Cartoon: The Problem With Smart Cars

This comes directly from The English Blog, another great site for improving your English.

This cartoon by David Horsey from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer refers to President Obama's suggestion that US automobile makers should make smaller cars.

VOCABULARY

1. A flaw in a plan is a mistake which causes it to be less effective.

2. If something is stuck, it can't move. Stuck is the past participle of the verb stick. • I'm late because my car was stuck in the snow. • I can't get this ring off. It's stuck!

3. If you supersize, you choose the largest portion size available in meals offered by McDonald's and other burger joints. Remember the film Super Size Me?

Vocabulary in the News: Chrysler files for bankruptcy, enters a deal with Fiat

VOCABULARY

to file for bankruptcy – déposer son bilan

to enter a deal – conclure un accord

bankruptcy protection – un redressement judiciaire

painless – sans peine

key stakeholders – les partenaires principaux

full backing – le soutien inconditionnel

to have every confidence – avoir pleine confiance

to emerge - sortir

competitive – concurrentiel

to drown in debt (idiomatic) – être submergé de dettes

bailout – le sauvetage

secured lender –un créancier garanti

unwillingness – la réticence, le refus

to relax the debt – assouplir la dette

cutting edge technology – la technologie de pointe

committed – engagé

fuel-efficient cars – les voitures économiques, les voitures à grand rendement énergétique

meanwhile – pendant ce temps, en attendant

to shut down - fermer

In the News: US Automakers Struggle as Restructuring Deadline Looms (Listening Comprehension Vocabulary Exercise)

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-02-16-voa44.cfm

First, download and listen to the following report from Voice of America news. Secondly, print out the worksheet and listen again.  Download  (MP3) Right click and save target

US Automakers Struggle as Restructuring Deadline Looms

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Academic Work marketing hobby