The Reading / Listening - TikTok - Level 2

The on-off talks between Microsoft and TikTok are back on again. Microsoft wants to buy part of TikTok. The tech giant has been in talks with TikTok's parent company ByteDance Ltd. Their discussions came to a halt last week when US President Donald Trump suggested that he might ban TikTok from the USA. He was worried that the personal details of Americans could get into the wrong hands. He changed his mind after the Microsoft CEO phoned him. Microsoft said it "would ensure that all private data of TikTok's American users is transferred to and remains in the United States."

TikTok is the latest social media site to become hugely popular. Users upload short videos of themselves lip-syncing to well-known songs, dancing, making faces or doing other funny things. TikTok's owner ByteDance is based in Beijing. It was founded in 2012 by a Chinese entrepreneur. It now has over 800 million users worldwide. Microsoft is offering ByteDance $50 billion for a part in the company. However the business website Bloomberg disagrees with this value. It said: "The idea that TikTok - without...emerging markets - is worth $50 billion today is fanciful.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    TikTok - Level 0,  TikTok - Level 1   or  TikTok - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-08-03/tiktok-could-be-the-deal-of-the-decade-for-microsoft-ceo-nadella
  • https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/03/microsoft-confirms-talks-to-buy-tiktok-in-us.html
  • https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/08/02/tiktok-ban-microsoft-negotiating-purchase-video-app/5568778002/


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. The on-off
  2. back on
  3. Microsoft wants to buy
  4. The tech
  5. discussions came to
  6. personal
  7. He changed his
  8. private
  1. part of TikTok
  2. details
  3. data
  4. again
  5. mind
  6. giant
  7. a halt last week
  8. talks

Paragraph 2

  1. become hugely
  2. lip-syncing to well-
  3. founded in 2012 by a
  4. It now has over 800 million
  5. Microsoft is offering ByteDance
  6. for a part
  7. Bloomberg disagrees
  8. emerging
  1. in the company
  2. Chinese entrepreneur
  3. markets
  4. popular
  5. with this value
  6. known songs
  7. $50 billion
  8. users worldwide

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

(1) ___________________ between Microsoft and TikTok are back on again. Microsoft wants to (2) ___________________ TikTok. The tech giant has been in talks with TikTok's parent company ByteDance Ltd. Their discussions came (3) ___________________ last week when US President Donald Trump suggested that he might ban TikTok from the USA. He (4) ___________________ the personal details of Americans could get into the wrong hands. He (5) ___________________ after the Microsoft CEO phoned him. Microsoft said it "would ensure that all private data of TikTok's American users is transferred (6) ___________________ in the United States."

TikTok is the (7) ___________________ site to become hugely popular. Users (8) ___________________ of themselves lip-syncing to well-known songs, dancing, (9) ___________________ doing other funny things. TikTok's owner ByteDance is based in Beijing. It was founded in 2012 by a Chinese entrepreneur. It now has over 800 (10) ___________________. Microsoft is offering ByteDance $50 billion for (11) ___________________ the company. However the business website Bloomberg disagrees with this value. It said: "The idea that TikTok - (12) ___________________ - is worth $50 billion today is fanciful.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Theon-offtalksbetweenMicrosoftandTikTokarebackonagain.Micros
oftwantstobuypartofTikTok.ThetechgianthasbeenintalkswithTikTok
'sparentcompanyByteDanceLtd.Theirdiscussionscametoahaltlastw
eekwhenUSPresidentDonaldTrumpsuggestedthathemightbanTikTo
kfromtheUSA.HewasworriedthatthepersonaldetailsofAmericanscou
ldgetintothewronghands.HechangedhismindaftertheMicrosoftCEOp
honedhim.Microsoftsaidit"wouldensurethatallprivatedataofTikTok's
AmericanusersistransferredtoandremainsintheUnitedStates."TikTo
kisthelatestsocialmediasitetobecomehugelypopular.Usersuploadsh
ortvideosofthemselveslip-syncingtowell-knownsongs,dancing,ma
kingfacesordoingotherfunnythings.TikTok'sownerByteDanceisbase
dinBeijing.Itwasfoundedin2012byaChineseentrepreneur.Itnowhas
over800millionusersworldwide.MicrosoftisofferingByteDance$50bil
lionforapartinthecompany.HoweverthebusinesswebsiteBloomberg
disagreeswiththisvalue.Itsaid:"TheideathatTikTok-without...emerg
ingmarkets-isworth$50billiontodayisfanciful.

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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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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