Man flew to China to meet online lover who never arrived

Pre discussion questions

What do you think this man in the picture is thinking or feeling?

Can you imagine someone flying around the world to meet someone for a date?

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A man waiting at a Chinese airport been taken to hospital with exhaustion. He had been waiting for 10 days in an airport in China for a girl who stood him up.

Dutchman Alexander who is 41, flew to Changsha, China, to meet his girlfriend Zhang for the first time.

But 26-year-old Zhang did not arrive. And so Alexander waited for 10 days. After 10 days he was removed by emergency services and taken to hospital. In hospital he received medical help for exhaustion.

After this pictures of Alexander went viral. And Chinese news channel Hunan got in touch with the no-show Zhang.

Zhang had not met him because she had left her hometown. She had gone to get plastic surgery.  And because of this she hadn't been online to get Alexander’s notifications that he was in the China.

She explained she had seen Alexander’s tickets and thought they were a joke.

But she said she wanted to keep the door open on the relationship. Also she said she was keen to meet Alexander once she had recovered from her operation.

But heartbroken Alexander had booked a return flight to the Netherlands.  He will travel home as soon as he is released from hospital.

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.

A=6, B=1, C=8, D=3, E=7, F=4, G=2, H=5

Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.

1.      Students feel exhausted after they finish the Korean SAT examination.

2.      If you stand a friend up, then it is a good idea to treat them to lunch or dinner.

3.      He bought tickets to the concert but was a no-show.

4.      Psy’s song Gangnam Style went viral in only a few weeks.

5.      If you visit Daejon Korea, then please get in touch with my aunt.

6.      I could not take their job offer now, but they said they would leave the door open for me in the future.

7.      A lot of young people are keen to try out the new game app.

8.      The first time you broke up with your boy or girlfriend I think you felt heartbroken.

Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your answer.

1.      Have you ever felt exhausted? Why?

2.      What would you do if this girl in the story stood you up?

3.      Why do you think Zhang was a no-show? Do you believe her story about plastic surgery?

4.      How do you think Alexander felt about his story going viral?

5.      got in touch

6.      Why do you think Zhang wants to keep the door open to the relationship? Would you be keen to trust her?

7.      Have you ever been keen on someone?

8.      Tell about a time you felt heartbroken.