The Reading / Listening - Level 5

Are you fed up with paying lots of money for ink cartridges that finish soon after you buy them? Help may be here. The printer company Epson has just released some new printers with enough ink to last the average person two years. Its new EcoTank printers can print 6,500 pages in colour and 4,000 pages in black. Epson said a family usually prints 200 pages a month. The days of using cartridges with a short life span are over. With the new printer, users pour new ink into the tank. People will save around 65 per cent on printing costs with the new printers.

Profits from ink cartridges are falling. People are printing less and sharing more on social media. People have been unhappy with printer makers over the marketing of ink cartridges. The business model has relied on the idea of "planned obsolescence". Companies put as little ink as possible into the cartridge so it runs out quickly, making consumers buy more. Some cartridges have chips to prevent the user from printing more than a set number of pages, even though the cartridge may still be half full. A newspaper said printer ink costs the equivalent of over $4,700 a litre.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Level 4 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.

Are you fed up

a.

a short life span

2.

cartridges that finish soon

b.

some new printers

3.

Epson has just released

c.

ink into the tank

4.

last the average

d.

on printing costs

5.

a family usually prints

e.

after you buy them

6.

using cartridges with

f.

with paying lots of money

7.

users pour new

g.

person two years

8.

People will save around 65 per cent

h.

200 pages a month



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

PARAGRAPH TWO:

1.

Profits from ink cartridges

a.

still be half full

2.

business

b.

into the cartridge

3.

the idea of "planned

c.

of over $4,700 a litre

4.

put as little ink as possible

d.

model

5.

chips to prevent the user

e.

obsolescence"

6.

a set

f.

are falling

7.

the cartridge may

g.

from printing more

8.

ink costs the equivalent

h.

number of pages

LISTEN AND FILL IN THE GAPS

Are you (1) ___________________ lots of money for ink cartridges that finish soon after you buy them? Help may be here. The printer company Epson (2) ___________________ some new printers with enough ink to  (3) ___________________ two years. Its new EcoTank printers can print 6,500 pages in colour and 4,000 pages in black. Epson said a family usually prints 200 pages a month. (4) ___________________ cartridges with a short life span are over. With the new printer, (5) ___________________ into the tank. People will save around 65 per cent (6) ___________________ with the new printers.

Profits from ink (7) ___________________. People are printing less and sharing (8) ___________________. People have been unhappy with printer makers over the marketing of ink cartridges. The business model has relied on the idea of "(9) ___________________". Companies put as little ink as possible into the cartridge (10) ___________________ quickly, making consumers buy more. Some cartridges have chips to prevent the user from printing more than (11) ___________________, even though the cartridge may still be half full. A newspaper said printer (12) ___________________ of 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.

 

 

 

 

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)

________________________________________________________

 

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

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

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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