Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
講師がそれぞれの質問を読むので答えましょう。
- Do you prefer coffee to tea?
- What’s the most popular coffee shop in your city?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
単語、意味、例文を読みます。講師に続いて音読しましょう。
- employment /em-PLOI-muhnt /
- cost /kawst/
- demand /dih-MAND/
- wage /weyj/
- raise /reyz /
[noun] – the fact of someone being paid to work for a company or organization
There are a lot of employment opportunities in the city.
[noun] – the amount of money needed to buy, do, or make something
We discussed the costs of our trip to Hawaii.
[noun] – a need for something to be sold or supplied
There was a high demand for cakes last week.
[noun] – a particular amount of money that is paid, usually every week, to an employee
The job offers a wage of $10 an hour.
[verb] – to cause something to increase or become bigger, better, higher, etc.
Karen decided to raise her restaurant’s menu prices.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
記事を音読しましょう。講師はあなたの発音とイントネーションを確認します。
Starbucks is planning to raise its menu prices as global prices rise and employment costs jump. In October 2021, the company started to hike its prices in the US and most recently last month. According to CEO Kevin Johnson, the company is planning even more price hikes this year. But the recent changes have not stopped customers from getting their coffee drinks. Starbucks chief operating officer John Culver said that despite the rising prices, their customer demand continues to grow. Like many other brands, along with rising global prices Starbucks is also dealing with higher worker costs. Several major employers are increasing wages in an effort to attract job-seekers as businesses, particularly restaurants, have been having difficulty looking for applicants. Late last year, Starbucks announced that it would raise the salary of its baristas to at least $15 an hour. McDonald’s has also increased menu prices by about 6% last year.
True or False:
Read the sentences and identify if they are true or false based on the article.
文章を読んで、記事に基づいて正誤を答えましょう。
- Starbucks plans to lower its menu prices.
- Starbucks is also facing higher worker costs.
- Several major employers are decreasing wages.
- Two years ago, Starbucks announced that it would raise the salary of its baristas.
- McDonald’s increased its menu prices by about 6% last year.
Fill in the blanks:
Choose the correct word from the table then fill in the blanks.
適切な言葉を選んで空欄を埋めましょう。
| employment | cost | demand | wage | raise |
- They are offering a high _____ for this position.
- There was a low ______ for juice boxes last month.
- I’m in charge of managing the _______ for the party.
- The management decided to _____ the museum’s entrance fee.
- I need to think about my ________ plans this year.