Kylie Minogue Races for Christmas Number One

Level 1 · Checked Lesson by: Aron Thode Source:bbc.com, youtube.com

How to study this lesson

Ask: (1) Who is your favorite pop star? (2) Do you celebrate Christmas? What does it mean to you?

Kylie Minogue on the cover of her Christmas album.
Kylie Minogue on the cover of her Christmas album.

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Australian pop star Kylie Minogue has a new Christmas song. It is called XMAS. Right now, it is the most popular Christmas song in the UK.

Kylie became famous in 1987. Her first big hit was Locomotion. She was very young then. Now she is 57 years old.

Three songs are in the race for number one. Kylie is in first place. The band Wham is in second place. Their song Last Christmas was number one for two years. A charity song called Lullaby is in third place.

Kylie wants to win very much. Her last number one was in 2003. "I think I'd cry," she told BBC News.

She sang XMAS on TV on Sunday. The song has a fun dance. The dance spells X-M-A-S with your body.

Kylie made a Christmas album ten years ago. This year she made a new version of it. XMAS is a new song on that album. The album went to number one last week.

Wham could still win. Many people listen to Last Christmas online. If it wins again, it will be the first Christmas song to win three times.

The charity song helps people in Gaza. Many people bought it this weekend. The race will end on Friday.

Vocab List

  • Race (n.) — A competition to see who can win or finish first.
  • Festive (adj.) — Happy and special, related to a holiday or celebration.
  • Single (n.) — One song released by a singer or band.
  • Chart (n.) — A list that shows the most popular songs.
  • Lead (v.) — To be in first place or ahead of others.
  • Perform (v.) — To sing, dance, or act in front of people.
  • Charity (n.) — An organization that helps people in need.
  • Top (v.) — To be number one or the best.

Listen and fill the gaps below:

Listen and Fill Gaps

Listen to the audio and complete the gaps below:

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue has a new Christmas song. It is called XMAS. Right now, it is the most (1) __________ Christmas song in the UK.

Kylie became famous in 1987. Her first big hit was Locomotion. She was very (2) __________ then. Now she is 57 years old.

Three songs are in the race for number one. Kylie is in first place. The band Wham is in second place. Their song Last Christmas was number one for two years. A (3) __________ song called Lullaby is in third place.

Kylie wants to win very much. Her last number one was in 2003. "I think I'd cry," she told BBC News.

She sang XMAS on TV on Sunday. The song has a fun (4) __________. The dance spells X-M-A-S with your body.

Kylie made a Christmas album ten years ago. This year she made a new version of it. XMAS is a new song on that album. The album went to number one last week.

Wham could still win. Many people listen to Last Christmas (5) __________. If it wins again, it will be the first Christmas song to win three times.

The charity song helps people in Gaza. Many people bought it this weekend. The race will end on Friday.

True or False

Answer each question by selecting True or False, then click CHECK to see your results.

  • Kylie's song XMAS is in first place right now.
    The article says her song is winning and in first place.
  • Wham's Last Christmas was number one for the last two years.
    The article says it was number one for the last two years.
  • Kylie's last number one song was in 2010.
    Her last number one was in 2003, not 2010.
  • The charity song Lullaby will help people in Gaza.
    The article says it will help people in Gaza.

True or False

1. Kylie's song XMAS is in first place right now. T / F

2. Wham's Last Christmas was number one for the last two years. T / F

3. Kylie's last number one song was in 2010. T / F

4. The charity song Lullaby will help people in Gaza. T / F

Put Events in Order

Put the events from the story in the correct order from first (1) to last (4):

  • ___ Kylie had her last number one song in 2003.

  • ___ The race will end on Friday.

  • ___ Kylie became famous with her first hit Locomotion.

  • ___ Kylie made a Christmas album ten years ago.

Vocab List
  • Race (n.)
  • Festive (adj.)
  • Single (n.)
  • Chart (n.)
  • Lead (v.)
  • Perform (v.)
  • Charity (n.)
  • Top (v.)

Vocab Match

Match each vocabulary word with a definition:

1. Festive

2. Single

3. Perform

4. Charity

a) An organization that helps people in need.

b) To sing, dance, or act in front of people.

c) One song released by a singer or band.

d) Happy and special, related to a holiday or celebration.

Discussion Questions

  1. Do you know Kylie Minogue? Do you know her other songs?
  2. Why does Kylie want to be number one? Do you want to be number one?
  3. In your country, what happens at the end of the year?
  4. Do you like Christmas music? Why or why not?
  5. What Christmas songs do you know?
  6. Do you care about music charts? Do you like to listen to the number one song?
  7. How do you listen to music? Do you stream it or buy it?
  8. Do you want to give money to a charity to help people?
  9. What is the most popular song in your country now?
  10. Do you like old songs or new songs? Why?

Answers

Listening: (1) popular, (2) young, (3) charity, (4) dance, (5) online

True or False:

  1. True. The article says her song is winning and in first place.
  2. True. The article says it was number one for the last two years.
  3. False. Her last number one was in 2003, not 2010.
  4. True. The article says it will help people in Gaza.

Put Events in Order:

  1. Kylie became famous with her first hit Locomotion.
  2. Kylie had her last number one song in 2003.
  3. Kylie made a Christmas album ten years ago.
  4. The race will end on Friday.

Vocabulary:

  1. Festive: Happy and special, related to a holiday or celebration.

  2. Single: One song released by a singer or band.

  3. Perform: To sing, dance, or act in front of people.

  4. Charity: An organization that helps people in need.

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