Page 30 - American English File Student Book 3B

4 READING ■> Look at the photos and read about three products that were
a Read the first paragraph o f an article about
the T V show Shark Tank. Answ er the
questions.
1 W ho are the “Sharks?”
2 W hat is their “Tank?”
3 How does the show work?
4 Is there a sim ilar TV show in your country? How
does it work?
D a y m o n d Jo h n and Barbara C orcoran have been S h a rk s on th e
sh o w sin c e it started. M ark C u b a n app eared on th e sh o w since
th e b eginning, b u t b ecam e a re gu lar S h a rk in 2012.
S versions in many different countries. On
hark Tank is a US TV show, with similar
the US show, contestants have about ten
minutes to present their business ideas to five
very successful businesspeople. These people
are nicknamed the "Sharks," and the intimidating
room where they meet the contestants is the
"Tank" (the sharks' home). The Sharks, who are
often multimillionaires, are prepared to invest
money in any business that they believe might
be a success. In return, they take a share of the
profits. The contestants are usually entrepreneurs,
product designers, or people with a new idea for
a service. After the contestants have made their
presentations, the Sharks ask them questions
about the product and its possible market, and
then say if they are prepared to invest or not. If they
are not convinced by the presentation, they say the
dreaded words "I'm out.”
80 8B
presented on the show, a device for a guitar (A), baby bibs (B ),
and shrim p burgers (C ). W hich product...?
1 has been very successful although the Sharks didn’t invest in it
2 was presented by a musician
3 was presented by a female
4 has a celebrity representing the product
5 is practical for moms and kids
6 is now sold in many US states
S o far, the Sharks have agreed
to invest over $6.2 million in
products, companies, and ideas
presented on Shark Tank. They were
very happy with their investment
inTravis Perry, a guitar player from
Alabama who had the idea for Chord
Buddy - a device that helps people
learn to play the guitar. He came into the Tank with some guitars
that had the device attached to them. Shark, Robert Herjavec
immediately sensed an opportunity in the charismatic Travis
and agreed to invest $125,000 in his product. A year later, Chord
Buddy has made over $ 1.5 million in sales and has John Rich - a
famous country singer - representing the product. Travis is now
running an impressive and profitable company.
S usie Taylor wanted the Sharks to invest in her high-tech baby
bib company. The bibs are made from high-quality materials
that don't stain. Nobody was enthusiastic, and the
. Sharks rejected her idea. But Susie hasn’t given
up. Since appearing on the TV show, orders for
Susie's bibs increased and she has been contacted
by other investors. And that is what makes a real
entrepreneur—he or she never gives up. If the
ı Sharks invest in him or her, there is a chance he
or she will be successful. But if they leave
to make it on their own is as great as ever.
the Tank empty-handed, the determination
nd of course, the Sharks don't always
A get it right. Cook Shawn Davis’s product,
gourmet shrimp burgers, was rejected. One Shark said, "I'll buy the
product, but I don't really know the food business well enough
to make the product successful.” Another Shark said, "I just don't
like shrimp at all, so based on that, [j
I’m out." A third shark
said getting shrimp
and keeping it cold
makes the product
too expensive for the
public to buy. Today,
Davis’s company is
worth $6 million, and
his shrimp burgers are
sold in supermarkets
across the US!