Exercise 15-1: Practical Application—U.S./Japan Trade Friction
Take everything you’ve learned and use it.
Exercise 15-1: Practical Application—U.S./Japan Trade Friction |
Listen to the following excerpt* and compare the two versions.
Forty years after the end of World War II, Japan and the U.S. are again engaged in conflict. Trade frictions, which began as minor irritants in an otherwise smooth relationship in the 1960s, have gradually escalated over the years.
The conflict is more dangerous than it appears because its real nature is partially hidden. It masquerades as a banal and sometimes grubby dispute over widgets with the stakes being whether American or Japanese big business makes more money.
In truth, the issue is strategic and geopolitical in nature. Japan is once again challenging the U.S., only this time the issue is not China or the Pacific but world industrial and technological leadership and the military and economic powers, which have always been its corollaries.
*By permission of U.S. News and World Report
Fordee yir zæftr(pause)thee(y)end’v wrl dwor too,(pause)J’pæn’n thә yoo(w)ess(pause)ärә genin gεij din(pause)cänfl’ct. (stop)Trәid fr’ksh’nz,(pause)w’ch b’gæn’z mynr rirrәt’nts(pause)in’n әtherwise(pause)smooth r’lεish’nship in the näinteen siksdeez(pause)h’v græjәlee(y)εscәladәd(pause)dover thә yirz.
Thә känfl’k d’z mor dεinjer’s thәni dәpirz b’kәzәts ree(y)әl nεichyr’z pärshәlee h’dd’n. It mæskerεid zәzә bәnälәn sәmtäimz grәbee d’spyu dover wij’ts withthә stεiks be(y)ing wεtherә mεrәkәner Jæpәneez big bizn’s mεiks mor mәnee.
In truth, thee(y)ishu(w)iz strәteejәkәn jee(y)opәlidәkәlәn nεichyer. Jәpænәz wәn sәgεn chælәnjing thә you(w) ess, only this täim, thee(y)ishu(w)iz nät Chäinә or thә Pәs’fәk bәt wr rolld’in dәsstree(y)l’n tεknәläjәkәl leedershipәn the milәtεree(y)әnεkәnämәk pæwrz, w’ch h’väweez bi n’ts korәlεreez.
THE LETTER A
You’ve seen many examples of illogical spelling by now, and the letter A is a major contributor.
A can be:
Note People who speak Chinese frequently pronounce a, æ, and ε the same. The common denominator of the three sounds is ε. When a Chinese speaker says mate, mat, met, it can sound like met, met, met. If this happens to be your case, in order to say common words like make and man correctly, first practice putting them on the stairsteps and drawing them out. Don’t be afraid to exaggerate. You can even draw them out with a final unvoiced consonant.
Exercise 15-2: Presidential Candidates’ Debate |
Thә prezәdәnt tәmärrou näidiz әxpectәdiniz stεidәv thә yoonyәn mesәj tә prәpouz fedrәl sәbzәdeez tә help lou(w)inkәm fæmleez ouvrkәm thә sou-käld dijәdәl dәväid. Izidә nәpropree(y)әt yusәv gәvrmnt fәnz tә hændæot kәmpyudrz әn prәväid innernet æksεs tә thouz hu cæn(d)әford it; әnd if nät, why nät. Will bәgin with Mr. Keez.
I think this iz әnәthәr keis whεer pälәtishәnz try dә jәmpän thә bændwægәn әv sәmthing thæťs going än in thee(y)әcänәmee, sou evreebәdeez gәnnә think thәt they ækchәlee hæv sәmthing tә do with thә rәzәlt when they dont. Thεrz nou need fr this. Wiräl reddy seeing æot thεr prәpouzәlz fr thә distrәbyushәn әv free PeeCees, nät beis dän sәm pälәtishәn meiking ә judgment әn spending tæxpeiyer mәnee, bәt beis dän thә self-intrst әv thouz hu(w)är involvd inә nyu world, ә nyu world әn which p’rtisәpeishәn iz thә kee dә präfit—әnd in which thεr iz ækchәlee ә sträng insentiv әmәng thouz hu prtisәpεidin thә präivәt sektәr tә giv æksεss tә indәvijәls sou thæt they c’n impruv their äpәrtyunәdeez fr präfit, fr infәrmeishn shεring. Thæts whәts älredee bin going än—it will kәntinyu. Thεr iz nou need fr thә gәvәrmәnt tә prәtend thæt it needs tә teik leedership hir. I think thæts jәst pәlidәkәl päsjuring.
Senәdәr Mә(k)kein.
I bәleev th’t wee du hæv ә präblәm. æn thædiz thәt thεrizә growing gæp bәtween thә hævz әnd hæv-näts in әmεrәkә, thouz thәdr εibl dә tεik pärdin this infәrmeishn teknälәjee әn thouz th’t hævnt. Wee took ә mεijәr step forwәrd when wee dәsaidәd dә wäi(y)r evree skool әn lybrεree in әmerәkә tә thee(y)innәrnet. Thætsә güd prougrәm. Wee hæf tә hæv step tu, three, әn four, which meenz güd әkwipmәnt, güd teechәrz әnd güd clæssroomz. No, I wüdn du(w)it d’rektlee. Bәt thεrz läts әv weiz th’chyu kәn inkerәj korpәreishnz, who in their own self-intrest, wüd wänt tә prәvaid . . . wüd rәseev tæks benәfits, wüd rәseev kredit, әnd mεny әthәr weiz fr beeing invölvd in thә skoolz, in әpgreiding thә kwälәdee әv әkwipmәnt th’t thei hæv, thә kwälәdee әv thә styudәnts әnd thεrby prәvaiding ә mәch-needed well-treind wәrkfors.
Thæng kyu. Mr. Forbz.
The president tomorrow night is expected in his State of the Union message to propose federal subsidies to help low-income families overcome the so-called digital divide. Is it an appropriate use of government funds to hand out computers and provide Internet access to those who can’t afford it, and if not, why not? We’ll begin with Mr. Keyes.
“I think this is another case where politicians try to jump on the bandwagon of something that’s going on in the economy, so everybody’s gonna think that they actually have something to do with the result when they don’t. There’s no need for this. We’re already seeing out there proposals for the distribution of free PCs, not based on some politician making a judgment and spending taxpayer money, but based on the self-interest of those who are involved in a new world, a new world in which participation is the key to profit—and in which there is actually a strong incentive among those who participate on the private sector to give access to individuals so that they can improve their opportunities for profit, for information sharing. That’s what’s already been going on—it will continue. There is no need for the government to pretend that it needs to take leadership here. I think that’s just political posturing.”
Senator McCain.
“I believe that we do have a problem. And that is that there is a growing gap between the haves and have-nots in America, those that are able to take part in this information technology and those that haven’t. We took a major step forward when we decided to wire every school and library in America to the Internet. That’s a good program. We have to have step two, three, and four, which means good equipment, good teachers, and good classrooms. No, I wouldn’t do it directly. But there’s lots of ways that you can encourage corporations, who in their own self-interest, would want to provide . . . would receive tax benefits, would receive credit, and many other ways for being involved in the schools, in upgrading the quality of equipment that they have, the quality of the students, and thereby providing a much-needed well-trained workforce.”
Thank you. Mr. Forbes.
Track 311