Pronunciation ChallengeThe Economist: The World in 2021

Tesla's success convinced established carmakers that there was a market for electric cars.

Tesla's success convinced established carmakers that there was a market for electric cars.

Hey folks, welcome to 2022, this is your host Ken Miao. Since we’re taking a break from CNN10, let me start you off today with a recap by The Economist where they predicted what was going to happen in 2021, a tough year we’ve just pulled through.

1. The Challenge to Democracy

It is predicted that in 2021 democracy will be especially tested, which is quite the fact if we look back. There has been an abundance of elections, many of which were postponed from 2020 by the pandemic. And in fragile democracies, autocratic leaders have used the excuse of COVID-19 to crack down on opposition, such as in Uganda which was due to hold its presidential election in January 2021. What also happened in January was the storming of the U.S. capitol hill where a mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was also the first time since 1812 that the capitol building was invaded and attacked, which was considered by many a huge slap on the face of democracy in general.

2. A Tipping Point for Electric Cars

Now, a tipping point means a critical point in time when something significant takes place. Folks, perhaps you still remember, Elon Musk presented the futuristic-looking CyberTruck back in November 2019, pretty amazing and kinda funny I gotta say. Tesla's success convinced established carmakers that there was a market for electric cars. Since the rise of Tesla, suddenly a huge array of electric vehicles including GM, Ford, and others became available in the market for people to choose from. Investment in the electric revolution has certainly surged. Over 250 firms are currently manufacturing electric vehicles, and 47 battery factories are under construction. Folks, it’s only the beginning. If more governments commit to future bans on the sale of petrol and diesel cars, the growth in the electric vehicle sector could accelerate even more.

3. COP26: World’s Last Chance to Stop Climate Change

Folks, we’ve discussed this in one of our previous CNN10 episodes. The COP stands for Conference of the Parties, a gathering of members of the United Nations, and the 26 is because 2021 is the 26th year that the global climate summit has been held. As a result of COP26, 46 countries signed onto a Global Coal to Clean Energy Transition Statement, committing to transition away from unabated coal power generation by about 2030 for “major economies” and a global transition by roughly 2040. A tough goal to achieve. But beware, countries of the world! ‘Cos Greta Thunberg has got her eyes on you.

Folks, it’s now your turn to predict 2022. What do you look forward to happening? Personally, since I’ve planned to study abroad around August, I do sincerely hope that the pandemic can be further contained and controlled. I know a lot of you have been dying to travel abroad, so let’s keep our fingers crossed for the best. Virus, be gone!

And now, it’s time for our sentence of the day:

Tesla's success convinced established carmakers that there was a market for electric cars.

[Vocabulary words]

1. convince
To persuade someone, or make someone believe in you.

Ex: Did he convince you with his story? I don’t buy it.

2. established
accepted or respected because of having existed for a long period of time

Ex: Nike and Adidas are established sports brands.

3. market
the business or trade in a particular product, including financial products

Ex: Are you sure there's a market for the product?

Alright, that’s a wrap for today’s pronunciation challenge.
Enjoy your January. It’s the best month in my opinion.
Because it’s my birth month, ha!
This is Ken Miao and I’ll see you again next time. :)

The host talks about relevant points of the year, and two that were interesting to me are:
1. The pandemic postponed many important events since 2019, and one of them was voting
2. Investment in the electric revolution has increased, as society has realized the success of current electric cars

Tesla’s success convinced established carmakers that there was a market for electric cars.