Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. furniture (n.) [fur-ni-cher] –items in a room—such as chairs, tables, and cabinets—which make a room useable
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. furniture (n.) [fur-ni-cher] –items in a room—such as chairs, tables, and cabinets—which make a room useable
Example: They bought furniture pieces that match the color of
the walls.
2. sideboard (n.) [sahyd-bawrd, -bohrd] – a piece of furniture in the dining
room with shelves and drawers for holding items
Example: She took spoons, forks
and knives out of the sideboard.
3. elegant (adj.) [el-i-guhnt] – beautiful in style or design
Example: The fashion show presented
elegant dresses made by famous
designers.
4. subtle (adj.) [suht-l] – not obvious; cannot be easily noticed or seen
Example: Mona Lisa has a subtle
smile on her face.
5. showroom (n.) [shoh-room, -room] – a room where products for sale are displayed
Example: The new cars are being
displayed in the showroom.
Article
Read the text below.
Mercedes-Benz,
which is famous for its luxury cars, has started its own designer furniture line with the help of
Formitalia, an Italian furniture company.
The new furniture
line was launched in the Milan Furniture Fair last April. Among the furniture
products are a sofa, a dining room table, a sideboard, different kinds of chairs, a home theater system
stand, and a bed.
Each furniture
piece assures a dynamic and elegant
design that is similar to Mercedes-Benz car designs. For example, parts of the
wooden chairs were inspired by the seats in the latest Mercedes-Benz
automobiles. In addition, the furniture pieces are marked with a subtle Mercedes-Benz logo.
According to Gorden
Wagener, lead designer of Mercedes-Benz Style, the different furniture
designs should let people feel the same experience of riding the company’s
luxury cars.
Mercedes-Benz is
not the first car brand to launch other products aside from designer cars.
Lamborghini has a line of luggage, while Aston Martin and Infiniti have
luxury watches.
The Mercedes-Benz
furniture collection will be available at high-end furniture stores, showrooms and interior design studios
in October this year.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
Do you think it is good for a company to try making
products that are very different from its usual products? Why or why not?
·
What do you think are the risks of creating a
new product line?
Discussion B
·
Why do you think some people want designer or
luxury items?
·
What kinds of designer item would you consider
buying?