When the two (or three) becomes one

Really? No! Really?!!

Nissan and Honda, two big car companies from Japan, want to work together. They are talking about a possible merger. To merge means to combine two things together to make one new thing. This new company could be the third biggest carmaker in the world. They need to do this to compete with car companies in China.

The scientist watched as the two planets merged to become a larger planet.

Another Japanese car company, Mitsubishi, will also join the talks. Right now, Mitsubishi works with Nissan in an alliance. An alliance is an agreement to work together. If this new company happens, it would make it third in the world, after Toyota and Volkswagen.

The pigeons and the squirrels made an alliance to steal the seeds.

Car companies have merged before, but it is not always easy. For example, Daimler-Benz and Chrysler joined in 1998, but the partnership ended later. Nissan also had problems in its alliance with Renault because of financial troubles. Financial here means how money is managed.

My piggy bank is having financial problems because I spent all my money on candy.

Car companies now need to make electric cars. This is expensive, and Chinese companies are doing well. When something is expensive it means that it costs a lot of money. Nissan had big money problems recently, so it wants to combine with Honda to save money and make better cars together.

I wanted to buy a pet dinosaur but I found out that it was too expensive!!

Some experts say that more car companies will merge in the future. If they don’t, they might get smaller and spend more money on making cars. Working together can help them stay strong and compete in the changing car market. To compete means to try to be more successful than someone else.

My little brother and I competed to see who can eat spaghetti without making a mess—we both lost!

Now, you’re in the driver’s seat. Take the quiz.