A growing library of level-graded English lessons for classroom or self-study, with reading, listening, vocabulary, activities, and discussion practice from A1 to B2.
Lesson Info
In this lesson:
- Warm-up Prediction task and general discussion questions.
- Vocab List Useful words and meanings.
- Reading Read the main text.
- Listen and Fill Gaps Listen for missing words.
- True or False Check understanding.
- Put Events in Order Arrange events from the story into the order they happened.
- Multiple Choice Check understanding.
- Vocab Match Connect words to meanings.
- Discussion Builder Think about how ideas relate to each other to choose connecting expressions.
- Discussion Questions Open speaking questions for discussion (or writing practice).
- Answers Answer key for the printed tasks.
Think Ahead: Why might a young lottery winner choose weekly payments?
a) She wants to share the prize with her coworkers.
b) It gives her steady money for many years.
c) It helps her enter more lottery games.
Ask: (1) Do you buy lottery tickets? Why or why not? (2) What would you do with one million dollars?
VOCAB LIST
Reading
Many lottery winners must choose between a large one-time payment and smaller payments. A 20-year-old woman from Quebec, Canada, Brenda Aubin-Vega, faced that choice after winning the top prize on a scratch ticket. She saw three piggy bank symbols and froze. "I couldn't believe my eyes! I checked my ticket over and over again," she told Yahoo News Canada. She called her dad, took time off work, and then picked a weekly payment of $1,000 instead of a $1 million cash prize.
Her decision drew criticism online and started a debate about money today versus money later. In the United States, lottery income is taxed by federal, state, and local governments, so big jackpots shrink fast. A $1.5 billion Powerball winner would keep about $516.7 million after federal taxes. Aubin-Vega is Canadian, and lottery prizes there are not taxed, so she could have taken the $1 million with no penalty.
The weekly plan gives her $52,000 a year, which works like a 5.2% yearly return on $1 million. The money comes from the province of Quebec and is backed by its government, so the risk is very low. Her age also matters: at $1,000 a week she reaches $1 million at 39 and about $3.1 million by 80.
A fixed weekly payment offers little flexibility, while a $1 million cash payment could be invested in many kinds of assets. A low-cost fund that follows the stock market and grows 7% a year could turn $1 million into several million in about 10 years. Inflation also reduces buying power over time. With 2% yearly price rises, $1,000 a week could be worth less than half its current value by age 56. The weekly choice also removes the chance to brag about being a 20-year-old millionaire.
20-Year-Old Lottery Winner Chooses Weekly Payments
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
Think Ahead: Why might a young lottery winner choose weekly payments?
a) She wants to share the prize with her coworkers.
b) It gives her steady money for many years.
c) It helps her enter more lottery games.
Ask: (1) Do you buy lottery tickets? Why or why not? (2) What would you do with one million dollars?
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Lottery (n.)
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Jackpot (n.)
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Taxed (v.)
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Penalty (n.)
-
Return (n.)
-
Risk (n.)
-
Flexibility (n.)
-
Inflation (n.)
-
Weekly (adj.)
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Debate (n.)
Many lottery winners must choose between a large one-time payment and smaller payments. A 20-year-old woman from Quebec, Canada, Brenda Aubin-Vega, faced that choice after winning the top prize on a scratch ticket. She saw three piggy bank symbols and froze. "I couldn't believe my eyes! I checked my ticket over and over again," she told Yahoo News Canada. She called her dad, took time off work, and then picked a weekly payment of $1,000 instead of a $1 million cash prize.
Her decision drew criticism online and started a debate about money today versus money later. In the United States, lottery income is taxed by federal, state, and local governments, so big jackpots shrink fast. A $1.5 billion Powerball winner would keep about $516.7 million after federal taxes. Aubin-Vega is Canadian, and lottery prizes there are not taxed, so she could have taken the $1 million with no penalty.
The weekly plan gives her $52,000 a year, which works like a 5.2% yearly return on $1 million. The money comes from the province of Quebec and is backed by its government, so the risk is very low. Her age also matters: at $1,000 a week she reaches $1 million at 39 and about $3.1 million by 80.
A fixed weekly payment offers little flexibility, while a $1 million cash payment could be invested in many kinds of assets. A low-cost fund that follows the stock market and grows 7% a year could turn $1 million into several million in about 10 years. Inflation also reduces buying power over time. With 2% yearly price rises, $1,000 a week could be worth less than half its current value by age 56. The weekly choice also removes the chance to brag about being a 20-year-old millionaire.
Two ways to use this audio:
- Method 1: Listen for the main idea: what is the article about in one sentence? Listen a second time for more details, then try the Understanding activities below.
- Method 2: Read the article first to learn the vocabulary and ideas. Then look at the gap-fill sentences to see what to listen for, and listen to fill them in.
Listen and Fill Gaps
Listen to the audio and complete the gaps below:
Loading listening activity...
Listen and Fill Gaps
Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:
Many lottery winners must (1) between a large one-time payment and smaller payments. A 20-year-old woman from Quebec, Canada, Brenda Aubin-Vega, faced that choice after winning the top prize on a scratch ticket. She saw three piggy bank symbols and froze. "I couldn't believe my eyes! I checked my ticket over and over again," she told Yahoo News Canada. She called her dad, took time off work, and then picked a (2) payment of $1,000 instead of a $1 million cash prize.
Her decision drew criticism online and started a (3) about money today versus money later. In the United States, lottery income is (4) by federal, state, and local governments, so big jackpots shrink fast. A $1.5 billion Powerball winner would keep about $516.7 million after federal taxes. Aubin-Vega is Canadian, and lottery prizes there are not taxed, so she could have taken the $1 million with no penalty.
The weekly plan gives her $52,000 a year, which works like a 5.2% yearly (5) on $1 million. The money comes from the province of Quebec and is backed by its government, so the (6) is very low. Her age also matters: at $1,000 a week she reaches $1 million at 39 and about $3.1 million by 80.
A fixed weekly payment offers little flexibility, while a $1 million cash payment could be invested in many kinds of assets. A low-cost fund that follows the stock market and grows 7% a year could turn $1 million into several million in about 10 years. (7) also reduces buying power over time. With 2% yearly price rises, $1,000 a week could be worth less than half its current value by age 56. The weekly choice also removes the chance to brag about being a 20-year-old millionaire.
True or False
Answer each question by selecting True or False, then click CHECK to see your results.
True or False
1. Aubin-Vega chose a $1,000 weekly payment instead of the $1 million cash prize. TRUEFALSE True
2. Lottery prizes in Canada are taxed by federal, state, and local governments. TRUEFALSE False
3. The article says a fixed weekly payment offers little flexibility compared with taking the cash. TRUEFALSE True
Put Events in Order
Put the events in the order they happened, from first to last.
- 1 She saw three piggy bank symbols and froze.
- 2 She checked her ticket over and over again.
- 3 She called her dad and took time off work.
- 4 She picked the $1,000 weekly payment instead of the $1 million cash prize.
- 5 Her decision drew criticism online and started a debate about money today versus money later.
Put Events in Order
Put the events from the story in the correct order from first (1) to last (5):
- She picked the $1,000 weekly payment instead of the $1 million cash prize.
- She checked her ticket over and over again.
- Her decision drew criticism online and started a debate about money today versus money later.
- She saw three piggy bank symbols and froze.
- She called her dad and took time off work.
- She saw three piggy bank symbols and froze.
- She checked her ticket over and over again.
- She called her dad and took time off work.
- She picked the $1,000 weekly payment instead of the $1 million cash prize.
- Her decision drew criticism online and started a debate about money today versus money later.
Multiple Choice
Answer each question by selecting A, B, C, or D, then click CHECK to see your results.
Multiple Choice
1. The weekly plan gives her ____ a year.
a) $1,000
b) $52,000Correct
c) $3.1 million
d) $516.7 million
2. A $1.5 billion Powerball winner would keep about ____ after federal taxes.
a) $516.7 millionCorrect
b) $1 million
c) $52,000 a year
d) $3.1 million
3. At $1,000 a week she reaches $1 million at ____.
a) 20
b) 39Correct
c) 56
d) 80
4. A low-cost fund that follows the stock market and grows 7% a year could turn $1 million into ____ in about 10 years.
a) $52,000 a year
b) less than half its current value
c) $516.7 million
d) several millionCorrect
5. With 2% yearly price rises, $1,000 a week could be worth ____ by age 56.
a) less than half its current valueCorrect
b) $3.1 million
c) $1 million
d) $52,000 a year
Vocab Match
Drag each vocabulary word to its matching definition:
Loading vocabulary activity...
Vocab Match
Write each vocabulary word next to its matching definition.
1. Lotteryh) A game where people buy tickets and some win money.
2. Jackpotg) The top prize in a lottery.
3. Taxedf) Charged money by the government.
4. Penaltye) A punishment or extra cost for doing something.
5. Returnd) The amount of money gained from an investment.
6. Riskc) The chance of losing money or having a bad result.
7. Flexibilityb) The ability to change plans or use something in different ways.
8. Inflationa) A general rise in prices over time.
a) A general rise in prices over time.
b) The ability to change plans or use something in different ways.
c) The chance of losing money or having a bad result.
d) The amount of money gained from an investment.
e) A punishment or extra cost for doing something.
f) Charged money by the government.
g) The top prize in a lottery.
h) A game where people buy tickets and some win money.
Discussion Builder
Hints: 1) Result 2) Result 3) Contrast 4) Result
Discussion Builder
Choose the best phrase for each gap:
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Her decision drew criticism online and started a debate about money today versus money later. it became a trending topic across social media.
Because of that, / For example, / Also, / Still,
Her decision drew criticism online and started a debate about money today versus money later. Because of that, it became a trending topic across social media.
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Lottery prizes in Canada are not taxed. she could have taken the $1 million with no penalty.
So, / For example, / Still, / Also,
Lottery prizes in Canada are not taxed. So, she could have taken the $1 million with no penalty.
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A fixed weekly payment offers little flexibility. a $1 million cash payment could be invested in many kinds of assets.
However, / As a result, / For example, / Furthermore,
A fixed weekly payment offers little flexibility. However, a $1 million cash payment could be invested in many kinds of assets.
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Inflation reduces buying power over time. the weekly payment feels like much less money in the future.
Therefore, / However, / For example, / In addition,
Inflation reduces buying power over time. Therefore, the weekly payment feels like much less money in the future.
Discussion Questions
- Did Brenda make the right choice, in your opinion?
- What are the benefits of receiving money every week?
- What are the advantages of a large one-time payment?
- Would you prefer a large one-time payment or smaller weekly payments? Why?
- Is inflation a problem in your country? How have prices changed in recent years?
- Is a low-cost fund that follows the stock market a good investment? Why do you think so?
- What are some other investments that you would consider?
- When it comes to investing, do you prefer low-risk, low-reward, or high-risk, high-reward?
- Is it smart to take time off work after a big win? Why or why not?
- If you received $1,000 a week, how would you use it?
Discussion Questions
- Did Brenda make the right choice, in your opinion?
- What are the benefits of receiving money every week?
- What are the advantages of a large one-time payment?
- Would you prefer a large one-time payment or smaller weekly payments? Why?
- Is inflation a problem in your country? How have prices changed in recent years?
- Is a low-cost fund that follows the stock market a good investment? Why do you think so?
- What are some other investments that you would consider?
- When it comes to investing, do you prefer low-risk, low-reward, or high-risk, high-reward?
- Is it smart to take time off work after a big win? Why or why not?
- If you received $1,000 a week, how would you use it?
Answers
Think Ahead: b
Listening: (1) choose, (2) weekly, (3) debate, (4) taxed, (5) return, (6) risk, (7) inflation
True or False:
- True. She picked a weekly payment of $1,000 rather than the $1 million cash prize.
- False. The story says Canadian lottery prizes are not taxed, so she could take the $1 million with no penalty.
- True. It states that a fixed weekly payment offers little flexibility, while the cash could be invested.
Multiple Choice: b, a, b, d, a
Put Events in Order:
- She saw three piggy bank symbols and froze.
- She checked her ticket over and over again.
- She called her dad and took time off work.
- She picked the $1,000 weekly payment instead of the $1 million cash prize.
- Her decision drew criticism online and started a debate about money today versus money later.
Vocabulary:
- Lottery: A game where people buy tickets and some win money.
- Jackpot: The top prize in a lottery.
- Taxed: Charged money by the government.
- Penalty: A punishment or extra cost for doing something.
- Return: The amount of money gained from an investment.
- Risk: The chance of losing money or having a bad result.
- Flexibility: The ability to change plans or use something in different ways.
- Inflation: A general rise in prices over time.
Discussion Builder:
Hints: 1) Result. 2) Result. 3) Contrast. 4) Result.
- Because of that,
- So,
- However,
- Therefore,