Level 1 l Pre-intermediate / Intermediate

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1 1 Warmer Match the generations to the years they were born in. Scan the article to check your answers. 1. millennials a baby boomers b Generation X c Key words Match the key words with the definitions. Then, find them in the article to read them in context. The paragraph numbers will help you. assets resentment restrictions think tank debt 1. a group of people who work together to find new ideas on a subject (para 1) 2. an angry unhappy feeling that you have when you think someone has not been fair to you (para 3) 3. things such as money or a house that a person owns (para 4) 4. an amount of money that you owe (para 7) 5. rules that limit what you can do (para 8) rent pension treble retire inherited 6. money that someone regularly receives after they have stopped working because of their age, paid either by their company or by the government (para 8) 7. received from someone who has died (para 9) 8. stop working, especially when you reach the age when you are officially too old to work (para 10) 9. pay money regularly to live in a house or flat that belongs to someone else (para 11) 10. become three times bigger than it was before (para 12)

2 Give millennials 10,000 each to tackle generation gap, says think tank Robert Booth 8 May, Every person in Britain should receive 10,000 at the age of 25, a think tank says in a report. 2 The money would help young people when they most need it so they could find a place to live, return to education or start a business. 3 It would reduce resentment towards baby boomers (born ) who have made more money from buying and selling houses than the generations that came after them. 4 Younger generations have higher risks but fewer assets than older generations, the report says. 5 Millennials (born ) will be happy with the report. They believe that older people think they waste money on expensive coffee and other silly things rather than save money to buy a house. 6 In fact, research found that in 2001, people aged spent the same as year olds and today, they spend 15% less. 7 Some millennials said the money would not affect them because they have such a lot of student debt and very high housing costs. Others said it could be money down the drain if people spent it on silly things. 8 But the think tank said there would be restrictions on what millennials could do with the money. It could only be used for housing, education, starting a business or towards a pension. 9 The report says that inherited money and gifts from parents will have a bigger and bigger effect on how people can afford to live. 10 This is a problem, the report says. Many millennials will not get an inheritance and millennials that do will probably get it just before they retire and not when they need it when they are bringing up children. 11 The report said that millennials are half as likely as baby boomers to own their own home by the age of 30 and four times more likely to rent a house or flat. 12 The number of families with children who rent homes has trebled since 2003, to 1.8 million. Millennials in their 20s are more likely to be in temporary work than people from Generation X (born ). 13 Britain s unwritten agreement between generations is very important to its citizens, said the report. We help our children and parents at different times. Many people no longer believe that Britain is looking after both the young and the old. Guardian News and Media 2018 First published in The Guardian, 08/05/18

3 3 Comprehension check Choose the right word or words in each sentence to make them true according to the article. 1. The report was written by millennials / a think tank. 2. The report says that millennials should receive 10,000 when they are 25 years old / retire. 3. There would be restrictions / no restrictions on what they could do with the money. 4. Many people in their 20s do not have enough money to buy / rent a house. 5. Young people today have more money / debt than older generations. 6. Many older people think millennials waste / save a lot of money. 7. The money should help to reduce resentment that millennials / baby boomers might have towards millennials / baby boomers. 4 Money a. Underline the following expression in paragraph 7. Match it to its definition. money down the drain 1. money saved to buy a house 2. money wasted because you spent it on something you didn t need 3. money lost or stolen b. Have you ever thrown money down the drain?

4 5 Responses a. Should all millennials get 10,000 when they are 25 years old? Read three millennials responses to this question. I would use it to help pay for my education but it wouldn t make much of a difference; it would pay for about two terms. My fear is some people might get the 10,000, decide to be an entrepreneur and waste it. I am embarrassed to be part of that millennial group. Rory Childs, 21, London Nikeh Gray, 29, London I would have a big smile on my face. With no restrictions, I would spend it all in a month but with the restrictions, how would it help me? 10,000 is not even enough to help me buy a house and I don t want to think about my pension until I am in my late 30s. Having that money at 25 would change your ability to buy a house. A few years ago, I realized I would never be able to buy a house because I couldn t afford it. Matilda Morgan, 23, Petersfield b. Think of a millennial that you know. How do you think they would answer the question in task a? 6 a. What do you think is the think tank s idea good or not? Give reasons for your answer. b. Do you think people should get money from the government or from family when they are young to help them with their lives? Why? Why not? c. In your opinion, do young people today have better or worse lives than their parents? Give reasons for your answer. 7 I know a millennial called He / She is my friend / cousin He / She would probably say Discussion Webquest Look at a graph that shows how people in 11 countries answered question c in task 6. Discuss their answers. What do you find most interesting? Is your country mentioned?

5 KEY 1 Warmer 1. c 2. a 3. b 2 Key words 1. think tank 2. resentment 3. assets 4. debt 5. restrictions 6. pension 7. inherited 8. retire 9. rent 10. treble 3 Comprehension check 1. a think tank 2. are 25 years old 3. restrictions 4. buy 5. debt 6. waste 7. millennials; baby boomers 4 Money a. answer 2.