Listening
Living conditions 1
Living conditions around the world vary from country to country.
Some countries have very large economies, but the majority of their citizens are poor.
Other countries have smaller economies, but the majority of their citizens are NOT poor.
So the size of a country’s economy isn’t the only factor that determines how wealthy its citizens are.
The size of its population is also an important factor.
Another factor is how a country’s wealth is distributed between the rich and the poor.
Let’s look at some examples.
This chart shows the world’s 5 largest economies in 2015.
It ranks the countries by their Gross Domestic Product, or GDP.
The GDP is one way of measuring the size of an economy.
It is the total value of the goods and services produced in a country in a year.
As you can see, according to this chart, the US and China had the largest economies.
According to the chart, India had the third largest economy in the world.
Its economy was bigger than Japan’s.
However, the average living conditions in Japan are much higher than in India.
One reason for this is the difference in population.
India has a much larger population, so its wealth is distributed among a much larger number of people.
You can find this information by checking a country’s GDP per capita(人头).
Per capita means per person.
If two countries have the same GDP, but one country has half the number of people, its GDP per capita is twice as large.
Another important factor is how the wealth of a country is shared.
In some countries much of the wealth is concentrated in just a few people.
For example, in the US, just 5% of the population had more than 70% of the wealth.
This shows that many US citizens are not wealthy despite the size of their economy.
In fact, the wealth share held by the wealthiest 10% was more than 10 times bigger than the rest of the population.
One reason is that Japan’s population is much smaller than India’s.
Living conditions 2
As we have seen, much of the wealth of the US is concentrated in just a few people.
10% of its population has an estimated 75% of the wealth in 2015.
In this chart we see some comparisons with other countries.
In contrast to the US, 10% of Japan’s population had less than half of the total wealth.
In China, in 2014, the estimated share of top 10% were 64%, but this number was rising.
Russia had the highest concentration of wealth, at over 80%.
India, which has one of the largest economies, had a largest share of world’s poorest people.
The share of wealth of its richest 10% is 370 times that of its poorest 10%.
A major challenge for a government is to improve the living conditions of its citizens.
As we have seen, growing an economy isn’t enough.
Population growth and distribution of wealth are also important factor.
Improving education and developing job skills can help people move up in an economy.
With better education and training, the poor can increase their ability to get better jobs and raise their income.
However, taxes are needed to pay for social services, including health and education.
Some countries tax the rich a higher rate than the poor.
However, if taxes are too high, it can discourage investment and risk taking.
This is because investors wouldn’t take risks unless the rewards are high.
So, as you can see, these are complex issues.
Vocabulary
Describing Actions
Silly: foolish or stupid or ridiculous; the opposite of serious.
He is being silly, so we should just ignore him.
That’s a silly idea, so I don’t think she means what she’s saying.
He expects people to laugh when he’s being silly, but I don’t think it’s funny.
This is no time for silly behavior, so I’m asking everyone to work harder and take things seriously.
That’s a silly idea, so I don’t think she means what she’s saying.
The words silly and serious are antonyms because they have opposite meanings.
That kind of silly behavior isn’t acceptable in our office.
Amazing: to be incredible(难以置信) or so good as to be hard to believe; the opposite of ordinary.
That company’s new products are truly amazing.
She gave an amazing performance, especially after all the difficulties she had to overcome.
Crucial: to be of extreme importance or an essential part; the opposite of optional.
It’s crucial that we get them to sign the contract by the end of the week.
Getting that data is crucial for our success.
We need her help because she has unique skills that are crucial for the success of our project.
Impressive: to stand out and be unforgettable in a good way.
His presentation was so impressive that we decided to hire him right away.
They have an impressive website, but the quality of their products is pathetic(可怜).
Realistic: to be possible and attainable(可实现的).
That deadline isn’t realistic, so we need to ask for more time.
He isn’t being realistic when he expects to charge such high prices for his products.
His proposal wasn’t realistic because he doesn’t understand the details and potential risks of such a product.
It's a silly proposal, so nobody is going to support it.
She has an amazing voice, so I love to listen to her sing.
Personal Traits
Sincere: to be honest and trustworthy.
I think she was being sincere, so I think we can trust her.
Sometime it’s very difficult to know if someone is being sincere or is just a good liar.
I thought he was being sincere, but when I looked into his background it seems that he can’t be trusted.
Naive(幼稚): overly simple and lacking experience.
He wants to change the world, but he's very naive, so he needs someone to help him.
I think we can take advantage of him because he's naive and impatient.
Brilliant: highly intelligent, or exceptional in brightness; the opposite of dull.
There is no doubt that he is a brilliant scientist, but he is a very poor manager.
It’s amazing how such a brilliant man can be so stupid around women.
He's brilliant but naive, so he needs someone with a lot of experience to help him.
Cruel: mean, manipulative and hurtful; the opposite of kind.
He can be cruel when he doesn’t like someone, so don’t expect him to be nice to you.
I was shocked by how cruel he was when he fired her.
People who are cruel to animals should be punished for their behavior.
Clever: innovative, creative, very smart.
He found a clever solution that allowed us to reduce costs.
Advertisers are very clever at getting people to buy things they don’t really need.
They have developed a very clever way to increase the efficiency of their sales team.
He isn’t as clever as he thinks he is, so we may be able to find a weakness in his plan.
It appeared to be a clever idea at first, but it failed because it ignored some important details.
Skeptical(怀疑的): needs proof or evidence to overcome doubts; the opposite of convinced.
I’m sure they will be skeptical of our results, so we need to bring convincing evidence.
I’m skeptical that such a simple design can satisfy our requirements.
Dialogue
Winning a Lottery
M1：Guess what? I’ve just won the lottery, 50 million dollars.
M2：You are kidding. Are you sure it’s for real? And there isn’t a mistake?
M1：No, I’ve checked and confirmed it.
M2：Wow, that’s fantastic. Congratulations.
M1：I never expected this, so now I’ve got to figure out what to do with it.
M2：Yes, you do, and be careful. I’m telling you, everything is about to change.
M1：Emm, I’m still in shock. So I haven’t had time to think.
M2：With all your money, what about your friends?
M1：You mean you, right?
M2：Sure, why not? Why don’t you give me a new car?
M1：And then what? Sure, if I start giving things to my friends, it will never stop. I’ve got to think.
M2：One thing for sure, you'll have no trouble finding a girlfriend now.
M1：Yeah, you’re probably right. I might as well have some fun and enjoy the rich life for a while. It would be great to have a nice girlfriend. I’ve never been successful with women.
M2：What are you going to do about your job?
M1：I’ll give notice right away and finish the project I’ve been working on.
M2：That’s nice. I’m sure the company will appreciate it. Then what?
M1：Then I’ll take some time for myself and think about what I want to do.
M2：Any ideas?
M1：Nothing definite. But I’ve been considering starting my own business. Or maybe invest in something interesting.
M2：Be careful about investing. One of my best friends became an investor after he sold some stocks in the company he was working for. He’s really smart but he got fooled into investing a lot of money into a company that went bankrupt. He ended up losing his entire investment.
M1：What happened then?
M2：His wife devoiced him and took most of his assets with her. So now he has to work again. So even smart people can be fooled.
M1：Well, I’m in no hurry, so I’ll be careful. I think the first thing I’ll do is buy a nice house and help my parents. They’ve worked hard all their lives, but they are still barely able to survive on what they have.
M2：Hmm, that sounds like a good plan. Whatever you do, don’t let this go to your head. Try not to lose who you are.
M1：Don’t worry, I won’t. I know what you mean.
I never expected this, so now I've got to figure out what to do with it.
He’s sure he won because he has confirmed it.
He needs enough time to figure out what to do with the money.
He hasn’t had enough time to think about what he’s going to do with it.
He isn’t being serious, but is only joking with his friend.
If he starts giving things to his friends, they’ll never stop asking for more.
He’s going to have fun and enjoy been rich for a while.
They think there will be many women who will be attracted to him because of his money.
Many women like men with money.
He’s going to give notice and then finish the project he’s been working on.
He’ll take some time for himself and thinks about what he wants to do.