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Directions

REVIEW the vocabulary.
LISTEN to the audio.
ANSWER the questions.
CHECK your answers (Show Answers)

Vocabulary

widespread [adj] - over a large area or number of people
distribution [n] - sharing something among many people
a contradiction [n] - opposite to each other
a press briefing [n] - an event in which the president talks to the media
downplay [v] - make something seem less important
mock [v] - make fun of
a rival [n] - a person competing with someone
routinely [adv] - usually
take over [phv] - take control
resign [v] - quit
swear in [phv] - officially give someone control of a political office or position
parliament [n] - the government
restrictions [n] - legal limits
a cornerstone [n] - an important quality or feature
an alliance [n] - a union to help each other
shutdown [v] - stop, close
take effect [exp] - start to operate
a parent company [n] - the larger company that controls a smaller company
a competing proposal [n] - a plan or offer to beat another plan or offer

[n] - noun, [v] - verb, [phv] - phrasal verb, [adj] - adjective, [exp] - expression

Questions

President Trump said a corona vaccine would be available before the end of 2020.
True
False
CDC Director Redfield said a corona vaccine would be available before the end of 2020.
True
False
Redfield said wearing a mask was very important for preventing the spread for the corona virus.
True
False
Trump said wearing a mask was very important for preventing the spread for the Corona virus.
True
False
Trump made fun of Biden for wearing a mask.
True
False
Shinzo Abe is the longest ever serving Japanese premier.
True
False
The new Prime Minster, Suga, is 71 years old.
True
False
Suga wants to change a lot of Abe's policies on economics and military development.
True
False
Suga wants to remove some of the restrictions on the Japanese military.
True
False
Suga has been critical of America's treatment of Japan after World War 2.
True
False
Trump has ordered that TikTok be shut down in the United States.
True
False
Trump is worried about TikTok because of data privacy and national security.
True
False
The company Oracle is planning to buy and take over TikTok.
True
False

Script

In the US, President Trump said the widespread distribution of a vaccine against the coronavirus would happen before the end of the year. His message was a direct contradiction of an earlier statement made by the Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield. The CDC director said earlier in the day that a vaccine would not be widely available until next spring or summer. However, Trump said he expects the government to be able to distribute a vaccine sometime in October. In the same press briefing, Trump also said Redfield’s statement regarding mask use was wrong. Redfield said that wearing a mask was the most important, powerful public health tool we have. Trump instead downplayed the importance of masks while also mocking his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, for routinely wearing masks in public spaces.

Next, in Japan, Yoshihide Suga took over as Japan's Prime Minister. He is replacing the country's longest-serving premier, Shinzo Abe. Abe recently resigned due to health problems. Suga, 71, was sworn in by Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace after parliament elected him as prime minister. He has promised to continue Abe’s main policies, including his efforts to improve the economy and to remove the restrictions on the use of its military. These restrictions put on Japan after the Second World War. Suga has also promised to maintain the alliance with the United States as the cornerstone of Japan's foreign policy.

Finally, in technology, a plan to save the popular video-sharing app TikTok in the U.S. is being discussed in Washington. TikTok is in danger in the United States because of President Trump's order to shut down TikTok's business, which will take effect in a few days. Trump told reporters that he wants to see an agreement in which ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, loses its majority ownership of the app, in order to solve TikTok’s problems with data privacy and national security. The software company Oracle beat a competing proposal from Microsoft to keep TikTok alive in the US. However, its offer is not to buy TikTok completely. Instead, Oracle says it wants TikTok to be a "trusted technology partner," a relationship Oracle has still not clearly defined. President Trump has suggested that this deal would not satisfy the US government.

News You Can Use - Sept 17th

Published: 9.17.2020

Level 3 | Time: 3:54

Accent: American

Directions

Vocabulary

Questions

Script