Listening: Should People Retire Later? France's Pension Fight

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B2 | Listening from video | 13 min

Should People Retire Later? France's Pension Fight

Watch the whole video. You can watch more than once. Then answer the questions below. (7:07)

Choose the best answer.

1. What is the main point of the video?

____ The French protests showed that a higher retirement age cannot work.____ Working longer eases budget pressure, but fairness is hard to judge.____ Most countries that raise the retirement age face protests like France.

2. What did the government's use of article 49.3 allow?

____ A bill could pass without a vote, unless a no-confidence motion won.____ A bill could pass only after the Constitutional Council had approved it.____ A bill could pass once the unions had agreed to the changes.

3. Which reason did supporters give for raising the retirement age?

____ French workers were retiring much earlier than their neighbours.____ Pensions for current retirees had become too generous for the budget.____ The system was heading for a deficit as the population ages.

4. According to the OECD, why might a higher retirement age be unfair?

____ Lower earners live fewer years at 65, so their pension is worth less.____ Manual workers must work two extra years while office managers do not.____ Older workers cannot find a job before they reach retirement.

True, False or Not Given? Choose Not Given if the video does not say.

5. The reform also raised the age at which workers can receive a full pension without any cuts.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

6. After the Constitutional Council's ruling in April, the unions stopped protesting.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

7. The OECD expects normal retirement ages for men to go up in more than half of its member countries.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

Complete each sentence with the words you hear.

A NUMBER from the video.

8. To qualify for a full pension under the new law, workers would have to pay into the system for ____ years.

A NUMBER from the video.

9. Between 1970 and 2021, a 65-year-old's remaining life expectancy grew by ____ years, according to OECD data.

A NUMBER from the video.

10. Because of the 2025 suspension, workers born in ____ will now be the ones who reach 64.

Should People Retire Later? France's Pension Fight

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