The Reading / Listening - Dating App - Level 0

Young Chinese women are spending $30 million a month on a dating app called Love and Producer. The app has virtual boyfriends, not real men. Users buy "Purple Diamonds" from the app. They spend these in the app to go on dates and on their relationships. It makes the most money on Apple's China App Store.

The app has two million daily users. Most users are women in their early 20s. They love the romance. A student said she loved it because: "It's like a romantic novel with...voices. It's more real than reading a novel." Another young woman said: "I don't have a boyfriend, so I'm happy to have [virtual boyfriends]".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Dating App - Level 1,  Dating App - Level 2   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. Young
  2. spending $30 million
  3. a dating
  4. The app has virtual
  5. Users buy "Purple Diamonds"
  6. They spend these
  7. go on
  8. It makes the most
  1. app
  2. from the app
  3. money
  4. a month
  5. dates
  6. Chinese women
  7. boyfriends
  8. in the app

Paragraph 2

  1. The app has two million
  2. women in their
  3. They love the
  4. A student said she
  5. It's like a romantic
  6. It's more real than reading
  7. I don't
  8. I'm happy to have
  1. a novel
  2. romance
  3. novel
  4. early 20s
  5. have a boyfriend
  6. loved it
  7. virtual boyfriends
  8. daily users

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Young Chinese women (1) ___________________ $30 million a month on a dating (2) ___________________ Love and Producer. (3) ___________________ virtual boyfriends, not real men. Users buy "(4) ___________________" from the app. They spend these in the app to (5) ___________________ and on their relationships. It makes the (6) ___________________ Apple's China App Store.

(7) ___________________ two million daily users. Most users are women in their early 20s. They (8) ___________________. A student said she (9) ___________________: "It's like a romantic novel with...voices. It's (10) ___________________ reading a novel." Another (11) ___________________: "I don't have a boyfriend, so I'm (12) ___________________ [virtual boyfriends]".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

YoungChinesewomenarespending$30millionamonthonadatingappc
alledLoveandProducer.Theapphasvirtualboyfriends,notrealmen.Us
ersbuy"PurpleDiamonds"fromtheapp.Theyspendtheseintheapptog
oondatesandontheirrelationships.ItmakesthemostmoneyonApple's
ChinaAppStore.Theapphastwomilliondailyusers.Mostusersarewom
enintheirearly20s.Theylovetheromance.Astudentsaidsheloveditbec
ause:"It'slikearomanticnovelwith...voices.It'smorerealthanreading
anovel."Anotheryoungwomansaid:"Idon'thaveaboyfriend,soI'mha
ppytohave[virtualboyfriends]".

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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