Tag Archive: business news – beginner

Pre-reading questions: Would you like to travel to Middle East? What do you want to see in Saudi Arabia? Vocabulary: product [noun] –  something that is made and sold Japanese products are very popular nowadays. source [noun] –  is the person, place, or thing which you get something from The source of the fire in the building is unknown. tax [noun] –  amount of money that you have to pay to the government so that it can pay for public services. The taxes in the Philippines are too high. economy [noun] –  the money and resources of a country Japan is hoping for a better economy this year. Value Added Tax (VAT) – [noun] a…
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Pre-reading questions: Where do you want to work in the future? What was the most difficult test you had? Kyle Reyes, the owner of the Silent Partner Marketing, wants to get the best people for his company. Since many people wanted to work for his company, there are lots of resumes to look at. Because of this, he made a snowflake test to remove unwanted job applicants. The snowflake test contains questions about what an applicant thinks about America. Mr. Reyes stated that he made this test because he does not want complaining workers. He also stated that this test was also effective. Vocabulary: resume [noun] – an applicant’s profile…
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Pre-reading questions: Do you watch television every day? Do you own a smartphone? If yes, what is your mobile provider? The Time Warner company will merge with AT&T after the approval of $85.4 billion proposal. According to Jeff Bewkes, CEO of Time Warner, 78% of their shareholders are in favor of the merger and 99% of the shares voted were in favor of the proposal. Vocabulary: merge [verb] – combine or cause to combine to form a single entity proposal [noun] – the act of presenting a plan or suggestion shareholder [noun] – an owner of shares in a company share [noun] – units of ownership interest in a corporation…
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Pre-reading questions: Is it easy to work abroad? Have you studied abroad? Vietnamese trainees are studying Japanese language and culture in preparation for a job in Japan. Trainees will eventually leave their families to work abroad so they can provide a better life for them. However, there are trainees who escaped because they are not getting paid properly. They are also starting to feel the pressure because of the expensive lifestyle in Japan. Vocabulary: trainee – [noun] a person who is training for a job abroad – [abroad] in a foreign country escape – [verb] run away pressured – [verb] stressed out expensive – [adjective] high price True or False:…
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Pre-reading questions: Do you like cooking? Please explain your answer. What kind of activities do you enjoy doing with your friends? Company away days are activities spent with co-workers outside the office. Examples of the activities are team building, seminars, and charity. However, there is a new company away day activity in Europe. Office workers can try cooking classes to know their peers better. Cooking classes can help workers bond with each other. Vocabulary: activity [noun]- something done for pleasure or entertainment seminar [noun]- meeting charity [noun]- an activity to help the poor peer [noun]- a member of a group with the same rank bond [noun]- bring together True or…
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Pre-reading questions: What kind of environment would you want to live in? Why? Do you think many people live in cities? Please explain your answer. Many people live in the cities of countries like Cambodia, Mongolia, Myanmar, and the Philippines. Since there are many people in cities like Manila and Jakarta, some people live in slums. World Bank says more people in cities mean that economy is growing. Cities need to lessen the population so World Bank suggests two solutions: make a rural town into an urban city like Singapore or make cities in places far from the city. Vocabulary: slum [noun]- an area with poor housing economy [noun] a…
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Pre-reading questions: What is the most famous bank in your country? Are banks good or bad? Discuss. JPMorgan Chase, HSBC and Credit Agricole were charged by European Union officials a total of $520 million. They were fined for secretly working together to control the market. They also illegally shared important information to get more money. Four banks were fined for the same reasons three years ago. According to a European Union official, if banks continue to have this kind of control, only a few can benefit. Vocabulary: European Union [proper noun] – a union of 28 states that are located primarily in Europe charge [verb] – to ask an amount…
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Pre-reading questions: Do you trust people easily? Please explain your answer. Do you think trust is important? Why? A recent survey reveals that many workers in Japan don’t trust their CEOs. Even though Japan is a developed nation, only a few percentage of its workers trust their corporate leaders. Meanwhile, other developed countries such as India and China trust their officials. As per Ross Rowbury, Japan’s workers tend to doubt their officials because they don’t always see their presence at work. Vocabulary: trust [verb] – believe official [noun] – a worker with a high rank CEO [noun] – chief executive officer doubt [verb]- lack of trust improvement [noun]- change for…
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  Pre-reading questions: What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase “happiest place on earth?” Have you been to Disneyland before?   Disneyland is popular for its magical theme that people of all ages find it fascinating. Millions of tourists around the world visit the place each year. The company announced that there will be a price increase in the ticket particularly in Disneyland California and Disney World Florida.   Vocabulary: popular [adjective] – liked or admired by many people or by a particular person or group magical [adjective] – beautiful or delightful in a way that seems removed from everyday life fascinating [adjective] – extremely interesting or…
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Pre-reading questions: What’s your favorite Japanese food spread? What’s the most famous food spread in your country? Vegemite spread brand is now owned by an Australian company again. Bega cheese company bought Vegemite brand from Mondelez International for A$460 million. Mondelez International said they will focus on their main products like Cadbury and Oreos instead. Vegemite is made of yeast. It is rich in Vitamin B. It has a dark color and it tastes bitter. This is a famous spread in Australia that is already part of their culture. Vocabulary: vegemite – [noun] a popular spread made in Australia yeast – [noun] a commercial product containing living yeast cells that…
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