Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. nomination (n.) [nom-uh-ney-shuhn] – the act of
suggesting someone for an election to an official position
Example: The
nomination for the position of
president is now open.
2. former (adj.) [fawr-mer] – being the first of
two things cited in a statement
Example:
Japan and China are different in that
the former is a group of islands while the
latter is part of mainland.
3. latter (adj.) [lat-er] – being the second of
two things cited in a statement
Example:
The CEO likes both Mr. John and Ms. Thomas, but he hired the latter because a woman seems more
suitable for the job.
4. transparent (adj.) [trans-pair-uhnt, -par-] – free of dishonesty
Example: Election
should be transparent to be fair.
5. merit (n.) [mer-it] – a superior quality that
makes a person worthy of something rewarding
Example: A
good education is a merit for job applications.
Article
Read the text below.
Korean-American Dr. Jim Yong Kim is the US’ official nominee to be the next World
Bank leader. The nomination was
announced by US president Barrack Obama.
Dr. Kim is the president of
the prestigious Dartmouth College and has worked as an official at the World
Health Organization.
Obama believes Dr. Kim's background in medicine and his knowledge
about health in developing countries makes him suitable for the job. Obama says that a “development expert” may
be a better candidate compared to past US nominees, who were mostly bankers
and defense officials.
Dr. Kim's nomination comes
as a surprise, as he lacks political and financial background. In contrast, the
two other nominees for World Bank president, one from Nigeria and one from
Colombia, have held government positions and are both finance experts.
Another challenge for Dr. Kim is getting enough votes from World
Bank representatives. Dr. Kim has an advantage with 16% of the vote coming
from the US, but he has to secure 9% of Japan's vote and almost 29% of the
vote from the European Union in order to win.
Experts say this is the first time that non-US candidates could
challenge a US nominee. For years, the US and EU have held top positions in
world organizations—the former with leaders heading the World Bank and
the latter with leaders heading
the International Monetary Fund.
Because of this pattern, many hope the World Bank president
selection process would become more transparent
and based on merit.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
● If you were to vote for World Bank
president, would you choose a doctor over an economist? Please explain your
choice.
● What should be the primary
qualities of an international organization leader?
Discussion B
● Why is it important for an
election to be transparent?
● Do you believe that elections can
be 100% transparent? Why or why not?
