New printer with enough ink for two years

The Reading / Listening - Level 4

Are you tired of paying too much for ink cartridges that finish quickly? Help may be here. The days of using cartridges are over. Epson has just released new printers with enough ink to last two years. Its new EcoTank printers can print 6,500 colour pages or 4,000 in black. A family usually prints 200 pages a month. With the new printer, people just pour new ink into the tank. This will save people around 65 per cent on printing costs.

The profits of printer companies are falling. People are printing less and sharing more on social media. People are unhappy with printer makers. Their business model uses the idea of "planned obsolescence". Companies put as little ink as possible into the cartridge to make consumers buy more cartridges. Some cartridges stop printing after a set number of pages, even though they are still half full. A newspaper said printer ink costs over $4,700 a litre.

Try the same news story at these levels:

Level 5 or Level 6

Sources

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/17075/20141003/epson-rolls-out-ecotank-printers-goodbye-ink-cartridges-hello-ink-tanks.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2288221/The-great-printer-rip-It-costs-vintage-champers--devious-new-tricks-mean-constantly-buy-refills.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_obsolescence

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 :-)

The Activities

MATCHING

PARAGRAPH ONE:

1.	tired	a.	using cartridges are over
2.	The days of	b.	200 pages a month
3.	Epson has just	c.	65% on printing costs
4.	A family usually prints	d.	of paying too much for ink
5.	pour new	e.	released new printers
6.	This will save people around	f.	ink into the tank

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

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PARAGRAPH TWO:

1.	The profits of printer companies	a.	"planned obsolescence"
2.	People are printing less	b.	$4,700 a litre
3.	Their business model uses the idea	c.	number of pages
4.	put as little ink as	d.	are falling
5.	stop printing after a set	e.	possible into the cartridge
6.	printer ink costs over	f.	and sharing more

LISTEN AND FILL IN THE GAPS

Are (1) ___________________ much for ink cartridges that finish quickly? Help may be here. The days (2) ___________________ are over. Epson has just (3) ___________________ with enough ink to last two years. Its new EcoTank printers can print 6,500 colour pages (4) ___________________. A family (5) ___________________ pages a month. With the new printer, people just pour new (6) ___________________. This will save people around 65 per cent on printing costs.

The profits of printer (7) ___________________. People are printing less and sharing more (8) ___________________. People are unhappy with printer makers. Their business model (9) ___________________ "planned obsolescence". Companies put (10) ___________________ into the cartridge to make consumers buy more cartridges. Some cartridges stop printing after (11) ___________________ pages, even though they are still half full. A newspaper (12) ___________________ over $4,700 a litre.

PRINTER INK SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about printer ink 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.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

WRITE QUESTIONS & ASK YOUR PARTNER(S)

Student A: Do not show these to your speaking partner(s).

a)	________________________________________________________
b)	________________________________________________________
c)	________________________________________________________
d)	________________________________________________________
e)	________________________________________________________
f)	________________________________________________________
g)	________________________________________________________
h)	________________________________________________________

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

a)	________________________________________________________
b)	________________________________________________________
c)	________________________________________________________
d)	________________________________________________________
e)	________________________________________________________
f)	________________________________________________________
g)	________________________________________________________
h)	________________________________________________________

FREE WRITING

Write about printer ink for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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