The Reading / Listening - Miniaturization - Level 4

Engineers have been miniaturizing things for decades. This trend led to the mobile phone. The latest miniaturized thing is a handbag. It is so tiny it can only be seen through a microscope. The art group MSCHF created the Louis Vuitton-inspired bag. The group said its creation is "smaller than a grain of sea salt and narrow enough to pass through the eye of a needle". It is 657 micrometres wide. It just sold for $63,000.

The neon-green bag was made using high-tech 3D printers that make biotech components. MSCHF used the technology to see how small they could make a bag. The chief creative officer did not ask Louis Vuitton for permission to use its logo on the handbag. He said he would rather ask for forgiveness than for permission. He thought the bag was funny because handbags are usually highly functional, but it is now an item of jewellery.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Miniaturization - Level 5 or  Miniaturization - Level 6

Sources
  • https://nypost.com/2023/06/29/microscopic-louis-vuitton-handbag-sells-for-over-63000-smaller-than-a-grain-of-salt/
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/29/style/mschf-lv-microscopic-bag-auction/index.html
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12247561/Bizarre-handbag-thats-smaller-grain-salt-sells-63K.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. Engineers have been miniaturizing
  2. This trend led
  3. The latest miniaturized thing
  4. It is so
  5. it can only be seen through
  6. smaller than a grain
  7. narrow enough to pass through
  8. It just sold
  1. is a handbag
  2. the eye of a needle
  3. for $63,000
  4. a microscope
  5. things for decades
  6. tiny
  7. of sea salt
  8. to the mobile phone

Paragraph 2

  1. The neon-
  2. high-tech 3D
  3. how small they could
  4. permission to use its logo
  5. he would rather ask
  6. He thought the bag
  7. handbags are usually highly
  8. an item
  1. for forgiveness
  2. functional
  3. on the handbag
  4. of jewellery
  5. make a bag
  6. green bag
  7. printers
  8. was funny

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Engineers have been (1) ___________________ decades. This trend led to the mobile phone. The latest miniaturized (2) ___________________ handbag. It is (3) ___________________ can only be seen through a microscope. The art group MSCHF created the Louis Vuitton-inspired bag. The group said its creation is "smaller (4) ___________________ of sea salt and narrow enough to pass through the (5) ___________________ needle". It is 657 micrometres wide. It (6) ___________________ $63,000.

The neon-green bag was made (7) ___________________ printers that make biotech components. MSCHF used (8) ___________________ see how small they could make a bag. The chief creative officer did not ask Louis Vuitton for permission to use (9) ___________________ the handbag. He said he would rather ask for forgiveness (10) ___________________. He thought the (11) ___________________ because handbags are usually highly functional, but it is (12) ___________________ of jewellery.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Engineershavebeenminiaturizingthingsfordecades.Thistrendledtot
hemobilephone.Thelatestminiaturizedthingisahandbag.Itissotinyitc
anonlybeseenthroughamicroscope.TheartgroupMSCHFcreatedtheL
ouisVuitton-inspiredbag.Thegroupsaiditscreationis"smallerthanag
rainofseasaltandnarrowenoughtopassthroughtheeyeofaneedle".Itis
657micrometreswide.Itjustsoldfor$63,000.Theneon-greenbagwas
madeusinghigh-tech3Dprintersthatmakebiotechcomponents.MSC
HFusedthetechnologytoseehowsmalltheycouldmakeabag.Thechiefc
reativeofficerdidnotaskedLouisVuittonforpermissiontouseitslogoont
hehandbag.Hesaidhewouldratheraskforforgivenessthanforpermissi
on.Hethoughtthebagwasfunnybecausehandbagsareusuallyhighlyfu
nctional,butitisnowanitemofjewellery.

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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