Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a pioneer
    • ex. The company is a pioneer in mobile communication.
  2. team up
    • ex. The tour company will team up with several beach resorts to attract more tourists.
  3. ride-hailing
    • ex. You don’t have to call the taxi company. You can use a ride-hailing app to get a taxi service.
  4. culminate
    • ex. The school year culminated in a short event to give special awards to the students.
  5. work to the advantage of
    • ex. This store is the only one that accepts mobile payment. That works to the advantage of the store because more customers come to buy from it.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

Font size 文字サイズ

Self-driving car pioneer Waymo is teaming up with ride-hailing leader Uber in the Phoenix area to carry passengers and deliver food in robotic cars. In the past, driverless car technology caused a legal battle between the two companies, in which Waymo accused Uber of stealing the technology. The case culminated in Uber agreeing to pay $245 million.

As the two companies team up, Uber, whose business still depends on human drivers, will be able to send Waymo’s driverless vehicles to pick up passengers and deliver food. The addition of Waymo’s robotaxis to Uber’s services is expected to help further increase the number of customers of the ride-hailing company.

On the other hand, the partnership will help Waymo expand its robotaxi services. Supporting Uber’s services works to the advantage of Waymo since the company will have more opportunities to introduce its driverless vehicles to a wider range of Phoenix residents. However, Waymo did not announce how many of its robotic cars will be used to pick up Uber passengers and deliver food.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Businesses Teaming Up

  • What companies in your country have teamed up (ex. Shiseido and Uniqlo, Sony and Ericsson)? Why did they team up? Discuss.
  • Do you think it’s a good decision for companies to team up? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine you have your own company. What company would you likely team up with? Why? Discuss.

Ride-hailing and Food Delivery

  • How popular are ride-hailing apps like Uber in your country? Discuss.
  • Would you like to use driverless taxis? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think driverless taxis and food delivery will be a successful business in your country? Why or why not? Discuss.