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FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Email
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

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Is Email Only For Old People Over 25? (26th December, 2010)

A new report says email is dying and is being replaced by social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. The report is from the research company ComScore. Its study into the way British people communicate today reveals many under-25s are abandoning email. The three biggest email providers in the UK, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail and Hotmail, have all seen a fall in the number of people using their sites. Statistics show there are 1.2 million fewer email users today in Britain than there were in October 2009. Younger people prefer instant messaging.

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In November 2010, the owner of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg predicted the death of email. He said more people will use his site to communicate because email is old and slow. He said people want to share things like photo albums, which you cannot do with email. Many business people disagree. They say social networking sites will not replace email. Businesses need email to function in today’s world. Sites like Facebook and Twitter do not provide the privacy of an email account. Business leaders say email is easier to use than Facebook.

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PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	A new report says email	a.	users
2	social networking	b.	communicate
3.	the way British people	c.	is dying
4.	a fall in the number	d.	messaging
5.	1.2 million fewer email	e.	sites
6.	instant	f.	of people

Paragraph 2

1.	the owner	a.	share things
2	email is	b.	email account
3.	people want to	c.	use than Facebook
4.	function in	d.	old and slow
5.	the privacy of an	e.	of Facebook
6.	easier to	f.	today’s world

LISTENING GAP FILL

A new report says email ____________________ replaced by social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. The report is from ____________________ ComScore. Its study into the way British people communicate today ____________________-25s are abandoning email. The three biggest email providers in the UK, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail and Hotmail, ____________________ in the number of people using their sites. Statistics show there are 1.2 million ______________________ in Britain than there were in October 2009. Younger ____________________ messaging.

In November 2010, the owner of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg ____________________ of email. He said more people will use his site to communicate because email is old and slow. He said people want ____________________ photo albums, which you cannot do with email. Many ____________________. They say social networking sites will not replace email. Businesses need email ____________________ world. Sites like Facebook and Twitter do not ____________________ an email account. Business leaders say email ____________________ Facebook.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

A new report says email (1) ____ dying and is being replaced by social networking sites (2) ____ Facebook and Twitter. The report is from the research company ComScore. Its study into the way British people communicate today (3) ____ many under-25s are abandoning email. The three biggest email providers in the UK, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail and Hotmail, have (4) ____ seen a fall in the number of people using their sites. Statistics show there are 1.2 million (5) ____ email users today in Britain than there were in October 2009. Younger people (6) ____ instant messaging.

In November 2010, the owner of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg (7) ____ the death of email. He said more people will use his site to (8) ____ because email is old and slow. He said people want to share things like photo albums, which you cannot (9) ____ with email. Many business people disagree. They say social networking sites will not (10) ____ email. Businesses need email to function in today’s (11) ____. Sites like Facebook and Twitter do not provide the (12) ____ of an email account. Business leaders say email is easier to use than Facebook.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	are	(b)	be	(c)	is
2.	(a)	likes	(b)	like	(c)	alike
3.	(a)	reveals	(b)	reveal	(c)	revealing
4.	(a)	all	(b)	both	(c)	whole
5.	(a)	smaller	(b)	fewer	(c)	tinier
6.	(a)	rather	(b)	liking	(c)	prefer
7.	(a)	predicts	(b)	predicting	(c)	predicted
8.	(a)	communication	(b)	communicate	(c)	communicative
9.	(a)	do	(b)	buy	(c)	take
10.	(a)	replace	(b)	place	(c)	places
11.	(a)	Earth	(b)	world	(c)	planet
12	(a)	private	(b)	privately	(c)	privacy

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	email is gdiyn
2.	reacserh company
3.	email ovrsdepri
4.	a fall in the nurbme
5.	1.2 million eewrf email users
6.	santnit messaging
Paragraph 2
7.	the wnoer of Facebook
8.	photo aumbsl
9.	people sierdeag
10.	nioftncu in today’s world
11.	the cairypv of an email account
12.	eeiars to use

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	show there are 1.2 million fewer email users today in Britain than there were in
( )	Facebook Mark Zuckerberg predicted the death of email. He said more people will use his site to communicate
( )	because email is old and slow. He said people want to share things like photo albums, which you cannot
( )	do with email. Many business people disagree. They say social networking sites will not replace
( 1 )	A new report says email is dying and is being replaced by social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. The
( )	report is from the research company ComScore. Its study into the way British people communicate
( )	the privacy of an email account. Business leaders say email is easier to use than Facebook.
( )	today reveals many under-25s are abandoning email. The three biggest email providers in
( )	the UK, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail and Hotmail, have all seen a fall in the number of people using their sites. Statistics
( )	October 2009. Younger people prefer instant messaging.
( )	email. Businesses need email to function in today’s world. Sites like Facebook and Twitter do not provide
( )	In November 2010, the owner of

WORD JUMBLE

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	dying is email says report new A.
2.	replaced like by Facebook social networking Being sites.
3.	email abandoning are 25s - under Many.
4.	show Statistics million users email fewer 1.2 are there.
5.	prefer people Younger messaging instant.
6.	of death the predicted Zuckerberg Mark email.
7.	site people will He use said his more.
8.	to albums share things People like want photo.
9.	of privacy the Provide account email an.
10.	is Business easier leaders to say use email.

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about email for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. EMAIL: Search the Internet and find more information about email. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about email. Include imaginary interviews with someone who thinks email is better than Facebook, and someone who thinks Facebook is better than email. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to the boss of an email provider. Ask him/her three questions about email. Give him/her three of your opinions on it. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

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News English Lessons FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on Email (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)