Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. attract
    • ex. You need to throw away this old food. It’s going to attract insects.
  2. hesitant
    • ex. I’m hesitant to quit my job. I don’t like my boss, but it may be difficult to find a new job.
  3. as
    • ex. Jane watched her son as he walked down the street.
  4. fill
    • ex. I saw the job posting too late. It’s already been filled.
  5. convince
    • ex. I didn’t want to go camping, but my friend convinced me to try it.

Article

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Tex-Mex restaurant Chipotle has increased the prices of its menu items by about 4% to cover the cost of raising its employees’ pay.  The average pay for Chipotle workers was $13 per hour, but a few months ago, the restaurant chain raised it to $15 . Chipotle plans to hire 20,000 new employees, and it hopes that increasing the hourly wage will attract more applicants.

Chipotle’s chief executive said that the company was hesitant to increase its menu prices. However, Chipotle had to do it in order to take care of its employees and keep them as the company grows.  Despite the price increase, the chief executive said that the food is still priced reasonably. For example, Chipotle’s chicken burrito costs a few cents more now, but it’s still under $8 (around ¥880).

Other big restaurants and retail chains have also been raising employee wages and benefits to attract new workers.  Because of the Covid-19 situation, many companies are having trouble filling positions. They hope that the improved pay and benefits can convince people to go back to work.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Price Increases

  • Do you think it’s okay to increase the prices of products/services during Covid-19? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What are good reasons for increasing prices of products/services (ex. because other costs went up, to increase pay for workers)? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think people always notice price increases? Why or why not? Discuss.

Working during Covid-19

  • Should workers at restaurants, supermarkets, and other risky places receive extra benefits during Covid-19? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think that improved pay and benefits will really convince people to go back to work? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • When should a company increase its employees' hourly pay (ex. when the company makes a lot of money, when the prices of basic goods increase)? Why? Discuss.