英语听力精选进阶版 13966

'Junk' bonuses now worth billions

Vocabulary

toxic debt

loans bought from other financial institutions which failed to make money because people and organisatios were unable to pay them back; such loans are thought of as poisonous

financial products

services that financial companies offer to help them make money, such as bank loans, mortgages and insurance policies

risky

dangerous, likely to fail, may cause loss or harm

secured

guaranteed

supermarket chain

group of supermarkets in different areas which all have the same name and are owned by the same company

plunged in value

was suddenly worth a lot less money than before

asset pool

collection of investments which the owners believe will go up in value rather go down

has soared

has suddenly increased or gone up

its rivals

its competitors in business

a bail out

money that has been given to an institution or a person to save them from going out of business