英语博客(A cup of English):Going out of business（在线收听）

Beginners.

There are signs of the financial crisis in different parts of the town where I live. We hear on the news about people losing their jobs and their houses. Certain shops have closed, and so the buidings are empty. But, in another way, there is growth in the town. There is a lot of new buildings that are almost finished. Just down the road from my house, a new hotel is almost ready. I drive past it most days when I bring my children home from school, and we comment on the progress. "Hey, mum, they've put in the windows! Cool." They have asked me if we can stay in the hotel one night when it is finished. "But darlings, I don't want to spend two hundred dollars to sleep in a hotel, if our house is just around the corner." I don't think they understand my reasoning. So, in some ways we see the effects of the credit crisis, and in other ways we don't. Other, more industrial parts of the country, have clearer signs of financial problems. Here, we live in a rural community that is actually growing, as more and more people are moving away from Los Angeles and other big cities. When businesses close, it is usually a quiet thing. The people lose their jobs, and the building is emptied. However, there is one business here that is advertising its closing. It is making money out of 'going out of business'.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: financial, rural, growth, reasoning, progress.

Exs:

I think he has financial difficulties; he has recently sold his business and his house.

This rural community was established by farmers.

That species of tree has rapid growth. In one year it will grow six feet!

We should finish painting the house, then go on holiday. My reasoning is that we will be able to totally relax after finishing the project.   OR

There is no reasoning with him. He won't listen to anyone's opinion!

That little girl has made great progress in mathematics.

Advanced.

A few months ago, while I was driving around, I saw a person next to the main road, holding up a sign that read, "Going out of business. Everything must go!" followed by an address. I wondered if it was a business that I had gone to see a couple of years ago that was supposed to be going out of business. When I had gone in the buiding, which was poorly lit, like an old garage, I was immediately annoyed that I had taken the trip. Why had I bothered? It looked just like a yard sale, with cheap items badly arranged on shelves and on the floor. The advertising had caught my attention and made me curious, so I had taken the time to drive there. But this new 'going out of business' sign must be for a different business. I didn't think anything else about it, until, a couple of months ago, I saw the same sign, held up by a pretty young woman in the center of town. "Well, they haven't gone out of business yet!" I said to myself. Then, just a couple of days ago, another man, quite close to our street, was waving a sign that said the same thing. I wondered what the other passersby thought. Are they curious about the business? Will they be encouraged to go and find a bargain? And, more importantly, is the business going to close or not? I have a feeling that someone is making good money by pretending to be broke.

Grammar notes.

 Related vocabulary: to arrange, shelves, a couple of, a passerby.

Use of the past participle as an adjective.

Exs:

The lady took a long time to arrange the flowers in the vase.

The shelves in the supermarket were nearly bare.

A couple of months ago we bought a sofa. It wasn't delivered until a couple of days ago.

As I drank my coffee in the cafe, I watched the passersby outside.

The medal was presented to the first place athlete.

The swimming pool wasn't finished in time for the summer.

The egyptian tomb was emptied of its treasures.

The building is being meticulously planned.

The statue will be designed with national hero in mind.