Ships at Dawn in Tokyo Bay. Photo by Gerald.
In this podcast, I discuss Cargo Ships Treading Water Off Singapore, Waiting for Work, by Keith Bradsher. It appeared in the International Herald Tribune (also known as the Global Edition of the New York Times) on May 13, 2009.
After you listen, I recommend that you read the original article.
Summary: Hundreds of large cargo ships are parked off the coast of Singapore. They are a sign (an indicator) of the global economy. Asian businesses are not shipping goods to Europe or North America, and so the ships have nowhere to go. The cost of chartering a vessel has fallen dramatically. There is some danger that ships may collide into each other, and troublesome plants are growing on their hulls under the water line.
Download the transcript: #4 Shipping: an Economic Indicator
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Per Capita Tea Consumption (Information from nationmaster.com, OECD)
In this podcast, I discuss a table that shows percapita tea consumption in 18 industrial nations. You will learn that different countries vary quite a lot in how much tea the people drink. In my talk, I comment on why people in different countries have such different preferences. If you would like to learn more about the business of tea – or just how to understand and talk about numbers and data, listen to this podcast.
Key words and ideas:
- per capita consumption
- consume/consumer/consumption
- tea consumption and historical factors
Download the transcript Per Capita Tea Consumption in 18 Industrialized Countries
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Chrysler cars in a parking lot. (Photo by El_Enigma)
In this podcast, I discuss
Chrysler’s Future Likely to Hold Fewer Cars
By Nick Bunkley, New York Times, May 7, 2009
Chrysler, the smallest of America’s “Big Three,” is going bankrupt. What will happen next? What will happen over the longer term?
Key words and ideas:
- The future of Chrysler – what does Chrysler’s future hold?
- Background to the current crisis – Chrysler has faced bankruptcy before.
- Chrysler’s sales: in cars, in trucks and minivans.
- Chrysler’s market share: Who sells more cars – Chrysler or Hyudai?
- What will change when Chrysler is acquired by Fiat?
- Bankrupt/bankruptcy/to go bankrupt
- acquisition/acquire
- merger/merge
- jettison/drop/cut…
Download the transcript: Chrysler in Crisis
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Welcome to Extend Your Listening on What’s For English. In this first podcast, I explain what extensive listening is and how it can help you improve listening skills and fluency in English. Let your interests drive your learning and spend your time with content rather than exercises and explanations. If you are interested in thinking about business, news, technology, the arts and sciences, then in these podcasts, you can listen to my comments on these ideas – and in easier English than on most podcasts.
Key words and ideas
- Extensive vs. intensive listening and reading
Download the Transcript: Transcript: Introduction
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