Click here for the PDF handout or try the online quiz, reading, listening, and activities on grammar, spelling and vocabulary for this lesson on Reuters. Click on the links below or see the activities below this article:
READ
Reuters is a United Kingdom-based news agency that provides reports to news media worldwide. It was founded in 1851 by Paul Julius Reuter, who used new submarine cables under the English Channel to wire stock prices from bourses on continental Europe back to his London office and then to the London Stock Exchange. The company built a reputation for high quality financial information and for being first to report on high-profile world events. It became a public company in 1984 and in 2007, it merged with Canada’s Thomson Corp. to become Thomson Reuters. The company employs several thousand journalists around the globe and generates annual revenues in excess of $4 billion. Its website says: “Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.”
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WORKSHEET ACTIVITIES
WARM-UPS
1. BRAINSTORM: Write all the words you can think of about Reuters on the board or on a piece of paper. Talk about these words with your partner(s).
2. REUTERS MORNING: Each student pretends to be an employee of Reuters. They walk around the class and talk about the company and their job.
3. RUMOURS:Each student writes down a pretend rumour about Reuters. They then walk around the class and talk to other students about their rumour.
4. GOOD AND BAD:Brainstorm good and bad things about Reuters and write them on the board. Students talk about these in pairs.
5. TRUE OR FALSE:Students find out several facts about Reuters. They write these down and add the same number of things about the company that are false. Students test each other on which of their points are true or false.
6. FACTS:In groups, students write down as many facts as they can about Reuters. The winner is the group with the most facts. Teacher may wish to have groups share their facts to make sure they are real.
LISTENING / READING GAP FILL
Reuters is a United Kingdom-______________________ provides reports to -______________________. It was founded in 1851 by Paul Julius Reuter, who used new -______________________ the English Channel to wire stock -______________________ continental Europe back to his London office and then to the London Stock Exchange. The company -______________________ high quality financial information and for being first to -______________________ world events. It became a public company in 1984 and in 2007, it merged with Canada’s Thomson Corp. to become Thomson Reuters. The company employs several thousand journalists around the -______________________ annual revenues in excess of $4 billion. Its website says: “Reuters is the world’s -______________________ intelligent information for businesses and professionals.”
CORRECT THE SPELLING
Reuters is a United Kingdom-asbde news agency that provides reports to news media worldwide. It was ofnddeu in 1851 by Paul Julius Reuter, who used new submarine bclsea under the English Channel to wire stock prices from surebos on continental Europe back to his London office and then to the London Stock Exchange. The company built a rtiuapneto for high quality financial information and for being first to report on high-piolfer world events. It became a public company in 1984 and in 2007, it mgdree with Canada’s Thomson Corp. to become Thomson Reuters. The company employs several thousand journalists around the globe and trasgneee annual revenues in csxees of $4 billion. Its website says: “Reuters is the world’s leading roeucs of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.”
UNJUMBLE THE WORDS
Reuters news based - Kingdom United a is agency that reports to news media worldwide provides. It was founded in 1851 by Paul Julius Reuter, who used new cables submarine wire to Channel English the under stock on bourses from prices Europe continental back to his London office and then to the London Stock Exchange. The a for quality built reputation high company financial information on high and for being first to report-profile world events. It became a public company in 1984 and in 2007, it merged with Canada’s Thomson Corp. to become Thomson Reuters. The company employs several thousand and globe the around journalists generates annual revenues in excess of $4 billion. Its website says: “Reuters is world’s source intelligent the leading of information for businesses and professionals.”
reuters is a united kingdom-based news agency that provides reports to news media worldwide it was founded in 1851 by paul julius reuter who used new submarine cables under the english channel to wire stock prices from bourses on continental europe back to his london office and then to the london stock exchange the company built a reputation for high quality financial information and for being first to report on high-profile world events it became a public company in 1984 and in 2007 it merged with canada’s thomson corp to become thomson reuters the company employs several thousand journalists around the globe and generates annual revenues in excess of $4 billion its website says “reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals”
CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE
Reuters .......... (be) a United Kingdom-based news agency that .......... (provide) reports to news media worldwide. It was .......... (found) in 1851 by Paul Julius Reuter, who .......... (use) new submarine cables under the English Channel to .......... (wire) stock prices from bourses on continental Europe back to his London office and then to the London Stock Exchange. The company .......... (build) a reputation for high quality financial information and for .......... (be) first to .......... (report) on high-profile world events. It .......... (become) a public company in 1984 and in 2007, it .......... (merge) with Canada’s Thomson Corp. to .......... (become) Thomson Reuters. The company .......... (employ) several thousand journalists around the globe and .......... (generate) annual revenues in excess of $4 billion. Its website .......... (say): “Reuters .......... (be) the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.”
Reuters is a United Kingdom-____________ news agency that provides reports to news ____________ worldwide. It was founded in 1851 by Paul Julius Reuter, who used new submarine ____________ under the English Channel to ____________ stock prices from bourses on continental Europe back to his London office and then to the London Stock Exchange. The company built a ____________ for high quality financial information and for being first to report on high-____________ world events. It became a public company in 1984 and in 2007, it ____________ with Canada’s Thomson Corp. to become Thomson Reuters. The company employs ____________ thousand journalists around the globe and generates annual revenues in ____________ of $4 billion. Its website says: “Reuters is the world’s leading ____________ of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.”
reputation
source
several
cables
profile
based
excess
merged
media
wire
PROJECT REUTERS
Part 1. Your mission is to increase the profits and sales of Reuters. Complete this table with your project partner(s):
Main products
How to improve them
A brand new ‘killer’ product
How Reuters is better than the competition
How to beat the competition
Part 2. Change partners and look at their project. Suggest improvements. Ask for advice on your project:
Part 3. Make a presentation on your project. Give it to the class. Vote the best projects.
REUTERS – ROLE PLAY 1
Role A – Reuters CEO
You believe your company is the best in the world. It pays its workers very well and working conditions are great. Your company is very green – it cares about the environment. You think your levels of customer service are great. Disagree with person B, C and D.
Role B – Reuters worker
You think it’s a bad company to work for. You’re very unhappy with pay, raises and bonuses. You are very unhappy with the working environment. You don’t like the company’s policy on the environment. You keep hearing profits are more important than customers. Disagree with A and C. Tell D the truth.
Role C – Reuters customer
You are a customer of Reuters. You used to think it was great, but not now. Its workers are always very rude. No one ever answers the phone. You are shocked about its policy on the environment. You think all staff should get less pay. You disagree with person A and B. Tell D the truth.
Role D – A journalist
You keep hearing bad things about Reuters. You want to tell the world in your newspaper. You heard the CEO gets a huge bonus every year. You found a company memo saying profits are more important than the environment. You want to know why so many staff are ill. Find the truth.
REUTERS – ROLE PLAY 2
Role A – Reuters New Products Director
You have created a new product for Reuters. You believe the new product will be the company’s best ever. It will be a bestseller. There are people who do not agree with you. You need B, C and D on your side. Tell them why this is a product that will bring great things to Reuters.
Role B – Reuters Marketing Director
You think the company’s new product is a really bad idea. It will give your company a really bad name. You think the New Products Director is trying to destroy the company. Try to get him/her to understand there’s no way the new product will sell. Try to get person C and D on your side.
Role C – Reuters Market Researcher
You have interviewed thousands of people about the new product. They don’t like it or hate it. You think it will be successful if they make many changes. Tell the New Products Director he/she needs to change the product. You neither like nor trust person B. Disagree will him/her.
Role D – Reuters Shareholder
You know a lot about Reuters’ new product. You are worried it will not sell and share prices will go down. You think A is crazy and must find a new job. You agree with everything B says. You don’t agree with C. The new product should not go on the market.
Write a letter of apology to the customer. Explain why you cannot give a refund. Show your partner your letter. Correct each other’s work.
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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. INTERNET INFO: Search the Internet and find more information about Reuters. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE:Write a magazine article about Reuters. What have they done recently? What are their plans? Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
4. REUTERS POSTERMake a poster about Reuters. Make sure you sell the company to the public. Show it to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your posters.
5. MY REUTERS LESSON:Make your own English lesson on Reuters. Make sure there is a good mix of things to do. Find some good online activities. Teach the class / another group when you have finished.
6. ONLINE SHARING:Use your blog, wiki, Facebook page, MySpace page, Twitter stream, Del-icio-us / StumbleUpon account, or any other social media tool to get opinions on Reuters. Share your findings with the class.
ANSWERS
Check your answers in the article at the top of this page.
