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BusinessPolitics140 words1 min read

Brazilian Official Says Casas Bahia Crisis Does Not Show Wider Economic Problem

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Listen to the story

Dario Durigan is a Brazilian government official. He talked about the retail store Casas Bahia. Casas Bahia has money problems now.

Durigan said this problem is only about one company. He said it does not show a problem in the whole economy.

He said Brazil's retail sales grew. He said they grew as much as Brazil's GDP. GDP means the total value of things a country makes.

Durigan also talked about the opposition. The opposition is a political group that does not agree with the government. He said they made a bad story about the economy. He called this story a narrative. A narrative is a story that people tell about something.

Durigan said there is no crisis in retail. He said the problems of Casas Bahia are not a sign of a bigger economic crisis.

Vocabulary15 words

economy
how a country makes and uses money and goods
retail
selling things to normal people in shops
GDP
the total value of everything a country makes
opposition
a political group against the government
narrative
a story people tell to explain something
crisis
a very bad, serious problem
official
a person who works for the government
company
a business that sells things or services
government
the group of people who run a country
sales
the number of things sold
grew
became bigger
political
about government and power
sign
something that shows another thing is true
problem
something wrong that needs fixing
money
what people use to buy things

Quiz

1. What company had money problems?
2. What did Durigan say about the economy?
3. True or False: Durigan said retail sales grew as much as GDP.

Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

Dario Durigan is a Brazilian government _____. He talked about the retail store Casas Bahia. Casas Bahia has money problems now.

Durigan said this problem is only about one _____. He said it does not show a problem in the whole economy.

He said Brazil's retail _____ grew. He said they grew as much as Brazil's GDP.

Durigan also talked about the _____. He said they made a bad story about the economy. He called this story a _____.

Durigan said there is no _____ in retail.

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