / Listening - Being a Trillionaire - Level 5

Elon Musk is the world's wealthiest person. He is set to become even richer and become the very first dollar trillionaire. He was awarded a new remuneration package by Tesla shareholders at the company's annual general meeting (AGM) last week. Seventy-five per cent of shareholder votes backed a stratospheric pay deal of $1 trillion. 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 from about 13 per cent to almost 29 per cent. It depends on Musk increasing Tesla's market value to $8.5 trillion.

Shareholders were encouraged to back the deal to stop Mr Musk from potentially leaving Tesla. The Tesla board warned of a "possibility that he may pursue other interests should [the deal] be denied". It said Musk was needed "to achieve goals that others will perceive as impossible, but that we know are possible for Tesla". An industry analyst agreed. He wrote: "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, "Cybercab" robotaxis, and "Optimus" humanoid bi-pedal autonomous robots.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Being a Trillionaire - Level 4 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. become the very first dollar
  2. He was awarded a new remuneration
  3. at the company's annual
  4. a stratospheric
  5. It consists of up to 423.7 million
  6. over the next
  7. This would increase Mr Musk's
  8. increasing Tesla's market
  1. 10 years
  2. trillionaire
  3. value to $8.5 trillion
  4. general meeting
  5. pay deal of $1 trillion
  6. stake in Tesla
  7. shares of Tesla stock
  8. package

Paragraph 2

  1. shareholders were encouraged
  2. a possibility that he may pursue
  3. should the deal
  4. goals that others will perceive
  5. an industry
  6. the autonomous driving,
  7. change Tesla's focus to selling
  8. humanoid bi-pedal
  1. as impossible
  2. self-driving cars
  3. other interests
  4. autonomous robots
  5. to back the deal
  6. analyst agreed
  7. be denied
  8. robotic future

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Elon Musk is the world's wealthiest person. He is (1) ________________________________________________ even richer and become the very first dollar trillionaire. He was awarded (2) ________________________________________________ package by Tesla shareholders at the company's (3) ________________________________________________ (AGM) last week. Seventy-five per cent of shareholder votes backed a (4) ________________________________________________ of $1 trillion. It consists of up to 423.7 million shares of Tesla stock over the next 10 years. (5) ________________________________________________ Mr Musk's stake in Tesla from about 13 per cent to almost 29 per cent. (6) ________________________________________________ Musk increasing Tesla's market value to $8.5 trillion.

Shareholders were (7) ________________________________________________ the deal to stop Mr Musk from potentially leaving Tesla. The Tesla board warned of a "possibility that he may (8) ________________________________________________ should [the deal] be denied". It said Musk was needed "to achieve goals that others will (9) ________________________________________________, but that we know are possible for Tesla". An (10) ________________________________________________. He wrote: "Tesla needs Musk to take it into the autonomous (11) ________________________________________________." Mr Musk hopes to change Tesla's (12) ________________________________________________ self-driving cars, "Cybercab" robotaxis, and "Optimus" humanoid bi-pedal autonomous robots.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ElonMuskistheworld'swealthiestperson.Heissettobecomeevenricher
andbecometheveryfirstdollartrillionaire.Hewasawardedanewremun
erationpackagebyTeslashareholdersatthecompany'sannualgeneral
meeting(AGM)lastweek.Seventy-fivepercentofshareholdervotesba
ckedastratosphericpaydealof$1trillion.Itconsistsofupto423.7million
sharesofTeslastockoverthenext10years.ThiswouldincreaseMrMusk'
sstakeinTeslafromabout13percenttoalmost29percent.Itdependson
MuskincreasingTesla'smarketvalueto$8.5trillion.Shareholderswere
encouragedtobackthedealtostopMrMuskfrompotentiallyleavingTesl
a.TheTeslaboardwarnedofa"possibilitythathemaypursueotherintere
stsshould[thedeal]bedenied".ItsaidMuskwasneeded"toachievegoal
sthatotherswillperceiveasimpossible,butthatweknowarepossiblefor
Tesla".Anindustryanalystagreed.Hewrote:"TeslaneedsMusktotakeit
intotheautonomousdriving,roboticfuture."MrMuskhopestochangeT
esla'sfocustosellingself-drivingcars,"Cybercab"robotaxis,and"Op
timus"humanoidbi-pedalautonomousrobots.

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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