Magazine Consumer society
Introduction
You can listen to a recording of this article at:
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/magazine-articles/consumer-society
This support pack contains the following materials:
a pre-reading vocabulary activity
the article that you can listen to
a comprehension activity based on the article
Before you read
Exercise 1
In the table are words from the text. Below are sentences containing these words. Can you put the words
into the gaps in the sentences?
choice
choose
influenced
probably
rewarding
unemployed
wrapping
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The could find work more easily if we didn't work more than 6 hours per day.
Being able to make your own things is more than buying.
We should be able to environmentally friendly products.
Consumers enjoy having a .
Some products have too much .
Try not to be by advertising.
If you enjoy making something it is good quality.
Read the article
Consumer society
by Julie Bray
There is enough on earth for everybodys need,
but not for everyones greed.
Gandhi
If we only bought things we needed, there would
be enough for everybody. What do we need?
What you need depends on how old you are and
your way of life. Rearrange the list of things you
can buy and put the things you think we most
need at the top of the list.
A coat
Levis jeans
A CD player
A dental check-up
A restaurant meal
Jewellery
A pair of trainers
Water
A pair of jeans
Paper
A telephone
Gold-coloured laces in
your trainers
Food
Paracetamol
An iPod
Toothpaste
Cushion covers
An appointment at the
hair salon
Shampoo
Beer
A packet of M&Ms
Table mats which
match the curtains
If we dont need to buy so much, we dont need to
work so much. We can take part-time jobs or
reduce our working day from 8 hours to 6 hours.
Some people are leaving very well-paid jobs to
live a healthier life in the countryside or a more
exciting life abroad. This is called downshifting.
Parents can spend more time with their children
and the unemployed are given more opportunities
to work.
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Magazine Consumer society
Who made it?
Do you know? If a friend made it, you probably
like it more and you will want to keep it for a long
time. If it was made by somebody who enjoyed
making it, the quality and the design are probably
better. Or does it look like it might have been
assembled in a large factory?
If we start to respect saving the earth more than
spending money, we will become conservers.
When we are conservers, we try to choose
environmentally friendly products which are
durable and last a long time. We may find
growing our own vegetables or making our own
clothes more rewarding than buying them.
What was the best thing you bought last
week?
Could you choose from lots of different types?
We like having a choice of what to buy. People
who buy things are called consumers.
Consumers have choices. We usually choose the
colour, taste, smell or size of what we buy, but
there are other choices we can make. The
following questions will help you to consider
these choices.
Where was it made?
If you dont like the place it was made, you might
decide not to buy that particular product. A lot of
people dont buy products from certain countries
when they dont like the way the country is run.
Was it made in a factory or on a local farm? If the
product was unbelievably cheap, the people who
made it might not have been paid much.
There are children in Asia who make Santa Claus
dolls for European children to play with. The
children who make the toys dont celebrate
Christmas because they are not Christian; they
think of the dolls as work. Would it be better if the
children in Europe made their own Christmas
dolls?
What is it made from?
One of the places where we want to buy
expensive luxuries is at the airports duty-free
shop. Next to the chocolate and cigarettes, there
are beautifully shaped bottles and compact boxes
full of perfumes and creams which promise to
make you look and feel more beautiful. If you look
at the ingredients you will find that the perfumes
are mainly alcohol and the creams are mainly
made of petroleum!
Almost all products are sold in packaging. Some
products have too much packaging, creating
more rubbish and using up resources. Some use
recycled packaging, which is better for the
environment.
Next time you go shopping, think about what you
really need to buy. Dont deprive yourself of
things you like, but decide what you should buy
before you go out, so that you wont be
influenced by advertisements or promotions. If it
is more expensive to buy goods which dont have
much packaging and things which are more
durable, buy less. If you can choose to work less,
decide which things you would like to make, do or
grow yourself. Even though you have less
money, your life will become richer!
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The United Kingdoms international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.
Magazine Consumer society
After reading
Exercise 2
Decide which is the best answer to each of the following questions/statements about the text.
1. Taking a job where you work less and are paid less is called:
a. consumerism
b. downshifting
c. conservation
2. If you are a conserver, you:
a. throw your things away so you have less
b. look after your things well and keep them for a long time
c. only eat vegetables you grow yourself
3. When we buy something, we can usually choose:
a. the size and colour
b. where it comes from
c. where it is made
4. We can tell that the people who made a product were not paid well when:
a. the product is not made well
b. they forget to put the label on
c. the product is unbelievably cheap
5. Most perfumes and creams are made from:
a. plastic
b. alcohol and petroleum
c. plants
6. If we don't use something very often we should:
a. put it in a safe place
b. buy a cheaper one
c. borrow one from somebody else or lend our own to others
7. The working day could be:
a. reduced to 6 hours
b. from 6-8 hours
c. reduced to 8 hours
Answers:
Exercise 1
1. unemployed; 2. rewarding; 3. choose; 4. choice; 5. wrapping; 6. influenced; 7. probably
Exercise 2
1. b; 2. b; 3. a; 4. c; 5. b; 6. c; 7. a
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