The Reading / Listening - Tech - Level 5

Smartphones and computers have become essential parts of our lives. People spend a small fortune on the latest tech. However, keeping up to date with the latest gadgets will become more expensive. This is because of the huge rise in demand for servers in AI data centres. These need to store massive amounts of data and move it much faster than before. Chip makers are struggling to keep up with demand. Yahoo.com wrote: "The enormous sums of money going into the AI race are driving up costs for resources and components."

Apple and Microsoft have announced price rises for their products. However, the iPhone will be insulated from the price rises. Apple said: "We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly." It added: "We have shielded our customers… but we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices." Microsoft said: "The entire consumer electronics industry is struggling." People are now worried about rising tech prices. In addition, the growth of AI data centres has increased demand for electricity, which is pushing up utility bills in some areas.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Tech - Level 4 or  Tech - Level 6

Sources
  • https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/articles/asian-tech-stocks-slide-ai-174301361.html
  • https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/apple-raises-ipad-macbook-prices-memory-chip-costs-surge
  • https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/26/ai-memory-chip-shortage-consumer-electronics-prices.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. People spend a small
  2. keeping up to date with
  3. the huge rise in demand
  4. store massive amounts of data
  5. Chip makers are
  6. keep
  7. enormous sums
  8. driving up
  1. up with demand
  2. for servers
  3. costs for resources
  4. fortune
  5. amounts of data
  6. of money
  7. struggling
  8. the latest gadgets

Paragraph 2

  1. the iPhone will be insulated
  2. We've never seen a component
  3. We have shielded
  4. we need to
  5. The entire consumer electronics
  6. the growth
  7. increased demand
  8. pushing up utility
  1. for electricity
  2. our customers
  3. industry
  4. bills in some areas
  5. price increase
  6. begin raising prices
  7. of AI data centres
  8. from the price rises

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Smartphones and computers have become (1) ________________________________________________ our lives. People spend a small fortune on the latest tech. However, keeping (2) ________________________________________________ with the latest gadgets will become more expensive. This is because of the huge (3) ________________________________________________ for servers in AI data centres. These need to store (4) ________________________________________________ data and move it much faster than before. Chip makers are struggling to keep (5) ________________________________________________. Yahoo.com wrote: "The enormous sums of money going into the AI race are (6) ________________________________________________ for resources and components."

Apple and Microsoft (7) ________________________________________________ rises for their products. However, the iPhone will (8) ________________________________________________ the price rises. Apple said: "We have never seen a component price increase this (9) ________________________________________________." It added: "We have shielded our customers... but we have now (10) ________________________________________________ where we need to begin raising prices." Microsoft said: "The entire consumer electronics (11) ________________________________________________." People are now worried about rising tech prices. In addition, the growth of AI data centres has increased demand for electricity, which is pushing (12) ________________________________________________ in some areas.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Smartphonesandcomputershavebecomeessentialpartsofourlives.P
eoplespendasmallfortuneonthelatesttech.However,keepinguptodat
ewiththelatestgadgetswillbecomemoreexpensive.Thisisbecauseoft
hehugeriseindemandforserversinAIdatacentres.Theseneedtostore
massiveamountsofdataandmoveitmuchfasterthanbefore.Chipmake
rsarestrugglingtokeepupwithdemand.Yahoo.comwrote:"Theenorm
oussumsofmoneygoingintotheAIracearedrivingupcostsforresources
andcomponents."AppleandMicrosofthaveannouncedpricerisesforth
eirproducts.However,theiPhonewillbeinsulatedfromthepricerises.A
pplesaid:"Wehaveneverseenacomponentpriceincreasethismuch,thi
squickly."Itadded:"Wehaveshieldedourcustomers...butwehavenow
reachedapointwhereweneedtobeginraisingprices."Microsoftsaid:"T
heentireconsumerelectronicsindustryisstruggling."Peoplearenoww
orriedaboutrisingtechprices.Inaddition,thegrowthofAIdatacentresh
asincreaseddemandforelectricity,whichispushinguputilitybillsinsom
eareas.

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.

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