Part 4. Language Study and language appreciation.

Listen to the following statement, pay special attention to the parts in bold type, learn to appreciate and use the language.

1. in a bid to.

United Nations is holding the world's first Road Safety Week this week in a bid to raise safety awareness among road users and to reduce the number of road accidents.

2. to lure... away from...

More than 100 transport specialists from 10 countries at the conference say the solution lies in providing better public transportation systems to lure car owners away from driving.

3. one's love affair with.

Asia's love affair with the car appears very strong.

4. to set the tax on.

Representatives agreed to set the common tax on some goods at 5.5%.

5. a record number of.

A record number of shares almost 93 millions were traded Tuesday in New York Stock Exchange.

6. second only to.

About 97 million shares were traded, a number second only to the record 133 million shares traded Wednesday.

7. to limit production to.

Oil ministers of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries have agreed to continue limiting production to 17,500,000 barrels of oil a day.

8. honor... for...

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences honored Mr Phelps for his work in Macroeconomics.

9. to slow growth.

He argued that saving too much limited demand in the present which could slow growth.

10. to increase/ decrease in value.

If a company earns money, its stock increases in value. If the company does not earn money, the stock decreases in value.

11.(of a price) to duck.

He or she waits to buy it when the price ducks.

12. to group...member countries.

It groups 29 member countries in an organization to discuss and develop economic and social policy.

13. much thought was given to...

During the first half of the 19th century, much thought was given to building the Panama Canal.

14. to take the ownership of / to relinquish control of.

And Panama takes the ownership of the Panama Canal from the United States at noon friday, ending more than 90 years of U.S control of the waterway.

15. to commit a portion of /to be available for.

Mr Annan spoke to a meeting of representatives of 20 nations that have committed a portion of their armed forces to be available for immediate deployment in UN peacekeeping operations anywhere in the world.