A. Before reading the text about
Apple Inc. discuss the questions in small groups.
1 Read the headline of the article.
What do you think it is about?
2 What springs to mind when you hear
the word ‘Apple’?
3 How cool is Apple and its products?
B. Read the text about Apple Inc. and decide whether
the statements below the article are true (T) or false (F).
Apple Briefly World’s Most
Valuable Company
Apple Inc., the innovative and pioneering technology company, was
briefly the world’s most valuable company on Wednesday. It went neck and neck
for the top spot with the oil giant Exxon. At one point in the day’s trading,
Apple’s shares went up six per cent on the Nasdaq exchange to put its market
capitalisation at $446 billion. This was higher than Exxon’s $417 billion
valuation. However, at the close of trading, Exxon was up half a percentage
point at $418 billion, slightly ahead of Apple, which went down to $416
billion. Apple’s figures were buoyed by news of its record profits in the last
quarter of 2011. It made $13 billion in profit on $46 billion in sales.
Analysts predict Apple will soon overtake Exxon.
Apple’s success has been phenomenal.
It was struggling to make a profit fifteen years ago but experienced an
incredible revival of fortunes after co-founder Steve Jobs took over as CEO in
1997. He turned the company round with iconic products like the iPod, iMac,
iPhone and iPad, which helped the company’s profits skyrocket. The past three
months is one of the most profitable ever for an American company. In that
period, it overtook Hewlett Packard as the world’s biggest computer maker and
took in more revenue than Google. Apple’s profit per employee now exceeds
$400,000 a year. The introduction of the iCloud and soaring demand for the
iPhone 5 this year should see the company’s value continue to surge.
True or False?
a. Apple was the world’s most
valuable company for three seconds. T / F
b. Apple was competing with an oil
company for the top position. T / F
c. Apple is worth close to half a
trillion dollars. T / F
d. Analysts believe it won’t be long
before Apple is number one. T / F
e. Apple’s profits were also
phenomenal fifteen years ago. T / F
f. Steve Jobs kept Apple on the same
course when he took over in 1997. T / F
g. Hewlett Packard is still the
world’s biggest computer maker. T / F
h. The average Apple employee earns
around $400,000 a year. T / F
C. SYNONYM
MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.
1. |
pioneering |
a. |
stimulated |
2 |
briefly |
b. |
timeframe |
3. |
slightly |
c. |
incredible |
4. |
buoyed |
d. |
momentarily |
5. |
surge |
e. |
luck |
6. |
phenomenal |
f. |
cutting-edge |
7. |
revival |
g. |
rise |
8. |
fortunes |
h. |
booming |
9. |
period |
i. |
a bit |
10. |
soaring |
j. |
comeback |
D. Apple Survey.
Choose three questions from the list and interview as
many people in the class as you can. Compare the answers and report the finding
to the class.
What does Apple need to do to stay so
valuable?
Is there a company with a better
brand image than Apple?
Apple or PC – which is best?
Apple has more cash than the U.S.
government. What do you think of this?
Is “Apple” a good name for a
technology company?
What do you think of Apple?
Would you like to work for Apple?
Are you surprised Apple is the
world’s first or second most valuable company?
Do you think Apple’s shares would be
a good investment?
Why are people so loyal to Apple?
What’s Apple’s closest competitor and
how do the two companies compare?
What advice would you give to Apple’s
CEO?
What products should Apple make in
the future?
What questions would you like to ask
Apple’s CEO?