Breaking News English Lesson: Person of the Year
TIME magazine has awarded its 2025 Person of the Year to the "architects of AI". The award is for "the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year". The architects include CEOs from the world's top tech companies. They brought about "one of the biggest physical infrastructure projects of all time." TIME said 2025 was the year that AI showed its potential to change the world.
TIME commented on the impact of the AI architects. It wrote that it was difficult to avoid hearing news about the "rapid advancement of a technology and the people driving it," and about how disruptive AI would be. It added that few people "could talk about the future without invoking the impact of this technological revolution". However, it also noted the negatives of AI. These include energy requirements, job losses, misinformation, and cyberattacks.
Try the same news story at these levels:
- https://time.com/7339685/person-of-the-year-2025-ai-architects/
- https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/11/time-names-architects-of-ai-its-person-of-the-year/
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/12/11/time-person-of-the-year-2025-architects-ai/87714617007/
Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)
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News
"Much has been said and written on the utility of newspapers; but one principal advantage which might be derived from these publications has been neglected; we mean that of reading them in schools."
The Portland Eastern Herald (June 8, 1795)
"News is history in its first and best form, its vivid and fascinating form, and. history is the pale and tranquil reflection of it."
Mark Twain, in his autobiography (1906)
"Current events provide authentic learning experiences for students at all grade levels. In studying current events, students are required to use a range of cognitive, affective, critical thinking and research skills."
Haas, M. and Laughlin, M. (2000) Teaching Current Events: It's Status in Social Studies Today.
Phrase Matching Paragraph 1- the person
- affected the news
- for good
- embodied what was important
- The architects
- the world's
- physical infrastructure
- showed its potential
- about the year
- top tech companies
- and our lives
- to change the world
- or ill
- projects
- include CEOs
- or persons
- TIME commented
- difficult to avoid
- the rapid advancement
- how disruptive
- the impact of this technological
- However, it also noted
- energy
- job losses, misinformation,
- the negatives of AI
- and cyberattacks
- AI would be
- requirements
- of a technology
- on the impact
- revolution
- hearing news
TIME magazine (1) ________________________________________________ 2025 Person of the Year to the "architects of AI". The (2) ________________________________________________ "the person or persons who most (3) ________________________________________________ and our lives, for good or ill, and (4) ________________________________________________ important about the year". The architects include CEOs from the world's top tech companies. They (5) ________________________________________________ of the biggest physical infrastructure projects of all time." TIME said 2025 was the year that AI showed its (6) ________________________________________________ the world.
TIME commented on (7) ________________________________________________ the AI architects. It wrote that it was difficult to (8) ________________________________________________ about the "rapid advancement of a technology and the people driving it," and (9) ________________________________________________ AI would be. It added that few people "could talk about the future without (10) ________________________________________________ of this technological revolution". However, it also (11) ________________________________________________ of AI. These include energy requirements, (12) ________________________________________________, and cyberattacks.
Put a slash (/) where the spaces areTIMEmagazinehasawardedits2025PersonoftheYeartothe"architects ofAI".Theawardisfor"thepersonorpersonswhomostaffectedthenews andourlives,forgoodorill,andembodiedwhatwasimportantaboutthey ear".ThearchitectsincludeCEOsfromtheworld'stoptechcompanies.T heybroughtabout"oneofthebiggestphysicalinfrastructureprojectsof alltime."TIMEsaid2025wastheyearthatAIshoweditspotentialtochan getheworld.TIMEcommentedontheimpactoftheAIarchitects.Itwrote thatitwasdifficulttoavoidhearingnewsaboutthe"rapidadvancemento fatechnologyandthepeopledrivingit,"andabouthowdisruptiveAIwoul dbe.Itaddedthatfewpeople"couldtalkaboutthefuturewithoutinvoki ngtheimpactofthistechnologicalrevolution".However,italsonotedth enegativesofAI.Theseincludeenergyrequirements,joblosses,misinf ormation,andcyberattacks.
Student surveyWrite five GOOD questions about this topic 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.
(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)
Discussion — Write your own questionsSTUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
(a) ________________
(b) ________________
(c) ________________
(d) ________________
(e) ________________
(f) ________________
(g) ________________
(h) ________________
STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
(i) ________________
(j) ________________
(k) ________________
(l) ________________
(m) ________________
(n) ________________
(o) ________________
(p) ________________
Free writingWrite about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.
Answers(Please check your answers against the article above.
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