HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

BUSINESS ENGLISH · BUSINESS ISSUES · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

PANDEMIC
MILLIONAIRES

QrrkoD Scan to review worksheet

Expemo code:
16GB-D79T-N7N

1 Warm up

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. What, if anything, changed for you financially during the Covid-19 pandemic? Did your situation
improve or get worse? Why?I have anything changed for my financially during the COVID-19 pandemic
because because I am a supported by my parents
2. What difficulties did people in your country face generally?
In generallly my country faces deal with supplies and stoppages causing purchases for reserves to get out of control
3. Did anyone find new ways of making money during the pandemic in your country?
create content on social media, streaming, open a online shop, invest in cryptocoins and more.
4. How do you think the pandemic will have changed working life in your country when it is all over?
It created more distance jobs and nowadays are more distances jobs because it's more
practical and a lot of people have become autonomous
2 Focus on vocabulary

Part A: Match the vocabulary to the definitions.

1. wealth (n) 7 a. an amount of money borrowed from someone that has to be

returned
2. rocket (v) 4 b. in a manner that is noticeable and has an effect on something
3. transfer (v) 5 c. in a negative way that causes problems or difficulty
4. significantly (adv.) 6 d. in a way that is obvious and true
5. adversely (adv.) 8 e. the act of making something smaller in size or amount
6. undoubtedly (adv.) 2f. to increase suddenly and with great speed

7. debt (n) 3 g. to move something from one place to another

8. reduction (n) 1 h. valuable property or a large amount of money owned by
someone

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 1/7

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Montserrat Torres's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

PANDEMIC MILLIONAIRES

Part B: Now complete the following sentences with a word from the same family as the word in
brackets.

1. The houses in this area are huge. A lot of very wealthy people live here. (wealth)
2. Louise found school quite difficult, but still tried hard in the face of adversity . (adversely)
3. You’ve been so kind and I’m deeply dubt to you and your family for all of your help
over the years. (debt)
4. If I’m going to reduce my spending, I really need to stop eating out so much. (reduction)
5. I never undoubted for a minute that he was telling me the truth. He was always so trustworthy.
(undoubtedly)
6. I don’t think this diet is working. I’ve lost a really significative amount of weight since I started.
(significantly)
7. The rocket is scheduled to launch from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre at 9 am tomorrow
morning. (rocket)
8. Good morning, I would like to arrange a transfer of $2000 to my husband’s account,
please. (transfer)

Now in pairs, answer the following questions.

Lose a little sister that you have never met. And make you think that
1. What event in your life has adversely affected you? no matter how rich or poor you are, you could have known her for a
second.
2. What do you think is undoubtedly the best way to make money? Working hard
3. Do you think it’s important to create wealth, or do you think it’s more important to have wonderful
experiences? It's more important enjoy new experiences because of you will remind it all
your life
4. What do you think is the best way to stay out of debt? And what is your advice for people who
are in it? If you can do something without debt, just do it. If you can't, don't do it
5. Would you be prepared to take a reduction in your salary if you had more time to spend doing
what you enjoy? Why/Why not? I will be prepared to take a reduction in my salary to have
more time to enjoy.
6. If you had to transfer all of your money to someone right now, who would you choose and why?
To my parents, because they are the ones that I did not need for anything

3 Listening for details

Listen to the news report and write down the figures for the following statistics.

1. The increase in the number of millionaires during the pandemic 5,2 milions

2. The number of millionaires in the world after the pandemic 56,1 milion

3. The increase in the number of people globally with more than $30 million in assets 24%

4. How much global wealth has increased 7,4%

5. How much public debt has increased 20% or more

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 2/7

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Montserrat Torres's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

PANDEMIC MILLIONAIRES

4 Listening comprehension
Now listen again and choose the correct answer to the following questions.

1. What was the main cause of the increase in wealth?

a. a large increase in house prices and an improved stock market

b. a large increase in online sales
c. the increase in demand for entertainment and medical supplies
d. the general public were spending more money

2. What helped to decrease household debt?

a. Lower household spending

b. Banks cancelling fees
c. Lower prices in supermarkets
d. Government support programmes

3. When was the last time global wealth increased this quickly?

a. 1997
b. 2003
c. 2008
d. 2012

4. What have banks done to improve the situation?

a. got rid of banking charges for customers

b. allowed employees to work from home
c. given money to charities
d. reduced interest rates

5. What have been the negative results of the actions taken?

a. a serious increase in unemployment

b. the increase of public debt
c. unaffordable housing
d. an increase in businesses shutting down

6. Which countries have seen an increase in individual wealth during the pandemic?

a. The United Kingdom, France and Canada

b. Saudi Arabia, Chile and the United Arab Emirates
c. Sweden, Australia and Switzerland
d. The United States, Mexico and New Zealand

7. Which countries have seen a decrease in individual wealth during the pandemic?

a. The United Kingdom, France and Canada

b. Saudi Arabia, Chile and the United Arab Emirates
c. Sweden, Australia and Switzerland
d. The United States, Mexico and New Zealand

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 3/7

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Montserrat Torres's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

PANDEMIC MILLIONAIRES

5 Scanning for details

Quickly read through the text and find what the following numbers mean.

7.9 trillion

1. £7.9 trillion i s the collective wealth between april and july of 2020.

44%

2. The 44% is the increse of the group of billonaires in industrial sector wealth over the three month.

1.7 trillion

3. The assets of 1,7 trillons $ created of billonaires of china over the last 11 years.

7.9%

4. The extrem poverty levels expected before the pandemic

52 million

5. The number of people who stopped being classified as "living in poverty"

160 million
The dollars that the Washington-based World Bank is planning to offer up of loans and grants to the
6. world’s 100 poorest countries to help deal with the effects of the Covid-19 crisis.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 4/7

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Montserrat Torres's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

PANDEMIC MILLIONAIRES

A tale of two worlds

The financial effect of the pandemic

1.
Text A: While the global pandemic has been a disaster for many people, there has been a rise in prosperity amongst
the world’s billionaires. A recent report from the UK showed that from April to July in 2020, their collective wealth
rose to £7.9 trillion, an increase of 27.5%. There’s also been an increase in people who are classed as billionaires,
which in 2017 was 2,158 globally, but now stands at 2,189.
2.
The group of billionaires who have gained the most are those in the industrial sector, with an increase of 44% in
their wealth over the 3 months studied. Those who made their billions in the tech industry saw an increase of
41% with the lockdowns around the world creating a massive increase in demand for their goods and services.
It is thought that the pandemic allowed technological advances that would have normally taken several years to
happen to take place in only a few months - such was the drive for information and socially-distanced interactions
throughout the world.
3.
The healthcare industry also saw a huge increase in profits, adding to the wealth of billionaires in this sector.
America is the home of the largest amount of wealth, with billionaires creating assets of just over $3.5 trillion in
the last 11 years, more than double that of China’s $1.7 trillion over the same period of time.
4.
As well as making unimaginable wealth, some of the world’s billionaires are giving it away as aid in the pandemic.
The report found 209 billionaires had publicly given $7.2 trillion worth of aid. The majority of these came from
America, with 98 people donating a total of $4.5 billion in pandemic relief. By comparison, 12 Chinese billionaires
donated $679 million, with Australia and the United Kingdom lagging behind with total donations of $324 million
and $298 million respectively.
5.
Text B: The disastrous impact of the pandemic on the world’s poor is projected to create more than 150 million
additional people who are classed as living in "extreme poverty". A report by the World Bank shows that, for the
first time in over two decades, the number of those living on less than $1.90 per day will increase.
6.
Prior to the onset of the pandemic, global extreme poverty levels were expected to drop to new lows of 7.9%.
However, as a result of the impact on the global economy generally, and particularly those in developing nations,
this is now likely to rise to between 9.1% and 9.4%.
7.
There was already concern that the speed at which poverty was being reduced globally was slowing. In the two
years from 2015 to 2017, the number of people who stopped being classified as "living in poverty" was 52 million.
However, the reduction was less than 0.5% per year, which stands in contrast to the period from 1990 to 2015
where there was an increase of around 1% year on year.
8.
In 2013, the World Bank set a goal of having a maximum of 3% of the world’s population living in extreme poverty
by 2030. Given this recent setback, this aim looks impossible to meet without substantial changes in policies. The
Washington-based World Bank is planning to offer up to $160 billion-worth of loans and grants to the world’s
100 poorest countries to help deal with the effects of the Covid-19 crisis.
9.
Jamie Dimon, Chief Executive of the International Bank, JP Morgan, said that the pandemic must be a "wake-up
call" in order that we build a fairer society. "It is my fervent hope that we use this crisis as a catalyst to rebuild
an economy that creates and sustains opportunity for dramatically more people", he stated, "especially those who
have been left behind for too long".
Source: bbc.co.uk

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 5/7

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Montserrat Torres's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

PANDEMIC MILLIONAIRES

6 Finding vocabulary

Scan through the article and find words which mean the same as the following.

1. prosperity the situation when you are making a lot of money (paragraph 1)

2. advances a development or an increase in knowledge and ability (paragraph 2)

3. respectively in the same order as the things mentioned before (paragraph 4)

4. classified put into a particular group (paragraph 7)

5. Setback a problem that delays progress being made (paragraph 8)

6. Substantial important or significant (paragraph 8)

7. Wake-up call something which causes a change to happen (paragraph 9)

8. catalyst to allow something to continue to exist or to happen (paragraph 9)

7 Reading comprehension

Read the following statements and decide if they are True, False or Not Given.

1. The billionaires of the world got richer over three months in 2020, adding just over a quarter to
their combined wealth. T
2. Due to the increase in gaming during the pandemic, tech billionaires made great profits. Not given
3. The pandemic created a situation where technological progress was much faster than normal. T
4. The combined donations in pandemic aid of Australian and British billionaires were greater than
that of Chinese billionaires. F
5. Extreme poverty is defined as people who live on less than $1.90 a day. T
6. Between 2015 and 2017, the speed at which people were lifted out of poverty increased. F
7. The World Bank will not be able to meet its targets for the reduction of global poverty by the end
of this decade. Not given
8. The chief executive of JP Morgan believes the pandemic has created a more equal society. F

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 6/7

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Montserrat Torres's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

PANDEMIC MILLIONAIRES

8 Talking point

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Did any of the facts and figures in today’s lesson surprise you? Why/Why not?
2. What is your opinion about the increase in millionaires and billionaires around the world? What
significance do you think it will have for the future of the world? Do you think it is healthy that so
I think that today we have our world classified in 2 classes: the
many people have such a great deal of money? Or not? Why? poores and the riches, and it's not healthy hava a great deal of
money because you will stress thinking how to creat money.
3. What is your opinion about the number of people living in extreme poverty? Do you think we
could do more to reduce that number, or do you think it is natural for there to be a certain number
I think taht i woulden't be like that. We could do a lot of things to reduce the
of very poor people in the world? pooberty but nowadays people only see that it lives well only but they don't look at
what is happening in the world.
4. What is the least amount of money that you think you could possibly live on per day?
I think that 5 euros is the least amount amount you could possibly live on per day
5. Do you think there will be a time when there are no people living in poverty at all? Why/Why not?
It's difficult to imagin this time because we see that the probability to avoid the poverty it's more less, It can be a time that millonaires will lose all
their money but it's almost impossible.
6. What do you think needs to happen for there to be no people at all living in poverty in the world?
It have to be a unic world with universal rules and there aren't any country, global
organization with a president and all people with the same amount of money.

9 Extended activity/homework

Read the following question.

There is something deeply wrong with a world where a few people can have more money
than they could ever spend, while others cannot afford to feed themselves or their children.
We must create a system where billionaires cannot exist and that money is used to lift the
world’s poorest people out of poverty and give them a future. To what extent do you agree
with this statement?

You should:
• Write a minimum of 250 words.
• Ensure you check your spelling, grammar and punctuation.
I think I agree with this statement, since we are seeing that this world is more and more
divided. It is considered that there is no longer a second world country.

The idea to end millionaires and poverty at the same time is to reduce the outrageous and
grotesque and immoral level of inequality of income and wealth. For that, there are different
possibilities to make this idea a reality. We should first demand that the richest 10% of the
1% start paying their fair share of taxes so that we can create a nation and a government
that works for all of us. Involve your entire environment against poverty, as well as
organizing regular excursions to spend a day in needy areas and help improve their living
conditions. It could also be donating, offering the possibility of donating to an organization
that fights against poverty and in favor of the most disadvantaged. Or there could be a fair
trade to avoid poverty, that is, consume responsibly by buying fair trade products that help
create a sustainable trade system, which can provide workers with adequate compensation.

In conclusion, I could say that these are the key ideas for tackling poverty and ending
millionaires. It must be taken into account that it would cost a lot to apply but if it can be
achieved
FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 7/7
Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Montserrat Torres's lessons.