Business English Materials.com
20-Page Handout + MP3 + 8 Online Quizzes on Amazon

GAMES:

• Fill-in-the-blank
• Matching
• Hangman
• Flash cards
• Sentence jumble
• Missing words
• No letters
• Crossword puzzle

Amazon.com is one of the biggest success stories of the Internet. It was started by Jeff Bezos from a garage in Seattle, Washington in 1995 and is now the largest online retailer in the world. Bezos was Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 1999 for popularizing online shopping. His company originally sold only books but has diversified into selling music, video games, toys, electronics and other popular ranges of goods. Amazon has cleverly marketed itself worldwide by establishing separate websites in different countries. In 2007 Amazon launched its Kindle e-book reader, which now enjoys a huge share of that market. A year later it teamed up with toy and electronics makers to sell goods with minimal packaging to help the environment. It remains an innovative leader in the area of online commerce.

1. BRAINSTORM CHAT: Write all the words you can think of about Amazon on the board or on a piece of paper. Talk about these words with your partner(s).

2. AMAZON MORNING: Each student pretends to be an employee of Amazon. They walk around the class and talk about the company and their job.

3. RUMOURS: Each student writes down a pretend rumour about Amazon. They then walk around the class and talk to other students about their rumour.

4. GOOD AND BAD: Brainstorm good and bad things about Amazon and write them on the board. Students talk about these in pairs.

5. TRUE OR FALSE: Students find out several facts about Amazon. They write these down and add the same number of things about the company that are false. Students test each other on which of their points are true or false.

6. FACTS: In groups, students write down as many facts as they can about Amazon. The winner is the group with the most facts. Teacher may wish to have groups share their facts to make sure they are real.

  LISTENING / READING GAP FILL

Amazon.com is __________________ success stories of the Internet. It was started by Jeff Bezos from a garage in Seattle, Washington in 1995 __________________ online retailer in the world. Bezos was Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 1999 __________________ shopping. His company __________________ books but has diversified into selling music, video games, toys, electronics and other __________________ goods. Amazon has _____________________ worldwide by establishing separate websites in different countries. In 2007 Amazon launched its Kindle e-book reader, which now __________________ of that market. A year later it teamed up with toy and electronics makers to sell goods with minimal packaging to help the environment. It remains __________________ in the area of online commerce.

  CORRECT THE SPELLING

Amazon.com is one of the biggest sccsseu stories of the Internet. It was started by Jeff Bezos from a rgeaag in Seattle, Washington in 1995 and is now the largest online lrireate in the world. Bezos was Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 1999 for popularizing onniel shopping. His company originally sold only books but has eiddivirsfe into selling music, video games, toys, electronics and other popular ranges of goods. Amazon has cyllevre marketed itself worldwide by establishing seaaetpr websites in different countries. In 2007 Amazon dcanhuel its Kindle e-book reader, which now enjoys a huge share of that market. A year later it teamed up with toy and electronics makers to sell goods with mmiialn packaging to help the environment. It remains an aivnoeitnv leader in the area of online commerce.

  UNJUMBLE THE WORDS

Amazon.com the of one is of stories success biggest the Internet. It was started by Jeff Bezos from a garage in Seattle, Washington the now is and 1995 in online largest retailer in the world. Bezos was Time magazine’s Person of the Year 1999 in shopping online popularizing for. His company originally sold only books but has diversified into selling music, video games, toys, electronics and ranges popular other goods of. Amazon has cleverly marketed by itself establishing worldwide separate websites in different countries. In 2007 Amazon launched its Kindle e-book reader, which share huge a enjoys now of that market. later year A toy with up teamed it and electronics makers to sell goods with minimal packaging to help the environment. It remains an innovative leader the in commerce online of area.

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  PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

amazoncom is one of the biggest success stories of the internet it was started by jeff bezos from a garage in seattle washington in 1995 and is now the largest online retailer in the world bezos was time magazine’s person of the year in 1999 for popularizing online shopping his company originally sold only books but has diversified into selling music video games toys electronics and other popular ranges of goods amazon has cleverly marketed itself worldwide by establishing separate websites in different countries in 2007 amazon launched its kindle e-book reader which now enjoys a huge share of that market a year later it teamed up with toy and electronics makers to sell goods with minimal packaging to help the environment it remains an innovative leader in the area of online commerce

  CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE

Amazon.com is one of the biggest success stories of the Internet. It was started by Jeff Bezos from a garage in Seattle, Washington in 1995 and .......... (be) now the largest online retailer in the world. Bezos was Time magazine’s Person of the Year in 1999 for popularizing online shopping. His company originally .......... (sell) only books but .......... (have) diversified into selling music, video games, toys, electronics and other popular ranges of goods. Amazon .......... (have) cleverly marketed itself worldwide by establishing separate websites in different countries. In 2007 Amazon .......... (launch) its Kindle e-book reader, which now .......... (enjoy) a huge share of that market. A year later it .......... (team) up with toy and electronics makers to sell goods with minimal packaging to help the environment. It .......... (remain) an innovative leader in the area of online commerce.

  REWRITE WITH SPACES

Amazon.comisoneofthebiggestsuccessstoriesoftheInternet.ItwasstartedbyJeffBezosfromagaragein
Seattle,Washingtonin1995andisnowthelargestonlineretailerintheworld.BezoswasTimemagazine’s
PersonoftheYearin1999forpopularizingonlineshopping.Hiscompanyoriginallysoldonlybooksbuthas
diversifiedintosellingmusic,videogames,toys,electronicsandotherpopularrangesofgoods.Amazon
hascleverlymarketeditselfworldwidebyestablishingseparatewebsitesindifferentcountries.In2007
AmazonlauncheditsKindlee-bookreader,whichnowenjoysahugeshareofthatmarket.Ayearlateritteamedupwithtoyand
electronicsmakerstosellgoodswithminimalpackagingtohelptheenvironment.Itremainsaninnovative
leaderintheareaofonlinecommerce.

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  CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD

  PROJECT AMAZON

Part 1. Your mission is to increase the profits and sales of Amazon. Complete this  table with your project partner(s):

Part 2. Change partners and look at their project. Suggest improvements. Ask for advice on your project:

Part 3. Make a presentation on your project. Give it to the class. Vote the best projects.

  AMAZON – ROLE PLAY 1

  AMAZON – ROLE PLAY 2

  JOB INTERVIEW ROLE PLAY

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  DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

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  AMAZON SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Amazon 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.

• Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
• Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

  WRITING 1 – SPEED WRITING

Write anything about Amazon for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

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  WRITING 2 – LETTER OF COMPLAINT

Write a letter to Amazon. Complain about one of its products. Ask for a refund. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

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  WRITING 3 – LETTER OF APOLOGY

Write a letter of apology to the customer. Explain why you cannot give a refund. Show your partner your letter. Correct each other’s work.

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  HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET INFO: Search the Internet and find more information about Amazon. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about Amazon. What have they done recently? What are their plans? Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. AMAZON POSTER Make a poster about Amazon. Make sure you sell the company to the public.  Show it to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your posters.

5. MY AMAZON LESSON: Make your own English lesson on Amazon. Make sure there is a good mix of things to do. Find some good online activities. Teach the class / another group when you have finished.

6. ONLINE SHARING: Use your blog, wiki, Facebook page, MySpace page, Twitter stream, Del-icio-us / StumbleUpon account, or any other social media tool to get opinions on Amazon. Share your findings with the class.