Listen to the document as many times as you wish
then write down a summary and a commentary.
Listen to this document by the British Council and write out a summary.
Watch VOA NEWS here: http://www.voanews.com/english/VOA-Video-Player.cfm
To pay somebody hush money: acheter le silence de quelqu’un.
Hush money: le prix du silence.
A golden handshake: une grosse prime de départ ou de bienvenue pour un salarié.
A golden parachute: une prime de départ.
To kill the golden goose: tuer la poule aux oeufs d’or.
Bailout: sauvetage (banque/entreprise), renflouement
Group banking: consortium bancaire
Fiscal stimulus: mesures de relance budgétaire
Payroll: registre du personnel/ traitement et salaires/ l’ensemble du personnel/ livre de paie
Payroll tax: impôt sur les salaires.
Turmoil: tumulte/ agitation/ trouble. (Financial tormoil)
The other side of the coin: le revers de la médaille.
A bargain: une bonne affaire / To bargain (with somebody over something): marchander
To build consumer loyalty: fidéliser les clients
The Stock Exchange: La Bourse
The Exchange rate: le taux de change
A shareholder: un actionnaire
A broker: un courtier / A stockbroker: un agent de change
A dabbler in stocks: un boursicoteur
To make something profitable: rentabiliser quelque chose
To cash in on something: tirer profit de quelque chose
Profit-making: lucratif
To go bankrupt: faire faillite
Slack business: affaires en plein marasme
Thriving business: affaires florissantes
To be rolling in it: être plein aux as. (EX. The boss is rolling in it: le patron est plein aux as)
A perk: un avantage en nature. (a perquisite)
To buy full price: payer/acheter au prix fort/plein tarif
To price down: solder
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!! Down here, President B. H. Obama’s focus on vocabulary related to economy:
http://www.englishcafe.com/blog/president-obama-focus-vocabulary-related-economy-12674
Watch President Obama’s video and have a look at the script just below followed by a vocabulary help.
Various radio stations in English to practice your oral comprehension.
Down here is the audio document we have listened to on Tuesday.
Listen to it again as many times as you wish then prepare an oral commentary.
Test your comprehension of the document:
1. Give a summary of the document
2. What did Prime minister Kevin Rudd declare in Bali, in December?
3. Kevin Rudd is a conservative: True or False?
4. What statement did Kevin Rudd make on February 13th and why was it said to be historical?
5. What do you learn abour the “Stolen Generation”?
6. What was the attitude of John Howard, the predecessor of Kevin Rudd, as regards the issue of the “Stolen Generation”?
 Adapted from The Economist, February 2008. Stolen Birthrights
This document is primarily for my IUT – TC2 students of Mantes-la-Jolie, reading for competitive exams.
Listen to this document from the BBC and be prepared to give an oral commentary.
1. WHO (for Human Beings): John is calling from New York. –> Who is calling?
2. WHAT: Peter is reading a novel: What is Peter reading?
3. WHOSE: This is dad’s car: Whose car is this?
4. WHEN: Peter is leaving next week. When is Peter leaving?
5. WHICH (not for Human Beings): I prefer this T-shirt. Which T-shirt do you prefer?
6. WHY: Dad is late because he missed his bus. Why is Dad late?
7. WHAT FOR: I am studying sociology to become a sociologist. What are you studying sociology for?
8. HOW: Jane always goes to school by bus. How does Jane always go to school?
9. HOW LONG: The English course lasts 2 hours. How long does the English course last?
10. HOW FAR: The university is about 2 km from Paris. How far is the university from Paris?
11. HOW MANY (+ plurals + countable nouns): His brother owns 3 houses. How many houses does his brother own?
12. HOW MUCH (+ uncountable nouns): I want just one bottle of water. How much water do you want?
!! HOW MUCH is also used to ask for the pric: How much is this car? (Combien coûte cette voiture?)
13. HOW OLD (age): Jenny is 18 (years old). How old is Jenny?
14. HOW OFTEN: Mark goes to the library twice a week. How often does Mark go to the library?
15. WHERE (place): Mark goes to the library. Where does Mark go?
Vocabulary in context:
1. “people fancy each other”: –> to fancy : to want (avoir envie de, s’enticher de). She fancies him.
What do you fancy for lunch ? (Qu’est-ce qui te plairait pour le déjeuner?)
2. “To fend off”: repousser, écarter, parer. “To fend for oneself”: se débrouiller tout(e) seul(e). I can fend for myself. (Je peux me débrouiller tout(e) seul(e).)
3. “To flag up”: to raise an issue, to highlight the importance of an issue (soulever, souligner l’importance de…)
4. “Proxy”: mandataire. To vote by proxy (voter par procruation)
5. “Kinship”: affinité, parenté
6. “Cockoldry”: cocuage
7. “straight people”: personnes hétérosexuelles
8. “To mess up”: semer la pagaille
9. “Twist”: zigzag
10. “on the trot”: d’affilée. Three days on the trot: trois jours d’affilée.
VOCABULAY IN CONTEXT:
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Teeth / Tooth
Lengthening (to lengthen)
Upper front
Back front
Grind down (Pret. Ground): meuler (affûter) / To grind = broyer, écraser.
To grind one’s teeth (grincer ses dents), to grind to a halt (s’arrêter avec grincement de freins)
Gum (gencive, gomme)
Butt (le derrière (buttocks= popotin (fam)) / Mégot (cigarette) / Crosse (fusil)
    To be the butt of sb’s jokes: être la cible des blagues de quelqu’un
    To butt sb (donner un coup de tête à qn. / coup de corne(animaux))
Slacks (casual trousers (décontracté))
Sag (flasque, qui pend)
Deflated (dégonflé)
Tush= popotin: (I slipped down on the ice and landed right on my tush!)
Baggy (ample)
Neck tuck (pli du cou)
Watercooler (refroidisseur d’eau (bonbonne d’eau)
Tighten (resserrer)
Unsightly (disgracieux, inesthétique)
Podiatric / Podiatrist (chiropodist) = podologue, pédicure
To blast = faire sauter (a blast = explosion)
Flab (graisse)
Crepeyness (crepey = fripé): crepey eyelid=paupières fripées
Chandelier: lustre
Fillers: bouche-trou (tv), mastic, reboucheur
Makeover: changement de look, transformation, rénovation (to makeover)
Knobby (US)/knobbly (GB):Â noueux
Spotted: tâcheté
Plump up (redonner du gonflant)
Old geezer (viel aigri)
To drool (baver)
Condo (condominium): in the USa, an apartment building in which each apartment is owned
 separately by the people living in it, but also containing shared areas
Hip= la hanche / branché
Toupee = pastiche, moumoute
Headhunter = chasseur de têtes