英語学習

英語ニュース教材：Business Daily（Intermediate レベル）

 

Contents

🎧 Audio

📖 Script

In the United States, prices are rising significantly, and this is causing challenges in the economy. Many businesses are struggling because they cannot keep up with the high demand for their products. This situation occurs when more people want to buy goods than there are available. As a result, prices go up because of the scarcity of products. This economic condition is called inflation.

Inflation can happen for several reasons. One reason is when the cost of production for goods increases. For example, if the price of raw materials like steel or oil goes up, then the cost to produce cars or run factories also increases. Companies then pass these costs onto consumers by raising prices. Another reason could be a strong demand for products that exceeds what companies can supply. This is often seen in times of economic recovery when people start spending more after a period of saving.

For consumers, rising prices mean that their money does not go as far as it used to. They may find that they can buy less with the same amount of money, which can be frustrating. It can affect their ability to purchase essentials like groceries and gasoline. On the other hand, for businesses, managing supply chains becomes a critical task. Companies need to find ways to increase their supply to meet the demand and keep their customers satisfied.

The government and central banks have tools to manage inflation. They can adjust interest rates to control how much people borrow and spend. Higher interest rates can reduce spending by making loans more expensive. Additionally, they can influence the economy by buying or selling government bonds to control the money supply.

In conclusion, rising prices and supply shortages are significant challenges for the US economy. Both consumers and businesses are affected, and it requires careful management by government institutions to stabilize the situation.

📝 Vocabulary

  • inflation: a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money（インフレーション）
    例文: “Inflation can make everyday items more expensive.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • high inflation
    • inflation rate
    • control inflation
  • demand: the desire of consumers to purchase goods and services（需要）
    例文: “The demand for electric cars is increasing.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • high demand
    • meet demand
    • demand for
  • scarcity: a situation in which something is not easy to find or get（不足）
    例文: “During the drought, there was a scarcity of water.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • water scarcity
    • scarcity of resources
    • create scarcity
  • consumer: a person who purchases goods and services for personal use（消費者）
    例文: “Consumers are looking for affordable options.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • consumer behavior
    • consumer demand
    • consumer goods
  • interest rate: the percentage charged on a loan or paid on savings（利率）
    例文: “The bank lowered the interest rate to encourage spending.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • low interest rate
    • raise interest rate
    • fixed interest rate

✏️ Grammar Point

Conditionals – “If the price of raw materials like steel or oil goes up, then the cost to produce cars or run factories also increases.”

文法の日本語補足を見る
条件が満たされると結果が生じることを示す構文

💡 使用場面

条件が満たされると結果が生じることを示す文脈で使用されます。多くの場合、仮定の状況や未来の出来事について話すときに使われます。

📝 使用例文

“例: In a business meeting, you might say: ‘If we cut costs now, we can increase our profit margin next quarter.’”

❓ Listening Questions

  1. True/False: Rising prices in the US are due to an increase in supply.
  2. MCQ: What is one reason for inflation mentioned in the script?
    a) Decreased consumer spending
    b) Increased production of goods
    c) Higher cost of raw materials
    d) Lower demand for products
  3. MCQ: What can the government do to manage inflation?
    a) Decrease interest rates
    b) Increase consumer spending
    c) Control the supply of goods
    d) Adjust interest rates
🔑 Listening Answersを見る
  1. False
  2. c) Higher cost of raw materials
  3. d) Adjust interest rates

📚 Reading Questions

  1. What is causing challenges in the US economy according to the script?
  2. Why might companies raise prices during inflation?
  3. What does the word ‘scarcity’ mean in the context of the script?
🔑 Reading Answersを見る
  1. Prices are rising significantly, and supply can’t keep up with demand.
  2. Because the cost of production increases, leading companies to pass on costs to consumers.
  3. A situation in which something is not easy to find or get.

🇯🇵 日本語での経済ニュース解説

アメリカでは物価が急上昇していますが、供給が需要に追いつかない状況です。インフレーションが原因の一つであり、原材料の価格上昇や製品需要の高まりが影響しています。このような状況では、消費者は購入力が低下し、企業は供給チェーンの管理が重要となります。政府や中央銀行は、金利を調整することでインフレを管理しようとしています。日本でもこのようなインフレの影響は無視できず、特に輸入品の価格上昇が懸念されています。将来的には、政策による安定化が必要です。

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct6s2n?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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