Newspaper Response 1

Las Vegas Faces Its Deepest Slide Since the 1940s

By ADAM NAGOURNEY New York Times
Published: October 2, 2010

LAS VEGAS -- There are many cities across the country that are beginning to see the first glimpses of the end of the recession.


This is not one of them.


The nation's gambling capital is staggering under a confluence of economic forces that has sent Las Vegas into what officials describe as its deepest economic rut since casinos first began rising in the desert here in the 1940s... Press Here To Read More


A. Summary


The news is about the current economical situation of Las Vegas. Las Vegas is famous for gambling. However, the collapse of the construction industry creates a series of problems. For example, the decline of gambling and unemployment. People aren’t spending on gambling as they have in the past. And as we can see from the article "Unemployment in Nevada is now 14.4 percent, the highest in the nation and a stark contrast to the 3.8 percent unemployment rate here just 10 years ago; in Las Vegas, it is 14.7 percent. " Anyway, the sliding in economy may be just a temporary problem. Oscar B Goodman believes as soon as people feel secure in their financial position, then Las Vegas will come back stronger than ever.


B. Personal Response
I have always wanted to go to Las Vegas because it seems to be a place that is full of fun. And I could peobably see people proposing and getting married there because it allows people to be "authorized" husband and wife without complicated paper work. The main reason why I would like to go to Las Vegas isn't because there are many casinos where you can try your luck. The most interesting thing about it is how people can turn somewhere which is in the middle of a dessert into such a cosmopolitan city. In conclusion, I hope the economy decline for Las Vegas is just momentary. Otherwise there might be more poor homeless people, which is the last thing that I want to see.


C. Vocabulary
1. recession (noun): time when there is decline in economy
e.g. His factory closed down during the period of economic recession.

2. precipitous (adjective): steep
e.g. A precipitous path led down the cliff

3. stagnant (adjective): not moving, get stuck
e.g. During the summer, business is often stagnant

4. extravagant (adjective): too luxurious
e.g.Don't be so extravagant; spend your money more carefully.