The Bike Manager

 

Erhard Mott talks about his life and globalization.

Vocabulary

valley	right (4)	opportunity
sell	manager	do for a living
buy	landscape	would like to
trouble	enhance	globalization
product	general (2)	as them come
future	available	present (2)
reward	rewarding	find/found/found
worry	mean (2)	come in contact
ride	adventure	countryside
expect	otherwise	concrete (2)
react	am able to	disappointed
region	accordingly	get to know
globe	powered	see/saw/seen

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Video

 
 
 
 

Transcript

My name is Erhard Mott. I’m 48 years old and I live in Lauden, a village in the beautiful Tauber Valley in southern Germany’s Baden region.

What do you do for a living?

I’m general manager of the Mott-Vetal Bike Company. We make and sell electric-powered bicycles.

What does globalization mean to you?

It enhances my opportunities. As a businessman, I’m able to buy products that weren’t available to me in the past. And as a person, I’m coming into contact with a lot of different people. And I find that very rewarding.

What worries you?

I haven’t got any worries. Nothing troubles me.

What makes you happy?

My family makes me happy. And my work. I enjoy my work. And then the countryside. My friends. I like to go on bike rides with them and have little adventures. Yes that’s real happiness.

What do you expect for your future?

Nothing concrete, otherwise I might be disappointed in the future, and I wouldn’t want that. I just want to take things as they come and react accordingly.

What country would you like to visit?

Right now I’m trying to learn French. And I’d like to get to know the people there, and the country. I like what I’ve seen in the pictures. The landscapes are so beautiful. I’d like to go to the Province or Brittany for example.

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Questions

1. Who is this person?

2. Does Erhard live in a city?

3. What is his job or profession?

4. Is he positive or negative about globalization? Give examples.

5. Erhard worries sometimes. True or false?

6. Different things make him happy. Is this correct or wrong?

7. Does he have definite plans for the future?

8. Is he learning a foreign language? Why is he learning French?
 
 

A. Can you ride a bicycle? Are bicycles popular in your town or city?

B. What makes you happy?

C. Are you from Germany? Do you live in Germany? Have you ever been to Germany?

D. Have you met anyone from Germany? Who were they? What were they doing?

E. Describe the climate and geography of Germany.

F. Describe the economy of Germany. What does it import and export?

G. Does Germany have any problems or challenges?

H. What is the food of Germany like? Describe German cuisine.

I. What are some tourists attractions (cultural, historical, natural)?

J. What comes to mind when you think of Germany? What do you associate with Germany?