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20-Page Handout + MP3 + 8 Online Quizzes on American Express

GAMES:

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

American Express, a.k.a. AmEx, is one of the world’s top 20 global brands. The financial services company was established in 1850. It is one of the 30 companies that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average index. The company’s core business is credit cards and traveller’s cheques. American Express credit cards are seen as a premium product. Its membership fee is higher than most and it markets itself to a richer, business-travelling clientele. As a result, the company suffers less credit losses than its competitors. The company likes to keep with tradition. Its slogan “Don’t Leave Home Without It” dates from 1975. AmEx is frequently high on industry lists. ‘Fortune’ magazine listed it as one of the world’s 30 most admired companies and the ‘New York Times’ reported it has a 91% customer satisfaction rate.

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

2. AMERICAN EXPRESS MORNING: Each student pretends to be an employee of American Express. They walk around the class and talk about the company and their job.

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

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

5. TRUE OR FALSE: Students find out several facts about American Express. 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 American Express. 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

American Express, a.k.a. AmEx, is one of the world’s top 20 global brands. The _____________________ was established in 1850. It is one of the 30 companies that _____________________ Jones Industrial Average index. The company’s _____________________ cards and traveller’s cheques. American Express credit cards are seen as _____________________. Its membership fee is _____________________ it markets itself to a richer, business-travelling clientele. _____________________ company suffers less credit losses than its competitors. The company likes to keep with tradition. Its slogan “Don’t Leave Home Without It” dates from 1975. AmEx is _____________________ industry lists. ‘Fortune’ magazine listed it as one of the world’s 30 _____________________ and the ‘New York Times’ reported it has a 91% customer satisfaction rate.

  CORRECT THE SPELLING

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  UNJUMBLE THE WORDS

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  INSERT THE VOWELS

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  PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

american express aka amex is one of the world’s top 20 global brands the financial services company was established in 1850 it is one of the 30 companies that make up the dow jones industrial average index the company’s core business is credit cards and traveller’s cheques american express credit cards are seen as a premium product its membership fee is higher than most and it markets itself to a richer business-travelling clientele as a result the company suffers less credit losses than its competitors the company likes to keep with tradition its slogan “don’t leave home without it” dates from 1975 amex is frequently high on industry lists ‘fortune’ magazine listed it as one of the world’s 30 most admired companies and the ‘new york times’ reported it has a 91% customer satisfaction rate

  CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE

American Express, a.k.a. AmEx, .......... (be) one of the world’s top 20 global brands. The financial services company .......... (be) established in 1850. It is one of the 30 companies that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average index. The company’s core business .......... (be) credit cards and traveller’s cheques. American Express credit cards .......... (be) .......... (see) as a premium product. Its membership fee is higher than most and it .......... (market) itself to a richer, business-travelling clientele. As a result, the company .......... (suffer) less credit losses than its competitors. The company .......... (like) to keep with tradition. Its slogan “Don’t Leave Home Without It” dates from 1975. AmEx is frequently high on industry lists. ‘Fortune’ magazine listed it as one of the world’s 30 most admired companies and the ‘New York Times’ reported it .......... (have) a 91% customer satisfaction rate.

  REWRITE WITH SPACES

AmericanExpress,a.k.a.AmEx,isoneoftheworld’stop20globalbrands.Thefinancialservicescompanywas
establishedin1850.Itisoneofthe30companiesthatmakeuptheDowJonesIndustrialAverageindex.The
company’scorebusinessiscreditcardsandtraveller’scheques.AmericanExpresscreditcardsareseenasa
premiumproduct.Itsmembershipfeeishigherthanmostanditmarketsitselftoaricher,business-travellingclientele.Asaresult,thecompanysufferslesscreditlossesthanitscompetitors.Thecompanylikes
tokeepwithtradition.Itsslogan“Don’tLeaveHomeWithoutIt”datesfrom1975.AmExisfrequentlyhighon
industrylists.‘Fortune’magazinelisteditasoneoftheworld’s30mostadmiredcompaniesandthe‘New
YorkTimes’reportedithasa91%customersatisfactionrate.

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  CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD

  PROJECT AMERICAN EXPRESS

Part 1. Your mission is to increase the profits and sales of American Express. 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.

  AMERICAN EXPRESS – ROLE PLAY 1

  AMERICAN EXPRESS – ROLE PLAY 2

  JOB INTERVIEW ROLE PLAY

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  DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

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  AMERICAN EXPRESS SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about American Express 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 American Express 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 American Express. 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 American Express. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about American Express. 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. AMERICAN EXPRESS POSTER Make a poster about American Express. 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 AMERICAN EXPRESS LESSON: Make your own English lesson on American Express. 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 Germany. Share your findings with the class.