Learning Objective: This is a business article reading and comprehension and conversation class. At the end of the session, the participants are expected to be able to practice reading properly, enhance comprehension and recall and answer the questions about the article.



Story Proper

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg angered Wall Street bankers this week by turning up to a meeting wearing a hoodie – a casual, zip-up jacket with an attached hood. Mr Zuckerberg was in talks with investors ahead of next week's launching of Facebook on the stock market. Markets analyst Michael Pachter felt it was the incorrect attire to wear to a high-level business meeting and showed how the Facebook CEO didn't really care about his company's future. Mr Pachter said: "I think that's a mark of immaturity. I think that he has to realize he's bringing investors in right now, and I think he's got to show them the respect that they deserve because he's asking them for their money."

Facebook's IPO (Initial Public Offering) is expected to raise over $10 billion, which would make it the largest amount of cash ever raised. Many analysts disagreed with Mr Pachter's comments, saying Zuckerberg's hoodie is simply the personal fashion choice of a successful entrepreneur. Many likened the hoodie to the black sweaters and jeans that Steve Jobs always wore. Zuckerberg wrote on his own Facebook that he wore a tie to work almost every day in 2009. He said: "After the start of the recession in 2008, I wanted to signal to everyone at Facebook that this was a serious year for us....My tie was the symbol of how serious and important a year this was, and I wore it every day to show this."



Discussion Proper


1. HOODIES: Talk about hoodies.


2. CHAT: Choose and talk. You may pick a word from the list which interests you the most and discuss about it.

Facebook / hoodie / investors / high-level business meeting / immaturity / respect / raise $10 billion / analysts / fashion choice / recession / signal / a serious year


3. BUSINESS MEETING: Dos and don'ts. What's the correct etiquette?


Dos------Why?------Don'ts------Why?


Attire
Cellphone
Turn taking
Arrival time
Disagreeing
Anger


4. SUITS: Students A strongly believe suits are old-fashioned and are no longer needed; Students B strongly believe suits are very important.

What is your stand?


5. FORMAL CLOTHES: Where is it most important to wear them?

Rank them.

At school
To a business meeting
Your graduation
A job interview
A wedding
A first date
Meeting future in-laws for the first time
At work


Bonus Discussion


6. BANKER: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word 'banker'.


"Online activities, the mp3 and printable handouts are available for this lesson at http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com"