The Reading / Listening - Tipping - Level 0

Fans at the World Cup are having problems with tipping. Many fans are from countries where there is no tipping. The USA has tips of up to 20 per cent. If people do not leave a tip, staff can be disappointed. Fans already spent a lot of money getting to the World Cup. Leaving tips makes their trip more expensive.

Restaurant staff are also struggling. Workers' wages can be as low as $2.13 per hour. Many staff say they need tips to survive. In many cities, restaurants owners are adding tips to their bills. The owners say many visitors do not know the tipping culture in the USA. In some restaurants, staff are explaining it to diners.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Tipping - Level 1 Tipping - Level 2   or  Tipping - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/article316235100.html
  • https://nypost.com/2026/06/20/us-news/world-cup-tourists-arent-leaving-tips-and-nyc-restaurants-are-fighting-back/
  • https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/insight/world-cup-fans-voice-frustration-over-us-tipping-culture/gm-GMF63F5E51


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. Fans
  2. countries where there
  3. The USA has tips of up
  4. If people do not leave
  5. staff can
  6. Fans already spent a
  7. getting to
  8. Leaving tips makes their trip
  1. be disappointed
  2. the World Cup
  3. is no tipping
  4. more expensive
  5. to 20 per cent
  6. at the World Cup
  7. lot of money
  8. a tip

Paragraph 2

  1. Restaurant staff are also
  2. workers'
  3. as low as
  4. staff say they need tips
  5. in many
  6. owners are adding tips
  7. visitors do not know
  8. staff are explaining
  1. to their bills
  2. it to diners
  3. cities
  4. $2.13 per hour
  5. the tipping culture
  6. struggling
  7. to survive
  8. wages

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

(1) _________________________________________________ World Cup are having problems with tipping. Many fans are (2) _________________________________________________ there is no tipping. The USA has (3) _________________________________________________ to 20 per cent. If people (4) _________________________________________________ a tip, staff can be disappointed. Fans already (5) _________________________________________________ of money getting to the World Cup. Leaving tips (6) _________________________________________________ more expensive.

Restaurant (7) _________________________________________________ struggling. Workers' (8) _________________________________________________ as low as $2.13 per hour. Many staff say they need (9) _________________________________________________. In many cities, restaurants owners are (10) _________________________________________________ their bills. The owners say many visitors (11) _________________________________________________ the tipping culture in the USA. In some restaurants, staff are explaining (12) _________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

FansattheWorldCuparehavingproblemswithtipping.Manyfansarefro
mcountrieswherethereisnotipping.TheUSAhastipsofupto20percent.
Ifpeopledonotleaveatip,staffcanbedisappointed.Fansalreadyspenta
lotofmoneygettingtotheWorldCup.Leavingtipsmakestheirtripmoree
xpensive.Restaurantstaffarealsostruggling.Workers'wagescanbeas
lowas$2.13perhour.Manystaffsaytheyneedtipstosurvive.Inmanyciti
es,restaurantsownersareaddingtipstotheirbills.Theownerssaymany
visitorsdonotknowthetippingcultureintheUSA.Insomerestaurants,s
taffareexplainingittodiners.

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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