Pronunciation ChallengeCNN10: A $torm is Coming / McDonald's Leaves Russia

First time on Voice Tube.

Let's chat! Which McDonald's vintage menu do you miss the most?

[Transcript]

[A $torm is Coming]

Economic experts are increasingly sounding the alarm about a possible recession. A popular definition of recession is "two consecutive quarters of decreasing economic growth". Oh no, that sounds bad. Now, a healthy economy is always growing and expanding. So, if you have at least two quarters in a row, basically a six-month period or more when the economy is shrinking, you're likely to see company sales drop, GDP drop, exports drop, people losing jobs and having trouble finding new ones, and consumers spending less money on goods.

The jump in prices of many things Americans buy hit their highest levels in decades last year, and they've only gotten worse since then. Critics blame President Joe Biden’s policies for driving up oil prices, which are a major factor in inflation, and they say government spending from the 1.9-trillion-dollar COVID relief package he signed last year also caused inflation to get worse. You might wonder, has this booming pandemic economy run out of steam? Despite widespread job growth, a housing market frenzy, and a monster gain on the S&P 500 last year, many economists and CEOs now warn a recession could be looming.

As recession fears grow, investors are dumping stocks and other risky assets. Everything from the tech sector to retail stocks to Bitcoin has plunged. Other factors like Russia's invasion of Ukraine and COVID-19 lockdowns in China aren't helping the outlook. Now the Federal Reserve faces a tough challenge which is to slow down the economy enough to get inflation under control, but not so much that it lurches into recession. The recession is a global risk, a risk that American families are, increasingly, beginning to fear.

[McDonald’s to Leave Russia For Good After 30 Years]

In Russia, hundreds of foreign companies have cut back on operations, suspended them for the time being, or quit doing business there altogether since the Russian military invasion in Ukraine. McDonald's, which had temporarily shut down almost 850 restaurants in Russia, just announced it's leaving the country for good. The burger chain says the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine plus an unpredictable operating environment contributed to its decision to sell its Russia business.

This decision closes the door on more than 30 years of McDonald's operations in Russia. Check out today’s CNN10 video for a glimpse of the opening of the first McDonald’s restaurant in Moscow back in January 1990, when Russia was still the Soviet Union.


[Sentence of the day]

As recession fears grow, investors are dumping stocks and other risky assets.

[Vocabulary words]

1. recession
a period when the economy of a country is not successful and conditions for business are bad

i.e. The country is sliding into the depths of (a) recession.

2. dump
to put down or drop something in a careless way

i.e. Several old cars had been dumped near the beach.

3. asset
something valuable belonging to a person or organization that can be used for the payment of debts

i.e. ​​A company's assets can consist of cash, investments, specialist knowledge, or copyright material.


Alright, that’s all we have time for today.
Can you imagine McDonald’s leaving your country?
I know people have been going crazy only to find out that they’re recently out of fries in Taiwan.
For me, I just want them to bring back the old sundaes and milkshakes!
God… Those were good!
Leave a comment down below and tell me which vintage McDonald’s item on the menu you would like for them to bring back!
This is Ken Miao with CNN10. I’ll see you again next week!

Day 82.