Vocabulary

Government (Gobierno)
Complain about (Quejarse)
Bribe (Soborno)
Speeding (Exceso de Velocidad)
Offers (Ofertas)
Job (Trabajo)
Unavoidable (Inevitable)
Non-government-backed (No respaldada por el gobierno)
Exposing (Exposición)
Poverty (Pobreza)
One-fifth (Un Quinto)
Lack (Carencia)
Supplies (suministros)
According (Conforme)
Starvation (Inanición)
Preventable (Evitable)
Disease (Enfermedad)
Ranging from (Que van desde)
Worldwide (En todo el mundo)
Wealthy nations (Naciones Ricas)
Aid (Ayuda)
Unless (A no ser que)
Reasons (Razones)
Rise (Subir

A.UNDERSTAND FROM CONTEXT Match each definition with a word from the box.
C 1 a lack of necessary money to survive
B 2 the attempt to destroy all members of a racial or ethnic group
E 3 judging or harming people because of their racial or ethnic heritage
A 4 money paid or some other reward given to a person to perform a dishonest or unethical act or to provide a favor
D 5 the abuse of power by people in government or business
F 6 the belief that other racial or ethnic groups are inferior to one’s own
C. CRITICAL THINKING Discuss each of the following.
1 Reread the section on corruption in the Reading. What do all acts of corruption have in common? Do you think it is possible
to end corruption, or do you feel that it is a part of human nature? Use specific examples in your discussion.
There are at least five common factors that shape corruption: a) Concentration of power and wealth associated with impunity,
b) Deepening of social inequalities both in material terms and in rights and duties, c) Rationality d) Fall of certain values as
the basis of public-governmental decisions and e) Egoism-individualism-individual reason.

2 What are some of the causes of poverty, and what are its effects?
The most probable cause of poverty is corruption and the diversion of different resources from the highest levels of
government to local leaders. Another cause of poverty is inequality, in this case the world population does not have the same
resources for its inhabitants. Thinking about the individual and not the collective good

3 In your opinion, why do people engage in acts of terrorism? Is terrorism an expression of power or powerlessness and
frustration? Provide examples to support your opinion.
People engage in acts of terrorism for a reason, and the most obvious is that terrorism as a label is often applied by states or
other political actors to describe the violence of groups or individuals who are perceived as their enemies or opponents.
However, other types of violence that are objectively similar are not classified as terrorism if they are carried out by allied
groups from those same States.
As an example, we can name the terrorist act of September 11, where it is believed that it was the same state that
orchestrated that attack due to the powerlessness to see its economy gradually collapse.
4 What reasons do people have to hate other groups? Is hatred of another group ever understandable, appropriate, or
justified? Explain the reasons for your opinion.
Hatred between cultures, peoples, religions and, more generally, between human groups is often explained by people's
ignorance and limitations. Most of us humans are unable to make complete and personal opinions on the big questions.
Therefore, we are partially excusable.
By contrast, opinion makers who use and manipulate the minds of others to arouse prejudice and hatred among peoples and
human groups are reprehensible.
Before launching any prejudice, we must equip ourselves with: a) intellectual instruments to reveal the irrationality of the
hatreds that so much suffering brings, and b) legal instruments to penalize those who propagate and promote them.
5 Do you see a single problem connecting all four issues in the Reading? If so, what is it?
If the problem that I see that connects the four problems in my opinion is ambition, ambition for power, ambition for money,
ambition to be more dominant and to possess more than the other, ambition to want them to think and believe in the things
that said person creates.

B ACTIVATE LANGUAGE FROM A TEXT Based on the information in the Reading, cross out the one word or phrase in
each row that is unrelated to the others. Explain your reasoning.
1 people politics ethnic groups races
2 money property income racism
3 bribe corruption discrimination money
4 hunger starvation domination lack of food
5 racism business discrimination prejudice
CORRUPTIONPeople all over the world complain about the corruption of police, government officials, and business leaders.
Two examples of corruption are:•A police officer takes money (a “bribe”) from a driver so he doesn’t give the driver a ticket
for speeding.•A company that wants to do business with a government agency offers a public official money or a gift to
choose that company for the job.Some people feel that power promotes corruption and that corruption is unavoidable. But
an independent media—for example, non-government-backed newspapers, television stations, and Internet blogs—can
also play an important role in exposing corruption.POVERTYApproximately one-fifth of the world’s population, over 1 billion
people, earns less than US $1 a day. Each day, over a billion people in the world lack basic food supplies. And according to
UNICEF, each day, 25,000 children under the age of five die of starvation or preventable infectious