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C1-Reading-The State of The World - Lesson by The British Council
C1-Reading-The State of The World - Lesson by The British Council
Before reading
Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.
Preparation task
Match the definitions (a–h) with the vocabulary (1–8).
Vocabulary Definitions
1. …d… to eradicate a. to support
2. …a… to sustain b. to make something increase or become stronger
3. …g… a civilian c. methods of preventing pregnancy
4. …e… life expectancy d. to make something disappear forever
5. …c… contraception e. how long a person is expected to live
6. …b… to fuel f. positive thinking
7. …h… to be down to g. someone who is not a soldier
8. …f… optimism h. to be the result of
Tasks
Task 1
Match the numbers with the facts they represent.
1. What does the word ‘apparently’ in the first paragraph tell us about the rise in violence we
see in the news?
a. The rise is obviously true.
b. The rise seems to be true but evidence might show it isn’t.
c. The rise seems false but evidence might show it’s true.
Discussion
How optimistic are you about the world?
I always try to stay optimistic, since I know there are plenty of marvelous things about the world
we live in, both in terms of it as a natural environment and the variety of unique cultures, cities
and inventions that exist thanks to humanity. However, I must admit I cannot help but feel slightly
disappointed and upset every time I hear bad news, specially when they have to do with rates of
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violence around the world, but I try not to think about it for too long, so that I may continue
enjoying life the way it was meant to be.