The 7 Steps September
1. CONTEXT
Mindmap
anything you
know about thetopic, including
vocabulary. Do
some research
online to help.

Microsoft
Listening Questions 1
1. When and where did Microsoft start?
.

2. QUESTIONS
2. What operating system did it release in 1981?

.
3. What did the early versions of Windows add to Microsoft’s previous OS?
.
4. What happened in the last two decades?
.
5. How many employees became millionaires after the IPO?
.

Read the listening
questions tocheck yourunderstanding.
Look up any new
vocabulary.

Listening Questions 2
1. How many years did the Windows Phone stay in the market?

3. LISTEN.
2. Which of Microsoft’s divisions had 13% increased revenue in 2018?

Listen and answer
the questions
using fullsentences. Circle
the number oftimes and % you
understood.

.
3. What is Microsoft’s cloud service named and what was its revenue growthin 2018?
.
4. What is included in the gaming segment of Microsoft’s business?
.
5. In FY2018, what was the company’s operating profit?
.

1

Listening 1
2 3 4

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1

Listening 2
2 3 45%%%%%%%

Discussion Questions
1. What kind of operating systems have you used? Which do you
prefer and why?
2. What are your predictions for technology in the future? How willsociety change as a result?

4. CHECK ANSWERS
TRANSCRIPT 1
Microsoft is certainly one of the most famous software companies in the world now, but it wasfounded in 1975 by two friends, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
In 1979, the company moved to the Seattle area, where it has remained ever since.

Read through thetranscript andunderline theanswers. Checkthem against yourown answers.

The company grew as the personal computer market developed throughout the 80s and 90s. In
1981, Microsoft introduced its MS-DOS operating system on the IBM PC. The success of IBM
PCs led to MSDOS becoming the dominant operating system of the 80s. It was a commandline based OS, which meant that users had to remember specific commands in order to use it.

5. CHECK VOCABULARY

The evolution of MS-DOS was the early versions of Windows, which added a graphical userinterface on top of MS-DOS. Windows went on to become the dominant PC operating systemof the last two decades.
Microsoft had its IPO in 1986 and the subsequent increase in stock price created an estimated
12,000 millionaires among Microsoft employees.

Read thetranscript andcircle any new
vocabulary youfind. Look themup and add themto your list.

MATCH THE SYNONYMS BY DRAWING LINES BELOW:

6. READ ALOUD

Read thetranscript aloudat least 5 times,
focusing on
intonation andpronunciation.

Dominant

Link

Interface

ResultingSubsequentCommanding

Diversify

Earnings

Revenue

SectionSegment

Vary

TRANSCRIPT 21122334455

In the company’s Productivity and Business Processes division, which includes Office 365 andLinkedIn, revenue increased 13 percent in 2018 to $9.7 billion. Since Satya Nadella took overas CEO, the company direction has been moving towards cloud computing called Azure anddevices like the Microsoft Surface. In 2018, thanks to 89 percent annual revenue growth fromAzure, the company’s Intelligent Cloud revenue was up 23 percent to $9.6 billion. In the same
year the gaming segment, which includes Xbox hardware, Xbox Live subscriptions, and games
made by Microsoft as well as others, recorded $10 billion making 2018 its most successful yearyet.

7. SHADOWING
Say the transcriptaloud at the sametime as the audio
without reading
it. Circle how
many times
below.

11

2
2

33

44

Over the years, Microsoft has diversified its business well beyond operating systems.
Windows released its first smartphone in 2010, but unfortunately the Windows phone wasdiscontinued in 2015. However, the company has had a lot of success in other areas.

In FY2018, the company reported nearly $110 billion in revenue and just over $30.3 billion in
operating profit. The new focus on devices and services has shown to be successful so far.

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