Start Something” with old Microsoft

WHILE READING ACTIVITIES

PRE-READING IDEAS

1. WORD SEARCH: Use your dictionary / computer to find word partners (collocates), other meanings, synonyms or more information on the words ‘advertising’ and ‘campaign’.

2. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true or false:

a. Microsoft has a new and expensive advertising campaign. T / F

b. The latest Microsoft operating system came out last year. T / F

c. The next Microsoft OS is slated for sometime late next year. T / F

d. Microsoft has more than 95 per cent of the sales for operating systems. T / F

e. Microsoft wants its products to enable us to pursue our passions. T / F

f. The new Windows “Passion” website lists a multitude of passions. T / F

g. The new website invites us to start something new. T / F

h. Microsoft wants us to believe its aged software can fire our passions. T / F

3. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

(a)	embark on	share
(b)	extravaganza	strive for
(c)	slated	plethora
(d)	slice	spectacular
(e)	revitalize	yummy
(f)	pursue	launch
(g)	multitude	narrowed
(h)	limited	reinvigorate
(i)	appetizing	revive
(j)	rekindle	scheduled

4. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

(a)	about to	slice of the OS market
(b)	$200 million	limited
(c)	industry	extravaganza
(d)	in partial	our passions
(e)	a near 95 percent	analysts
(f)	pursue what they are	of passions
(g)	revealing a multitude	embark on
(h)	somewhat	productive
(i)	Start something	passionate about
(j)	rekindle and fire	response to

1. SYNONYM FILL: There are six gaps in the article. There are six groups of synonyms below the article. Place the number of the synonym group in the correct gap (It is not important to guess a correct word - any of the synonyms from each group could be put into the relevant gap).

BNE: Microsoft is about to ________ on one of the biggest, longest and most expensive advertising campaigns ever – for a product that is at least four years old. The massive fifteen-month, $200 million extravaganza will focus solely on the Windows operating system, the last release of which was Windows XP in 2001. Many industry analysts see the move as filling the gap until the next version of Windows, codenamed Longhorn, arrives, ________ for sometime late next year. Other marketing experts believe the campaign is in partial response to Apple’s yearly releases of its significantly improving and impressive OS. This seems unlikely considering Microsoft enjoys a near 95 percent slice of the OS market. Microsoft’s take is simply that it wants to ________ consumer interest in Windows.

The campaign is called “Start Something” and will be encouraging all computer users literally to start something new, follow their dreams and ________ what they are passionate about, of course by buying and using Windows. The ads show a window over the hearts of people, revealing a ________ of “passions”. Strangely, the new www.windows.com/Passion website is somewhat limited to just five passions – cooking, education, music, sports and travel. Visitors to this site are invited to “Start something fun. Start something productive.” Further clicking will lead to starting things ________, educational, sonic, athletic or worldly. Unfortunately, these new “somethings” seem as unoriginal as the outdated Windows OS itself. Regardless, Microsoft wants us to believe its aged software can rekindle and fire our passions.

1 pursue seek go after strive for	2 multitude plethora abundance horde	3 slated scheduled penciled in for due
4 appetizing scrumptious delectable yummy	5 embark launch commence inaugurate	6 revitalize rejuvenate rekindle reinvigorate

2. TRUE/FALSE: Check your answers to the T/F exercise.

3. SYNONYMS: Check your answers to the synonyms exercise.

4. PHRASE MATCH: Check your answers to the phrase match exercise.

5. QUESTIONS: Make notes for questions you would like to ask the class about the article.

6. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

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