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。
- Have you heard about programs that provide free or reduced-price school meals?
- Have you ever used a cashless payment system to buy something?
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。
- introduce /in-truh-DOOS/
- reduced /ri-DOOST/
- charge /chahrj/
- strain /streyn/
- average /AV-er-ij/
[verb] – to bring something into use or operation for the first time
The teacher will introduce a new topic today.
[adjective] – made smaller or less in size, amount, or degree
This store sells clothes at reduced prices.
[noun] – the amount of money that you have to pay for something, especially for an activity or service
The charge for the ticket was $10.
[noun] – pressure or difficulty caused by a situation
The decline in the dollar has put a bigger strain on the economic system.
[adjective] – typical and usual
The performance was not special; it was just average.
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。
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has introduced a new policy to remove transaction fees for families receiving free or reduced-price school meals. Starting in the 2027-2028 school year, these families will no longer face extra charges when using cashless payment systems for meals. This change aims to ease the financial strain on households with incomes up to 185% of the federal poverty level, which includes families earning up to $57,720 for a family of four. At present, families pay transaction fees ranging from $3.25 to 5%, which make meal payments more expensive than the subsidized rates of 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch. The USDA’s policy also addresses monopolistic practices in the payment processing industry, where companies like MySchoolBucks and SchoolCafe dominate the market. According to the USDA, 87% of school districts have contracts with these companies, resulting in an average fee of $2.37 per transaction. The USDA aims to help school districts negotiate better terms or adopt systems with no fees, ensuring that low-income students can access nutritious meals without financial barriers.
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。
- Families receiving free school meals will pay extra transaction fees starting in 2027.
- The USDA’s new policy removes transaction fees for families receiving reduced-price meals.
- School meals will increase in price due to the new USDA policy.
- The average fee per transaction is $2.37.
- All school districts use MySchoolBucks and SchoolCafe for meal payments.
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。
| introduce | reduced | charge | strain | average |
- His job causes ______ in his back muscles.
- They ______ new games every week at school.
- The supermarket offered ______ prices on fresh fruits this week.
- The food was fairly ______.
- There is a ______ for using the parking lot.