ESL Podcast 260 - Business Trends

overview - a general description of something without very much detail

The first chapter of this book is an overview of US history but the rest is about what has happened in the past few years.

trend - something that changes in one direction (up or down) over time

There is a strong upward trend in the price of cigarettes and other tobacco products.

industry - the companies that are involved in making a certain kind of product or service, such as the energy industry, technology industry, or automobile industry

Duncan is an engineer who works in the oil industry.

to predict - to say what will happen in the future

Some people predict that we will have flying cars by the year 2030.

fad - something that is popular for a short period of time; things that large groups of the public suddenly like to do and then suddenly forget about

When we were children, rolling our pants up to our knees was a big fad.

general public - the people in a society; citizens; the ordinary people

The general public doesn't know very much about the national economy and how it works.

poll - a survey or questionnaire that collects people's opinions about something

According to the latest poll, the president has lost popularity among Americans.

dramatic - very exciting, large, and important

Why did the company have such a dramatic improvement in its sales last month?

down the line - in the future

You're young and healthy now, so it may not seem very important to exercise regularly, but down the line you'll be glad that you did.

across - in all; in every; in each; in every part of something

Across most types of work, people think that they should earn more money.

to go green - to begin doing things that are better for the natural environment; to begin to do things that help to protect the environment

Our restaurant decided to go green by using real plates instead of paper plates that have to be thrown away.

outlook - the anticipated future; what one believes will happen in the future

In the past year, the company's sales have fallen and most of the employees have had to quit. The outlook isn't very good.

growth - increase in size or popularity; rise

Recent growth in the use of personal web pages has changed the way that people communicate with each other.

environmentally-friendly - good for the environment; helpful for the protection of the natural environment

Karen always buys environmentally-friendly paper, even though it's more expensive than regular paper, because she knows that the manufacturers aren't putting dangerous chemicals into the water.

off the charts - very high; much higher or bigger than what was expected

Economic growth in parts of Asia is off the charts. China's economy is growing much faster than anyone thought it would.

chart - a square or rectangular box that presents information as an image so that it is easier to understand

This chart shows that 47% of Americans like the new law, 51% don't like it, and 2% don't know how they feel about it.

to forecast - to predict; to say what will happen in the future, especially with numbers

The experts forecast that Acme Corporation will open at least four new offices next year.

to sit up and take notice - to begin to pay attention to something important

Scientists have known about global climate change for years and now the general public is finally sitting up and taking notice.