Reading skills are important! Today, I will look at this article about how authorities and corporations can collaborate to benefit the community.
See below the link to the original article, from a great newspaper, the New York Times (NYT for short!) Below the link you will find the article chopped in pieces (not pretty, I know!) With my comments. Feel free to leave your opinions in the comments section or contact me directly here.
Google, which has been at the center of a controversy in San Francisco over tech company shuttles using public infrastructure, is giving $6.8 million to fund a city transit program.
Shuttle :a transport service between two points. Usually a bus (although spaceships that go to the orbital station are also called shuttles!)
To fund: to provide (give) money for some activity or project.
The program, whose city funding runs out in June, provides monthly bus and streetcar passes to 31,000 low-income San Francisco youths ages 5 to 17. It began last year after the San Francisco school system reduced the use of buses transporting students to and from school. The program gets youths to school, after-school programs and jobs.
To run out: to use completely some resource or supply. “We will run out of petrol, we need to go to a petrol station soon.
Streetcar: a vehicle , between train and bus, that runs on electricity from a cable, usually on rails, on the streets. They are an iconic image of San Francisco.
Low-income: it applies to people whose salaries are low.
Youths: young people.
Streetcar: a vehicle , between train and bus, that runs on electricity from a cable, usually on rails, on the streets. They are an iconic image of San Francisco.
Low-income: it applies to people whose salaries are low.
Youths: young people.
Mayor Ed Lee’s office called the gift “one of the largest private contributions towards direct City services in San Francisco history.” Google will fund the program for two years.
Towards: in a specific direction.
Protests against Google began with anti-eviction activists, angered by the increasing gentrification of San Francisco, blocking its commuter shuttles that run down to the valley. The private shuttles use city bus stops to load and unload their passengers, which prompted lots of ire among less privileged residents. A resolution worked out with the city means Google and other tech companies will pay $1 per stop.
Eviction: to make someone leave their house or office because they can’t pay it.
To anger: to make someone angry
Gentrification: a process by which an area’s population changes and only richer people live in it. (From gentry=aristocracy and/or rich people)
To load: to put something in a place, usually a vehicle or something that moves like an elevator or machine. You can load a truck (BrE: Lorry), a car, a computer. Other connected words are unload (the opposite) and download/upload used to talk about files and the internet.
To prompt : to motivate, to make something happen, to cause something to start. A teleprompter is a machine used on TV by presenters which will show them the text they need to say.
Ire: extreme anger.
On Feb. 15, members of Heart of the City interrupted the Wisdom 2.0 conference. As three Google speakers introduced a presentation on “Three Steps to Build Corporate Mindfulness the Google Way,” demonstrators rushed the stage with an “Eviction-Free San Francisco” banner.
Demonstrators: people who walk on the streets to protest against something. This action is called a demonstration.
To rush the stage: to occupy the stage quickly.
Banner: A (usually big) piece of cloth or plastic with a message written on it. Also a very common form of advertising on websites.
“San Francisco residents are rightly frustrated that we don’t pay more to use city bus stops,” said Meghan Casserly, a Google spokeswoman. “So we’ll continue to work with the city on these fees, and in the meantime will fund Muni passes for low-income students for the next two years.”
Rightly (frustrated): you have a solid reason to feel frustrated (or any other feeling).
Fees: amount of money paid for a service.
In the meantime: the period that happens between to points in time, two events. Synonym for “while”.
Passes: A card or similar document that allows you to use a service by paying only once a month or once a year. Common for means of transport.
San Francisco Muni (Municipal) passes. (Photo credits: About.com)
