Vocabulary Preparation:

 

be ontrack to achieve the result you want 走上正轨

big player one of the important people, companies, countries etc that isinvolved in and influences a situation, especially one involving competition 大腕；大鳄

drastic  adj. forcefuland extreme and rigorous 激烈的；剧烈的

a dead stop not moving or happening 突然地完全停住

broke adj. having no money 一文不名的；破产

slide  v. to movesmoothly along a surface 使滑；跌落

staggering  adj. so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm 惊人的

afloat  adv. having enough money to stay out of debt 摆脱困境

merge  v.  to join or combine合并；吞并

bailout  n. financial help given to a person or a company that is in difficulty 政府财政援助

file  v. to record in a public office or in a court of law 申请

confirm  v. to establishor strengthen as with new evidence or facts 确定；证实

stake  n. an important part or sharein a business, plan, etc. that is important to you and that you want to besuccessful 重大利益；利害关系

bail out to do something to help someone out of trouble, especially financialproblems 帮助渡过难关

cash cow a project that generates a continuous flow of money 摇钱树

minivan  n. a large car with seats for six to eight people 小型面包车

on edge nervous, especially because you are expecting something unpleasantto happen 紧张不安；烦躁

 

 

Notes:

 

General Motors(GM) is a global automaker founded in 1908with headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. Its cars and trucks   include Chevrolets, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs,and Buicks, and Opels and Vauxhalls. 美国通用汽车公司

Chrysler is an American automobile manufacturerfirst organized as Chrysler Corporation in 1925. On April 30, 2009, Chryslerfiled for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced a partnership withItalian automaker Fiat. （美国）克莱斯勒汽车公司（美国第三大汽车制造企业）

Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United StatesBankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of theUnited States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whetherorganized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, althoughit is most prominently used by corporate entities. 破产法第11章；破产保护条款

 

 

Exercise:Listen to the news report and decide whether the following statements are trueor false.

 

1.      The three U.S. automakers couldbe broke in 2009 if they don’t have the government bailout.

2.      The merging of GM and Chrysler isconsidered a desperate decision because about 40,000 workers may lose theirjobs.

3.      Chrysler's sales were the worstamong the three, decreasing by a surprising 26 percent this year.

4.      The government refuses to stepin the car business because of its free-market policy but will exert everyeffort to help the workers who have lost their jobs.

5.      According to experts, it wouldtake a long time for the auto industry to recover because it has been going inthe wrong direction for too long.