英語学習

英語ニュース教材：Why the US government might shut down and when it might happen（Intermediate レベル）

 

Contents

🎧 Audio

📖 Script

The United States government is facing a potential shutdown. This situation arises when the government runs out of money to continue its operations. To prevent this, Congress must pass a spending bill that funds government activities. However, this year, there is a disagreement between the two main political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, over how the money should be spent.

A government shutdown can have significant effects on the economy and daily life. For example, many government employees might not receive their salaries on time. This can impact their ability to pay bills and buy essentials. Additionally, national parks and museums could be closed, and services like processing passports might be delayed.

The main issue causing the disagreement is how much money should be allocated to different areas, such as defense, healthcare, and education. The Republicans and Democrats have different priorities and ideas on where the money should go. This disagreement is not new. In fact, the U.S. government has experienced shutdowns several times in the past, usually for similar reasons.

If a solution is not found soon, the government could shut down. This would mean that non-essential government services would stop, affecting millions of people. Essential services, like the military and air traffic control, would continue to operate, but many others would not.

Both parties are under pressure to reach an agreement because a shutdown could hurt their popularity with voters. In the past, shutdowns have often led to public frustration and criticism of the government. Therefore, both parties are trying to negotiate and find a compromise before the deadline.

In conclusion, a potential government shutdown in the U.S. is a significant issue. It highlights the challenges of political disagreements and the impact they can have on ordinary citizens and the economy. The next few days are crucial as both parties work to find a solution and avoid a shutdown.

📝 Vocabulary

  • Shutdown: stopping of operations
    例文: “The company faced a shutdown due to financial issues.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • government shutdown
    • temporary shutdown
    • emergency shutdown
    停止
  • Funding: financial support
    例文: “The project received funding from several investors.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • secure funding
    • lack of funding
    • increase funding
    資金提供
  • Disagreement: a difference of opinion
    例文: “The disagreement between the partners led to a split.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • major disagreement
    • political disagreement
    • resolve disagreement
    意見の相違
  • Allocate: distribute resources for a purpose
    例文: “The manager allocated tasks to each team member.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • allocate resources
    • allocate time
    • allocate funds
    割り当てる
  • Compromise: a settlement of differences
    例文: “They reached a compromise after long discussions.”
    Collocations／日本語の意味を見る
    • reach a compromise
    • compromise agreement
    • compromise solution
    妥協

✏️ Grammar Point

Conditionals (First Conditional) – “If a solution is not found soon, the government could shut down.”

文法の日本語補足を見る
未来の出来事を条件付きで述べる表現

💡 使用場面

条件を伴う未来の出来事や結果を話す際に使用されます。ビジネスの場では、将来の計画やリスクについて話すときに便利です。

📝 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: The U.S. government might shut down because both parties agree on the spending bill.
  2. MCQ: What is one effect of a government shutdown mentioned in the script?
    a) Increased salaries for government employees
    b) Delayed passport processing
    c) Opening of national parks
    d) Expansion of government services
  3. MCQ: Why are both parties under pressure to reach an agreement?
    a) To increase taxes
    b) To gain popularity with voters
    c) To close national parks
    d) To cut military spending
🔑 Listening Answersを見る
  1. False
  2. b) Delayed passport processing
  3. b) To gain popularity with voters

📚 Reading Questions

  1. What is causing the potential U.S. government shutdown?
  2. Why do you think political parties are trying to find a compromise?
  3. What does the word “allocate” mean in the context of the script?
🔑 Reading Answersを見る
  1. The disagreement over the spending bill between Republicans and Democrats.
  2. Because a shutdown could lead to public frustration and criticism.
  3. To distribute resources for a specific purpose.

🇯🇵 日本語での経済ニュース解説

アメリカ政府のシャットダウンは、予算が合意されない場合に発生する問題です。共和党と民主党が支出法案で対立しており、特に防衛、医療、教育への資金配分が注目されています。シャットダウンが起こると、国家の信用が低下し、経済に悪影響を及ぼす可能性があります。過去のシャットダウンでは、政府機関の停止や経済的混乱が発生しました。国際的には、アメリカの政治的安定性が疑問視されることもあり、経済的な影響が広がる恐れがあります。今後、両党がどのように合意に達するかが注目されています。

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrj1znp0pyo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

RELATED POST