The Reading / Listening - Dating App - Level 2

A dating app in China is very popular with women. They are spending $30 million a month on it. It is a little different from usual dating apps because the four single men on the app are virtual boyfriends. Users role-play dating the virtual guys. They buy "Purple Diamonds" from the app and spend them in the app to go on dates and keep their relationships going. The app is called Love and Producer. It is now the biggest money earner on Apple's China App Store. Players spent over 200 million Chinese Yuan ($30 million) on the app last month.

A research company said the app has over two million daily active users. Most of these are women in their early 20s. They love the idea of romance and fun. A 19-year-old university student explained why she liked the app: "It's like a romantic novel with fascinating voices. It's more real than reading a novel." She loved the "delicate drawings" and the "great voices". Another young woman said: "I don't have a boyfriend, so I'm happy to have a relationship with a "paper partner". She also liked getting e-mail and chat messages from her virtual boyfriends.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Dating App - Level 0 Dating App - Level 1   or  Dating App - Level 3

Sources
  • https://qz.com/1193912/love-and-producer-chinas-female-gamers-are-spending-millions-of-dollars-on-virtual-boyfriends/
  • http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2127116/chinas-women-gamers-take-centre-stage-virtual-boyfriend-game-love
  • https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/02/02/asia-pacific/social-issues-asia-pacific/gaming-women-blooms-china-virtual-beau-captures-hearts/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A dating
  2. very
  3. They are spending $30 million
  4. a little different
  5. four single
  6. role-play dating
  7. go on
  8. the biggest money
  1. a month on it
  2. dates
  3. from usual
  4. the virtual guys
  5. app
  6. earner
  7. popular with women
  8. men

Paragraph 2

  1. A research
  2. over two million daily
  3. women in
  4. They love the idea
  5. It's like a romantic
  6. It's more real than reading
  7. have a relationship
  8. chat
  1. their early 20s
  2. messages
  3. novel
  4. company
  5. with a "paper partner"
  6. active users
  7. a novel
  8. of romance

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A (1) ___________________ China is very popular with women. They are spending $30 million a month on it. It (2) ___________________ different from usual dating apps because the four (3) ___________________ the app are virtual boyfriends. Users role-play dating the virtual guys. They buy "Purple Diamonds" from the app and spend them in the app to (4) ___________________ and keep their relationships going. The app is called Love and Producer. It is now the (5) ___________________ on Apple's China App Store. Players spent over 200 million Chinese Yuan ($30 million) on the (6) ___________________.

A research company said the app has over (7) ___________________ active users. Most of these are women in their early 20s. They love the (8) ___________________ and fun. A 19-year-old university student (9) ___________________ liked the app: "It's like a romantic novel with fascinating voices. It's more real than (10) ___________________." She loved the "delicate drawings" and the "great voices". Another young woman said: "I don't have a boyfriend, so I'm happy to have (11) ___________________ a "paper partner". She also liked getting e-mail (12) ___________________ from her virtual boyfriends.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AdatingappinChinaisverypopularwithwomen.Theyarespending$30
millionamonthonit.Itisalittledifferentfromusualdatingappsbecauset
hefoursinglemenontheapparevirtualboyfriends.Usersrole-playdat
ingthevirtualguys.Theybuy"PurpleDiamonds"fromtheappandspend
themintheapptogoondatesandkeeptheirrelationshipsgoing.Theappi
scalledLoveandProducer.ItisnowthebiggestmoneyearneronApple's
ChinaAppStore.Playersspentover200millionChineseYuan($30millio
n)ontheapplastmonth.Aresearchcompanysaidtheapphasovertwomi
lliondailyactiveusers.Mostofthesearewomenintheirearly20s.Theylo
vetheideaofromanceandfun.A19-year-olduniversitystudentexpla
inedwhyshelikedtheapp:"It'slikearomanticnovelwithfascinatingvoic
es.It'smorerealthanreadinganovel."Shelovedthe"delicatedrawings"
andthe"greatvoices".Anotheryoungwomansaid:"Idon'thaveaboyfri
end,soI'mhappytohavearelationshipwitha"paperpartner".Shealsoli
kedgettinge-mailandchatmessagesfromhervirtualboyfriends.

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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