The Reading / Listening - Maps - Level 4

Tim Cook has spoken about being boss of Apple. Mr Cook will step down as CEO. He revealed which Apple products he thought were less than perfect. He said Apple Maps was a "really big mistake". In 2012, he recommended map apps from Apple's competitors. He said admitting this was hard. The original Apple Maps was criticised. Faulty data and mapping errors guided drivers to strange places. These included non-existent bridges and businesses in the ocean.

Tim Cook became Apple CEO in 2011. He transformed Apple from a $350 billion company into a $4 trillion giant. It continues to make huge profits and growth. Apple's brand represents a quality lifestyle choice. One in five people has an Apple device. Apple products are highly integrated in our lives. Cook said his biggest achievement was the Apple Watch. He said: "Apple's greatest contribution … will be in the health and wellness area."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Maps - Level 5 or  Maps - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2026/04/24/tim-cook-apple-maps-mistake/89772184007/
  • https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/04/23/apple-maps-was-tim-cooks-biggest-mistake
  • https://www.macrumors.com/2026/04/23/tim-cook-apple-maps-launch-his-really-big-mistake/


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. Cook has spoken about being
  2. Cook will step
  3. He revealed which
  4. a really big
  5. he recommended map apps from
  6. He said admitting this was
  7. Faulty data and mapping
  8. These included non-
  1. down as CEO
  2. hard
  3. Apple's competitors
  4. Apple products
  5. errors
  6. boss of Apple
  7. existent bridges
  8. mistake

Paragraph 2

  1. Tim Cook became
  2. He transformed
  3. It continues to make
  4. a quality lifestyle
  5. One in five people
  6. Apple products are highly integrated
  7. his biggest
  8. in the health and
  1. has an Apple device
  2. huge profits
  3. achievement
  4. Apple CEO
  5. wellness area
  6. Apple
  7. in our lives
  8. choice

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Tim Cook has spoken (1) ________________________________________________ of Apple. Mr Cook will step down as CEO. He revealed which Apple products he thought were (2) ________________________________________________. He said Apple Maps was a "really big mistake". In 2012, he recommended (3) ________________________________________________ Apple's competitors. He said (4) ________________________________________________ hard. The original Apple Maps was criticised. Faulty data (5) ________________________________________________ guided drivers to strange places. These included (6) ________________________________________________ businesses in the ocean.

Tim Cook became Apple CEO in 2011. He (7) ________________________________________________ a $350 billion company into a $4 trillion giant. It continues to make huge (8) ________________________________________________. Apple's brand represents a quality lifestyle choice. One in five people has (9) ________________________________________________. Apple products are (10) ________________________________________________ our lives. Cook said (11) ________________________________________________ was the Apple Watch. He said: "Apple's greatest contribution… will be in the health (12) ________________________________________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TimCookhasspokenaboutbeingbossofApple.MrCookwillstepdownas
CEO.HerevealedwhichAppleproductshethoughtwerelessthanperfect
.HesaidAppleMapswasa"reallybigmistake".In2012,herecommende
dmapappsfromApple'scompetitors.Hesaidadmittingthiswashard.Th
eoriginalAppleMapswascriticised.Faultydataandmappingerrorsguid
eddriverstostrangeplaces.Theseincludednon-existentbridgesandbu
sinessesintheocean.TimCookbecameAppleCEOin2011.Hetransform
edApplefroma$350billioncompanyintoa$4trilliongiant.Itcontinuest
omakehugeprofitsandgrowth.Apple'sbrandrepresentsaqualitylifest
ylechoice.OneinfivepeoplehasanAppledevice.Appleproductsarehigh
lyintegratedinourlives.CooksaidhisbiggestachievementwastheAppl
eWatch.Hesaid:"Apple'sgreatestcontribution…willbeinthehealthand
wellnessarea."

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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