1. Where is Lego’s headquarters located? A. Denmark B. Germany C. Amsterdam D. Netherlands

2. If something is “out of the question”, there ... A. are some doubts about its origins. B. is an unusual quality about it. C. is no possibility that it will happen. D. none of the above Cement Bricks Manufacturing Machine Price

3. What do the robots mentioned in the podcast do? A. design new Lego bricks B. discard spoiled Lego bricks C. deliver Lego bricks D. manufacture Lego bricks

4. What material is used to make the “figurines, hair, dragon wings and tyres” in the podcast? A. rubber B. plastic C. wood D. metal

5. Which word or phrase can replace “conscious” in the podcast? A. understanding B. watchful C. mindful D. certain

6. Why did Ole Kirk Kristiansen stop making yo-yos? A. because they were no longer popular B. because they were banned during the Great Depression C. because he injured his hand while producing them D. because every child in his town already had one

7. What did Kristiansen turn the unused yo-yos into? A. toy parts B. children’s furniture C. wooden bricks D. decorative items

8. If someone needs to “make a living”, they ... A. spend all the money they earn. B. must earn the money needed to support themselves. C. make enough money to live a very comfortable life. D. earn money by clever or sometimes dishonest means.

9. What do the Danish words that inspired the name “Lego” mean? A. Put together B. Build it yourself C. Play well D. Endless fun

10. Why did Kristiansen switch from wood to plastic after the second world war? A. because of a lack of raw materials B. because the latter was cheaper C. because toys made from plastic were more durable D. all of the above

11. Which part does the “clutch power” refer to?

12. Using information from the podcast, fill in the timeline of Lego’s history below. (i) ________: Ole Kirk Kristiansen started making wooden toys. (ii) ________: He named his company Lego. (iii) ________: The company bought its first plastic moulding injection machine. (iv) ________: The first set of Automatic Binding Bricks was introduced. (v) ________: The design of the Lego brick was patented.

1. A 2. C 3. D 4. B 5. C 6. D 7. A 8. B 9. C 10. A 11. D 12. (i) 1932;(ii) 1934;(iii) 1947;(iv) 1949;(v) 1958

Voice 1: As a boy, Samuel Tacchi was crazy about Lego cranes. Now he designs them, under cloak-and-dagger secrecy, at the company’s headquarters in Denmark. At its ultra-modern flagship building in Billund are the offices where the design work is done. A visit there is out of the question – the company is fiercely protective of its trade secrets.

Voice 2: A family-owned company, Lego employs more than 20,000 people around the world – more than a quarter of them in Billund, which is also home to its oldest factory. In a huge hall where robots move around like in a choreographed dance, hundreds of thousands of pieces are manufactured each day. Colourful plastic is moulded into familiar shapes: bricks, figurines, hair, dragon wings and tyres. Sorted and stored by model in large crates in an adjoining warehouse, the pieces are then sent to other factories to be included in kits.

Voice 1: While everything is made of plastic today, the toy empire was founded by a carpenter very conscious of the quality of the wood he used. In 1932, in the middle of the Great Depression, Ole Kirk Kristiansen began making wooden toys, winning the favour of Danish children with his yo-yos. Very soon, every child in Billund had a yo-yo, and he had to find another way to make a living. Instead of throwing them out, he used the leftover yo-yo parts as wheels for toy trucks.

Voice 2: And two years later, he named his new company “Lego”, a contraction of the Danish “ leg godt ”, which means “play well”. With a shortage of raw materials after World War II, Kristiansen gradually turned towards plastic and invested in an injection moulding machine in 1947.

Voice 1: Then came the idea for making bricks – a precursor to its signature brick with interlocking studs on the top and tubes on the bottom. Initially they were made without Lego’s famed “clutch power” – the mechanism that makes it possible to click the bricks together. This became the company’s first building set, also known as Automatic Binding Bricks, which was launched in 1949. The updated design was patented in 1958, paving the way for an endless catalogue of figures, shapes and kits.

Block Molding Machine Voice 2: Fast forward to today, and Lego is the biggest toymaker in the world, ahead of Japan’s Bandai Namca and US groups Hasbro and Mattel. Lego said its catalogue of toys for 2022 was bigger than ever before, but it refused to disclose the exact number. And that is yet another trade secret for another day.