Speaking 4

Do you think it is important for people to have sports heroes to look up to2. On the other hand, poor people in underdeveloped countries choose to have many children?. In your country, d

HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

Chapter 1: PERSONAL ISSUES

Reading:

Everyone has his own personality, as well as his unique looks Psychologists often divide people into two groups: Type A and Type B A Type-A person is competitive, time-conscious, active, and often cynical He gets angry easily

By contrast, a Type-B person is non-competitive, easygoing, laid-back, and generally optimistic He does not get angry easily He accepts life as it is He rolls with the punches and doesn't worry

Almost 75% of successful American businessmen are Type-A They are hardworking, driven

by the desire to be number one They do not accept defeat easily As a result, Type -A people tend to have more heart attacks than Type-B people

Another system for typing people is the enneagram (pronounced "any-a-gram") It is a Greek word meaning "nine drawings." It divides people into nine types: 1 the Perfectionist; 2 the Giver; 3 the Performer; 4 the Romantic; 5 the Observer; 6 the Questioner; 7 the Epi cure (cheery and childlike); 8 the Boss; and 9 the Mediator Which type are you?

Opposing Views: Study the opinions below

Type-A advocates Type-B advocates

1 Competitive people are most successful Competitive people become stressed out

2 Extroverts get more accomplished Introverts are deeper intellectually

3 Time is money, so be time-conscious Time is to be used for whatever you

decide to do

4 Life is best when well planned in advance Life should be taken day by day, step by step

5 Cynicism means you're a realist Optimism means you're an idealist

Substitution Practice:

A: What sort of person is Brenda?

B: She's quiet and shy

A: Do you like girls that are quiet and shy?

B: No I prefer outgoing girls

1 Debbie/ cute and funny/ serious

2 Masako/ drop-dead gorgeous/ normal looking

3 Peggy/ smart and clever/ average

4 Tomoko/ excitable and emotional/ analytical

8 losing your job

9 not being popular

10 what people think of you

11 heights

P a i r e d P r a c t i c e : Give your own opinion in the blanks below

A: Do you know _ ?

B: Yes Why do you ask?

A: What do you think of him/ her?

B: I think he's/ she's

Conversation :

Misato: Have you seen Doug lately?

Greg: Yeah He has a new sports car, a convertible

Misato: He sure has a nice life

Greg: Yes, but I don't envy him He's always on the go-a real playboy

Misato: You don't like partying and discos, do you, Greg?

Greg: No, I'm a home person I like reading and watching TV

Misato: So do I I like to spend my evenings quietly at home

Greg: Is Doug still dating Carol?

Misato: No, they broke up He's now seeing Sally Rogers

Topics for Discussion :

1 The kind of person I would like to date

2 It is better to be a realist than an idealist

3 boob tube [slang] c those who are enthusiastic about sports

Reading:

Sports are popular in all countries, but not all sports Baseball is popular in Japan and the United States but not in Europe Soccer is popular in Latin America and Europe but not much in the States

Some who criticize sports do not like the violence in boxing and American football They do not like the high salaries paid to professional American players They do not like the superstar status

of certain players Nor do they approve of the emotionalism displayed by fans at European soccer games and American basketball games They find sports lacking in intellectual content Sports fans, on the other hand, say that sports are fun and relaxing

Opposing Views:

Study the opinions below

Those favoring sports Those against

5 Many people watch sports on TV The "boob tube" is generally without merit

6 People will pay big money to watch sports Sports have been corrupted by the big money paid to players

Substitution Practice:

A: Who's Andre Agassi?

B: You really don't know who he is?

A: Nope, I don't

B: He's a famous American tennis player

1 Alexi Lalas/ Italian soccer player

2 Norihiro Komada/ Japanese baseball player

3 John Friesz/ American football quarterback

4 Masashi Ozaki/ Japanese golfer

Check (V) One:

Do you like ? yes, a lot yes, a little not at all

1 country and western

2 Vietnamese folk songs

Paired Practice: Give your own opinion in the blanks below

A: What kind of music do you like?

Seitaro: Jo Ann, do you collect cassette tapes or compact discs?

Jo Ann: I switched to CDs two years ago

Seitaro: I did, too I like the clear sound of CDs

Jo Ann: Some new songs can't even be found on cassette now

Seitaro: Yeah The trend is toward digitalization

Jo Ann: I think our lives are going to be controlled by computers one day

Seitaro: I hope not Say, Jo Ann, what's that CD on your desk?

Jo Ann: It's Takio Ito Do you like him?

Seitaro: Yeah But I prefer Yukari Kaneko

Reading 2 : PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

There are two kinds of sports, "amateur" and "professional." Amateur athletes do not receive money for competing in sports Olympic athletes, for example, are amateurs They do not receive money Professional athletes, on the other hand, do earn money Some professional athletes earn a million dollars ($1,000,000) or more a year

Professional athletes need money to support themselves Professional sports give great athletes the opportunity to play sports to earn their living They earn enough money to support themselves and save money for their future We, the spectators, have the opportunity to watch wonderful performances by our favorite athletes for the price of an admission ticket

There is a bad side to professional sports, however Sports are supposed to encourage good character and "sportsmanship." In other words, sports are supposed to make a contribution to society Professional sports and professional athletes do not always do this, however In fact, sometimes they cause very serious problems for society

In 1985 and 1986, the newspapers and magazines in the United States were full of articles about fessional baseball and basketball players They were using illegal drugs A lot of young people looked

pro-up to professional athletes as heroes When athletes use drugs, they set a bad example for young people

In addition, there is sometimes an atmosphere of violence in professional sports In other words, tators may get into fights and hurt each other at a professional sports event For example, on May 29,

spec-1985, a terrible tragedy occurred at Heizel Stadium in Brussels before the European Cup Finals An English soccer team was playing an Italian soccer team for the European championship The English fans started a fight with the Italian fans One of the stadium walls collapsed More than 50 people were killed Why did this happen? What caused this terrible violence? We still do not completely understand the answers to these questions

Professional sports are more like businesses than sports for pleasure Everything is money, money, money Teams have to win a lot of games to keep their fans happy, or the fans won't come to their games Then, the team can't earn enough money to pay its expenses This causes a lot of pressures on the players They have to win, win, win Winning becomes more important than anything else In sports, there is an old saying: "It is not important if you win or lose; what is important is the way you play the game." In professional sports, this saying is not true Winning is the most important thing in professional sports

Discussion Questions :

Discuss these questions in small groups

l Are you a sports fan? What is your favorite sport and what is your favorite team? Why do you like this team? Win or lose, do you like your team? Explain

2 Some athletes have trouble with drugs Do you know about an athlete who had a drug problem? Who was this person? What sport did she or he play?

Reading 3 : PEOPLE AND PLACES IN SPORTS

As we said before, sports are popular everywhere in the world Most people know about their country's most famous athletes and teams Some athletes are world famous People all around the world know these athletes

PELE

Soccer (football) is the most popular team sport in the world When we think of soccer, we must

think of Pele, the world's greatest soccer player Pele was born in Brazil in 1940 His real name

is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, but nobody calls him by this name Everywhere in the world, he

is "Pele."

Pele grew up with soccer His father was a soccer player At the age of ten, Pele stopped going to school, and he began to play soccer seriously At the age of 15, he was playing for a professional soccer team in Santos, Brazil

When Pele was only 18, he became famous throughout the world He led Brazil to the World Cup championship in 1958 Pele developed his own special playing techniques He was able to score goals against every team Pele and his Brazilian team won several more world championships Pele played for his Santos team until his retirement in 1974 He had a record of more than 1,200 goals in his professional career In 1975, Pele came out of retirement to play for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League The Cosmos paid Pele $7 million dollars to play for their team for three years Pele again set a new world record when he became the highest paid athlete in the world!

SAN PEDRO DE MACORIS

San Pedro de Macoris? What's that? If you are a serious baseball fan, you know the answer San Pedro

de Macoris is a town in the Dominican Republic, and it has produced more professional baseball players than any other city or town in the world

San Pedro de Macoris has a population of 80,000 The town is in the area of the Dominican Republic that produces sugar cane What do the boys in San Pedro de Macoris do every day? They play baseball for at least five hours a day from Monday through Friday The sugar cane companies in San Pedro de Macoris hire baseball instructors to teach the boys how to play baseball More than 10,000 boys play baseball in San Pedro de Macoris All of these boys have one dream: they want to become professional baseball players in the United States

We can see how important San Pedro de Macoris is by looking at professional baseball in the United States In the United States, there are two levels of professional baseball-the major leagues and the minor leagues The major leagues are the highest level for the top baseball players, and the minor leagues are the second level In 1985, there were 14 major league and more than 250 minor league players from San Pedro de Macoris! Boys in San Pedro de Macoris watch their heroes playing professional baseball in the United States They think, "Someday I'll be there too!"

KORBUT AND COMANECI

In the 1970s, gymnastics became one of the most exciting sports in the world People were able

to see the sport so clearly on television They could see the great technical skill, grace, and beauty

of the performers and the performance for the first time

Olga Korbut of the Soviet Union was the first great female gymnast of the 1970s Girls all over the world loved Olga Korbut They dreamed of being like her Millions of people around the world admired her performances Partly because of Olga Korbut, gymnastics soon became one of the most popular sports in the world

Olga Korbut was extremely popular around the world, but she was never an Olympic champion The champion of the Olympic gymnastics was Nadia Comaneci from Romania In 1976 at the Montreal Olympic Games, Nadia Comaneci became the overall Olympic Champion at the age of

14 Nadia was European gymnastics champion three times before she retired in 1984

Nadia Comaneci had a tremendous effect on the hopes and dreams of young girls around the world Remember, women did not participate in the early Olympic Games They didn't watch the early Games

as spectators Think how thrilling it was in 1976 to see a young girl-only 14 years old-win the Olympic championship in Montreal! Nadia Comaneci's message was clear: You do not have to be the biggest to

be the best And more important, Nadia Comaneci sent a powerful message to girls around the world:

Girls can be champions, too!

Discussion Questions:

Discuss these questions in small groups

1 What athlete do you admire most? What sport does this person play, and why do you admire her or him?

2 Do you think it is important for people to have sports heroes to look up to? Why or why not? 3 What can people learn from athletes?

4 This passage says that Nadia Comaneci had a great effect on millions of girls around the world She showed them that girls could win, too Who has had a strong influence on you? Who encouraged you to do something difficult? Who was this person, and what did you learn from this person?

5 What effect do you think television has on sports? What are the advantages of watching a sports event on television?

QUOTATIONS :

Read these quotations and explain what they mean

"I always believe in my heart that through sport one day all the people will be together Through the political way we can never come together I always felt that if I were on the political side I could never get the same treatment in Russia or Red China or in Japan or South America But as I was involved in soccer I had the open door -everyplace."

Pele

"Football today is far too much a sport for the few who can play it well; the rest of us, and too many of our children, get our exercise from climbing up the steps in stadiums, or from walking across the room to turn on our television sets And this is true for one sport after another."

John F Kennedy

"I do not think that winning is the most important thing I think that winning is the only thing."

Bill Veeck, Chicago White Sox President

Topics for Discussion :

1 My favourite kind of music

2 The Olympics are (not) important

3 Sports and music are (not) a waste of time

Unit 3 : ANIMAL RIGHTS

Vocabulary:

Match similar expressions

4 veterinarian (vet) d inflict pain

9 endangered species i protester i some important features

Reading:

The word vivisection comes from the Latin vivus (alive) and the English section It is an old

tradition It was practiced as far back as the 2nd century A.D by the physician Galen in Rome Galen operated on living animals to learn about their arteries, brain, nerves, spinal cord, and pulse Today, 90% of animals used in vivisection are mice and rats The use of monkeys, cats, and dogs is less common Without this research, some say that we would know less about the human body, human organs, and hereditary characteristics

Another related issue is the use of animal organs for transplants in humans Is it morally acceptable to kill animals for their organs? Do animals have the same rights as human beings? These are the questions animal-rights activists are asking

Opposing Views:

Study the opinions below

animal-rights activists their opponents

1 Vivisection is barbaric Vivisection is an old, accepted practice

2 Vivisection is cruel; it is torture With anesthetics, it is painless

3 Animals have no way to protect them- In the U.S., the Animal Welfare Act of

selves 1966 protects the well-being of animals

4 There is no one to regulate how animals Most countries have regulatory agencies should be treated in laboratories for this purpose (e.g., the National

Research Council in the U.S.)

5 Animals are lovable They are dumb; they cannot reason

6 Humans and animals should have equal Humans are far more intelligent than

rights animals

7 It is wrong to kill animals for donor organs Humans need animal organs to live

8 Bullfights and cockfights are cruel These are cultural events

Substitution Practice:

A: Do you have a pet?

B: Yes I have a dog

A: What's its name? B: Max It's 3 years old

1 cat/Yuki/2

2 rabbit/ Charlie/ 1

3 parrot/ Polly/ 7

4 turtle/ Takeshi/ 4

Check (v) One:

What do you think of killing ? wrong okay don't know

1 elephants for ivory

2 rhinoceroses for their horns

3 chickens for food

4 bulls in a bullfight

5 rats in a laboratory

6 alligators for handbags

7 mink for their fur

8 monkeys for their organs

9 dogs as a sport (dogfights)

Paired Practice:

Choose your answer from the box below

A: What do you think of vivisection?

B: Well, I _(1)

A: Why's that?

B: I think it (2) What about you?

A: Personally, l _(3)because it (2)

1 am against it/ am for it

2 is necessary for medical progress/ is very cruel/helps doctors find new drugs/ puts animals in great pain

3 think it's wrong/ think it's okay

Conversation :

Kimiko: I'm against the torture of animals

Jim: I am, too But we need animals for medical research

Kimiko: In China, they drain the bile from bears to make medicines

Jim: I know they cut off bears' paws for soup

Kimiko: Recently, I read that an amusement park in Kyoto keeps a fox tied up to

attract tourists

Jim: I agree that's wrong Did you read about the rattlesnake in this morning's

newspaper?

Kimiko: No What happened?

Jim: In Elkton, Virginia, a man bit off the head of a rattlesnake

Kimiko: Really? How cruel!

Jim: I don't think it was cruel The snake bit the man first

Topics for Discussion:

1 Vivisection is ( not) necessary to find new medical cures

2 Animals need to be protected

3 Organ transplants are the wave of the future

Reading:

There are people who live to eat and those who eat a lot to live The former are sometimes

called gourmet and the latter gourmand Eating well, then, is not important for everyone

Take lunch, for example Some people are happy to drop by a fast-food restaurant and eat a quick hamburger Others, however, seek out a good restaurant where they can enjoy a fine meal For dinner, some people choose to warm up a TV dinner or pop something into the microwave oven Others will prepare a meal from scratch, with fresh ingredients like fish and vegetables

As for beverages, the wine connoisseur will carefully choose a wine to go with the meal But others are content to wash the meal down with a glass of water or a soft drink People are different, and so are their eating habits

Opposing Views: Study the opinions below

those who like to eat well those who don't care

1 Food is an important part of our lives Food is unimportant

2 Eating well is good for our health Foods are basically the same

4 Fresh foods are healthier than canned ones Fresh foods are a bother to prepare

6 Men want to marry good cooks Women should not be forced into

1 like to eat well

2 watch your weight

9 prefer fish to meat

10 exercise to keep trim

11 buy health foods

Paired Practice :

A: Do you watch your diet?

B: _

A: Are there any foods you don't like?

B: Yes I can't stand

A: I know what you mean I don't like eating _

Conversation:

Shinji: Barbara, how do you keep so trim?

Barbara: I starve myself

Shinji: But that's no fun

Barbara: Uh-huh Tell me about it!

Shinji: Do you jog or do aerobics?

Barbara: Yes I do aerobics twice a week How about you, Shinji?

Shinji: I belong to a health club I swim and lift weights

Barbara: My brother Harry does, too Shinji: Is he the teacher?

Barbara: No, that's Danny Harry's a stockbroker

Topics for discussion:

1 Good looks are (not) everything in life

2 Eating well is a habit to cultivate

3 A good diet leads ( does not lead) to good health

Unit 5 : LIFESTYLES

Reading:

There are various lifestyles Most people prefer to get married and raise a family They like being at home and doing things with their spouse and children Some couples, however, choose

to live together without getting married They cohabit

Other people like the singles' lifestyle They want independence and freedom They are often

called swingers They don't want the responsibility of a spouse and children They like

spending their money on themselves They want to have a good time

A small number of people are dedicated to their careers They do not get married because they are married to their job They live very quiet, private lives They are not lonely because they have friends and hobbies

So, as the saying goes, different strokes for different folks People are different, and so are their lifestyles

Opposing Views: Study the opinions below

those favoring marriage those against

2 Men and women want to be parents Some men and women do not want dren

chil-3 Women want to be homemakers Many women want a career outside the home

4 Marriage gives men and women an identity Some men and women enjoy being ers; others want to be alone

swing-5 Love naturally leads to marriage Love has many forms

6 Sex outside marriage is wrong This is an old-fashioned idea

7 Every society encourages marriage Cohabitation and same-sex relationships are more and more common

8 A woman should take her husband's surname A woman should keep her own surname

6 witty and funny

7 quiet and shy

8 competitive and ambitious

9 fluent in English

10 a non-smoker

11 a homebody

Paired Practice : choose your answer from the phrases below

A: What do you want to do after graduation?

B: I hope to _ How about you?

A: I want to _

work and get married/travel around the world/remain single and enjoy life/start making money/buy a house/live it up/settle down and have children

Conversation:

Mamoru: Nancy, you and Bob live together, don't you?

Nancy: Yes, we do We've been together two years now

Mamoru: Do you plan to get married?

Nancy: Yes, when we're ready Right now we're busy with our careers

Mamoru: Few Japanese live together outside marriage

Nancy: Why's that, Mamoru?

Mamoru: Family and company pressure, I guess

Nancy: Companies play a big role in the lives of employees, don't they?

Mamoru: Yes Some even provide housing How about in America?

Nancy: Workers separate their job and family more than in Japan People want to be at home

on weekends

Topics for Discussion:

1.The ideal lifestyle

2 Children need both parents

3 Divorce is sometimes necessary

Chapter 2: CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES

Reading:

After the Second World War, Japan used protectionism (mercantilism) to build up its economy

The United States encouraged this protectionism for political reasons It wanted to make Japan a

strong, democratic nation The plan worked Japan became a powerful, democratic nation

Today, however, the Cold War is over America's foreign policy has become economic policy

America can no longer overlook Japan's closed markets and domineering bureaucrats It wants

the Japanese government to stop subordinating consumers to producers It wants more

competition and more balanced trade Japan, on the other hand, wants America to stop

complaining and stop overspending

O p p o s i n g V i e w s : Study the opinions below

those in favor of free trade those against

2 A consumer-led, free-market society is best Who says so? America?

4 Lower prices are good for consumers They can destroy national industries

5 Economic reforms lead to a stronger They can hurt a country's culture

economy

6 Tariffs and quotas hurt world trade All countries have some

7 Protectionism results in trade wars It is practiced by all nations

nations

9 If Japanese mercantilism were adopted by Japanese mercantilism works

other nations, Japan would be the first to suffer well for Japan

S u b s t i t u t i o n P r a c t i c e :

A: What's France t r y i n g to protect?

B: Its banana imports from Africa

A: Why's that?

B: It wants to help its former colonies

1 Canada/ wheat market/ doesn't want American wheat coming in

2 the U.S./ copyrights/ wants other countries to pay for copyrighted products

3 Japan/ rice market/ wants to protect Japanese farmers

4 Korea/ electronics/ wants to sell more, not less

Would you support free trade if it ? yes no

1 helped some Japanese industries

2 hurt some Japanese industries

3 made foreign computers and cellular phones

cheaper to buy than Japanese ones

4 opened Japan's rice market to foreign imports

5 led to more foreign companies in Japan

6 replaced some department stores with giant

American-style discount stores

7 forced Japan to change its business culture

8 cut into Japan's trade surplus

Paired Practice : Give your own opinion in the blanks below

A: What do you think about free trade?

B: I'm all for it because _ And you?

A: I'm against it if

Conversation :

Judy: I'm glad GATT was finally adopted

Keizo: Why's that, Judy?

Judy: It will reduce tariffs and lead to more world trade

Keizo: Yes It will also provide special treatment for poor nations

Judy: GATT's successor is now the World Trade Organization, or WTO

Keizo: What will it do?

Judy: It'll enforce trading rules It will also look at labor standards and workers' rights Keizo: Will this hurt Japan?

Judy: Not if Japan's markets are open

Keizo: It all sounds good to me

Topics for Discussion :

1 Each nation should have its own trade system

2 In Vietnam the consumer should be the king

3 Developing countries need to adopt free markets

Unit 7: FAMILY CHOICES

Before You Begin

Discuss these questions with your class What problems will we face in the future? Will overpopulation (too many people) be one of the problems in the future? Discuss family size-families with many children or only one or two

How many children should people have? Who should decide how many children people should have? The government? Religious leaders? The parents?

Reading 1: FUTURE PROBLEMS: OVERPOPULATION

Many people wonder about life in the next century Life will certainly be different But how? What kind of problems will we face then? Will they be different from the ones we face now? How can we overcome these problems? Nobody knows the answers to these questions exactly But certainly one of the important concerns will be the problem of overpopulation

WHAT IS OVERPOPULATION?

The population of the world is growing faster than the supplies of food, shelter, and fuel In other words, there will soon be too many people in the world There won't be enough food, housing, electricity, and fuel (gas, oil, etc.) to meet our needs Everybody knows overpopulation is one of the great problems of the future However, the causes of this problem and its solutions are not simple

LOOKING AT THE PROBLEM

First, let's look more closely at the problem itself What causes overpopulation? We could answer,

"That's easy People have too many children." But we need to examine the problem more carefully Why do people have large families?

People had large families in the past, too As a matter of fact, people in most cultures had larger families

in the past than they do today There is nothing new about having a lot of children

Today, however, people generally have better health care Therefore, the infant mortality rate is going down Not as many babies and young children die now because mothers and children get much better nutrition and health care

In the past, one of the reasons people had a lot of children was the high infant mortality rate Many babies and young children died of various diseases And, people had more children to make up for those deaths For example, a family often had five or six children, and only three of the children would sur-vive That means only three would live to be adults

Secondly, the population of the world is growing larger because people in most cultures have better nutrition and health care People eat better food today They have medicines to protect them from illnesses and disease Therefore, they live longer lives

We can see, then, that two positive factors-better nutrition and general health conditions-contribute to overpopulation People are healthier; they live longer The result is overpopulation

Discussion Questions:

Discuss these questions in small groups

1 How many children do most people have in your country?

2 How many brothers and sisters do you have? Is your family larger or smaller than average?

3 Is overpopulation a problem in your country? Why? or why not? Will it be a problem in the future? Why? or why not?

4 What kind of people have the largest families in your country?

5 Why do these people have large families?

Reading 2: FAMILY SIZE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Poor people often have larger families than middle class and upper class people And people in underdeveloped countries have more children than people in developed countries More and more, experts in population growth see the strong relationship between family size and economic development

In some areas, government family planning services may not be available to poor people due to geographic location For example, people in rural areas may live too far away from family planning services Therefore, they don't receive information about ways to control family size In general, people in urban areas have much more information available to them than people living in

rural areas Urban people have help with family planning, and they have smaller families So we can say that geography where people live -plays a part in determining family size: Urban families are smaller than rural families

What are the other reasons? Economic development of families and, on a larger scale, of nations, is an important factor in determining family size People with a lot of money have fewer children On the other hand, poor people in underdeveloped countries choose to have many children Why? Because they have to depend upon their children to take care of them in their old age They have no insurance, pen-sions, or government help When they grow old, where can they get help? The answer is simple They can and will turn to their children Their children will be adults then, and they will be working The children can all share the costs and other responsibilities of taking care of their parents For many poor people, a large family is a way of planning and preparing for the future We could say that a large family

is insurance for old age in some societies

Discussion Questions:

Discuss these questions in small groups

1 In your country, do poor people have larger families than middle class and upper class people? Explain your answer

2 In some underdeveloped countries , poor people depend upon their children to take care of them

in their old age Does the government in your country have programs to take care of old people (Social Security, pensions, etc.)? Explain

3 Should children support their parents in their old age? Do you plan to support your parents when they get old? Do you want your children to support you in your old age?

Please explain your answer

4 Do you think the government has the responsibility to take care of old people? Please explain your answer and give examples

5 Can the government do anything to encourage poor people to have smaller families? Please explain your answer

Reading 3: THE GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN

POPULATION PLANNING

Most people admit that overpopulation is a big problem At least, it is going to be a big problem

in the future But there is no consensus about what can and should be done This means that people cannot agree on what to do Some people think that each couple should decide how many children to have They think the government should not interfere Other people, however, think that the government must take care of the overpopulation problem

LEAVING POPULATION PLANNING UP TO INDIVIDUALS

Most people around the world think family planning should be a personal choice In other words, they think people should decide how many children to have without any advice or control by the government Some people feel this way because of religious reasons

Others object to having government or religious leaders involved in family planning and population control They want the freedom to make their own personal decisions

THE ARGUMENT FOR GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT

Why should the government control population planning? Many people say there is no other realistic possibility because people will continue to have too many children They will not limit themselves to just one or two children They have not limited themselves in the past Why should they limit themselves in the future? Unfortunately, they say, it does not work to leave family planning completely up to individuals The only choice, according to these people, is for the government to take an active role in population planning

What role should government play? This is a very controversial issue People do not agree

on how governments should be involved

Should governments tell people exactly how many children they can have (usually one or two)? Should they force people to limit themselves to this number? How could the government enforce such population control policies? The government could not give ben -efits (free education, health care, etc.) to parents of larger families Or it co uld fine the parents In other words, parents of larger families would have to pay some money to the government

At the other extreme, many people think governments should only try to show people the advantages of small families and the disadvantages of large families They say, "People are

intelligent enough to do the best thing with no government control or interference." But this may be the real problem Many people believe a large family is the only way to have good care in the future They may have no other choice First, governments must offer people other ways of planning for security in their old age They must give them social security and health benefits Then, people may want to have small families.

Discussion Questions

Discuss these questions in small groups

1 Should the government be involved in family planning? Why? Please explain

2 Should individuals be able to decide for themselves how many children to have? Why? Please explain

3 What are the problems when the government does family or population planning?

4 On the other hand, what are the problems when people make their own decisions about family size?

5 What should we do to control population in the future?

INTERVIEW PRACTICE:

Interview a classmate about a future problem for society

Planning the interview

Write out the following questions Work with a partner to get ideas for more questions Leave space on your paper for the answers

1 May I ask you some questions about problems our society will face in the future?

2 What is the most important problem for the future?

3 Why is it a serious problem?

4 How will the problem affect people? All people?

5 What are people doing about it now?

6 What should we do?

Unit 8 : EDUCATION

People all around the world value education because a good education means a better life Everyone agrees with that However, people in different countries want their schools to teach different things Each culture has its own values, and people want their schools to teach the values of their culture

What do we mean by "values"? "Values" are people's ideas of the good and important things in their culture For example, your culture may value hard work That means in your culture, it is important to work hard, and people value hard work more than many other qualities Or perhaps your culture values honesty above all That means it is important to tell the truth And telling the truth all the time may cause some difficulties We all know that!

Some of the same values are important in different cultures There are, however, many differences tween cultural groups Within each culture, schools usually teach the values of that culture In other words, children learn the cultural values of their country in school

be-The United States is a democracy Everyone in the United States has the opportunity to have free cation Local, state, and federal governments pay for the public schools Everyone, rich or poor, can go

edu-to school There are also many private schools People in private schools have edu-to pay tuition The state does not pay for private education

Some people say that American schools try to do too much for too many people It is impossible, they say, to give a good education to everyone The American educational system, they think, should educate only the most intelligent people in the society Instead, it tries to educate everyone

However, most Americans want everyone to have a chance to go to school It is important for a democratic country to have educated people In a democracy, people choose their government's leaders They need to be able to think clearly to make these choices They need a good education to be good citizens in a democracy

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATES

Elementary school: Most children in the United States start school when they are five years old

They go to kindergarten for a year and then start first grade when they are six The first school is called "elementary school," or "grade school." American children usually start to read when they are in the first and second grade They also begin to learn arithmetic and simple science and history

Age Grade School

14-17 9-12 High School

Junior high school: After elementary school, children go to "junior high school" (sometimes it is

called "middle school") In most school systems, junior high school includes seventh, eighth, and ninth grades, but sometimes it is only the seventh and eighth grades Junior high school students are usually 12 to 14 years old

High school: High school (grades 10, 11, and 12) comes after junior high school Students

usually graduate from high school when they are 17 or 18 There are different kinds of high schools Some high schools prepare students to go to college (collegepreparatory high schools) Other high schools prepare students for various kinds of work (vocational high schools) Many high schools have both college preparatory courses and vocational courses

Higher education: When students graduate from high school, they may go on to college or a

university There are more than 3,000 colleges and universities in the United States Some private colleges and universities are very expensive, but most state universities cost very little Financial aid (money from the government) is often available to help students pay at least part of their tuition Some form of higher education is available to every high school graduate

ISSUES IN AMERICAN EDUCATION: BILINGUAL EDUCATION

The United States is a country of immigrants These immigrants come from all over the world They speak many different languages In the past, new immigrants had a hard time in American schools They could not understand their school work in English, so they often became discouraged and dropped out of school They were not able to get good jobs without a good education

Now, many schools in the United States have bilingual programs ("Bi" means "two" and "lingual" means "language".) For example, a school with many Spanish-speaking students might have a bilingual program The Spanish-speaking students study their subjects in both English and Spanish

A school with a large Chinese population might have an EnglishChinese bilingual program Students in bilingual programs continue their general education and learn English at the same time After a period of time, they can take all of their classes in English with English-speaking students

Bilingual education is "controversial." This means some people like it, and other people do not like

it The people in favor of bilingual education say, "It helps students to understand their school work

in history, mathematics, science, etc., at the same time, they are learning English." These people say bilingual education helps students succeed in school They can get better jobs and be better citizens after graduation

The people against bilingual education say, "It's a waste of time and government money English is the national language of the United States." Everyone living in the United States, they say, should learn to speak English as quickly as possible They say, "Bilingual education is too expensive." In other words, the government spends too much money on bilingual education They want to put the money for bilingual programs into English programs In such programs, everyone will learn English a lot faster At least, those against bilingual education think so

Discussion Questions:

Discuss these questions in small groups

1 When do children start school in your country?

2 Do most children go to kindergarten? Is kindergarten in your country one year or longer?

3 How many years are children in elementary school? Do you have a junior high school in your country? How many years are children in junior high school? How many years is high school?

4 What subjects do children study in elementary school? How many hours do they go to school each day? How many days do they go to school each week? Which days do they go to school?

Reading : EDUCATION IN SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia is a large Middle Eastern nation It is one of the world's biggest producers of oil Saudi Arabia exports more oil than any other nation The money from this oil makes Saudi Arabia a very rich country Saudi Arabia has about 8,853,000 people Almost all of these people are Arab Muslims In other words, they are followers of the Islamic religion Saudi Arabia is a religious nation The king of Saudi Arabia is both the political leader and one of the religious leaders of the country The government laws are Islamic law (Muslim religious law), and the national language is Arabic

The Islamic religion is very important in the Saudi educational system Before 1950 almost all education in Saudi Arabia was religious education Students studied the Koran, the Islamic holy book They tried to memorize as much as possible from this book There were no colleges or universities before 1949 and only a few elementary and secondary schools

In 1953, the Saudi government established the Ministry of Education This was really the beginning

of the modern educational system in Saudi Arabia When engineers discovered oil in Saudi Arabia, the country started to become very wealthy Saudi leaders realized that Western technology was necessary for the country to develop The leaders still believed that religious education was very important, but a modern country could not develop technologically with only a traditional, religious educational system They decided to add other subjects to the educational system They wanted to combine traditional religious education with modern technological education from the West

Religion is still an important part of Saudi education Now, however, Saudi students study all kinds

of other subjects too: languages (especially English), history, science, mathematics, computer technology, etc Before 1950, there were about 20,000 students in Saudi Arabia In 1982, there were 1,780,000 students The educational system has grown faster in Saudi Arabia than in almost any other country in the world All schools in Saudi Arabia are free

THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN SAUDI ARABIA

Elementary school: There are six years of elementary school in the Saudi Arabian educational

system Most children start school at the age of six About one-third of the time in elementary school students study religion The rest of the time they study general subjects

Intermediate school: After elementary school, students go to intermediate school for three years

Students can choose some of the subjects that they want to study For example, they can choose science or literature

High school (secondary school): High school is three years Students can choose to go to an

academic high school (college-preparatory high school) or a vocational school Students in the academic high school can choose to study either a science program or a literature program The science program is very popular It leads to the greatest number of school and career opportunities Students continue to study religion in high school

Higher education: In 1957, Saudi Arabia had one college with only 25 students However,

by 1980, there were 60 colleges and seven universities in Saudi Arabia-and more than 50,000 students! The Saudi government spent about two-and-a-half billion dollars ($2.5 billion) on higher education from 1980 to 1985 The Saudi government is trying to encourage as many people as possible to go to college and university The country needs highly trained people to work in business and government Colleges and universi ties are free The government also gives money to students in colleges and universities to encourage them to go to school Sometimes, a Saudi student wants to take special courses The courses may not be available in any of the colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia Then the government will send the student to another country to study The government will pay all expenses and give the student some additional spending money as well

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia is developing quickly There are many career opportunities for people with a good education Every graduate of a college or university gets a good position in business or the government Therefore, Saudi students never have to worry about getting a job after graduation The Saudi government encourages education a great deal Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia still does not have enough well-trained people to fill all of the jobs in business and the government The Saudi government invites many well-trained people from other countries to come to Saudi Arabia to work

in all kinds of jobs in business and government Of course, the government prefers Saudis in these jobs However, there are just not enough well-trained Saudis yet

ISSUES IN SAUDI EDUCATION: SEGREGATED SCHOOLS

In Saudi Arabia, the schools are sexually segregated This means that boys and girls (and later, men and women) do not go to the same schools Some elementary schools have mixed classes (boys and girls together) in the lower grades However, the schools are completely segregated after the first years The schools are segregated because of the Islamic religion According to Islamic tradition, girls after the age of nine or ten years old must not be with boys or men outside of their own families

The Saudi government started the first school for girls in 1956 Saudi Arabia needed well-educated women and men to help develop the country At first, religious leaders did not like the idea of education for women Education for women, they said, could have a bad effect on the family and the society Therefore, to get the religious leaders to accept education for women, the government placed women's education under the direction of the country's religious leaders

Women attend women's colleges or special university departments for women They have women teachers There are not enough women teachers, so the government allows men teachers to teach Saudi women on television First, the women watch the lectures on television, and then they can talk with the teacher on a special telephone to ask questions They never see each other face to face

After graduation, Saudi women have many job opportunities, like the Saudi men They work as teachers, doctors, social workers, and scientists and in many other professions With very few exceptions, the workplace is also segregated In other words, women and men do not work together except sometimes in hospitals Saudi women want to have more job opportunities But

some of them may not wish to work with men In a recent article in a magazine called The Middle

East, some Saudi women students said, "We don't really want to work alongside men."

Discussion Questions:

Discuss these questions in small groups

1 Religion is an important part of education in Saudi Arabia Is religion important in the educational system in your country? Please explain and give examples Do you think religion should be a required part of education? Why? or why not?

2 In Saudi Arabia, the government encourages young Saudis to go to school They pay all educational expenses and give students spending money in addition Does the government in your country encourage people to go to school? How does it encourage them?

3 Women in Saudi Arabia have many educational opportunities now Therefore, they have good career opportunities later Do women in your country have the opportunity to get a good education? Please explain: Does the government in your country encourage women to get a good education? How does it encourage them? Or, why doesn't the government encourage them?

4 The schools in Saudi Arabia are sexually segregated Is this true in your country? What do you think about it?

5 What are some of the changes in education in your country in the last 20 or 30 years?

Reading:

Alcohol and nicotine in cigarettes are both drugs Thus, they are addictive The Surgeon General of the U.S has declared cigarettes harmful to one's health Some people with lung cancer are now suing cigarette manufacturers Smoking is not allowed in most public buildings, and there is no smoking allowed on domestic flights in the U.S

Traffic police treat drinking and driving as a serious offense Alcohol impairs judgment and coordination Drunken driving (and drugged driving) can cause serious accidents Drunk drivers face arrest, the loss of their driver's license, and a large fine The penalties are g etting greater and greater

Of American high school seniors, 87% have used alcohol while 62% have smoked cigarettes These youths are a part of those spending $44 billion on alcohol products and $37 billion on cigarettes annually Drug use is a persistent problem that health officials are committed to fighting

Opposing Views: Study the opinions below

those against drinking/ smoking those in favor

1 Drinking and smoking are harmful to good They are real pleasures health

2 People should be encouraged to stop

drinking and smoking People should be free to do as they choose

3 The sale of alcohol and cigarettes is morally The sale of these products brings in wrong much needed tax revenue

4 The use of alcohol and tobacco can harm an This happens only rarely

unborn child

5 Drinking and smoking are serious addictions They can be stopped voluntarily

6 Most societies prohibit young people from Young people will drink and smoke drinking and smoking regardless of what adults say

7 Smoking is banned in many public areas Smoking is a right

2 driving/ 18/ The legal age

3 taking drugs/ 21/ It seemed sophisticated

4 riding a motorcycle/ 17/ 1 liked the idea

P a i r e d P r a c t i c e : Give your own opinion in the blanks below

A: Do you have any dangerous hobbies?

B: Well, I like to _ What about you?

A: I enjoy _

C o n v e r s a t i o n :

Anne: Have you ever gone hang gliding, Hiroshi?

Hiroshi: No Isn't it kind of dangerous?

Anne: Yes My brother Frank does it

Hiroshi: I've seen it done near Hakone

Anne: Where's that?

Hiroshi: Hakone is south of Tokyo There are mountains there

Anne: Frank told me the sport originated in California in the late 1960s

Hiroshi: Is it the same thing as sky surfing?

Anne: Yes, it is

Hiroshi: I could never do hang gliding or bungee jumping

Anne: Why's that?

Hiroshi: I don't like heights!

Topics for Discussion :

1 My hobby

2 Smoking will some day disappear

3 Some hobbies are very dangerous

Vocabulary:

Match similar expressions

3 winner-take-all c exceeding all others

6 (to) come to f chief executive officer

9 no way i establish a ceiling (or upper limit)

10 golden parachute j fire, let go

Reading:

In 1994, the chairman of Walt Disney, Michael Eisner, made a salary of $203 million This was

an all-time record His salary comes to $78,000 an hour And the company? Its net income fell by 63%!

Americans want reform to correct such excessive salaries They do not believe any executive is worth this much money The Congress even put a special tax on executive pay over $1 million a year Some companies tie an executive's bonus to profits Meanwhile, shareholders want to know exactly how much is being paid to top executives They have declared a war against greed

The average American CEO makes 149 times as much salary as the average factory worker Is this fair? Is anybody worth $203 million a year? Aren't many people responsible for corporate profits, too? Should there be a winner-take-all market?

Opposing Views: Study the opinions below

Those in favor of high salaries Those against

1 High profits mean high salaries Low profits often mean high salaries

2 A creative genius is worth millions of dollars No one is worth this much money

3 Salaries are determined by supply and demand This principle has been greatly abused

4 Salaries are relative When salaries are too high, they are unfair

5 CEOs don't set their salaries; the directors Directors set a high salary for the CEO

do so they will be paid a high fee

6 Most investors don't complain if the The greed of investors is equal to the company is doing well greed of executives

7 Executives must sometimes lay off workers Workers should not be laid off when

to protect their high salaries executives are given a pay raise

1 Iwayama/ Y3,000,000/ don't, actually

2 Edwards/ $2,500,000/ think it's too high

3 Johnson/ $9,000/ would say it's too little

4 Akashi/ Y60,000,000/ wish I earned as much

Check (V) One:

Do you think ? y e s n o

1 a salary can be too high

2 workers should be unionized

3 executives' salaries should be limited

4 anyone is worth $10 million a year

5 workers should be able to choose flex time

6 Japan's seniority system is good

7 lifetime employment is good

8 a worker should be able to change jobs easily

9 a worker should be able to disagree with the boss

Paired Practice: Give your own opinion in the blanks below

A: What is your goal in life?

B: I want to And you?

A: I hope to

B: Do you think some people make too much money?

A: _

Conversation :

Sandra: Do you have super-rich people in Japan, Takashi?

Takashi: Yes, we do But ,they work for themselves, like landlords They're not appointed company executives

Sandra: What would a top Japanese CEO expect to make?

Takashi: Oh, probably about $600,000

Sandra: But not $15 million?

Takashi: No way

Sandra: Do you have a pay cap in Japan?

Takashi: What's that?

Sandra: American companies cannot deduct salaries over $1 million as an expense A pay cap

is meant to keep salaries under $1 million

Takashi: Do you think that's a good idea?

Sandra: I do But many companies ignore the cap They prefer to pay higher taxes

Topics for Discussion :

1 Executive salaries should (not) be capped

2 Flexi time should be adopted by more Vietnamese companies

3 A worker's private life is (not) as important as his job

Reading:

In 1994, the United Nations' Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Brussels condemned China and Taiwan What had they done? They were continuing to trade in rhinoceros horns and tiger bones to make Chinese medicines The Environmental Investigation Agency showed proof that both animal parts were still on sale in pharmacies in Taiwan and China Does this trade matter?

Yes, it does The world does not have many wild tigers and rhinos left If this illegal trade continues, both animals could become extinct The rhino, in particular, is special It has no other close relative When an insect becomes extinct, there are other insects to replace it, but not the rhino Its loss would be a serious matter to most people

Opposing Views: Study the opinions below

Environmentalists Their opponents

1 The environment must be protected The environment is in good shape

2 Endangered species must not be lost It doesn't matter if a few animals disappear

3 The earth's ozone layer is being destroyed There is no proof of this

4 Water and air pollution are a threat to man This issue is exaggerated

5 The Amazon's rainforest is disappearing This rainforest can be safely exploited

6 Harmful chemicals can be found in our food This is nonsense

7 Nuclear energy is dangerous Nuclear energy need not be dangerous

Substitution Practice:

A: Aren't you concerned about the hooded crane?

B: Where does it live?

A.: In Japan It's an endangered species

B: I don't believe it

1 giant panda/ China/ I read that it's increasing in number

2 gray whale/ the North Pacific/ I think it should be protected

3 bluefin tuna/ the Western Atlantic?/ We can eat other fish

4 gila trout/ Arizona/ It's not that important

Paired Practice: Give your own opinion in the blanks below

A: What environmental issue concerns you?

B: I'm concerned about

A: In what way?

B: Well, I think

A: As for me, I'm concerned about