Debate Over Freezing France's Debt
Listen to the story
Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a French politician.
He wants to change how the euro works.
His plan is to freeze France's debt.
This means the country would stop paying some money it owes.
A French magazine wrote an opinion piece about this plan.
The writer says the plan is not new.
The writer says Mélenchon wants to change big things.
But the writer thinks his idea is very simple.
The French say this is like "reinventing warm water."
This means making something old look new.
People also talked about this on a TV show.
The show is called "C ce soir."
They asked: can a country cancel its debt?
This is a big question in French politics.
Many people do not agree on the answer.
Vocabulary5 words
- euro
- the money used in France and many other European countries
- freeze
- to stop something from changing for a time
- debt
- money that a person or country owes
- opinion
- what someone thinks about something
- politics
- the work of government and public decisions
Quiz
Answer key
1. Jean-Luc Mélenchon 2. Freeze it 3. Reinventing warm water
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a French _____.
He wants to change how the _____ works.
His plan is to _____ France's debt.
This means the country would stop paying some money it _____.
A French magazine wrote an _____ piece about this plan.
The writer says the plan is not _____.
The French say this is like "reinventing warm _____."
This means making something old look _____.
They asked: can a country _____ its debt?
This is a big question in French _____.