Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a head of state
    • ex. Heads of state from different countries will gather at the meeting to discuss important issues.
  2. a personality
    • ex. Many teenagers admire famous personalities, like actors and singers.
  3. entertain
    • ex. He used magic tricks to entertain the guests at the dinner party.
  4. an empire
    • ex. The company grew quickly. It’s now a successful business empire in the country.
  5. massive
    • ex. The library has a massive collection of books on different subjects.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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The richest person in Asia, Mukesh Ambani, held a three-day early celebration for his son’s wedding. Ambani invited billionaires from around the world, heads of state, and Hollywood and Bollywood personalities to attend the party. His son, Anant, will marry his long-term girlfriend Radhika Merchant in July. Merchant is also the daughter of rich business owners, Viren and Shiela Merchant.

The events provided the luxury everyone expected.  About 1,200 people attended, including Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka. Guests enjoyed traditional ceremonies at a temple. They also wore jungle-inspired clothes to visit a 1,200-hectare (12 million-square meter) animal center run by Anant. Popstar Rihanna, magician David Blaine, and famous Bollywood singers also came to entertain the guests.

The party was held in Jamnagar, India. It’s the Ambanis’ hometown. It’s also the location of the main oil factory of their business empire, Reliance Industries. Reliance Industries is a massive company that makes $100 billion every year. The company also has different businesses, like oil, gas, phones, and retail. The 66-year-old Mukesh Ambani is now starting to make his children manage their businesses.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

The Ambanis’ Celebration

  • Why do you think the Ambanis had such a big pre-wedding celebration (ex. to feel happy, to show their wealth to the world)? Discuss.
  • Which part of the Ambanis’ pre-wedding celebration would you like to experience (ex. visiting the animal center in jungle-inspired clothes, being entertained by Rihanna)? Why? Discuss.
  • Imagine you were as rich as the Ambanis. How would you celebrate a special occasion, such as a wedding or birthday? Discuss.

Billionaires

  • How do you think people become billionaires (ex. hard work, family wealth)? Discuss.
  • Do you want to be a billionaire? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • How do rich people celebrate special occasions in your country? Discuss.