Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.
dateline: 27 December 2011
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN π
Brazil’s Economy Overtakes UK’s
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- commodity: something that comes from the earth and is in high demand
- figures: numerical amounts often found in a table
- prediction: a guess or estimate about the future
- league table: a chart that ranks teams, organizations, or other groups
- shift: slight change in position
Comprehension Questions
- What position does Brazil now hold according to the World Economic League Table?
- What shift is mentioned in this report?
- What prediction is made for France and Germany?
Discussion Question: Why do you think economies that produce things like food and energy are climbing up the economic league table?
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Brazil’s Economy Overtakes UK’s
According to a team of economists, Brazil has overtaken the UK as the world’s sixth largest economy. Brazil is a commodity-producing economy that relies heavily on its exports to China. Brazil’s population is about three times the size of the UK’s. Figures from the World Economic League Table also confirm that Asian economies are growing while European economies are falling. The shift in economic power from west to east seems to be related to the production of commodities such as food and energy. The top five economies in 2011 are the US, China, Japan, Germany and France; however, growth predictions suggest that European countries will have very low growth over the next decade due to the debt crisis. Russia and India are expected to take France and Germany’s positions of four and five by 2020.
- Brazil now holds the sixth position in the world economy according to the World Economic League Table.
- The shift in economic power from west to east is mentioned in this report.
- The report states that France and Germany are expected to take the fourth and fifth positions by 2020.
Written and recorded by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
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