week 0 - activity

Women Are Better at Dealing with Money Than MenAn international survey has found out that women are better at managing money than men. They work harder to become financially independent and they are not as likely to get into debt as men.The survey showed that both men and women think the same. Almost 5,000 men and women in 12 countries were asked.Although 40% of women said they used credit cards most of them thought that having more than one credit card could lead to financial problems. On the other side most women admitted that they spent more than men.The results of the survey could help companies understand the needs of women because they live longer and usually have less money when they retire. Women who share their money with their husband often suffer more when a relationship ends. Some of them have saved up money if they get into such a situation, other simply don't care.About 6 out of every 10 women said they were financially independent. However，almost half thought that a man should be responsible for paying the mortgage or house payments.1. Actively read the text.2. Explain the meaning of the bolded words.3. Why do you think women are more financially responsible than men?Words∙survey = a statistical study that shows numbers on a topic∙manage = handle∙independent = you don't need anyone else∙debt= the money that you owe to someone∙lead to = cause∙admit = to agree that something is true∙needs = things that a person has to have in order to live∙retire = to stop working because you have become too old∙share = to have something with someone else∙relationship = a marriage or just living together∙responsible = in charge of , its someone's job∙mortgage = the money that you borrow from a bank so that you can pay for your house; you pay back a certain amount every monthChina Overtakes US Car IndustryFor the first time in history more cars have been sold in China than in the United States. One of the reasons is that the economic crisis has not hit China as badly as the United States. Although sales are also down compared to the figures of last year there are still many customers in Chinese car showrooms.China has a lot to catch up on. Car analysts point out that in the United States there are 800 cars for 1000 people. In China the same figure is only 20 cars. For many Chinese buying a car is a big event because most of them have never had one before. It’s not just a transport ation tool like in the US or Europe. In China it’s still a status symbol.With a growth of over 20% per year China has the fastest-growing automobile market in the world. Even though sales have been down due to the recession they are still better than anywhere else in the world.In order to encourage growth the government has offered to help motorists and the smaller carmakers of the country. Tax on smaller vehicles has also been reduced and there are subsidies for those who want to exchange an old car for a new one. Even though most Chinese buy smaller local models those who can afford it buy American and European cars.Water - Another Global Crisis?Each human needs about 20 litres of water a day for the basics- washing, cooking and drinking. But there are many places around the world, where people get five litres of water and less to live on. The situation is worst in Africa, especially some communities of Eastern Africa.Why do some places have so little water and how will the availability of water change in the future? Across the world 1.6 b more people have access to clean drinking water than twenty years ago. But population growth and climate change could alter this picture. In some regions water is becoming very scarce, especially in places where consumption is already very high.There are several rivers, for example, that don’t even reach the sea any more. The Yellow River in China and the Murray-Darling in Australia are two examples. Mud and sand have to be removed from the bottom of the rivers so that they don’t dry up. The Aral Sea in Central Asia and Lake Chad in Africa have shrunk in size because the rivers that flow into them have dried up. In Tanzania, streams are drying up because people are taking out more and more water to irrigate crops.According to an international committee on climate change the warmer it gets the more rainfall we are going to have, simply because warmer air can hold more moisture. But the weather patterns are probably going to shift, meaning more water in regions that don’t have that much rainfall today.Southern Europe and Northern Africa, as well as parts of Australia and South America will experience less rainfall, whereas more rain may fall in India, Bangladesh and Burma. Monsoons in these areas may become heavier, meaning that the water may run off and cannot be used.With about 2.5 billion people more on our earth by the year 2050 we will need more drinking water as well. Those people will need more food. Because farming uses up about 70% of all the water supplies, water for cooking, washing and drinking will diminish.Industrialized nations will be able to cope with the problem in a better way because they have the money to do so. Western Australia and some Middle Eastern countries are building desalination plants, expensive ways of getting clean water from the ocean.Governments and societies will have to decide much more carefully what to do with water. Even in the Amazon rainforest, where water should be plentiful a combination of human settlement, deforestation and the drying of some streams have brought about a decline in the water supply.Words∙access = to get∙according to = as shown by, as said by∙alter = change∙availability =something that can be used or is here∙basics = the things you need to live and survive∙community= people who live in the same area, like a town or neighborhood ∙consumption =the amount that is used∙cope = deal∙crops = plants like wheat or rice that farmers grow and use as food ∙decline = to go down∙deforestation = the cutting and burning down of trees in a place∙desalination plant= a factory that turns salt water from the ocean into drinking water∙diminish = to become smaller or less∙especially =above all∙experience = here: have, see∙human settlement = people who build villages and towns∙industrialized nation = rich nations of the world∙irrigate = to cover dry land with water∙moisture = small bits of water that are in the air∙plentiful = a lot of∙population growth = when more and more people live on Earth∙reach = get to∙remove = take away∙run off =go away∙shift = change∙shrink- shrunk = to become smaller∙society = people in general∙stream = a small river∙supplies = the amount of something that can be used∙use up = need∙weather pattern = the way weather happens over a period of days or weeks ∙whereas = on the other side。