A hot topic in the UK today! Also, a good excuse to practice listening comprehension and less common vocabulary items.
START HERE!
These are the cornerstone “four freedoms” of the single market:
• The free movement of people
• The free movement of goods
• The free movement of services
• The free movement of capital (money)
How does each of the four freedoms potentially benefit individuals, consumers and businesses within the EU?
BREXIT
I. Match the words and expressions (1-8) with their definitions (a-e).
1. to ship off 2. privilege 3. to facilitate 4. to benefit 5. turnover
6. employment 7. GDP 8. When it rains, it pours!
a. to be helped by something or to help someone
b. the fact of someone being paid to work for a company or organization
c. Gross Domestic Product: the total value of goods and services produced by a country in a year
d. to send something somewhere
e. to make something possible or easier
f. the amount of business that a company does in a period of time
g. said when one bad thing happens, followed by a lot of other bad things that make a bad situation worse
h. an advantage that only one person or group of people has, usually because of their position or some legal considerations
II. Fill in these sentences with words (1-8)above. You may change the word.
a. I feel that I have greatly _______________________ from her wisdom.
b. The machine was __________________________ to the nearest repair facility.
c. If the ______________________ continues to shrink, the country will be in a recession.
d. The company’s annual _______________________ is somewhere around £70.7 million.
e. The new ramp will ____________________ the entry of wheelchairs.
f. ___________________ levels are unlikely to rise significantly before the end of next year.
g. I have a new supervisor at the office, three new assistants to train, and enough work to keep me busy for months — _____________________________.
h. Senior management enjoy certain ____________________, such as company cars and health insurance.
III. Watch this video and do the following activities:
A. Is the tone of the report positive or negative about Britain’s future if it decided to leave the EU?
B. Watch the video again. Fill in the notes about what leaving the EU, would mean for Britain
Positive impact because:
• Independence from Brussels’ 1. __________________________________
• Funds that would normally go to the EU, could be used for British 2. ___________________
• The UK would not be forced to give money to other 3. _________________ when their economies fail
• Britain could get its own 4. _______________________________
Economic disaster because:
• The UK could lose all the trading privileges that accompany 5 _____________________
• British customers may not be able to shop at 6. _______________________
• Corporations would have to pay higher rates to 7. ___________________ their products
• Turnover, demand and employment would be 8. __________________
• GDP would 9. ___________________
• The savings made by not having to give money to the EU would not 10. __________________ for the GDP losses
• Less trade means the UK would have 11. ___________________ and 12. ___________________________