Scan the text and find out the specific information to answer the questions.

1. Why is the capacity to tackle complex social and economic problems greater nowadays than during the last few centuries?

2. Why will the next 20 years determine the fate of our planet?

3. What processes can lead to economic crises?

4. How can violent, unlawful and immoral actions taken by a group of people be termed?

5. Is it possible for a single country to win terrorism?

6. Why is the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their technology one of the most pressing issues today?

7. Is climate change a controversial threat facing the planet?

8. What problems can be increased because of the overpopulation problem?

9. Do you agree that poverty generates poverty?

10. Why is our dependence upon fossil fuels likely to increase over the next few decades?

Vocabulary Development

Complete each sentence with a word from the box. Use each word once only.

· disaster · emergency · hooliganism · living · disease · famine · rubbish · earthquake · floods · slums

1. Food has been sent to areas in Africa suffering from ….

2. Many people live in overcrowded … on the edge of the city.

3. The cost of … has risen steadily this year.

4. Thousands of buildings fell down during a severe ….

5. … at football matches has been reduced this year.

6. The eruption of the volcano was a terrible ….

7. Hundreds of people drowned during the ….

8. Large cities face the problem of what to do with household ….

9. Doctors announced that there was now a cure for the ….

10. During the storm there were hundreds of … calls.

Underline the most suitable word or phrase.

1. The government has announced plans to help the poor / poverty.

2. There was a large demonstration / manifestation against nuclear power in Manchester yesterday.

3. Everyone agrees that the environment / nature must be protected.

4. There has been another increase / rising in the level of crime.

5. There are few jobs here and many people are away from work / unemployed.

Replace the words in italics with a word or phrase from the box.

· ignored · increased · polluted · solved · flooded · improved · overpopulated · protected · unemployed

1. Famine is a serious problem, and it hasn't been dealt with yet.

2. Many kinds of wild animals need to be guarded by the law.

3. Living conditions have been made better in some parts of the world.

4. Our local lake has been made dirty by nearby factories.

5. A problem which is not thought about does not simply go away.

6. A lot of people in industrial areas are without work.

7. After the recent storms, the town was filled with water.

8. Some countries are inhabited by too many people.

9. Recently the number of people riding bicycles has grown larger.

Match the words (1–9) in the box with the definitions (a–j).

1. aid 2. conservation 3. drought 4. famine 5. riot 6. demonstration 7. emergency 8. pile-up 9. strike

a)When an area is desperately short of water. b) The act of protecting animals, or parts of the environment. c) When people march through the streets to show their opinions. d) A collision involving several vehicles. e) When an area is desperately short of food. f) Something unexpected which must be dealt with quickly. g)When people stop working through disagreement with their employers. h) Help (money, food, etc.) given by governments or other organizations. i) When a crowd of people is violent and out of control.

Choose the best variant.

Meals on wheels

"Meals on Wheels" is a government-subsidised project which 1 … invalids the opportunity to enjoy at least one hot nourishing meal a day without having to leave the comfort and security of their own 2 ….

For the elderly, and the physically or mentally challenged who find themselves unable to get out and 3 … on their own, this innovative scheme has proved a 4 … grace. The meals, made from tasty healthy ingredients, are prepared in the local community centre kitchen and distributed by people who have 5 … donated their time. Apart from the food itself, the warm smiles and friendly conversation freely given by volunteers have become a 6 … to these less fortunate members of the community.

A	В	C	D
1. presents	offers	introduces	disposes
2. dwellings	homes	habitats	places
3. about	in	around	over
4. winning	rescuing	saving	giving
5. favourably	cordially	graciously	gratuitously
6. lifeline	lifeguard	lifeboat	lifebelt

Choose the best variant.

Unemployment

Stop and consider for a moment how you would feel if you were willing and 1 … to work, and yet day after day you have 2 … through all kinds of weather to get to the local employment office you are told – once again – that there is nothing available for you. Initially, you would probably feel a 3 … sense of disappointment, a slight feeling of being 4 … down. However, as the days pass and you have still not found even the most 5 … of jobs, you would probably become increasingly angry and incensed at the injustice of it all. What kind of a society allows an able-bodied individual to sit around and twiddle his 6 … all day? Obviously, one which cannot understand how important it is for a person to feel useful and productive.

A		В	C	D
1. capable		efficient	suitable	able
2. trudged		strolled	sauntered	strutted
3. pale		low	dim	faint
4. pushed		set	let	laid
5. basic		fundamental	rudimentary	menial
6. fingers		toes	hands	thumbs

Language Development

         

5.15. a) Match 25 top world problems of 2016 with a suitable comment made by respondents.

b) Write your own comment (not more than a sentence) for each issue.

1. Ignorance	a) Governments don't listen to people, they don't care of what we think.
2. Animal abuse	b) Everyone has their own beliefs and it's not my job to shove it down other people's throats.
3. War	c) It's benefited the World and it scrambled the World as well!
4. Bullying	d) People are dying from this and it has to be stopped.
5. Poverty	e) Such misunderstanding among the young and the old has never seemed so wide.
6. Laziness	f) It's our pain, on this planet there are a lot of people that don't have clean water to drink.
7. Indifference	g) It is the planetary job nowadays that endangers life of every individual on the Earth. Politicians are the cause of all the problems. Note that the "war on terror" has just begun, so casualties can be expected to rise.
8. Intolerance	h) This topic has long been an issue the government isn't doing enough. The answer to most of our world problems revolves around the use of living things for our personal needs.
9. Drug Abuse	i) It is another word for "People allowing others to walk over them".
10. Terrorism	j) It is extremely common today. Nobody cares enough to learn facts and jump to conclusions.
11. Pollution	k) It is all about protecting the world we live in. If we don't protect it, then why bother with all of those other things. This should be N 1, before Climate Change, because the World, the Earth, the Globe, is the place we live in and should be our main priority.
12. Population Growth	l) We can sympathise this phenomena, but not empathise.
13. Racism	m) People are killing each other for nothing. We are humans but wilder than beasts.
14. Unemployment	n) Like other newcomers, those who arrive as refugees have been a source of dynamism and growth in any country and barring refugees would do nothing to advance the fight against terrorism.
15. Climate Change	o) It's the thing almost all teens suffer from, but the older you are the less such problems you have.
16. Globalism	p) It's the product of our scientific achievements being applied for the improvement of human facilities. The societal problems don't matter when there isn't a planet to have them on in the first place.
17. Severe Income Disparity	q) Gratuitous, senseless and random actions are growing concerns that pose significant threats to society.
18. Refugees	r) Very difficult problem, how to live without money?
19. Teen Depression	s) It ultimately might destroy the entire human race. Poverty, drug abuse, and war are devastating to individuals, families, and nations, but this could end the world as we know it.
20. Earthquakes	t) Petty theft, robbery, and vandalism are a constant social problem.
21. Violence	u) Causing homelessness and suffering while so many shower themselves with unnecessary luxuries. Indulging in a little pleasure is fine and healthy but excess is more than norm.
22. Drinking Water	v) It results poverty and hunger. It's also the main problem in this world, it leads us to the wrong path.
23. Vandalism	w) It's common in many parts of the world, it ruins people's habitats and their lives as well.
24. Technology	x) It has fostered inequality and discrimination for centuries, as well as influencing how we relate to other human beings.
25. Generation Gap	y) It's true, the more people there are, the less of everything else there is!

c) Which do you think is the most important? Which challenges the world the most? Mark them 1 for the most important down to 25 for the least important.