richard branson (virgin group) - academic english for ... · richard branson (virgin group)...
TRANSCRIPT
www.academic-englishuk.com___________________________________________________________________________
COPYRIGHTofwww.academic-englishuk.com/reading-skills
RichardBranson(VirginGroup)EntrepreneurRichardBransonlaunchedVirginRecordsin1973.TodayVirginGroupholdsmorethan200companiesinmorethan30countries.EarlyLifeRichardCharlesNicholasBransonwasbornonJuly18,1950,inSurrey,England.Hisfather,EdwardJamesBranson,workedasabarrister.Hismother,EveBranson,wasemployedasaflightattendant.Richard,whostruggledwithdyslexia,hadahardtimewitheducationalinstitutions.Henearlyfailedoutoftheall-boysScaitcliffeSchool,whichheattendeduntiltheageof13.HethentransferredtoStoweSchool,aboardingschoolinStowe,Buckinghamshire,England.Stillstruggling,Bransondroppedoutattheageof16tostartayouth-culturemagazinecalledStudent.Thepublication,runbystudents,forstudents,sold$8,000worthofadvertisinginitsfirstedition,whichwaslaunchedthefollowingyear.Thefirstrunof50,000copieswasdistributedforfree,afterBransoncoveredthecostswithadvertising.By1969,BransonwaslivinginaLondoncommune,surroundedbytheBritishmusicanddrugscene.ItwasduringthistimethatBransonhadtheideatobeginamail-orderrecordcompanycalledVirgintohelpfundhismagazineefforts.Thecompanyperformedmodestly,butmadeBransonenoughthathewasabletoexpandhisbusinessventure,addingarecordshopinOxfordStreet,London.Withthesuccessoftherecordshop,thehighschooldrop-outwasabletobuildarecordingstudioin1972inOxfordshire,England.VirginRecordsHisfirstartistontheVirginRecordslabel,MikeOldfield,recordedhissingle"TubularBells"in1973withthehelpofBranson'steam.Thesongwasaninstantsmash,stayingontheUKchartsfor247weeks.UsingthemomentumofOldfield'ssuccess,Bransonthen,overthenextseveralyears,signedotheraspiringmusicalgroupstolabel,includingtheSexPistols.ArtistssuchastheCultureClub,theRollingStones,andGenesiswouldfollow,helpingtomakeVirginMusiconeofthetopsixrecordcompaniesintheworld.BusinessExpansionBransonexpandedhisentrepreneurialeffortsyetagain,thistimetoincludethetravelcompanytheVoyagerGroupin1980,fouryearslatercametheairlineVirginAtlantic,andoverthatdecadeaseriesofVirginMegastoreswerebuilt.ButBranson'ssuccesswasnotalwayspredictable.By1992,Virginwassuddenlystrugglingtostayfinanciallyafloat.ThecompanywassoldthefollowingyeartoTHORNEMIfor$1billion.Bransonwasdeeplysaddenedbytheloss,reportedlycryingafterthecontractwassigned,butremaineddeterminedtostayinthemusicbusiness.In1994,hefoundedthestationVirginRadio,andseveralyearslaterhestartedasecondrecordcompany,V2.V2nowincludesartistssuchasPowderFingerandTomJones.Branson'sVirginGroupnowholdsmorethan200companiesinmorethan30countries,
www.academic-englishuk.com___________________________________________________________________________
COPYRIGHTofwww.academic-englishuk.com/reading-skills
includingtheUnitedKingdom,theUnitedStates,Australia,Canada,Asia,EuropeandSouthAfrica.Hehasexpandedhisbusinessestoincludeatraincompany,aluxurygamepreserve,amobilephonecompanyandaspace-tourismcompany,VirginGalactic.Bransonisalsoknownforhissportingachievements,notablytherecord-breakingAtlanticcrossinginVirginAtlanticChallengerIIin1986,andthefirstcrossingbyhot-airballoonoftheAtlantic(1987)andPacific(1991).Hewasknightedin1999forhiscontributiontoentrepreneurship,andin2009,helandedatNo.261onForbes'"WorldBillionaires"listwithhis$2.5billioninself-madefortune,whichincludestwoprivateislands.VirginGalacticOverthelast5years,theever-adventurousBransonhasfocusedmuchofhisattentiononhisspacetourismventure.HepartneredwithScaledCompositestoformTheSpaceshipCompany,whichiscurrentlydevelopingasuborbitalspaceplane,and,inApril2013,theprojectmadeanimpressiveleapforwardwiththetestlaunchofSpaceShipTwo.Bransonwasdelightedbythesuccessofhisspaceship'sfirsttest,tellingNBCNewsthat"We'reabsolutelydelightedthatitbrokethesoundbarrieronitsveryfirstflight,andthateverythingwentsosmoothly."Heexpectstobefinishingtestingthecraftbytheendof2013.ByApril2013,morethan500peoplehadboughttheirticketsforVirginGalactic'svoyages.Unfortunately,thesecondspaceflighttestendedindisaster,wheninOctober,2014,thetestspaceshipcrashedkillingoneoftwothepilots.2015seesVirgintobeginmoretestingandrefiningitsspacetourismprogram.Adaptedfrom:http://www.biography.com/people/richard-branson-9224520
www.academic-englishuk.com___________________________________________________________________________
COPYRIGHTofwww.academic-englishuk.com/reading-skills
RichardBransonTimelineReadthetextandchronologicallyordertheeventsinhislife
Timeperiods Date Activity2010–2015spacetourism
1950 born
2015 200companiesin30
countries
www.academic-englishuk.com___________________________________________________________________________
COPYRIGHTofwww.academic-englishuk.com/reading-skills
RichardBransonANSWERSDuration Date Activity 1950 born
1963 Changedschools
1966 Droppedoutofschool
1967 StartedMagazine‘student’
1969–1972–recordshop 1969 Mailorderrecordcompany
1972 Recordingstudio
1973–1976–moreartists 1973 1startist(MikeOakfield)
1980 Travelcompany
1980–1990megastores
1984 airline
1986 Atlanticcrossing(VirginChallengerII)
1987 Atlanticcrossing–Hotairballoon
1991 Pacificcrossing–Hotairballoon
1992 Problemswithfinances
1993 SoldVirgintoThornEMI
1994-V2presentfamous
artists
2010–2015spacetourism
1994 VirginRadio
1999 Knighted
2009 No261ForbesWorldbillionaires
2010 Spacetourismventure
2013 LaunchSpaceshipTwo
2013(end) FinishtestingSpaceship
2013(end) 500ticketssold
2014 crashed
2015 Moretestingandrefiningspaceprogramme
2015 200companiesin30countries