Unit 1

News item 1

China’s wasted no time in setting out the latest plans for its ambitious space program. A senior official said the next manned mission will be in 2007, when the astronauts will attempt a space walk. After that, scientists will focus on developing the capability to rendezvous and dock with other spacecraft. He added that China also wanted to recruit female astronauts in the near future.

The announcement comes just hours after the country’s second manned space mission touched down in the remote grasslands of Inner Mongolia. The returning astronauts have been given a hero’s welcome, riding in an open car in a nationally televised parade. Thousands of soldiers and groups of schoolchildren lined the route, waving Chinese flags. It’s a sign of the great importance China attached to its space program, viewing it as a source of national pride and international prestige.

News item 2

China’s economy has recovered earlier and more strongly than any other. This latest data is further evidence of that trend. The rise in industrial output confirms what factory owners have been saying for some time now, that customers have been restocking their inventories and confidence is returning.

There are still question marks though over the stability of the recovery. The property sector is showing signs of overheating. The government this week announced measures to try to cool it. At the same time officials decided to extend tax subsidies for purchases of small vehicles and appliances suggesting that some here still believe Chinese manufactures need government support.

Growth was strongest in heavy industries such as coal, steel, power generation and automobiles. Consumer prices rose in November for the first time since February. But the rise was small and probably reflected higher food prices caused by early snowstorms which destroyed crops and disrupted transport.

News 3

If you visit almost any marketplace in Africa, many of the consumer goods on sale, from buckets to razor blades to hurricane lamps, are likely to be Chinese. In a very large number of African capitals, the main football stadium is likely to have been built with Chinese aid money.

Sino-African trade, and aid, is large and growing. Some estimate put it as high as 12 billion dollars a year. Although direct comparisons are difficult, the links between the world’s largest developing country, China, and the world’s largest developing continent could grow to challenge the post-colonial links between Europe and Africa. The meeting in Addis Ababa has heard Chinese promises to cancel debts, grant duty-free access into China for African products and increase Chinese investments in Africa.

Unit 2

News item 1

Representatives of nearly 150 countries meeting in Hong Kong are still trying to reach a new agreement on global trade.

For many countries the biggest prize they realistically hoped for on this meeting was a date