Democracy and globalization

Name ________________________________________________ No. _______ Class _________ Date _________________

SomeProsandConsofGlobalization
Pro1:Globalizationbroadensaccesstogoodsandservices.
It’shardtoarguewiththepointthatglobalizationmakesmorego
odsandservicesavailabletomorepeople,oftenatlowerprices.Ifyo
uhavedisposableincomeandyou’rebuyingaproductthatcomesfr
5omabroad,you’rebenefitingfromglobalizationtosomeextent.Bu
sinessownersalsobenefitbyhavingaccesstoabiggermarketforth
eirgoodsandservices.

Pro2:Globalizationcanliftpeopleoutofpoverty.
Theargumentthatglobalizationhasliftedpeopleindevelopingcountriesoutofpovertyissomewhatcontr
1oversialbecauseopinionsdifferastothequantity–andquality–
0ofthejobscreatedbyglobalization.Butthegeneralwisdomisthatglobalizationhasincreasedjobopportuniti
esincapital-scarce,labor-richcountries,i.e.developingcountries.

Pro3:Globalizationincreasesculturalawareness.
Defendersof globalization sayithasincreasedcross-
culturalunderstandingandsharing.Aglobalizedsocietybooststherateatwhichpeopleareexposedtothecult
1ure,attitudesandvaluesofpeopleinothercountries.Thatexposurecaninspireartists,strengthentiesbetwee
5nnationsanddampenxenophobia.

Con1:Workersindevelopedcountriesmayloseouttoworkersincountrieswithcheaperlabor.
Thisfirstargumentagainstglobalizationistheonethat,whenthehighly-
developedcountriescompetewithless-
developedcountries,theirbigadvantageistheaccesstocapital,whereasless-
2developedcountries’bigadvantageistheircheaplabor.
0 Therefore,low-
skilljobsinrichcountriescandisappearasaresultofglobalization.Theresultmaybeadecreaseintheinequali
tybetweencountriesbutanincreaseintheinequalitywithincountries.

Con2:Globalizationhasfailedtodeliverdesiredgainsinlaborrights,humanrightsandenvironme
2ntalprotection.
5 Intheory,globalizationcanbeanopportunitytospreadvaluesandpracticeslikeenvironmentalismandla
borrightsthroughouttheworld.Inpractice,thatspreadhasbeenslowandimperfect.Somearguethatglobaliz
ationhascauseda“racetothebottom”inwhichcompaniesactivelyseekthecountrieswiththeweakestlabora
ndenvironmentalprotectionsandthelowestwages.Andwhileglobalizationhasincreasedtheflowofgoods,
servicesandcapital,therearestillplentyoftaxhavens,meaningthatmuchofthevalueaddedbyglobalizationi
snotcapturedandredistributedbygovernments.
3

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 0 Con3:Globalizationmaycontributetoculturalhomogeneity.
Globalizationmightleadtomoreculturalhomogeneityifpeople’stastesconverge.Ifeveryonewearsjean
s,learnsEnglishandwatchesHollywoodmovieswemaylosepreciousculturalpracticesandlanguages.Som
ecriticsofglobalizationworrythatit’screatingamonoculture.

3
5

4
0

Amelia Josephson,https://smartasset.com/mortgage/the-pros-and-cons-of-globalization
(accessed in February 2018)

I
READING

A.
Findthebestequivalentforthefollowingverbsastheyappearinthetext.Therearetwoextraw
ordsyoudonotneedtouse.

a. reduce
1. argue (line 3) b. increase
2. differ (line 12) c. reinforce
3. strengthen (line 18) d. disagree
4. dampen (line 19) e. searchfor
5. seek (line 33) f. contrast
g. vary

B. Findevidenceinthetextforthefollowingstatements.
1. Globalization offers people access to a wider variety of products for less money.

2. Globalization is generally believed to have provided more jobs in poorer countries.

3. Globalization can foster understanding and discourage discrimination.

C. Completethefollowingsentenceswithideasfromthetextwithnomorethanfivewords.

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1. Asaresultofglobalization,unqualifiedworkersinrichercountriesmay…

2. Insteadofdisseminatinglabourrights,companiesrelocatetocountrieswhere…

3. Ifpeople’stastesstarttoconverge,criticsofglobalizationfearthat…

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 II
WRITINGTHROUGHREADING

1. Write a short argumentative text (around 150 words) discussing the positive and negative
effects of globalization on the country where you live and your daily life.

III
LANGUAGEUSE

A. Chooseawordfromtheboxtocompletethefollowingtext.

takingspannedchangingbecomingbecamelargely
easierengagedexactlyconnected

Whatisglobalization?

Globalization is a.________________more important – and more controversial – than at any

other point in history.
What b.________________is globalization? Simply put, globalization is the process of
c.________________to an integrated world from an isolated one. Globalization can be summed
up as a long-term change towards greater international cooperation in economics, politics,
cultural values, and the exchange of knowledge.
Globalization has d.________________been made possible by advances in technology,
particularly the internet. As the world grows more e.________________, people in all nations
achieve a far greater level of interdependence in activities such as trade, communications,
travel, and political policy.
In many ways, globalization has been f.________________place for centuries.From the Silk
Road, which g.________________from Europe all the way to East Asia, to the invention of
steamships and railroads, humans have h.________________in cultural exchange and
international trade for centuries.In the 20th century, this international exchange and trade was
made far i.________________by the invention of airlines and road vehicles. What was once a slow
process j.________________a far simpler one.
In the late 20thcentury, the invention of digital communications tools like the internet made
modern globalization a reality.
https://blog.udemy.com/pros-and-cons-of-globalization/
(accessed in February 2018)

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B. Use the word given in CAPITALS to form a word that fits in the space.

Young people are most a.________________(DIRECT) affected by globalization. They are

experiencing globalization on an everyday basis through b.________________(EMPLOY) patterns,
the friendship groups they develop, their usage of the internet and wider cultural influences on
their lifestyles.
Young people’s lives are c.________________(CONSTANT) being influenced by new trends, be
they cultural, d.________________(TECHNOLOGY) or social.
Although young people are not e.________________(POWER) in respect to global change,
their economic position is such that they are more vulnerable than many other social groups to
the uncertainties and risks associated with economic and cultural globalization.
https://www.developmenteducationreview.com/issue/issue-7/young-people-identity-and-living-global-society
(accessed in February 2018)

C. Choose the best way to express the future in the following sentences.
1. I don’t believe the process of globalization __________________ (lead) to a monocultural
society.
2. European countries are discussing new free trade agreements. By this time next week they
__________________ (sign) them.
3. European officials have scheduled a labor inspection fornext month. They __________________
(inspect) the working conditions at several Asian ‘sweat shops’.
4. If globalization __________________ (bring) benefits for everyone, some measures have to be
taken to protect both developed and developing countries.
5. By the end of this century, societies will be so interconnected and interdependent that the
concept of globalization __________________ (become) obsolete.

D. Rewrite the following sentences started them as suggested.

1. Although young people all around the world share many similarities, they are still aware of
their national identity.
In spite of ________________________________________________________________________________

2. “Where are the majority of cotton clothes produced nowadays?”

I don’t suppose you know _________________________________________________________________

3. Globalization may have brought about inequality issues, yet it has significantly improved
people’s lives.
Although __________________________________________________________________________________

4. “How long have you been studying the impact of globalization on our society?”
I asked the researcher ____________________________________________________________________

5. “Don’t decide if you are for or against globalization without looking at the whole picture.”
The teacher advised me ___________________________________________________________________

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 Answer key

I. READING(75 p) III. LANGUAGEUSE(85 p)

A.(53p) A.(45p)
1.d; 2.g, 3.c, 4.a, 5.e a. becoming
b. exactly
B.(310p) c. changing
1. “It’s hard to argue with the point that globalization makes d. largely
more goods and services available to more people, often e. connected
at lower prices.” (lines 3-5) f. taking
2. “…globalization has increased job opportunities in capital- g. spanned
scarce, labor-rich countries, i.e. developing countries.” h. engaged
(lines 13-14) i. easier
3. “That exposure can inspire artists, strengthen ties between j. became
nations and dampen xenophobia.” (lines 18-19)
B.(53p)
C.(310p) a. directly
1. …lose their jobs. b. employment
2. … labor protections are weak. c. constantly
3. … a monoculture may be created/cultural homogeneity d. technological
may increase/we may lose cultural values. e. powerless

II. WRITINGTHROUGHREADING(40 p) C.(55p)

Open answers. 1. will lead
2. will have signed them
3. are going to inspect
4. is to bring
5. will have become

D.(55p)
1. In spite of sharing many similarities, young people all
around the world are still aware of their national identity.
2. I don’t suppose you know where the majority of cotton
clothes are produced nowadays?
3. Although globalization may have brought about inequality
issues, it has significantly improved people’s lives.
4. I asked the researcher how long he/she had been studying
the impact of globalization on our society.
5. The teacher advised me not to decide if I was for or against
globalization without looking at the whole picture.

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