Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. the lottery
    • ex. I play the lottery sometimes, but I’ve never won any money.
  2. annual
    • ex. I didn’t go to my company’s annual summer event last year, but I’m going to go this year.
  3. cash
    • ex. Will you be paying with cash or a credit card?
  4. shocked
    • ex. I was absolutely shocked. I had no idea that they were planning a surprise party for me!
  5. sound too good to be true
    • ex. I think that story sounds too good to be true. Please be careful.

Article

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

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A Michigan woman checked her spam folder and discovered that she had won $3 million (about ¥363 million) from the lottery. Laura Spears saw an ad for the Mega Millions jackpot on Facebook and bought a ticket for it online. A few days later, she was looking for a missing email from a friend, so she opened her spam folder. There, she found the email about her big win.

Spears said that she plans to share the money with family and retire early. The Mega Millions jackpot is a popular lottery game in the US. In January, one player in California won $426 million (about ¥51.5 billion), and in March, a player in New York won $128 million (about ¥15.5 billion). Winners have the option to receive 30 annual payments or take a much lower one-time cash payment.

Spears said that she was shocked to find the email and immediately logged into the Michigan Lottery website to confirm her prize. However, experts warn people to be careful about emails that sound too good to be true. In 2021, Americans lost over $56 million (¥6.8 billion) from lottery scams.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

The Lottery

  • Do you think it's a good idea to play the lottery? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine you won the Mega Millions jackpot. Will you choose the 30 annual payments or take a much lower one-time cash payment? Why? Discuss.
  • When people win the lottery, should they tell their friends and family? Why or why not? Discuss.

Email

  • After reading this article, do you think it's important to check your spam folder regularly? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, why do some people believe emails that sound too good to be true? Discuss.
  • Do you think it’s better to keep or delete old emails? Why? Discuss.