Vocabulary In the News : Red Celery!!

Run your cursor over the words to discover their definitions.

Florida company unveils red celery

MIAMI | Sat Oct 16, 2010 11:59am EDT

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida-based U.S. produce company is looking to titillate the eye and the taste buds by offering a new red-colored celery to give a "colorful crunch" to salads and dips.

Celery producer Duda Farm Fresh Foods unveiled the celery variety, to be sold under the brand name Celery Sensations, at the U.S. Produce Marketing Association's annual Fresh Summit Trade Show in Orlando, Fla. on Saturday.

The company said its researchers developed the milder-tasting red salad vegetable by cross-pollinating an existing green commercial variety with an old-world heritage celery root, or celeriac variety, whose original heirloom seed could be traced back to Eastern Europe.

"It has the same great crisp, fresh flavor as regular celery," Duda Farm Fresh Foods' President Dan Duda said in a statement.

(Reporting by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Stacey Joyce)

Taken from : http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69F0VC20101016

Video Of the Moment : Movie – Wall Street “Greed is Good!”

At the shareholder's meeting, Gekko (Michael Douglas) announces that "greed is good."

corporate (adj)	-	relating to large companies, or to a particular large company Example: Coca-Cola's corporate headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia Related terms: a corporation, corporate America (= big businesses in America), corporate culture
unfit (adj. – superlative form used in video : unfittest)	-	not having the right qualities to do a particular job or activity (Ex. an unfit mother) Synonyms: incompetent, incapable ≠ fit
survival of the fittest (Evolutionary theory)	-	the idea that your survival depends on competing successfully within your environment with other creatures of your own type Example: In business, it’s the survival of the fittest
in my book (expression)	-	used when giving your strong opinion about something Example: She’s the best teacher in this school, in my book.
a deal	-	a formal agreement, especially in business or politics Related terms to show a successful deal: do/cut/make/reach/ strike a deal (with someone) ; a deal goes through Related term to show a deal couldn’t be made: a deal falls through
to be involved with something	-	to be connected with Example: He denied that he was involved with organized crime.
a stockholder (American) / a shareholder (British)	-	someone who owns stocks (=equal parts into which a company’s money is divided) in a company.
greed	-	a strong wish to have more money, things, or power than you need Example: a growing culture of corporate greed (=the greed of large companies);  their greed for power
for lack of something	-	a situation in which you do not have any, or enough, of something that you need or want Example:  We couldn’t find her passport, but it wasn’t for lack of trying (=we tried hard to find it).
to cut through something	-	1. to deal quickly and effectively with something that causes problems or is confusing; 2. to make a path through something by cutting Example: 1. We need to cut through the political rhetoric and see what really lies behind the policy. 2. He cut his way through the jungle with a machete.
upward (adj.)	-	moving or turned toward a higher position
a surge	-	a sudden increase
mankind	-	all humans considered as a single group. Note: Some people avoid using this word because they think it is offensive to women, and they use ‘humankind’ instead Synonyms: humankind, the human race
mark my words (expression)	-	used for telling someone to listen carefully to what you are saying, especially because you will be proved right in the future Example: President Obama will not be reelected in 2012, mark my words.
malfunctioning (adj.)	-	not working or operating correctly Synonyms: failing, flopping ≠ functioning, working, successful

Featured Podcast : Half of US Jobs Now Held by Women (VOA News)

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report. (19 Nov 2009) - http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2009-11-19-voa3.cfm

To download the MP3 audio file to the report, right click with your mouse HERE

 

Women are on their way to holding more than half of all American jobs. The latest government report shows that their share of nonfarm jobs nearly reached fifty percent in September. Not only have more and more women entered the labor market over the years, but the recession has been harder on men. In October the unemployment rate for men was almost eleven percent, compared to eight percent for women.

Industries that traditionally use lots of men have suffered deep cuts. For example, manufacturing and building lost more jobs last month. But health care and temporary employment services have had job growth. Both of those industries employ high percentages of women.

Thirty years ago, women earned sixty-two cents for every dollar that men earned. Now, for those who usually work full time, women earn about eighty percent of what men earn. And women hold fifty-one percent of good-paying management and professional jobs.

Yet a study released Thursday said men still hold about nine out of every ten top positions at the four hundred largest companies in California. The results have remained largely unchanged in five years of studies from the University of California, Davis.

Also, a new research paper in the journal Sex Roles looks at the experiences of women who are the main earners in their family. Rebecca Meisenbach at the University of Missouri in Columbia interviewed fifteen women. She found they all valued their independence and many enjoyed having the power of control, though not all wanted it.

But they also felt pressure, worry and guilt. Partly that was because of cultural expectations that working women will still take care of the children. Also, men who are not the main earners may feel threatened.

The job market continues to suffer the effects of last year's financial crash. Now, a judgment has been reached in the first case involving charges of criminal wrongdoing on Wall Street.

Last week, the government lost its case against two managers at Bear Stearns, the first investment bank to fail last year. A jury found Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin not guilty of lying to investors.

The hedge funds they supervised lost their value in two thousand seven. But jurors said there was no clear evidence that they meant to mislead investors.

The Justice Department continues to investigate other companies.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

English Business Letter Generator

Ok, this is for those of you who are lazy! This is business letter generator from English Grammar Online 4U. You just have to fill in the missing spaces with dates and names. Take a look: http://www.ego4u.com/en/business-english/communication/generator

Internet Sites for Improving Your English: Business Spotlight

Do you want to improve your business English? Then this new site is for you! You can access video lessons and download podcasts on a variety of professional English topics. To visit the site, click on the image below.

Internet Sites for Improving Your English: Business English Lessons

Here’s a free online site with language and free exercises to practice business English. Go to the following link to access the site: http://www.business-english.com/index.html

For those of you going to pass the DCL, you’ll find some very useful language for phase 4 under the heading “English for Presentations.” The direct link to this page is: http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/

Podcasts for ‘Action régionale – Session du printemps’ in Haguenau (updated 26 April 09)

These podcasts are targeted to the students in the Action Régionale in Haguenau and supplement the topics being covered in the course. To view the dialogue script and to listen to or download the MP3 file, go to the following links:

FROM ESLPOD.COM

ESL Podcast 41 - Tough Negotiations

ESL Podcast 42 - Formal Emails

ESL Podcast 43 - Getting an Interview

ESL Podcast 44 - Making a Good Impression

ESL Podcast 56 - Hiring for a Job

ESL Podcast 76 - Asking for and Giving Instructions

ESL Podcast 79 - Disagreeing Politely in a Business Setting

ESL Podcast 86 - Asking About Jobs

ESL Podcast 103 - Making a Sales Call

ESL Podcast 124 - Asking for Clarification in a Business Meeting

ESL Podcast 127 - Answering Machine Messages

ESL Podcast 132 - Getting Through on the Phone

ESL Podcast 135 - Scheduling a Meeting

ESL Podcast 146 - Suggestions at Work

ESL Podcast 162 - Training a New Employee

ESL Podcast 170 - Questions and Answers at a Presentation

ESL Podcast 181 – Company Profiles

ESL Podcast 184 – Running a Meeting

ESL Podcast 188 – Correcting Misunderstandings at Work

ESL Podcast 190 – Taking a Phone Message

ESL Podcast 193 – Placing a Business Order

ESL Podcast 200 – Meeting a Deadline

ESL Podcast 208 – Corporate Image

ESL Podcast 220 – Giving Opinions in a Meeting

ESL Podcast 243 – Speaking to a Store Clerk on the Phone

ESL Podcast 255 – Questions About a Product

ESL Podcast 280 – Viral Marketing

ESL Podcast 288 – A Business Contract

ESL Podcast 300 – Arriving for an Appointment

ESL Podcast 304 – A Potential Partnership Meeting

ESL Podcast 312 – Different Work Styles

ESL Podcast 332 – Profit and Loss

ESL Podcast 380 – Hiring Temp Workers

ESL Podcast 404 – Delegating Work

ESL Podcast 408 – Calling Someone You Haven’t Met About a Job

ESL Podcast 426 – Talking About Product Quality

ESL Podcast 436 – Dealing With an Angry Client

ESL Podcast 448 – Making Business Contacts

ESL Podcast 460 – Working in a Bad Economy

ESL Podcast 471 - Trying to Get Off the Phone

ESL Podcast 464 – Talking About Inventory

Also check out the podcasts at: http://www.businessenglishpod.com/

The Job Interview – 2 Podcasts from BusinessEnglishPod.com

This post is for the students in the Action Régionale in Haguenau. Here are the two podcast links I promised you.

BEP 40 ADV - Job Interviews: First Round Interview (Part 1)

Today’s Business English Podcast ESL lesson is the first in a two-part series that follows job applicant William Chow through his first interview at an international bank.

In this podcast you’ll learn how to deal with some typical first round job interview questions. Along the way you’ll also practice some great new vocabulary and useful phrases for job interviews.

In the dialogue we’ll listen as William gets interviewed for a position in the business development department of the main Hong Kong branch of Mercantile International. Mike Warner, a HR manager at Mercantile International Hong Kong, is conducting the interview.

BEP 40 ADV - Job Interviews: First Interview (Part 1) [20:40m]:  Download (to download, right click with your mouse)

BEP 41 ADV - Job Interviews: First Round (Part 2)

BEP 41 ADV - This is the second in a two-part Business English Pod lesson on first round job interviews. You’ll practice responding to common interview questions and learn some useful phrases and vocabulary.

As you’ll remember from the first episode, Mike Barnes is interviewing William Chow for a job at the Hong Kong head office of First Mercantile International, a global bank. William had just finished telling Mike about his work history, management style and personal characteristics. Our HR manager, Mike, continues the interview with another very common first round question. Lets see what it is and think about how you would answer the question?

You can download a PDF list of useful phrases to describe your personal characteristics by ‘right-clicking’ on this link and selecting the ‘save’ option.

BEP 41 ADV – Job Interviews – First Round (Part 2) [20:01m]: Download (to download, right click with your mouse)

BusinessEnglishPod.com is an excellent site for professional English. Downloading and listening to podcasts are free. However, if you want a study guide, you must subscribe to the service for which you’ll have to pay.

http://www.businessenglishpod.com/