Duracell is perhaps the world’s best known maker of batteries. The brand is owned by the multinational conglomerate Proctor and Gamble. Duracell was founded by scientist Samuel Ruben and entrepreneur Philip Rogers Mallory. They developed an alkaline technology in the 1970s to replace the need for more dangerous mercury batteries. Duracell was introduced in 1974. It is a combination of the words ‘durable’ and ‘cell’. They marketed the batteries as being the world’s longest lasting. The company website says: “As a brand, we realized that there were (and still are) many uses for batteries. And as technology advanced, the uses for batteries only increased. We quickly became the world's leading producer of high-performance alkaline batteries.”

Vocabulary:

1.  Multinational

2.  Conglomerate 

Reading Comprehension Questions:

1.  Why were alkaline batteries developed?

Exercise:  Put the words in proper grammatical sequence.

Duracellmaker perhaps world’s known is the bestof batteries. Thethe by owned is brand multinationalconglomerate Proctor and Gamble. Duracell was founded by scientist Samuel Ruben and entrepreneur Philip Rogers Mallory.

Exercise:  Fill in the blank with the correct verb tense.

Duracell .......... (be) perhaps the world’s best known maker of batteries. The brand is .......... (own) by the multinational conglomerate Proctor and Gamble. Duracell was .......... (found) by scientist Samuel Ruben and entrepreneur Philip Rogers Mallory. They .......... (develop) an alkaline technology in the 1970s to .......... (replace) the need for more dangerous mercury batteries. Duracell was .......... (introduce) in 1974. It is a combination of the words ‘durable’ and ‘cell’. They .......... (market) the batteries as being the world’s longest lasting. The company website says: “As a brand, we .......... (realize) that there were (and still are) many uses for batteries. And as technology .......... (advance), the uses for batteries only increased. We quickly .......... (become) the world's leading producer of high-performance alkaline batteries.”

Video: 

http://www.duracell.com/en-us/innovation/ion-core-technology#

1.  Why are Long Life Ion Core batteries able to last for 5 years?

2.  Would you purchase these types of batteries?

3.  What would you use these batteries for?

Read more:Duracell: Business English Materials.com: ESL Lessonshttp://www.businessenglishmaterials.com/duracell.html#ixzz2jOK0Kr00
Under Creative Commons License:Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives