The Reading / Listening - Pay / Salaries - Level 4

Elon Musk has been given a record-breaking pay deal of $56 billion. The huge remuneration package is 3,000 times the average for CEOs in the US. The average income in the US is $59,384. At that salary, it would take 943,014 years to earn $56 billion. Mr Musk's salary was agreed upon at a Tesla meeting on Friday. Musk responded by telling investors: "We have the most awesome shareholder base."

Musk's pay deal was blocked by a court earlier this year. The judge said the size was unfair. However, over 70 per cent of shareholders said it was in Tesla's best interests. The BBC quoted a car industry analyst. He said the vote was "a pretty ringing endorsement". He praised Musk's business skills. He said: "There's been a 1,100% appreciation in Tesla stock, and that's pretty impressive. Shares in Tesla closed 3 per cent up on Friday.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Pay / Salaries - Level 5 or  Pay / Salaries - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cleezyxjv4jo
  • https://www.ft.com/content/86a238ba-5a2b-4960-806d-df5cbe796c05
  • https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock-market-today-nasdaq-ekes-out-5th-straight-record-to-cap-banner-week-for-tech-200532691.html


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. a record-
  2. The huge remuneration
  3. 3,000 times the average pay for
  4. The average
  5. it would take 943,014 years to
  6. at Tesla's annual
  7. We have the most awesome
  8. We are not just opening a new
  1. general meeting
  2. income in the USA
  3. chapter for Tesla
  4. package
  5. shareholder base
  6. breaking pay deal
  7. earn $56 billion
  8. a CEO in the USA

Paragraph 2

  1. Musk's pay settlement was
  2. The judge said the size
  3. shareholders said the
  4. in Tesla's best
  5. the vote was a pretty ringing
  6. He extolled Musk's business
  7. a 1,100% appreciation
  8. Shares in Tesla
  1. in Tesla stock
  2. interests
  3. of the pay was unfair
  4. acumen
  5. closed 3 per cent up
  6. blocked by a court
  7. endorsement
  8. deal was fair

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Elon Musk has been given a record-(1) ___________________ of $56 billion by the shareholders of Tesla. The huge remuneration package is 3,000 (2) ___________________ pay for a CEO in the USA. The average income in the USA in 2023 was $59,384. At that salary, it would take 943,014 (3) ___________________ $56 billion. Mr Musk's salary was agreed upon at Tesla's annual general meeting on Friday. Musk (4) ___________________ the investors at the meeting that: "We have (5) ___________________ shareholder base….We are not just opening a (6) ___________________ Tesla, we are starting a new book."

Musk's pay (7) ___________________ by a court earlier this year. The judge said the size of the (8) ___________________. However, shareholders said the deal was fair and in Tesla's best interests. Over 70 per cent of shareholders (9) ___________________. The BBC quoted a car industry analyst as saying the vote was "a pretty ringing endorsement". He extolled (10) ___________________. He said: "There's been about a 1,100% (11) ___________________ stock, and that's pretty impressive. Most chief executives have (12) ___________________ like that." Shares in Tesla closed 3 per cent up on Friday.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ElonMuskhasbeengivenarecord-breakingpaydealof$56billionbythes
hareholdersofTesla.Thehugeremunerationpackageis3,000timesthe
averagepayforaCEOintheUSA.TheaverageincomeintheUSAin2023w
as$59,384.Atthatsalary,itwouldtake943,014yearstoearn$56billion.
MrMusk'ssalarywasagreeduponatTesla'sannualgeneralmeetingonFr
iday.Muskrespondedbytellingtheinvestorsatthemeetingthat:"Weha
vethemostawesomeshareholderbase….Wearenotjustopeninganewc
hapterforTesla,wearestartinganewbook."Musk'spaysettlementwas
blockedbyacourtearlierthisyear.Thejudgesaidthesizeofthepaywasu
nfair.However,shareholderssaidthedealwasfairandinTesla'sbestinte
rests.Over70percentofshareholdersfavouredthedeal.TheBBCquote
dacarindustryanalystassayingthevotewas"aprettyringingendorsem
ent".HeextolledMusk'sbusinessacumen.Hesaid:"There'sbeenabout
a1,100%appreciationinTeslastock,andthat'sprettyimpressive.Most
chiefexecutiveshaveneverdoneanythinglikethat."SharesinTeslaclos
ed3percentuponFriday.

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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You