Текст песни British Council - Development

Development By John Kuti

Why are there so many people in the world without food, water, schools and doctors?

For people living in the rich countries talking about “development” usually means feeling sorry for poor people in poor countries, or feeling happy about pop stars or politicians who say they have done something to help them. But, if you look at it another way, all of the …………………… ………………. is developing.

Twenty years ago the world was divided into three parts. The “first world” was the rich countries of Western Europe, North America and Japan. The Soviet Union and countries ……………………. …………………. with it made another different world, and then there was the “Third World” – countries which had to choose which side they were on. The “Third World” did not get its name for being poor but for being outside of the Cold War, or in fact the places where the Cold War could ……………… …………… a real one.

Then the second world disappeared. This meant that poor countries were only left with one choice if they wanted to get richer – doing business with everyone else on the planet. Many of the poorest countries got professional “help” to do this from the International Monetary Fund, The World Bank and other organizations. These organizations lent them money and told them what kind of …………………….. ………………….. to make in their country.

During the same period the economies of the rich countries have been changing. A lot of industries have closed down or been moved abroad, There has been a big increase in the employment of people who ……………………. ……………………. – complicated services like investments or insurance and simple ones like sandwiches. It’s clearly not true that these countries have finished developing, in fact they are changing faster and faster with every new …………………. and ………………….. .

Development is happening everywhere around the world and it has started to be called “globalization”. There is a ………………. …………………….. that this process is unfair and that it is causing a lot of poverty in poor countries and in rich ones.

Some of the “………… - …………………….. ” are really not interested about economics at all. However, the economic parts of the argument go something like this: International trade is good for a minority of people who ……………………. the ……………………… from big transactions. These rich people tend to spend or save their money in the capitals of rich countries, so they don’t do much to help people in their own countries. The worst situation occurs in areas where there are no resources that the rest of the world wants to buy. International trade can’t help these countries at all.

The world’s wealth ends up going to the richest organizations in the richest countries, the banks and the big companies that are ………………………… … international trade. It leaves the poor countries either to pay back loans, or to buy expensive luxuries, weapons and other things that only the “First World” produces.

1. Read the definitions and guess the English word or phrase:

a) - the state of a region or a country which is defined by the production and consumption of goods and services and the supply of money.
b) - a state of political hostility between countries characterized by threats, propaganda, and other measures short of open warfare, in particular. Such a hostile state existed between the Soviet bloc countries and the Western powers from 1945 to 1990.
c) - to put money into property, financial schemes, shares or a commercial venture in order to achieve a profit.

d) - human beings in general or humankind.

e) - the state of being extremely poor.

f) - a person’s regular occupation, profession, or trade, that brings him (her) financia