Vocabulary and reading skills

2. In pairs, discuss the feeling you get from these words. Are they positive, negative or neutral (neither positive nor negative)?

modern cheap quick old-fashioned cold strange clever comfortable slow young lazy proud

3. Complete the table with the words from Activity 2. Then compare your table with another pair. Are there any differences?

POSITIVE (+) NEUTRAL (?) NEGATIVE (–)

Whether a word has positive or negative connotations can depend on its context or on the feelings of the person using it. For example: a short holiday may be not long enough, but a short visit to the dentist is probably a good thing; a long walk in the mountains may be good or bad, depending on whether you enjoy walking in the mountains.

4 Read the sentences. Then answer the questions below.

A I didn’t choose that phone because it looked a bit cheap and not well-made.

B He never uses a microwave for cooking; he prefers doing it the old-fashioned way.

C You won’t understand this because you’re very young.

D I sometimes enjoy having a lazy afternoon just reading a good book.

E She’s so proud that she thinks she’s better than most other people.

F He hates this modern habit of chatting on mobile phones all the time.

1. Are there any differences between the way the words are used in the sentences and where you put them in the table?

2 How can you explain the differences?

I think what he’s done is amazing.

I find his actions shocking.

Example

… the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund lend money to governments on the condition that they ‘reform’ their economies.

As we saw on page 39, the word reform means to change something in order to improve it. The writer uses inverted commas to show that he/she doesn’t agree with this positive connotation*.

*Connotations are the extra meanings (positive or negative) that some words have in addition to their basic or literal meanings.

1 Look at the example from the text.

1. Why are the two ideas in each sentence presented together?
2. Which two words or phrases are used to join the ideas?

8. Take two more pairs of ideas from the opinions in Activity 5. Join them in the same two ways.

1

2

Examples

Of course, people enjoy being able to watch the latest Hollywood films. However, globalisation is making it very difficult for smaller national film industries to compete.

The same big names appear in shopping centres all over the world, and local differences are disappearing. On the other hand, consumers like the chance to buy international products at cheap prices.

5 Read the opinions about globalisation. Then discuss how true they are in relation to your own experience and Palestine in general.

1. Cheap imports from countries in Asia and other places harm local industries. ___
2. One effect of globalisation is that poorer countries are becoming richer. ___
3. Thanks to the Internet, it’s much easier now for new ideas to spread around the world. ___
4. Large multinational companies work through factories in low-income countries where pay and working conditions are very bad. ___
5. You get the same big names in shopping centres all over the world. Local differences are disappearing. ___
6. Globalisation is making it very difficult for smaller national film industries to compete.
7. It’s great to be able to watch the latest Hollywood films on your tablet. ___
8. The benefits of globalisation tend to go to the richest people in any country, so the gap between rich and poor is getting wider. ___
9. We can buy products in the shops from all over the world, and they’re often very cheap. ___
10. Transporting products all round the world is bad for the environment. ___
11. Easier communication is bringing different cultures closer together, which increases international understanding. ___

6 Which of the opinions in Activity ⁦5 are⁩ for (F) globalisation? Which are against (A)?

7. Look at the examples. Then answer the questions below.