How Shipping Containers Changed the World: Learn English Online

50-minute English Lesson

In this Learn English online lesson, we talk about inventions and discover how shipping containers helped change the world.

Read the story

Shipping containers

A shipping container is a large metal box that sits on a truck, train or ship. It may look simple, but this box made globalization possible.

The history of the shipping container goes back to 1956.

Malcolm McLean had a trucking company in America. His business was good, but he wanted to make it better. He looked at the shipping industry and saw a problem.

In those days, shipping was slow. A truck would drive to a port. Workers moved boxes by hand from the truck to a ship. When the ship arrived at a new port, more workers moved boxes by hand.

Malcolm’s idea was simple. Put products inside a container. At a port, big machines would move containers between trucks, trains and ships. Moving small boxes by hand was no longer necessary.

During the 1970s and 1980s, container shipping became popular. Ports with the special equipment needed to lift containers were built around the world.

How did shipping containers change business? First, shipping became cheaper and faster. Before Malcolm’s idea, the cost of shipping was $59 per tonne. Shipping by container is about 16 cents per tonne.

Before containers, the average port worker could load 1.7 tonnes per hour. With containers, that average was 30 tonnes.

Containers move large volumes of material. For example, one 40-foot container can hold 320 televisions, or 5000 pairs of pants, or 100 washing machines.

Another change was employment. Before containers, businesses manufactured lots of products in North America and Europe. That has changed. Companies now open factories in low cost Asian countries and transport products everywhere. Jobs are created in Asia. Jobs are lost in western countries.

For good or bad, globalization has transformed the world by making shipping more efficient. That change was possible because of one man and a metal box.

Listen without reading

Learn English online about inventions

English listening lesson: Gap Fill

LISTEN TO THE STORY AGAIN AND FILL IN THE BLANKS.

A shipping container is a large ________ ________ that sits on a truck, train or ship. It may look simple, but this box made globalization ________ .

The history of the shipping container to ________ .

Malcolm McLean had a trucking company in America. His business was good, but he wanted _____ _____ ____ better. He looked at the shipping industry and saw a problem.

In those days, shipping was slow. A truck would drive to a ________ . Workers moved boxes ____ ________ from the truck to a ship. When the ship arrived at a ________ , more workers moved boxes by hand.

Malcolm’s idea was ________ . Put products inside a container. At a port, big machines would move containers between trucks, ________ and ships. Moving small boxes by hand was no longer ________ .

During the 1970s and 1980s, container shipping ________ popular. Ports with the ________ equipment needed to lift containers were built around the ________ .

How did shipping containers _______ business? First, shipping became cheaper and _______ . Before Malcolm’s idea, the cost of ________ was $59 per tonne. Shipping by container is about 16 cents per tonne.

Before containers, the average port worker could ________ 1.7 tonnes per hour. With containers, that ________ was 30 tonnes.

Containers move large ________ of material. For example, one 40-foot container can hold 320 ________ , or 5000 pairs of pants, or 100 washing machines.

Another change was ________ . Before containers, businesses ________ lots of products in North America and Europe. That has changed. Companies now ________ factories in low cost Asian countries and ________ products everywhere. Jobs are created in Asia. Jobs are lost in ________ countries.

For good or bad, globalization has ________ the world by making shipping more ________ . That change was possible because of one man and a ________ box.

ESL discussion questions

Talk about the esl story.

1. What kind of story is this?
2. What problem lead to the idea of a shipping container?
3. What is globalization?
4. Describe the connection between shipping containers and globalization?
5. How much cargo can fit inside a single container? Give some examples.
6. Some people find interesting ways to use old containers. Can you think of any examples?

Synonym match

MATCH THE WORD OR PHRASE ON THE LEFT WITH THE CORRECT SYNONYM.

English listening lesson: anagrams

MOVE LETTERS. MAKE A WORD FROM the English online story about inventions.

1. HCMENISA
2. PERAHCE
3. GRICNUKT
4. RNTIUDYS
5. IOFASTECR
6. ECFTIFNEI

Writing practice

Write the sentences. Put the words in the correct order.

1. longer / necessary / hand / moving / no / was / small / boxes / by
2. box / possible / and / a / was / of / that / metal / change / one / man / because
3. back / of / container / goes / history / shipping / to / the / 1956 / the
4. days / in / shipping / was / slow / those
5. the / 17 / average / load / containers / per / worker / could / before / tonnes / port / hour

More reading

Learn more English online about inventions? Try this English listening comprehension lesson about Galileo.

Watch a video and take notes

Learn more? Watch a short video about shipping containers. It’s less than five minutes.

1. Watch the video.
2. Take notes.
3. Make a list with at least eight facts.

Get the worksheet

Want to print out the worksheet for this English online lesson about inventions? Click to download the PDF worksheet.