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20-Page Handout + MP3 + 8 Online Quizzes on eBay

GAMES:

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

eBay Inc. is the world’s leading e-commerce company. It was founded as an online auction site in 1995 called AuctionWeb by Pierre Omidyar. He said: “What I wanted to do was create an efficient market, where regular people could compete with big business…It was a little bit of an experiment.” He changed the name in 1997 to be similar to his company Echo Bay Technology Group. Within two years of starting, the company hosted 2,000,000 auctions. The company website explains the success story to date: “With more than 90 million active users globally, eBay is the world's largest online marketplace, where practically anyone can buy and sell practically anything…In 2009, the total worth of goods sold on eBay was $60 billion -- $2,000 every second.” The company employs over 15,000 people throughout the world.

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

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

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

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

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

eBay Inc. is the world’s __________________ company. It was founded as an __________________ in 1995 called AuctionWeb by Pierre Omidyar. He said: “What I wanted to __________________ efficient market, where regular people could compete with big business…It was __________________ experiment.” He changed the name in 1997 to be similar to his company Echo Bay Technology Group. __________________ starting, the company hosted 2,000,000 auctions. The company website explains the ____________________: “With more than 90 million active users globally, eBay is the world's largest online marketplace, where practically anyone can buy and sell __________________ …In 2009, the total worth of goods sold on eBay was $60 billion -- $2,000 every second.” The company employs over 15,000 people ____________________.

  CORRECT THE SPELLING

eBay Inc. is the world’s leading e-cormecme company. It was founded as an online cuniaot site in 1995 called AuctionWeb by Pierre Omidyar. He said: “What I wanted to do was create an eiftnecfi market, where regular people could ctmeope with big business…It was a little bit of an experiment.” He changed the name in 1997 to be srilaim to his company Echo Bay Technology Group. Within two years of starting, the company esdoth 2,000,000 auctions. The company website explains the success story to date: “With more than 90 million atceiv users globally, eBay is the world's largest online marketplace, where ccylpirtaal anyone can buy and sell practically anything…In 2009, the total rotwh of goods sold on eBay was $60 billion -- $2,000 every second.” The company soeympl over 15,000 people throughout the world.

  UNJUMBLE THE WORDS

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  INSERT THE VOWELS

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  PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

ebay inc is the world’s leading e-commerce company it was founded as an online auction site in 1995 called auctionweb by pierre omidyar he said “what i wanted to do was create an efficient market where regular people could compete with big business…it was a little bit of an experiment” he changed the name in 1997 to be similar to his company echo bay technology group within two years of starting the company hosted 2000000 auctions the company website explains the success story to date “with more than 90 million active users globally ebay is the world's largest online marketplace where practically anyone can buy and sell practically anything…in 2009 the total worth of goods sold on ebay was $60 billion -- $2000 every second” the company employs over 15000 people throughout the world

  CHOOSE THE CORRECT TENSE

eBay Inc. .......... (be) the world’s leading e-commerce company. It was .......... (found) as an online auction site in 1995 called AuctionWeb by Pierre Omidyar. He .......... (say): “What I .......... (want) to do was create an efficient market, where regular people could .......... (compete) with big business…It .......... (be) a little bit of an experiment.” He .......... (change) the name in 1997 to be similar to his company Echo Bay Technology Group. Within two years of starting, the company .......... (host) 2,000,000 auctions. The company website .......... (explain) the success story to date: “With more than 90 million active users globally, eBay .......... (be) the world's largest online marketplace, where practically anyone can buy and .......... (sell) practically anything…In 2009, the total worth of goods sold on eBay was $60 billion -- $2,000 every second.” The company .......... (employ) over 15,000 people throughout the world.

  REWRITE WITH SPACES

eBayInc.istheworld’sleadinge-commercecompany.Itwasfoundedasanonlineauctionsitein1995calledAuctionWebbyPierre
Omidyar.Hesaid:“WhatIwantedtodowascreateanefficientmarket,whereregularpeoplecould
competewithbigbusiness…Itwasalittlebitofanexperiment.”Hechangedthenamein1997tobe
similartohiscompanyEchoBayTechnologyGroup.Withintwoyearsofstarting,thecompanyhosted
2,000,000auctions.Thecompanywebsiteexplainsthesuccessstorytodate:“Withmorethan90
millionactiveusersglobally,eBayistheworld'slargestonlinemarketplace,wherepractically
anyonecanbuyandsellpracticallyanything…In2009,thetotalworthofgoodssoldoneBaywas
$60billion--$2,000everysecond.”Thecompanyemploysover15,000peoplethroughouttheworld.

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  CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD

  PROJECT EBAY

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

  EBAY – ROLE PLAY 1

  EBAY – ROLE PLAY 2

  JOB INTERVIEW ROLE PLAY

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  DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

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  EBAY SURVEY

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

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about EBay. 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. EBAY POSTER Make a poster about EBay. 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 EBAY LESSON: Make your own English lesson on EBay. 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 eBay. Share your findings with the class.