UNIT

10

An interconnected world
TOPIC PREVIEW
1 Read each statement describing a result of globalization. In your opinion, is it a
positive result, a negative result, or both? Explain your answers.
1. 2.

People in over 200 countries around the world drink Coca-Cola.

Much of the clothing sold in North America is made in developing countries where labor is much cheaper.

3.

The introduction of modernized farming techniques has led to an abandonment of traditional farming methods and greater food production in some developing countries.

4.

More and more people are learning and speaking widespread official languages such as English, French, and Spanish rather than local, indigenous languages.

2 Read the quotation about globalization. Do you agree that globalization can be
both good and bad? Explain your answer and give examples.

Globalization is much like fire. Fire itself is neither good nor bad. Used properly, it can cook food, sterilize equipment, form iron, and heat our homes. Used carelessly, fire can destroy lives, towns, and forests in an instant.
Keith Porter, U.S. journalist

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LESSON 1
3 Read the article. Circle the phrasal verbs.

unfamiliar choices. For ith restaurants example, you can pick up in 119 countries, a McFelafel in Egypt, its clear that seaweed burgers in Japan, McDonalds has become and rabbit in France. Enter a global brand. And a McDonalds in Italy, and while there are those youll find out that you can who criticize the order an espresso. companys expansion Wondering about the and cultural influence, McAloo Tikki Burger on others explain that the McDonalds menu in individual restaurants, India? Try it outbut most of which are dont count on it including locally owned, modify a McDonalds restaurant in any beef. In India, youll their menus to cater to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia have to go without a local diets and tastes. McDonalds signature hamburger, as the Check out the menus in McDonalds chains restaurants in that country dont restaurants around the world, and youll serve beef. likely come across a surprising number of

4 What About You? Whats your opinion of large multinational companies like
McDonalds? Do you believe that they add to or take away from local cultures and traditions? Explain your answer.

5 Complete the conversations. Circle the correct phrase in each pair. If both
phrases are correct, circle them both.
Conversation 1

Jack: Ben:

This project isnt coming out the way that I imagined it at all. I think we should (1. start it over / start over it). I disagree. Now that weve started, I think we need to (2. see the project through / see through the project). I mean, people are (3. counting us on / counting on us) to finish it before the deadline. We need a way to tell people about our organization. Well, one idea is to (4. hand out papers / hand papers out) with our name and some information about us. No, people just (5. throw away papers / throw papers away). How about pencils? We could get a bunch of pencils made with our name and website on them. Thats a good idea. Then people would be reminded of us each time they (6. pick the pencil up / pick up the pencil). Lets (7. check out prices / check prices out) for 1,000 pencils.

Conversation 2

Amy: Jason: Amy: Jason:

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Conversation 3

Iris: Mary: Iris: Mary: Iris: Mary:

You know, Im really interested in (8. taking up knitting / taking knitting up). Really? You should do it. But dont (9. put it off / put off it). Winter will be here before you know it, and itd be great to make some hats, gloves, and scarves. Youre right. Id better start looking for a place that offers classes. Is there any chance I can (10. talk into you / talk you into) taking them with me? Actually, that sounds like fun. All right. Ill let you know if I (11. come anything across / come across anything). Sounds good.

Hooray for . . . Bollywood?

The most popular films in the world do not actually come from Hollywood. Although films from the United States remain very popular worldwide, the Indian filmmaking industry, known as Bollywood, now serves as the primary source of entertainment for more than half of the worlds population. While Hollywood releases an average of 450 movies per year, Bollywood is putting out almost three times as many: 1,200 movies per year. According to one BBC poll, the most famous actor in the world isnt an American film star, but Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan.

Indian film star Amitabh Bachchan

LESSON 2
6 Complete each paragraph. Circle the correct phrasal verb in each pair.
1.

Based on the following fact, many people say that its time to b r i n g a b o u t / p u t u p w i t h changes in global education: It would cost $8 billion to provide basic education to every child in the world. Theres no reason why any child should have to g o w i t h o u t / l a y o f f an education.

2.

Scientists now say that rising ocean temperatures due to global warming will c a r r y o u t / w i p e o u t plankton, the microscopic plants upon which the oceans food chains are based. If plans are not p u t u p w i t h / c a r r i e d o u t to stop global warming, all marine life is at risk of extinction.

3.

Cholera is an infection of the large intestine. When a person c o m e s d o w n w i t h / c o m e s u p w i t h the disease, the results can include rapid dehydration and even death. The current cholera epidemic in Africa has lasted for more than 30 years.

4.

In the past several years, factory workers in this country have had to p u t u p w i t h / b r i n g a b o u t declining wages, higher costs for medical benefits, and longer working hours. Now these workers face a new challengecompanies are c a r r y i n g o u t / l a y i n g o f f employees and moving their factories to less developed countries where labor is much cheaper.

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7 Complete the chart. Make a list of issues that affect the world today. Identify
possible problems that these issues could create, and suggest possible solutions. Then answer the questions.
World issues Possible negative results Possible solutions

global warming

rising ocean temperatures wipe out marine life

come up with new energy sources to replace those that cause global warming

1. What global issues are you most concerned about? Why?

2. What global issues are you least concerned about? Why?

LESSON 3
8 Complete the sentences with the words and phrases from the box.
employment rate export import income investment standard of living unemployment rate wages

1. The Swedish people enjoy a high

. Sweden is among the top 10 richest

countries in the world. Literacy rates are close to 100 percent and the life expectancy is high.
2. Brazil is the worlds largest producer of coffee, which is an important

for the

country.
3. When Babacar first moved to Dakar, he got work in a grocery store earning

of less than $1 per day. Through hard work, Babacar saved enough money to open his own business. His yearly is now more than $100,000 per year. of the city goes up.

4. As new businesses open and hire more workers, the

5. Mr. Edwards put some of his savings into a very small company over 20 years ago. Since that

time, the company has become very successful, and Mr. Edwardss him a lot of money.

has made

6. Like many countries, Greece depends heavily on oil from other countries. In fact, oil is the

countrys largest
7. When a countrys

. starts to rise, its usually a sign of a weak economy.

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9 Read the article.

Sweatshops

The Price of Development?

A typical Western response to sweatshops has been to boycott, or refuse to buy, any imports made under these conditions. Surprisingly, however, opinion polls show that most people in developing countries view these sweatshop jobs positively. Although sweatshop workers in developing nations hope for better wages and working conditions, they dont want consumers in developed nations to protest the situation by refusing to buy the products they make. These boycotts could lead to the closing of factories and employees losing their jobs. Many workers feel that working under these conditions is better than having no job at all. Moreover, some experts point to statistics showing that sweatshop labor has had a positive economic impact on some developing countries. Average incomes for sweatshop workers are now 5 times what they were less than 20 years ago. The working conditions at some factories have improved, as each company tries to attract the best workers. Decreasing infant mortality rates and rising levels of education are indications of an increased standard of living. While the pros and cons of sweatshop labor continue to be debated, one fact remains clearthe world economy is rapidly changing into one free-flowing global market. The challenge will be to come up with a way to make globalization work for the benefit of everyone.

One of the most publicized results of

globalization in recent years has been the transfer of well-paid manufacturing jobs from developed countries to less-developed ones, where workers can be paid much less and goods are significantly cheaper to produce. Critics of this trend have been vocal. In the developed countries where manufacturing jobs are disappearing, labor protesters claim that the resulting rise in the unemployment rate is hurting the national economy. Critics also point out that when the jobs move to developing countries, the working conditions at many facilities in developing countries are far below the accepted standards in developed countries. At these facilities, commonly known as sweatshops, employees work long hours, often in dangerous conditions, for low pay. Without government laws against child labor, some workers are as young as five years old.

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Now read each statement. Check true or false, according to the information in the article.
true false

1. The article describes workers moving from developing countries

to developed countries in search of jobs.

2. The number of manufacturing jobs in developed countries is rising. 3. Factories with poor working conditions are known as sweatshops. 4. The article presents arguments both for and against sweatshop labor. 5. Products that are made by low-paid workers are commonly known

as imports.
6. Some workers in developing countries have decided to stop buying

products made in sweatshops.

7. Statistics show that wages for sweatshop workers in some countries

are rising.
8. Statistics suggest that sweatshop jobs have increased the level of wealth

and comfort in some developing countries.

9. The article recommends that the globalization of the world economy

be stopped.

10 What About You? Do you know where the things you buy are made? Look at
the labels of some things you own. List each item and its country of origin below. Then answer the questions.
Item Country of origin

1. Do you think its important to buy products that are made in your own country, rather than to

buy goods imported from other countries? Explain your answer.

2. Do you think that boycotts are effective at changing bad company practices? Have you ever

participated in a product boycott yourself?

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LESSON 4
11 Read the peoples opinions on language and international communication.
Then answer the questions in your own way.
1. I dont see why we need to have an international

language. Thats what translators are for. Menes Beshay, Egypt

2. I think an international language is a good idea, but

I think it should be a created language, like Esperanto, so that no one has the advantage of it being their native tongue. Callia Xenos, Greece

3. Sure, it makes sense to have an international language,

but why not make it something other than English? I mean, ` Mandarin Chinese has nearly three times as many native speakers as English. Why dont we learn that instead? Alfredo Vivas, Chile

4. English is the best choice for an international language

because its already been established as the language of business and science. More websites are in English than in any other language, and its the most popular second language in the world to learn. Donat Gorzowski, Poland

1. Which of the opinions above most closely matches your own?

2. Do you think an international language is a good idea? Why or why not?

3. In your opinion, is English a good choice for an international language? Why or why not?

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12 Read the dictionary definitions. Then use the key to answer the questions.

competence /9kAmp@@ns/ also

competency /-p@@nsi/ n.1 [U] the
ability and skill to do what is needed: Players are judged by their competence on the field.2 [U] a special area of knowledge: It is not within my competence to make such judgments. 3 [C] FORMAL a skill needed to do a particular jobcompare INCOMPETENCE

lingua franca /8lIgw@ 9fr{k@/ n. [C] a

language used between people whose main languages are different: Swahili is the lingua franca of East Africa.

prominence /9prOm@n@ns/ n.1 [U] the

fact of being important and well known: The case gained prominence (=became well known) because of the brutal nature of the murders.| come/rise to prominence Brubeck rose to prominence as a jazz pianist in the 1950s.2 [C] FORMAL a part or place that is higher or larger than what is around it

hegemony /hI9dZEm@ni, 9gE,

9hEdZ@8moUni/ n. [U] a situation in which one state or country controls others

indigenous /In9dIdZ@n@s/ adj.

1 indigenous people, customs, cultures,
etc. are the people, customs etc. that have always been in a place, before other people or customs arrived2 indigenous animals, plants, etc. have always lived or grown naturally in the place where they are, as opposed to others that were brought there: [+to] Red foxes are indigenous to the East and Midwest parts of the U.S.

Grammar Codes [C] countable [U] uncountable [I] intransitive [T] transitive [I,T] intransitive

Parts of Speech adj. adjective adv. adverb n. noun v. verb

or transitive

Excerpted from Longman Advanced American Dictionary 2005

1. Which three words have multiple meanings? 2. How many of the dictionary words are nouns? 3. Which entry contains an antonym (opposite)? 4. Which two words can be both countable and uncountable?

Esperanto is a created language, constructed in the 1870s 1880s

by Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof of Poland. Zamenhof wanted to come up with a new language that was relatively easy to learn. He hoped that the language would be used internationally as a tool for communication and that it would help to promote global peace and understanding. Although Esperanto has no official status in any country, there are currently 2 million speakers of the language around the world.

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13 Read the article.

Seeking a global language

Due to its far-reaching effects and
prominence in many parts of the globe, English is now commonly referred to as an international or global language. It is an official language in 52 countries and has lingua franca status in many others. It is the most widely learned foreign language worldwide. It has been estimated that between 20 and 33 percent of the worlds population understand and speak English with some level of competence. It has become the most useful language to learn for international travel and business. It is the official language for aircraft and airport communication and is often the chosen language of international diplomacy. Arguments have been made for and against the adoption of English as a global language. Proponents point out that a global language can lead to better international communication and an easier exchange of information (for example, on the Internet). On the other hand, the existence of one global language can increase the divide between those who know it (often better-

educated people) and those who dont. There is also some concern that as English is used more and more globally, it might lead to a cultural hegemony of countries where English is spoken as a native language. An additional concern about the spread of English is that indigenous languages spoken by smaller groups of people may die out. Of course, some of these arguments would be true for any global language (except for a created one), not just English.

Now read each statement. Check true or false, according to the information in the article.
true false

1. The main topic of the article is a discussion of the pros and cons of

learning foreign languages.

2. English is often described as a global language because it is so well

known throughout the world.

3. English is often used between two people whose first language is

not Englishfor example, a French person speaking to a Chinese person.

4. One argument against using English as a global language is that its

very difficult to learnvery few people achieve a high level of competence.

5. Some people are concerned that the use of English as a global language

would give English-speaking countries too much power.

6. There is a concern that if English is adopted as a global language,

people may stop using less common local languages.

7. The article concludes that English is the best choice for a global language.

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Grammar Booster
A Underline the phrasal verbs in each sentence. Then write T if the sentence has a
transitive meaning or I if it has an intransitive meaning.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Its a formal event, so everyone should dress up. After hearing the news, the committee called off the celebration. When I think back on those times, they seem like so long ago. The girl grew up in a small fishing village in the north. Its incredibly rude to cut someone off when theyre speaking. Please look your essay over before you send it to your teacher. He agreed to go along with the story, but he wasnt happy about it. Please, sit down and make yourself comfortable. The conference was a little boring, but we came away with some good information.

B Read each sentence. Write T if the sentence has a transitive meaning or I if it has
an intransitive meaning. Then match each definition to the way the phrasal verb is used in each sentence.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Youre being ridiculous. Stop carrying on like that! Weve carried on many of the traditions from when we were children. We blew up balloons to decorate the room for the party. A devoted Tigers fan, John blew up when he heard they had lost the game. I dont want to fight anymore. Lets make up. My grandfather used to make up stories that even the adults loved to hear. Can you turn up the volume on the TV? I cant hear it. After looking everywhere for my keys, they finally turned up under the couch.

continue behave in a silly way suddenly become very angry fill with air end an argument create appear raise, increase

C Underline the phrasal verbs in each sentence. Then write A if the sentence is active or P
if it is passive.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

The memo was thrown out because we thought it was trash. Someone used up all the hot water before I could take a shower. The poster had to be done over again because the first one was a disaster. They passed out coupons and prizes at the door. That group of kids always leaves Ginny out when they play games. The passengers on the bus were let off at the corner. The application had been filled out with a blue pen.

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Writing: Write a letter to the editor

Writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine is one way to express your opinion on issues that concern you. Many publications regularly include a special section for letters they receive from their readers.

A Prewriting. Generating ideas.

a controversial issue in your city or country that youre concerned about. Choose For ideas, consider current news topics, governmental laws and policies, or social, cultural, and economic issues. what you think are some of the pros and cons related to this issue. Then think List about your own point of view. Issue:
Pros:

Cons:

Example:
Issue:
Pros:

Cons:

Raising taxes for the wealthy The wealthy can affor to pay more. Government services may not continue without more tax revenues. Wealthy business people will make fewer investments, and thats bad for the economy It isnt fair to make only one segment of society pay more.

B Writing. Choose a newspaper or magazine to which youd like to write a letter to the editor.
On a separate sheet of paper, write a formal letter expressing your point of view. Acknowledge other points of view and support your own with information, facts, examples, and explanations. Then summarize your main points. (If youd like to write a real letter, a publications specific instructions for submitting a letter to the editor are usually at the bottom of the publications page where the letters appear.)

C Self-Check.

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Do you express your point of view clearly? Do you include opposing arguments? Do the body paragraphs of your letter make persuasive arguments to support your point of view? Does the concluding paragraph summarize your point of view clearly?
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