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IELTS Up Words!

Lesson 27: Global Problems

Hello, and welcome back! This is lesson twenty-seven of IELTS Up Words! We are here
to start another lesson together and add to our arsenal of words! And no, I am not
referring to that soccer team Arsenal. Arsenal means a building where weapons and
military equipment are stored or a collection of weapons. So, when I say, “an arsenal of
words,” I mean a collection of words. I am actually using arsenal figuratively here. If you
say something figuratively, you use words not in their normal meaning but in a way that
makes a description more interesting or impressive. Make sure to google examples of
figurative language to learn more and use it often.

Anyway, in the previous lesson, we discussed the effects of globalization on businesses.

I said that because of globalization, some large companies might have a monopoly
over the market, i.e. rule the market or dominate it. I am sure you have heard of the
game Monopoly, right?
The word monopoly is used when an organization or group  has complete control  of
something—especially an area of business—so that others have no share .And that is
what I think happens more often as a consequence of globalization.
But globalization is not the only problem these days. Another global issue is aging. In
the next fifty years, an increasing proportion of the world population will move into old
age, which can cause many problems.

What problems do you think an aging population can cause? Think about this question
and then answer it yourself before listening to my response.

I think aging can cause numerous problems in society. For example, an increase in the
percentage of elderly people can be costly for the healthcare system because more
people will be needing treatment and medication. Moreover, as more people retire,
the productivity decreases in society, which will take its toll on the economy. As a result,
economic growth might slow down and salaries decrease.

With all that said, I think these changes in society are inevitable and we need to learn to
adapt to this changing world. Remember the meaning of inevitable?
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IELTS Up Words!

Speaking Tip

The Flashcards Technique

I hope that you are practicing each lesson properly. I have given you some tips on how
to do that so far, but here is another studying activity that you can do: make a flashcard
for every interesting collocation that you learn here. On one side of the flashcard, write
the first part of the collocation and on the other side, write the remaining part. Then
test yourself on these cards or have someone test you and after you correctly say what
that collocation is, give a summary of the lesson from which you took the collocation.
Remember that no matter how you practice, it should be verbalized! I mean, you should
say it out loud and not just in your head!
 LESSON 27 4

topic-related
words and meaning translation other structures
structures
large companies big corporations ‫شرکت‌های بزرگ ممکن‬
might have a might have complete ‫ است انحصار بازار را در‬end monopoly on
monopoly over the control over the land ownership
‫دست داشته باشند‬
market market

a monopoly refers
to when a company
monopoly and its product ‫ انحصار‬monopolize
offerings dominate a
sector or industry

dominate the control or rule the ‫بازار را دردست‌داشـــتن؛‬

market dominance
market market ‫تســـلط بر بازار‬
any issue that
affects the global ‫ مشکل جهانی؛ بحران‬synonym: universal
global issue problem; global
community, such as ‫جهانی‬
challenge
environmental issues
the process of ‫ �پیری؛ سالخوردگی‬ageing (BrE)
aging growing old ageist
a larger proportion ‫ قسمت بزر�گتری از‬proportionate;
of the world a larger number
‫ جمعیت جهان‬proportional
population

elderly people old people ‫سالخورده‬/‫ افراد �پیر‬the elderly

expensive; costing a ‫ هزینه‌بر؛ پرهزینه‬synonym: pricey;

costly lot high-cost
organizations or
policies in place that ‫سیستم بهداشت و‬
the healthcare are designed to plan ‫درمان؛ نظام مراقب‬
system and provide medical ‫بهداشتی‬
care for people

to leave one’s job or ‫ بازنشسته‌شدن‬the retiring

to retire (verb) stop working population
 LESSON 27 5

topic-related
words and meaning translation other structures
structures
the rate at which a
synonym: efficiency
person, company, or ‫; بهره‌وری؛ بازدهی‬productive
productivity country does useful
(adjective)
work

it will hurt the

it will take its toll on economy; it will have ‫ تأثیر منفی‌ای روی‬synonym: take a
the economy an adverse effect on ‫ اقتصاد خواهد گذاشت‬heavy toll
the economy

economic growth,
which is an increase
economic growth in the number of ‫ رشد اقتصادی ممکن‬economic crisis
;compare with
might slow down goods and services ‫است �کند شود‬
economical
produced, might
reduce
learn to become ‫یادگیری وفق‌دادن‬
learn to adapt to adjusted to new ‫خود به این دنیای مدام‬
this changing world conditions ‫درحال‌تغییر‬
 LESSON 27 6

other words/
meaning translation other structures
structures
to add to our ٔ
to add to our collection of words; ‫به مجموعه کلمات خود‬
arsenal of words to widen our ‫بی‌افزا�ییم‬
vocabulary

with a meaning
figuratively that is metaphorical ‫ تمثیلی؛ استعاره‌ای‬opposite: literally
rather than literal

Figurative language
is phrasing that goes
beyond the literal ‫ زبان تمثیلی‬non-literal language
figurative language meaning of words
to get a message or
point across.
from the Latin word
i.e. id est, meaning that ‫ به عبارت دیگر؛ یعنی‬synonym: in other
words; that is to say
is
a result of a ٔ
‫در نتیجه (چیزی)؛ در اثر‬
as a consequence particular action or correspondingly
)‫(چیزی‬
situation
many problems or ‫ مشکالت بسیار‬countless; an array
numerous problems issues of issues
w w w. L i n g e m y. c o m