IENA 2020

ANGLAIS
 ANGLAIS CONCOURS IENA 2020
Scripts des dialogues enregistrés , résumés et questions

Numéro TITRE
Dialogue 1 Pink Tax in New York
Dialogue 2 STEM vs Humanities
Dialogue 3 Deepfake videos
Dialogue 4 Combating pandemic threats
Dialogue 5 Counterfeit goods
Dialogue 6 Trump's wall
Dialogue 7 Big store is watching you
Dialogue 8 Enough of Remembrance Day
Dialogue 9 The death of George Floyd
Dialogue 10 Travel influencers
Dialogue 11 The great American labour paradox
Dialogue 12 The rise of micro-chipping
Dialogue 13 Student newspapers
Dialogue 14 Women's world football tournament
Dialogue 15 The other side of the sharing economy
Dialogue 16 Brexit : the end of an era
Dialogue 17 Can fashion ever be sustainable ?
Dialogue 18 Supersize school classes
Dialogue 19 Healthcare delivered to your door?
Dialogue 20 Extinction Rebellion
Dialogue 21 Sports and Technology
Dialogue22 Fires in California and Australia
Dialogue23 Are Electric cars the solution…
Dialogue 24 What if there were no Internet?
Dialogue 25 Slow Travel
Dialogue 26 Scottish independence
Dialogue 27 Geographic mobility
Dialogue 28 Camp Millionaire
Dialogue 29 Work experience in pajamas
Dialogue 30 The untapped potential of longevity
Dialogue 31 Climate change anxiety
Dialogue 32 Trump and the media
Dialogue 33 UK shopping centre crisis
Dialogue 34 Alarming number of pedestrians killed…
Dialogue 35 Skills that won't be automated
Dialogue 36 Instagram influencers
Dialogue 37 Banning eating on public transport
Dialogue 38 Spy satellites
Dialogue 39 A new esport degree
Dialogue 40 How to stop wasting food?
Dialogue 1 Pink tax in New York

A: Nice to see you Bill. Have you heard of the Pink Tax? You know, the fact that women pay
more than men for many products that are essentially the same? The governor of New York,
Andrew Cuomo, wants to eliminate this by passing a law banning gender-based price
disparities. That’s a great idea! Why should women pay more for the same products?

B: Yes, I have heard about it, Melinda. But the main point is that it’s not really a ‘tax’ at all,
so I think we should be careful about what the governor is actually proposing.

A: Why are you saying it’s not real? Women definitely pay more for a whole range of
products. The classic example - razors; women’s ones are always more expensive. There’s a
lot of evidence from all sectors: clothing, medicine, kids’ products, dry-cleaning services, and
many more. It’s reckoned that women pay an extra $1300 per year for essentially the exact
same products as men!

B: I’m not saying that women’s consumer goods aren’t more expensive in some cases but that
the term pink ‘tax’ is misleading – it’s just not a government tax.

A: But Cuomo cited research that indicated women often end up with a bigger bill for items
like toys, clothing and personal care products. Is he lying?

B: No. But what he is talking about is just the outcome of normal market forces – it’s the
result of supply and demand. For some reason these products sell for more because women
are willing to pay more for them. Nobody’s forcing them to buy them, Melinda.

A: I see the point, but I think it’s superficial, Bill.

B: I’m going further. In my opinion the Governor is misguided, and just wants to add some
more red tape to companies who are simply responding to market forces. I’m pro-market, so
in principle I’m against any interference like this.

A: OK. But market forces don’t always produce the best outcome for society as a whole.

B: Not always, I agree. However, in this case, I believe it does. If women want the prices to
change, they should simply stop buying them.

A: That’s easy for you to say, but in reality, it’s not so simple. To begin with, this practice is
so widespread, and so engrained in our culture, that it’s hard for women to find alternatives.
That is extremely annoying. You must look hard to find some websites and apps that women
can use to compare prices, and identify companies that don’t price-discriminate based on
gender.

B: That illustrates my argument. The market is in the process of correcting itself. Eventually
the price differences should disappear.

A: But why should we have to go through the trouble of constantly checking to see if we are
being ripped-off, just for being a woman? Governor Cuomo is right – there is a strong case to
intervene in this case, in the name of fairness.

B: Why? People, in general, aren’t rational, and they prefer style over substance. Just take
your logic to the conclusion – do you want to ban brands and logos simply because people
choose to pay more for branded goods? Who are you to say that what people desire is wrong?
The market does not discriminate!
A: I think you are missing the bigger picture, which is the role that gender stereotypes play in
distorting your precious ‘market’, and the unfairness that results from it. Take one example,
there is pressure on a parent to buy a pink bicycle helmet for their daughter over a blue one –
they don’t want their children to feel different.

B: That’s not the helmet company’s fault.

A: Another point. Women earn less and pay more. Women still only earn 80 cents for every
dollar a man earns, not to mention all the other inequalities women face in the workplace. It
seems to me, Bill, that Governor Cuomo’s attempt to address this issue is legitimate on a
deeper level than you are willing to take into account. It’s part of the larger fight against
gender discrimination.

B: I disagree. Where would it stop? The government would have to intervene in all instances
of unfairness, and that would be impossible.

A: Maybe, but I’m glad the Pink tax is on the way out!

Summary
In 2019, Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo proposed legislation to eliminate the so-
called “pink tax” in New York. That is the higher price that some companies charge for
women’s products as opposed to similar men’s merchandise. The debate is centered on
whether or not, in this case state, should legislate or not, and on what basis. There are strong
arguments on each side, which represent a classic public policy debate, but on a doubly
topical issue – gender equality, and the limits to market freedom – even when it results in
unfair outcomes.

Questions
1. Are you aware of any products for women which are more expensive than those for
men?
2. Do you think that Governor Cuomo’s plans could work?
3. Should governments interfere in the market?
4. Why is the resolution of the problem of gender inequality taking such a long time?
Dialogue 2 STEM vs Humanities

A: Hi Alex, nice to see you again. How is the family – am I right in thinking your daughter is
just about to go to university? What’s she going to study?

B: Hello Lusi. Yes, that’s right, she’s going to do a joint degree in history and literature.

A: What on earth is she doing that for? Everybody knows those kinds of degrees are out of
date now, and don’t prepare you for a decent job in the modern world. She should be doing
one of the STEM subjects.

B: Sorry, STEM….?

A: You know, the subjects that really count nowadays; STEM stands for Science,
Technology, Engineering and Maths. Those are the ones that prepare young people for a good
career in cutting-edge companies.

B: I disagree. I’ve read a study on Silicon Valley companies in California. Those companies
believed for years that the only proper education was Science, Technology, Engineering and
Maths. But when the researcher talked to the recruitment managers at the biggest tech
companies, they were looking for humanities graduates – people with degrees in history,
English, psychology, languages, philosophy and so on. For example, Uber was hiring
psychology graduates to deal with unhappy riders and drivers; a restaurant group was hiring
English graduates to motivate their managers.

A: That’s the kind of job anybody can do.

B: No. The ability to communicate and get along with other people, understand how they feel,
and think critically – those skills are really important, and not everyone has them. When
LinkedIn did research on the most sought-after skills by employers, the three most wanted
“soft skills” were creativity, persuasion, and collaboration, and people management was one
of the top five “hard skills”.

A: Well, no company would need those kinds of people if you did not have the engineers, the
scientists, the mathematicians, software and algorithm designers, not to mention the
entrepreneurs – people capable of innovation and creating great modern businesses.

B: That’s true of course. But another point: other recruiters say perhaps the biggest skill
needed today is empathy. That’s not just feeling sorry for people with problems. It means the
ability to understand the needs and wants of a diverse group of people. A manager of a
clinical drug test, for example, needs to get doctors, nurses, patients, researchers all working
together – for which you need empathy!

A: All right. But so many of these kinds of degrees don’t prepare you for a good job. If you
do a degree in computer science, software design and so on, you are prepared for a great
career. Engineers are always in high demand. People who study history, art or literature reach
the end of their studies and have no idea what they want to do. They have no focus; their
degree has only prepared them for unemployment. The best jobs go to the STEM students.

B: That’s not true. A recruitment company looked at the top ten best jobs in the UK. They
defined “best” by combining three elements; earning potential, overall job satisfaction rating,
and the number of job openings. They found that 8 of the 10 best jobs were in managerial
positions, jobs which humanities graduates are ideally prepared for. Many of them were
outside STEM-based industries. The first engineering role does not appear until the 18th rank.
A: But humanities jobs come with a higher risk of unemployment; they can lose their jobs
more easily. And the highest salaries in the UK go to those who study medicine or dentistry,
economics or maths; in the US it is engineering, physical science, or business. Or take another
example of students who study for a well-targeted vocational degree – those who study law. If
you become a lawyer, judge or magistrate, you can reckon to earn on average $94,000 a year.
Pretty good!

B: Except that the same study shows that history graduates average $143,000, and foreign
language graduates $148,000. Even better!

A: Well, I hope your daughter is one of those successful ones.

B: Of course. And for most people it’s not a choice of STEM versus the humanities; the
important thing is to choose the subject that you love the most. If you follow your passion, no
degree is a useless one.

Summary
This debate concerns the value of a humanities degree compared with a STEM degree
(Science, Technology, Maths and Engineering), in terms of future employment possibilities.
One speaker believes that the practical and vocational nature of degrees in engineering,
technology, computing etc, prepares a young person to get the best jobs. The second speaker
points out that modern recruiters are often looking for ‘softer’ skills such as creativity,
persuasion and collaboration; and that these jobs often earn better salaries.

Questions
1. Do you agree with the three criteria for best jobs in the dialogue – earning potential,
job satisfaction, and number of job openings?
2. Can you learn empathy, the ability to understand how other people feel and think, or
is it something you are born with?
3. ‘Boys do science, girls do the humanities’ – is this old stereotype still relevant?
4. The dialogue ends “If you follow your passion, no degree is a useless one”. Is that
true?
Dialogue 3 Deepfake Videos

A: Camera apps have become increasingly sophisticated. Users can elongate legs, remove
spots, add on animal ears and now, some can even create false videos that look very real. The
technology used to create such videos has quickly become accessible to the masses, and they
are called “deepfakes.” However, deepfakes are raising a set of challenging policy,
technology, and legal issues. With me in the studio to discuss those issues is Alan Thompson,
a researcher in cybersecurity. Alan, what is the origin of the word ‘deepfake’?

B: The word “deepfake” combines the terms “deep learning” and “fake”. Deep learning is a
form of Artificial Intelligence and refers to algorithms that can learn and make intelligent
decisions on their own. The technology to create deepfakes was once limited to professionals
— A.I. programmers and Hollywood special-effects producers. But new apps and widespread
adoption of A.I. tools have made it easier — and more dangerous — to make basic deepfakes.

A: In what way are they dangerous?

B: One of the uses of deepfakes is to make people appear to say and do things they haven’t.
For instance, they could be used to undermine the reputation of a political candidate by
making the candidate appear to say or do things that never actually occurred. Or create a
deepfake of an emergency alert warning that an attack was imminent.

A: So they are a powerful new tool for those who might want to use misinformation to
influence an election. Can you give us an example?

B: Yes. A video of US Congress House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was manipulated to slow her
speech, so that she sounded drunk, or confused. It went viral on social media in the spring of
last year with help from President Trump. When the authenticity of the video was challenged,
the technology platforms, already under scrutiny for disinformation spread on their sites, were
forced to respond to a new challenge. After Facebook refused to take down the doctored
Pelosi video, two British artists challenged the social media platform’s policies by posting a
farcical deepfake video of the Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on Instagram,
which Facebook owns.

A: What are some of the more general policy issues relating to deepfakes?

B: As the technology is advancing so rapidly, it is important for policymakers to think now

about possible responses. This means looking at developing detection tools and raising public
awareness, but also considering the underlying social and political dynamics that make
deepfakes potentially so dangerous.

A: But doesn’t simulating actual faces completely realistically require a significant team of
people with specialised skills and technology?

B: That used to be true, but it's now become possible to create a competent deepfake with
only a small amount of input material. What’s more, the lengthy process is being automated,
allowing people without that specialist knowledge to make videos that may be less
sophisticated but can be generated much faster.

A: Are deepfakes illegal?

B: It's a difficult question, and still unresolved. The First Amendment protects the right of a
politician to lie to people. It protects the right to publish wrong information, by accident or on
purpose. The marketplace of ideas is meant to sort the truth from falsehood, not a government
censor, or a censor enforcing arbitrary terms of service on a social media platform.

A: So, can anything be done to stop the spread of deepfakes?

B: Yes. While AI can be used to make deepfakes, it can also be used to detect them. With the
technology becoming accessible to any computer user, more and more researchers are
focusing on deepfake detection and looking for a way of regulating it.

A: And what are the big social media companies doing to combat deepfakes?

B: Large corporations such as Facebook and Microsoft have taken initiatives to detect and
remove deepfake videos. The two companies announced earlier this year that they will be
collaborating with top universities across the U.S. to create a large database of fake videos for
research. The problem is that detection techniques often lag behind the most advanced
creation methods. The question is, will people be more likely to believe a deepfake or a
detection algorithm that flags the video as fabricated?

Summary
A cybersecurity expert is interviewed about so-called “deepfake” videos, videos which look
real but are in fact fake. The technology to create such videos has become accessible to the
masses and this represents a potential source of danger. For example, deepfakes can be used
to undermine the reputation of a political candidate by making the candidate appear to say or
do things that never actually occurred. It is important for policymakers to think now about
possible responses. This means looking at developing detection tools and raising public
awareness. The problem is that detection techniques often lag behind the most advanced
creation methods.

Questions
1. Have you seen any examples of deepfake videos?
2. What is the relationship between deepfake videos and fake news?
3. How seriously should we take the warnings about the possible dangers of deepfakes?
4. Should there be more controls over what is shown on the internet?
Dialogue 4 Combating Pandemic Threats

A : Hello, I’m Jenny Evans, and I am here today in Manhattan, New York City, at Columbia
University. The university’s Centre for Public Health is here, and it is home to the CII, the
Centre for Infection and Immunity, one of the world’s leading research institutes for
infectious diseases. With me is Dr Jeffrey Shaman who is going to explain to us some of the
work going on here, including their study of the coronavirus. Dr Shaman, what does the
Centre for Infection and Immunity do?

B: Thank you for coming Jenny. Acute infectious diseases are the leading cause of death in
the developing world, and even the third leading cause of death here in the United States –
this was before the coronavirus of course. As the world becomes increasingly connected
through travel and trade, the probability of infectious disease pandemics is higher than ever.
We try to develop programs to combat those threats.

A: Can you give some examples of work you have done here at Columbia?

B: We have been researching disease for more than 30 years, and have helped with response
strategies against HIV/AIDS, Ebola, H1N1 flu, SARS, and many others. Our overall mission
is to enable scientists and doctors to manage potential threats before they become worldwide.
If possible!

A: How do you do this?

B: The first step is diagnosis; we receive more than 40,000 samples every year from around
the world, which we screen for threats. For example, about 70% of emerging infectious
agents originate in animals. We have laboratory and field projects which monitor viruses in
wildlife and domestic animals to try to understand, and even predict, when a disease will
jump from animals to humans. Though we are not yet completely successful; coronavirus
was not predicted!

A: Let’s talk about the worldwide spread of this infectious disease. We all know of course
about how it began in China – what is your assessment of the initial response of the Chinese
authorities?

B: First of all, no country implemented travel restrictions as effectively as the Chinese. They
essentially put about 800 million people under house arrest! Those people therefore only had
contact with a handful of people per day, rather than hundreds. That came at huge economic
cost – and the economic consequences have affected the whole world. But it did mean that
the progress of the disease was actually restricted at the beginning.

A: But of course, China was unable to halt the spread of the disease.

B: There was a great deal of what we call “stealth transmission”, where undetected cases
moved around and spread the disease. They presented a major challenge in terms of
containing the outbreak.

A: What about the overall international response to the spread of the coronavirus?

B: Governments tried to make available personal protective equipment, set up intensive care
systems in hospitals, and introduce travel restrictions. These undoubtedly helped reduce the
spread of infection. Almost every country had some kind of lockdown. But it was often too
little and too late.

A: What is currently on the research agenda here at the Centre for Infection and Immunity?
B: We have computer data which shows us how the coronavirus has spread so far, and we are
running simulations for the future. We are also simulating the effects of interventions such as
vaccines and therapeutics. And we are continuing scientific analysis of the samples we
receive, to understand the virus better and to develop effective treatments.

A: The world has seen this kind of influenza spread before, I think?

B: Yes, most people know about what was called the “Spanish flu” pandemic at the end of the
First World War in 1918-20. It infected about 500 million people, and killed between 50 and
100 million. This was also a respiratory virus, influenza, a similar strain to the coronavirus.
There have been others since, but less devastating.

A: We can’t expect this 2020 outbreak to be the last?

B: No: the viruses can jump from one species to another, and they can mutate. And of course,
respiratory infections are very easily transmitted from one person to another. We keep
researching to understand the origins of these infectious diseases, and find effective
treatments.

A: Thank you Dr Shaman.

Summary
This dialogue concerns the efforts of the Centre for Infection and Immunity in Columbia
University New York, to combat pandemic threats. The director of the center explains the
research being done. The Center has given help in previous outbreaks of infectious diseases.
He gives his reaction to the international response to the coronavirus outbreak, and indicates
that ongoing research is much needed to prevent future pandemics. They are a constant global
threat.

Questions
1. How did the coronavirus outbreak affect you?
2. What is your assessment of the worldwide economic impact of the coronavirus?
3. Do you think the international response has been appropriate?
4. What do you think are the lessons we can learn from this outbreak?
Dialogue 5 Counterfeit Goods

A: Smart new pair of trainers there, Sam.

B. Yes Aimée, my brother brought these back for me as a present from his Asian trip. This
brand of trainers normally cost about $150; I’m just hoping they are real and not fake.

A: I’ve looked into this a bit lately, after I discovered I had bought a counterfeit handbag.
Let’s see if they’re fakes then – do you mind?

B: No, go ahead. Here….

A: OK, so what I learnt was to check the 3 Ps – Price, Packaging and Place. What do you
know about the price?

B: Well, nothing as they were a gift...but the packaging was a bit cheap – no box, just a
plastic bag. I think they are supposed to come in a box printed with the color to go with the
style, barcodes, a serial number….that sort of thing.

A: Yes, and even if there is a box and the printing is unclear or there are numbers missing,
that is a key sign it’s a counterfeit. Look, it says on the official website for these trainers that
you should have all of that information to show authenticity. So, do you know where your
brother bought them?

B: Actually, it was online – he got them just before he came back home. He didn’t say which
site though – but it wasn’t the official one!

A: Well, that’s another sure sign of a fake. Online sales of fakes have increased greatly in the
past few years. the problem is so big that there are agencies around the world such as the
International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition and the International Trademark Association,
working together to combat the rise. I think counterfeit goods represented around 3.3% of
world trade last year. A few months ago they reported that it makes up over half a trillion
dollars of world trade! The counterfeit traders are hiding behind internet sites now and it’s
become a lot easier for them to dupe people into thinking the products are the real deal.
They’ve become very sophisticated.

B: So these trainers contribute to those figures. But we all love a bargain….

A: That’s one of the problems. If you desperately want the brand but don’t have the money
then you can think it’s OK to get a fake one that might fool your friends. But let’s just check
the details on your trainers...they’re a bit heavy – probably due to the cheaper materials
they’ve used. The serial numbers aren’t on the tongue of the shoes and look at that stitching.
These are definitely fakes.

B: I like them though – why is it a problem if I have fake stuff?

A: For a start, it’s illegal to counterfeit goods and sell them pretending to be the real thing.
It’s a form of stealing, as the brand manufacturers own the intellectual property and pay a lot
to design and protect their products. If a person buys a product thinking it is real and it isn’t,
then they are getting an inferior product. The counterfeiters don’t use the same quality of
materials or manufacture and don’t care if the real businesses or customers suffer.
B: But it’s just a pair of shoes….

A: Which will fall apart in a few weeks! Seriously, though, if you ordered a car part online,
you would expect it to be safe. Unfortunately, there are cases where brakes have failed in cars
because the owners bought counterfeits which hadn’t passed any safety tests. There are very
dangerous fake pharmaceuticals. I heard about a travel seat for children, designed to be super-
safe and convenient, which was copied, and when the owner of the brand found out and tested
it, they realized the fake was really dangerous.

B: I see the problem…

A: And another thing. Many counterfeiters are part of organized crime networks around the
world using child labor, dangerous materials, then funding illegal drugs and arms through the
income from their counterfeit goods.

B: I didn’t know that. I think I need to make a phone call to the police!

A: You don’t need to phone – you can report any counterfeit goods on the Crimestoppers
International website anonymously. And tell your brother to be more careful when he buys
things online!

Summary

This conversation discusses the issues behind counterfeit goods. Using the simple purchase of
a pair of trainers, it highlights some of the problems of counterfeit goods, the methods of
production, and how the world has to deal with this growing problem that is linked to
organized crime. Other questions raised include identification of counterfeit goods, online
purchasing, and brands and intellectual property.

Questions

1. Have you any personal experience, of yourself or someone you know, having unknowingly
bought counterfeit goods?
2. If you were a manufacturer and discovered fakes of your products for sale online, what
would you do?
3. How can countries work together to tackle this problem?
4. Is there any way of dealing with sites online which sell counterfeit goods?
Dialogue 6 Trump’s wall

A: Hi William, did you hear that Donald Trump declared a state of emergency over the
situation at the US southern border with Mexico?

B: No, Mary. Has the president come up with another brilliant idea about his wall? It
was a big promise during the 2016 presidential campaign to stop the flow of Mexican
immigration. Because, as far as I know he hasn’t achieved very much in terms of
construction.

A: True. Since Mr Trump entered the White House, although some of the already
existing barriers have been replaced, work on extending the current barrier only began last
year.

B: That’s right. Before he took office, there were 654 miles of barrier along the southern
border. That was 354 miles of barriers to stop people on foot and 300 miles of anti-vehicle
fencing. And since Mr Trump took office only 57 miles of replacement barrier and 9 miles of
new secondary barrier have been constructed - a total of 66 miles. No "new wall" has yet been
completed.

A: I suppose the administration is facing a budget problem.

B: Not really. Overall, nearly $10bn has been secured since January 2017 to construct
approximately 509 miles of "new border wall system", according to US Customs and Border
Protection.

A: Just imagine what could be done with so much money…

B: Actually, no-one really knows how much the whole project would cost once
completed - if it ever is.

A: Why shouldn’t it be?

B: For a host of reasons. First, the cost estimates vary from $12bn to $70bn. Remember
that the previous 650 miles of fencing built under President George W Bush cost $7bn.

A: What other obstacles are there?

B Well, top of the list - geography.

A: Geography?

B: Yes, geography is pretty unfriendly from California to the Gulf of Mexico. There are
sand dunes, shifting sands and mountains, some of them reaching up to 3000 meters in
Arizona and New Mexico. Then the wall would have to follow the twisty and winding path of
the Rio Grande river. To me that’s mission impossible.

A: I heard as well that the wall would disrupt a fragile ecosystem and prevent wild
animal migrations.

B: Plus trying to get possession of the land could be a nightmare.

A: How so?
 B: Well, to build the wall, the government needs permission to use the land it stands on.
However, about 66% of the land along the US-Mexico border is either owned privately, by
Native Americans or by individual states. In these cases, the government will need to
coordinate mass voluntary sales of property or negotiate a right of way for the wall along
large sections of land. Thousands of homeowners and landowners could be affected,
including ranchers in Texas who rely on access to the Rio Grande and pastures for their
livestock.

A: Then I assume trying to purchase this land could be a major challenge and, if people
refuse to sell, the government would have to forcibly get hold of it. Welcome to the term
"eminent domain".

B: What do you mean?

A: “Eminent domain” is the name of the system used by the American government to
gain ownership of private property for public use, such as for highways and railroads, usually
accompanied by compensation. It is compulsory purchase. But this all takes a lot of time, so
the acquisition of a lot of the land could be tied up in legal arguments for years. American
citizens don’t give up their land without a fight - and high compensation.

B: Still, there’s one bit of good news in this. It must be reassuring for the American
public to know that, as President Trump has promised, the Mexicans are going to pay for the
wall.

A: Do you really think so? So far, the President has taken money mostly from the
defense budget and from an emergency budget, to get the project started. He claims a lot of it
will come from increased trade with Mexico following his trade deals with them and the
Canadians. But the Mexican government is equally firm; they are saying “pay for the wall
yourself, Mr. Trump!”

Summary
Two friends exchange ideas about President Trump’s decision to build a wall along the
southern border of the USA to stem the tide of Mexican immigration. Several aspects of the
project are being discussed including the price tag of such a herculean and somewhat
unrealistic endeavor. They also consider the various difficulties it will meet with, among
which are unfriendly geography, the fate of wild life, and the problem posed by the
appropriation by the federal government of private or state lands.

Questions
1. Why do you think President Trump has made the wall such a major part of his program?
2. Do you think the wall could be effective?
3. What kinds of other walls have you heard of in other countries? Do they work?
4. Do you think the wall will ever really be built?
Dialogue 7 Big Store Is Watching You

A: Good afternoon. We’re pleased to have as our guest today the New York Times business
reporter Freddy Sharp, who has just written about the Shoptalk conference. This is the annual
gathering of thousands of sales and technology workers held in Las Vegas. Welcome to
Lunch Hour, Freddy.

B: Thank you for having me, Brenda.

A: I have to say I was quite surprised by the direction stores seem to be taking. It seems very
much like Big Store Is Watching You, with all the digital data collection proposed.

B: You have to understand that retailers are struggling to stay relevant at a time when
people’s shopping habits are changing so rapidly. As you know, so many people are doing
their shopping online. The message from this conference was that more stores and distributors
are going to incorporate the sorts of digital data collection that drives the online world.

A: It’s this direction I find rather disturbing. Can you explain to our listeners some of the
changes we can expect to see?

B: People talked about how eventually stores would be able to know customers’ identities as
soon as they walk into a store. Using the profiles of those customers, stores could send
automatic text messages to shoppers, in real time, to make their shopping experience easier.

A: What information would a profile contain?

B: It could show, for example, when and how many times a shopper had visited the store,
how long this person spent in the store during the previous visit, what she bought, as well as
the total of her online purchases with the store’s chain.

A: That’s alarming to me. How do I know that “my profile” won’t be used for other purposes,
or sold to someone else?

B: The company FaceFirst developed the facial-recognition technology that enables stores to
identify customers immediately and to interact with them. Its chief executive insisted the
company was focused on maintaining the privacy and security of customer data.

A: I’m not reassured—there’s too much violation online of a person’s privacy and security.

B: The problem is that stores lack the enormous amount of data collected by online retailers
and they’re trying to close that gap.

A: I’m one of those old-fashioned people who likes to shop in a store. I like to try on a dress I
might buy. I want to feel the texture of sheets I’m looking at. I like to question a salesperson
about options and alternatives. And I certainly don’t want to receive a text message telling me
that sweaters like the one I bought last time are on sale on Aisle 4!

B: Because of easy smartphone ordering, ever-faster home delivery, and increased

competition from brands that have built their followings through social media, an executive of
a major chain explained: “We have to marry digital tools with our store experience,” adding,
“You can’t out-Amazon Amazon”.

A: You also mentioned in your article other digital strategies discussed at ShopTalk.
B: Orbital Insight is a company that uses satellite imagery to analyze all sorts of things. This
includes counting cars in parking lots to determine the numbers visiting retail chains and
analyzing patterns. This might also alarm you: the company added geolocation data from
customer cell phones to what it offers companies.

A: More intrusion.

B: The company says the data is anonymous—cell phones are assigned a number. It says the
information it provides is very useful. It helps the stores know not just how many people are
coming in to the store, but what they are doing elsewhere in the shopping center, or in the
area.

A: So they can follow customers from store to store. Scary! As you reported, while many of
the discussions at the conference focused on data, other strategies for bringing customers into
their stores, and keeping them happy while there, were also talked about. Can you tell us
about that?

B: One executive said, “The expectation of what a retail experience should be is beyond just
good product and excellent customer service,” adding that “it’s also about creating an
experience in the store that is more entertainment-focused.” She sees more food-focused and
beauty-service-focused offerings, for example. One speaker closed his presentation advising,
“Change or fail.” Most agreed.

Summary
At the recent ShopTalk gathering of sales and technology workers that was held in Las Vegas,
a major focus of the discussions was how digital data collection could be used to better enable
stores to compete better with on-line sellers. Strategies discussed included facial recognition
software so that stores could identify and interact with customers as soon as they enter a store,
satellite imagery to look at cars in parking lots to analyze patterns, and geolocation data so
stores can track customers via their cell phones to see what other stores they might enter in
the shopping zone. Many see this as invasive and a violation of privacy and security.

Questions
1. What is your reaction to the ideas in the dialogue?
2. What can retail stores do remain profitable in the era of online shopping?
3. Can shopping in a busy department store or a mall ever be a pleasurable experience?
4. How appropriate do you think the advice “change or fail” is appropriate for retailers?
Dialogue 8 Enough of Remembrance Day

A: Daniel, I’m surprised to see you here in the Town Hall today. What are you doing here?

B: Nice to see you Jessie. I’m here to talk to the Mayor’s office about the parade that’s
planned for Remembrance Day. We meet by the War Memorial every year on the 11th of
November, remembering the Armistice at the end of the First World War in 1918 – the 11th
hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. We organize an event with civic leaders, church
representatives, youth and voluntary organizations – it’s an important moment in the year to
honor our history.

A: I completely disagree with you, Daniel. I think it’s an event whose time has passed. The
wars of the twentieth century are beyond the experience of the huge majority of British
people. We ought to get over it; next year we should have a Forgetting Day, a Move On Day,
or a Fresh Start Day.

B: No – we must remember. If we do not, the sacrifices of all the soldiers, British, French,
Canadian, American, Australian and others, will be meaningless. They died for us, for their
homes and families and friends, for the countries and heritage they believed in, and to give
the coming generations a better future. The meaning of their sacrifice rests in our collective
national consciousness.

A: That may have been true eighty, or even fifty years ago, but it isn’t the case any longer.
No-one alive today has any memory of those terrible First World war events; and fewer and
fewer people have any memory of the Second World War. The remembrance has become
meaningless to most people.

B: That seems to me even more of a reason why we should make the effort to celebrate a
Remembrance Day. As you say, for most of us war is something we see on TV news or in the
papers; but those past wars touched every family in the nation. So many were killed, injured,
and those who returned then had to live the rest of their lives with the physical and mental
scars of war. It’s vital to remember that as part of our national history and identity.

A: We should not be remembering, but forgetting. Almost all the conflicts in the world are
caused by too much remembering; those memories refresh religious divisions, tribal conflicts,
border feuds, humiliations and expulsions. Why do India and Pakistan seem unable to get
over the Partition of their countries in 1947? Memory sustains ongoing disputes in the
Balkans and the Middle East. And right here in Britain, remembering is the curse of Northern
Ireland, preserving an antagonism which is a mixture of religious, national and social
division. Forgetting is better.

B: You’re ignoring the fact that our Remembrance Day events are meant to honor the service
and sacrifice of the generations before us, and to recognize the tradition of freedom that these
men and women fought to preserve. Remembrance Day is not a victory celebration, or a
stirring up of hatred against our former enemies who are now our friends. It is an
acknowledgement of those who served their country, and a valuing of the peace and freedom
they sought to achieve.
A: There is a recent book called “In Praise of Forgetting”; the author warns that obsessive
looking back can result in an unending vendetta. He gives the American memorialism of the
9/11 attacks as an example. He says that at best the ceremonies provide some consolation for
the families of the victims, but at worst a kind of glorying in past triumphs, injuries and
traumas.

B: I think that’s an extreme view. The great majority of ordinary people value a brief
moment each year to remember and appreciate their past.
A: Nelson Mandela had a better approach. When he became President of South Africa, he
established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to give everyone a chance to explain and
hear about all the bad things; but then to draw a line under the country’s recent history so that
they could move forward.

B: We shouldn’t take for granted our values and institutions, our freedom of belief, political
view, religion, and our democracy; the people who fought for that deserve to be remembered!

Summary
This dialogue debates the relevance of the November 11th Remembrance ceremonies which
are still a major part of British life. One speaker wholly endorses the importance of memory,
of honoring the sacrifice of those who died to preserve freedom, and believes the ceremonies
are important. The other speaker believes that the First World War is too remote for most
people, and that the time has come for the nation to forget our twentieth century wars and
look to the future. Too much remembering can feed division and perpetuate hostility.

Questions
1. Is it now time to abandon the remembrance of the First World War, and perhaps limit
the ceremonies to those who died in the Second World War, or afterwards?
2. One speaker says “Forgetting is better”. Do you agree?
3. Do you think the Remembrance Day events stir up the former antagonism people felt
in wartime, or is it all too long ago?
4. Why are books and films on military history, Napoleon, the fighting in the trenches,
the Second World War, so popular?
Dialogue 9 The Death of George Floyd

A: Good evening, I’m Jane Good, and in this evening’s program I am talking with our
Washington Correspondent Harry Lineker. Our discussion is on the impact of the death of
George Floyd in Minneapolis. You remember he was held on the ground for nearly 9 minutes
with a police officer’s knee on his neck, and was heard saying “I can’t breathe”. Harry, why
did this event cause such a huge worldwide protest?

B: Well, Jane, there are several factors. The first is that George Floyd’s death was particularly
gruesome and obvious. In other situations where black people have died while being arrested,
or in police custody, there has often been some debate – the officer says he feared for his life,
for example. Police violence could not be proved. But this event was clear and obvious to
everybody. The whole world could see that this was an act of appalling injustice by the
police.

A: Nowadays videos captured on phones, or sometimes on police body cameras, can show
people clearly what happened. But what were some other causes of this “perfect storm” of
protest and rebellion?

B: I think there was a convergence of forces. Mr. Floyd’s death came in the middle of the
coronavirus pandemic, when millions of people had to stay at home. Millions were
unemployed, and angry. People were a lot more inside, watching TV, and so were forced to
pay attention. They were less able to look away from this kind of event. The media replayed it
thousands of times. And on a practical level, the US unemployment level meant that more
people than usual could protest without juggling work commitments.

A: But Mr. Floyd’s death is part of a whole series of deaths of black people at the hands of
the police isn’t it? I remember three or four in the early part of the year.

B: That’s right. Another factor in the protest was exactly the feeling that this was the last
straw. There have been too many deaths like this. Also, in the warm summer weather, people
were more willing to go outside to protest. Don’t forget too that 2020 is election year in the
United States, and politicians are more likely to pay attention and respond. The President and
Congress have had to react.

A: Many of the protests were organized by the campaigning group Black Lives Matter. But I
have to say that, watching TV news about the protests, there seemed to be a high proportion
of supporters who were not African American themselves. Many protesters came with
placards to demonstrate that they supported Black Lives Matter even though they had a
different ethnic background – white, Asian, Latino and so on. They came out of solidarity
with the black community.

B: Yes; one supporter said that “African Americans and minorities have been protesting this
racism for years. Our voices do have more power if we have some white voices to support
us”. A journalist in Colorado wrote about a protest in what she called her “tiny, white town”.
One of the Republican members of the town council said “I don’t think this is a political
matter – wrong is wrong”.

A: Of course, to all these protests in the United States, we have to add the impact of protests
all around the world. The death of George Floyd was the event which started a huge wave of
international protest, which expanded to cover all kinds of racial inequalities. One form of
protest here in the UK was the pulling down of statues. In Bristol for example, the statue of
Edward Colston, a slave trader of the eighteenth century, was pulled down and thrown into
the river. OK, final question, Harry; will the protests lead to lasting change in American
society?
B: We are seeing change already, Jane, but remember that the Civil Rights movement in
America in the 1950s and 60s went on for a whole decade. One of the key questions now is
whether there will be significant changes in the nature and structure of policing in the US.

A: Sometimes it just needs one event to trigger a big change. Remember Rosa Parks and the
Montgomery bus boycott in 1954? Thank you for your analysis, Harry.

Summary
This dialogue considers the events which followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis
in June 2020. Factors which precipitated the protests in the US and around the world
included; the particularly gruesome and obvious manner of the death; the event happening
during the coronavirus pandemic, when people had more time than usual; and this seeming to
be the last straw for the African American community. The ethnically diverse nature of the
protest is discussed, along with possible future consequences.

Questions
1. Have things really changed as a consequence of George Floyd’s death?
2. Why do you think the international wave of protests was so strong?
3. How do you change people’s way of thinking about racism?
4. Has the response of the US President and Congress been appropriate or insufficient?
5. What is your assessment of the Black Lives Matter campaign?
Dialogue 10 Travel influencers

A: Hello, I’m Sam Brown, and welcome to today’s Travel Show. With me is Amy Seder, who
is a travel influencer. So, first question, Amy – what is a travel influencer?

B: My job is to work with tourism brands that pay for sponsored Instagram and blog posts. I
go to a destination, take good pictures of the places for people to see on social media, write
interesting pieces to accompany them, and encourage people to go and take a holiday there.
It’s basically a modern form of advertising.

A: But don’t you have a problem? You said to me before the program that when you recently
contacted one hotel in Italy, hoping for a free stay in exchange for social media exposure, you
were rejected. The hotel was quite angry, and replied “Blogger infestation. Not interested”.

B: That’s just part of the business. Since that reply I’ve done a deal with a different hotel. The
fact is that nowadays many people choose their holiday based on what they’ve seen on social
media. I try to build up a group of followers on my Instagram or blog spots, recommend good
places to them, then they visit.

A: Does the industry really benefit from travel influencers? Surely it must be very hard to
prove there are really any benefits?

B: A PR specialist at the Japan National Tourism Organization said that they monitor the
comments that people make on their posts, or when they tag other accounts. This suggests
they are adding the destination to their list of places to visit. He says their calculation is that if
more than 3.5% of readers engage with the blog in some way, it is influential. I have a friend
in San Francisco who is an influencer, and he has more than half a million followers! I have
50,000 followers, so if 3.5% are influenced, that’s about 2000 people. I think that’s pretty
good.

A: Isn’t this approach now reaching saturation point? There are now so many wannabe
bloggers and influencers, that hotels and other travel industry organizations are getting weary
of constant demands for free food, free drinks, and free accommodation. Don’t you feel you
are something of a parasite, feeding a wonderful travelling lifestyle of smart hotels and
beautiful places, on the generosity of the hotel and restaurant owners?

B: You’re forgetting that this is a commercial exchange, not a freebie. Often bloggers can
promote products that might be overlooked by more conventional means.

A: And what about the problem of fraudsters? There was recently a company in the Maldives
which rented luxury properties; but they have terminated all their influencer marketing
programs after getting countless requests from fraudulent influencers. Some influencers also
get very aggressive, demanding free food, and so on, in a very unpleasant way. I even read
about an ice cream truck owner in Los Angeles who was furious about constant demands for
handouts. Earlier this year he announced he intended to charge influencers double!

B: Well, of course every profession has these kinds of problems. It’s disappointing to hear
this is happening, because it has extremely negative effects on the whole tourism industry.
We have to try to prevent unethical work practices, and the kind of self-entitlement attitude
some influencers have. But when the influencer and a tourism board develop a real
partnership, the results can be excellent for everyone. Influencers bring new perspectives and
reach an international audience.

A: All sounds a bit too super-optimistic for me.

B: Here’s another specific example. The US manager for the Qatar National Tourism Council
says influencers have been an asset in promoting his destination: with social media on the rise
for planning travel, influencer partnerships are positive. Influencers can be also be beneficial
when they promote lesser known destinations. We don’t need more mass tourism!

A: Still, for me, trying to persuade other people to give me a free holiday isn’t a great way to
earn a living – but it’s your choice, Amy!

Summary
The discussion concerns the role of travel influencers on social media. These are people who
persuade a hotel, restaurant or other travel organization to provide them with free food and
hospitality. The influencer then writes a positive blog, Instagram post, or other social media
outlet, to encourage people to visit. The interviewer in this radio program is skeptical about
the value and the ethics of such a profession. The travel influencer points out the many
advantages that tourism organizations see in a good partnership with them. More and more
people use social media in their choice of travel destinations.

Questions
1. Could you see ‘travel influencer’ as a possible career yourself?
2. Is it your experience, or that of any of your friends, that social media has influenced
your choice of a travel destination – or perhaps the purchase of another product?
3. Do you feel this job is ethical – being given something for free to promote it to
others?
4. What kind of threats are posed by mass tourism?
Dialogue 11 The Great American Labor Paradox

A: Good news, Steve, the unemployment rate here in the USA is at its lowest point in 50
years, 3.5%! According to the December Jobs Report, 266,000 new jobs were created in
November 2019, way above the predicted 180,000 increase. That’s incredible! …and very
encouraging!

B: Yes, Jessica, it is incredible, in the literal sense of the word.

A: Why do you say that?

B: Well, it’s only the ‘official’ figure, so it doesn’t really mean much.

A: Surely it’s a fact. It’s a continuation of the upward trend that’s been going on for the past
10 years. It’s a strong indication that the US job market, and the wider economy, is in good
health. Don’t you agree?

B: No, I don’t. On the contrary, I would argue that the job market is certainly not in good
health.

A: How can you claim that? I don’t understand.

B: Listen. These headline figures don’t actually show much about the true dynamics of the
real economy. They often cover up more than they reveal. It’s the same for GDP figures.
They tell you how much the economy is growing, but not how it’s growing.

A: Then why do we use them?

B: It’s just politics. They’re using 20th century measures for a rapidly changing 21st century
economy and labour market. This disguises unemployment as if it were employment, and
they’re happy to do it. President Trump, of course, tells everyone that the economy is doing
great to make him look good, but the unemployment figures say nothing about the changing
nature of employment in the US, and around the world, for that matter. The crucial point is to
look at the quality of jobs and the well-being of US workers.

A: That’s a very general observation. This administration has got the American people back
to work!
B: Not really: compare the following statistics with the official government ones. According
to the Brookings Institute, almost half of U.S. workers between ages 18 to 64 are employed in
low-wage jobs. In addition, 44% of US workers earn less than $18,000 per year, barely
enough to survive, let alone support a family. How can people live a decent and healthy life,
and provide for their children on that? They can’t. That’s why we have so many people doing
multiple jobs just to survive; workers living in their cars; the working poor! Does that look
like a healthy jobs market to you?
A: All right, Steve; so how do you suggest we measure the health of the economy?

B: Researchers at Cornell University have created what they call the Job Quality Index, which
demonstrates that while employment has been increasing over the last 10 years, the quality of
the jobs has been decreasing over the last 15 years. This is the opposite picture to what
Trump, and Obama before him, have been painting.

A: How can you measure Quality? This sounds extremely subjective to me.
B: Not at all. It’s completely objective. They take into account many concrete factors about
the actual jobs people are doing. On average modern jobs pay relatively less, offer less
security, and provide fewer and fewer benefits. The Amazon warehouse worker is the classic
example here. And the ‘gig economy’ is massively distorting the data. There are huge
numbers of people working temporary jobs but who are counted as fully employed, often
under conditions of terrible precarity and uncertainty. The classic example here is the Uber
driver.

A: OK I understand it’s a political choice which statistics we use. But surely, Steve, it’s better
to be employed than unemployed.

B: In absolute terms, yes. I’m not saying that low unemployment is a bad thing! Not at all.
But that’s like saying starving people would prefer a rotten apple to nothing and be glad to
have it!

A: That’s an extreme analogy, Steve. But I agree with you that, as a society, the quality of
people’s lives ought to be at the top of the agenda. We can’t make people’s lives better
without a prosperous economy. We can debate which statistics we use, but our goal must be
to have all our people in decent jobs.

Summary
In December 2019 the US Bureau of Labour Statistics reported a better than expected 266000
increase in new jobs for the month of November, which is part of an ongoing trend.
However, this doesn’t tell the full story about the health of the US labor market. Researchers
at Cornell University released a Jobs Quality Index to coincide with the official figures,
which paints a starkly contrasting picture. While employment has been ‘going up’, quality has
been ‘going down’ in a direct correlation. One of the speakers tries to convince the other that
the official unemployment figure of 3.5% is nothing to get excited about, rather, quite the
opposite.

Questions
1. Is the US jobs market healthy, in your opinion?
2. How has the gig economy affected the world of work?
3. Why might politicians prefer to use the current measures rather than Cornell’s Jobs
Quality Index?
4. In the twenty first century, do politicians tell the truth? Has it ever been anything
different?
Dialogue 12 The Rise of Microchipping

A: Those who work in a secure office building know the drill. When you arrive at work, you
swipe your keycard or similar device at the front-entrance security gate so you can enter.
Those without the proper clearance aren't allowed in. Now, imagine the same scenario, only
instead of swiping a card, you simply wave your hand in front of a chip reader to gain
entrance. That's what happens with a number of employees at Epicenter, a Swedish tech
startup. The company has inserted microchips into the hands of roughly 150 employees
allowing them to do things such as open doors, operate printers or buy items at the on-campus
market. To discuss the implications of such technology for both employers and employees, I
have with me in the studio our technology correspondent Steph Hughes. Steph, how does the
technology work?

B: Microchip technology isn't new, of course. It’s actually been around for years, although it's
typically a way to track pets rather than employees. The devices are no larger than a grain of
rice and are inserted painlessly. At Epicenter, chips are inserted into the fleshy area between
the thumb and index finger so employees can activate them with the wave of a hand. The
microchips are passive, meaning other devices can read information from them, but the chips
can't read info themselves.

A: What are the benefits of microchips from the employers’ point of view?

B: There are pros and cons to inserting microchips into human workers. For employers, the
benefits are numerous. The chips allow employers to track where employees are and whether
they're working or not. They can track other things such as spending habits, the length of
lunch breaks, work attendance, and movement patterns throughout the workday. The
implanted chips track data in the same way that credit cards or smartphones can. The obvious
difference is that people can separate themselves from their credit cards or phones but not
from the implanted chips.

A: It seems clear how employers might benefit from microchipping their workers, but what’s
in it for the employees?

B: There is one main benefit for workers: convenience. Think about it – you can bypass a
security area with a simple wave of your hand. You could do this for other daily tasks and
activities as well, such as purchasing beverages at the onsite coffee shop, activating your
department's copy machine, or even logging into a work terminal. It's like having a host of
essentials like your keys, passwords, company credit card, and key fobs all implanted in your
hand.

A: We’ve heard about the benefits. What are the possible dangers of microchips?

B: It’s true that while the relatively new technology offers convenience, there are some
potential drawbacks as well. The first is physical health. Although the chips are tiny and
appear safe in the short term, the long-term health effects have not been tested. There's no
way to tell if the chips will still be healthy in 20 years’ time, and your hand not be damaged.

A: And what about privacy? That must be a concern too.

B: Yes, of course. Do you really want your employer to be able to track where you are 24
hours a day? What’s more, just like hackers can compromise the data on your credit card or
smartphone, the same can be said for the data stored on your implanted microchip. But the
implanted employees at Epicenter in Sweden all had the chips inserted by choice, so there
was no obligation to participate.
A: Will we all soon be walking around with microchips implanted in our bodies?

B: I don’t think that is likely to happen any time soon. While the Swedish company has
gained attention as an early adopter of implanted microchips in humans, it will be interesting
to watch how it plays out and helps shape the practice for other companies going forward.
This experiment has so far happened in a wealthy country, among very digitally savvy people.
This seems to work for well-educated people in Sweden who are part of a digital hub. On the
other hand it’s easy to see how such technology could be used for surveillance and
exploitation of workers, in a very harmful way.

Summary
A technology correspondent is interviewed about using microchip technology on workers. A
Swedish company has microchipped over a hundred of its workers. The chips allow
employers to track where employees are and whether they're working or not, and they can
track other things such as spending habits, the length of lunch breaks, work attendance, and
movement patterns throughout the workday. For the employees the main benefit is
convenience. However, there are questions about the potential long-term health risks, and
privacy is an obvious concern. The technology may play well with volunteers in a high-tech
company, but it could also be used for surveillance and exploitation of workers.

Questions
1. How would you feel about having a microchip implanted in your body?
2. What are the ethical problems raised by microchipping workers?
3. In what other ways is technology transforming the workplace?
4. What other uses could microchipping have outside the workplace in our daily lives?
Dialogue 13 Student Newspapers

A: Hey, Daphne, where are you off to in such a hurry?

B: I’m going to the City Council meeting, Richard—I’m covering it for The Michigan Daily.

A: Your university newspaper?

B: That’s right.

A: I didn’t think the University of Michigan had a journalism department.

B: It doesn’t. But when The Ann Arbor News had to close down its print edition, and then its
online version, students here took over providing local news. They were even happy to
include a mature research student like me!

A: So you’re getting on-the-job training?

B: And we’re providing an important service. How else would you find out what decisions
the city council is making, like the reduced budget the county mental health department is
having to deal with? We’ve also covered the police commission investigation into the
shooting death of a black woman. You may also recall that when a college football player
here sexually assaulted a woman, the university tried to cover it up?

A: I do. That was shocking.

B: Well, The Michigan Daily was the first to reveal the cover-up.

A: That’s impressive. But I’m concerned about your credibility. You know, there’s so much
fake news, and you’re not professionals.

B: First of all, it’s so-called “professionals” who are generating the fake news. Secondly, we
take our mission very seriously, and we have very competent editors.

A: Are you taken seriously by the readers, or is the paper looked upon just as a university
project?

B: You’ll have to ask the readers, but if readership is an indication, I’d say we’re taken
seriously. In a town of 121,000 people we had a print distribution of 10,000. We began an
online digital version, which gets nearly 500,000 page views every month. But even so, our
print circulation is still 7,500.

A: So I guess people are concerned about what’s going on in their town.

B: Yes. We’ve been given the responsibility of holding the powerful accountable, five nights
a week, when our paper is delivered. A member of the City Council who started a blog to
keep residents informed about what the council was doing has said that our paper covers a lot
of things that her blog can’t. She says this is especially important at a time when many people
here are getting their information—and misinformation—from social media.

A: But most students are at the university for four years, though probably only working for
the paper for just a few semesters. That doesn’t give them time to develop sources, which are
an important aspect of journalism. It also takes experience to understand the complexities of
important issues. And you can’t possibly have the historical perspective that a long-time
journalist who has lived and worked here for years would have.
B: That’s true. And sometimes people in positions of power ignore our requests for
interviews.
But, hey, we’re the only paper in town. If we weren’t writing articles about what’s going on
here, no one would have any idea. Plus, we have 300 students who provide us with local
news. By the way, do you have any idea how many newspapers across the country have
closed down recently or merged with another paper?

A: 100?

B: 2000! This has left 1,300 communities without any local coverage. Ann Arbor was the
first city of any size to lose its daily newspaper, which had been in existence for 174 years.
People here were used to getting their daily news fix.

A: Are there other student newspapers around the country like you?

B: Absolutely. Take Arizona State University. Its Cronkite News Service has offices in two
cities, and even one in Washington, D.C. This semester 10 student journalists are contributing
to more than 30 professional news outlets in the state of Arizona. As the director of the News
Service said, “We’re the largest Arizona-based news gathering operation in Washington,
because we’re the only one.” Last month a student journalist broke a major story about the
Ukraine in the student paper, and it was picked up by those 30 professional news services. In
two towns in Kansas and Vermont high-school newspapers are providing local news.

A: I’m going to start reading your paper!

Content
With 2000 local newspapers across America having closed or merged, student newspapers
have been taking over in a number of cities. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, some 300 student
journalists from the University of Michigan work together to put out The Michigan Daily,
which publishes news about the local people and the students. Because it’s the only paper,
people rely on it for all local news. The young reporters take their jobs very seriously, and
are respected for the work they do. The main downside to student journalists is that they work
on the paper for a short time so can’t develop sources or have a sufficient historical
perspective.

Questions
1. How can student newspapers contribute to a town?
2. What are some of the disadvantages of having student journalists cover the news?
3. Would you have confidence in a newspaper that is operated by students?
4. Do you think it’s important to have local news?
Dialogue 14 Women’s world football tournament

A: Did you watch the football on TV last night, Laurence?

B: Do you mean the men’s English championship, Marc, or the women’s international? The
women, of course!

A: I thought so, I know you’re a fan. But what did you think about this last year’s women’s
world championship tournament? All played in France, of course.

B: It was a great chance to have the tournament in France which is more accessible for many
of the fans. This should not only help the women’s game in France but in other neighbouring
countries. The United States team played well to beat the Netherlands and win the World
Cup. I was sad England didn’t reach the final.

A: I heard an interview with the England captain, Steph Houghton, and I was quite surprised
that she said that she didn’t watch much women’s football, and that she preferred watching
men’s football. I think you would expect her to be a better ambassador for the women’s game.

B: But the women footballers found it hard to get accepted, didn’t they?

A: Yes, they did. In 1921, the British Football Association banned its members from
allowing women's football to be played at their grounds, effectively killing the women's game
overnight. While they could still play the sport, women were reduced to doing so at a
recreational level. It took another half century until women's football got back on its feet.
Then it was extremely tough without proper pitches and facilities. They had to be very
determined.

B: I think Steph Houghton and the whole team have done a great job in promoting women’s
football in Britain. If she prefers to watch men’s football in her private life then that’s her
choice. The FA were wrong to ban women’s football, but at least it is good that they have
woken up now. They allow good standard mixed football up to a certain age – because that’s
how you learn, by playing with other good people.

A: There’s still a lot of resistance to Women’s football. One former male professional said
women's football will always be an "inferior product" unless smaller pitches, goals and balls
are introduced to the game. He said “we have to accept that men and women are
fundamentally different,” and that the game should be ''adjusted for women, physiologically,
biologically''.

B: It’s not a view held by the England team. Houghton believes that one day, there is
potential for men’s and women’s football to be on an equal footing. There were extraordinary
viewing figures for the Women’s World Cup over the summer, spectators in the grounds and
watching on TV.

A: Yes, there were record-breaking television audiences for England at the Women’s World
Cup. And afterwards there was a big increase in fans of the women’s game, with a large
increase in pitch bookings by women’s teams wanting to play.

B: Yes, television has an enormous influence and perhaps the upward spiral has begun.
Women need to be respected and given the same platform to perform. By doing this the
quality gets higher and higher and with that comes better live and television attendances, and
sponsors. 46% of people who have been to a match were reported to have been surprised by
how professional it was. 74% think it is underrated. There is clear evidence of
professionalism and investment improving the quality of the play and increasing audiences.

A: How does that translate at the grass roots level? High level sport can’t develop without the
fundamentals of young players, both boys and girls, developing in the sport.

B: Things are moving. Here’s one example; there is a football pitch booking site in the UK
which saw a 200% increase in bookings for women’s teams just before the World Cup. They
are helping promote the women’s game – they see it as a big growth market.

A: It’s great to see, but like Steph Houghton I must admit there’s still more pace and intensity
in the men’s best teams. But still, I’ll be watching again the next Women’s World Cup in
2023. Venue to be decided in June 2020!

Summary
The eighth women’s football World Cup was held in the summer of 2019 in France, contested
by the women's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. There were 52 matches
staged in nine cities in France. The final was won by the USA. The discussion is about the
tournament, attendees at stadiums and TV coverage, and the progress in the popularity of
women’s football: both for local games for adults and mixed teams for boys and girls. One
other topic mentioned is the possibility of developing to equal the men’s game, and whether
women can match men physically in football.

Questions
1. Should women’s football have smaller balls and pitches, recognising physiological
differences?
2. In which sports do women generally excel?
3. Should men and women receive the same prize money in sport?
4. How important is television coverage for sport?
Dialogue 15 The Other Side of the Sharing Economy

A: The scope and scale of the so-called “sharing economy” has increased exponentially over
the past decade, to the point where it affects almost every aspect of our lives. Ride sharing has
changed how we move. Food delivery apps have changed our eating habits. Airbnb has
changed how we holiday. Dating apps have changed how we meet our partners. This shift to
peer-to-peer transactions is often portrayed as an antidote to the consumer culture of modern
society because it supports sharing instead of ownership. But have sharing platforms simply
created a new form of capitalism? With me in the studio to discuss this question is Mark
Simpson, a university professor who has done research in this area. Mark, what have you
discovered?

B: Research suggests that rather than transforming us, the sharing economy simply
repackages our same old consumerist impulses in a more appealing message. Studies have
shown that people perceive, select and evaluate shared experiences in a similar way to
commercial offers. For example, the criteria we use to select Airbnb accommodation or Uber
drivers is similar to how we evaluate a hotel and transportation services. That is: price,
location, service quality and reputation.

A: And I believe you’ve found that the factors influencing satisfaction and the likelihood of
rebooking are the same.

B: Yes, and this affects how suppliers develop services. Sharing platforms use peer review
comments and ratings to calculate the quality scores of service providers, recognising those of
a higher quality. Just like TripAdvisor reviews of hotels, scores on the Airbnb peer review
system influence the amount sharing providers can charge.

A: You’ve also written about the “commercialisation of authenticity”? Can you explain what
you mean by that?

B: The number of people quitting their full-time jobs to become entrepreneurs of the sharing
economy has increased. These entrepreneurs invest in assets, such as real estate or cars, and
hire other micro-entrepreneurs to manage them. In these cases, the owners of the “shared”
asset rarely interact with their guests. So instead of experiencing genuine feelings of
hospitality and intimate social interactions, customers experience fleeting interactions and
professional encounters. By transferring traditional professional services from the commercial
economy to the shared economy, these entrepreneurs contribute to the commercialisation of
“authentic” experiences.

A: And I suppose sharing platforms contribute to this …

B: Yes. Airbnb provides a pricing tool, similar to those used by professional hotels, so hosts
can monitor market trends and their competitors’ prices. Photography services help hosts
present themselves professionally, as research shows the way hosts construct and present their
online personality and identity influence their competitiveness. In order to thrive, micro-
entrepreneurs need to adopt a professional operational mindset and commercial marketing
practices.
A: So, doesn’t the ‘sharing economy’ simply dress up our consumerist tendencies in a more
palatable ideology?

B: Yes. People who participate in the sharing economy are primarily motivated by financial
rewards. Service providers use the income from “sharing” their assets to purchase larger
houses or better cars, while customers seek cheaper deals than traditional providers can offer.
A: Are you saying then that the sharing economy hasn’t really changed people’s mindsets,
values, lifestyles or behaviours?

B: Yes. People still wish to consume at the same levels, and for the same reasons, but in a
different way. The sharing economy disrupts the traditional economy, but it has not
transformed it.

Summary
The “sharing economy” now affects almost every aspect of our lives. For instance, ride
sharing has changed how we move and food delivery apps have changed our eating habits.
This shift to peer-to-peer transactions is often portrayed as an antidote to the consumer culture
of modern society because it supports sharing instead of ownership. But have sharing
platforms simply created a new form of capitalism? Rather than transforming us, the sharing
economy simply repackages our same old consumerist impulses in a more appealing message.
The sharing economy hasn’t really changed people’s mindsets, values, lifestyles or
behaviours. It disrupts the traditional economy, but it has not transformed it.

Questions
1. Have you used any of the sharing platforms mentioned in the dialogue (Airbnb, Uber, food
delivery apps, dating apps)?
2. What explains the rapid growth of the sharing economy?
3. Is the sharing economy just a fad, or is it here to stay?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the capitalist system?
Dialogue 16 Brexit: end of an era ?

A: Hello, I’m Chris Fraser. Today on BBC World Service I’m in the studio with Katya Adler,
who is the BBC Europe editor. I’m asking her to think back to the morning of the first of
February 2020. She was in Brussels, and the United Kingdom had left the European Union at
midnight on January 31st, a few hours before. Katya, you said in your report then that you had
a mixture of emotions on that day?

B: Yes, Chris. I had stood in the same place many times in the previous four years, trying to
explain the EU perspective on Brexit following the British referendum, and throughout the
divorce negotiations. It struck me that the European Commission building behind me, a huge
impersonal glass and concrete office block, embodies the idea many in the UK have of the
EU as a whole.

A: Did you have a sense of how ordinary Europeans felt about Britain leaving?

B: Yes, there were so many – engineers, teachers, bus drivers - who asked me “Why are you
doing this?” and said “Don’t leave!” Though never very enthusiastic about the EU, the UK
was part of the European project for almost half a century.

A: How do you think Britain was thought of while in the EU?

B: Behind the scenes, Britain was known for playing a big part in some of Europe’s most
ambitious projects – the single market, the single currency (even though the UK finally never
joined) -, and perhaps most of all, the enlargement eastward to include the former communist
countries. And they did sometimes like the British sense of humor!

A: I guess they appreciated the many billions that Britain paid in to the European budget also
– which they will greatly miss, I think.

B: Yes. I also remember thinking back then, that the trade talks which were to come, with
Britain of course trying to negotiate the best possible deal, were going to be difficult. The
President of the European Parliament said that the EU would always act with a sense of
“brotherhood” towards the UK. But the problem with families, brothers and sisters, is that
when there is a disagreement it can cause very deep divisions. So the trade talks were always
going to be complicated.

A: But Brexit was about much more than business and economics, wasn’t it? We all know
how close the vote was on the referendum – but the reality is that more than half the British
voters did not identify with Europe at all. They wanted out.

B: That’s true. Some people in Brussels were very defensive about Brexit, because they saw it
as a significant failure. The EU was unable, or unwilling, to find a way to persuade Britain to
stay. Maybe they should have made more concessions to British Prime Minister David
Cameron, to help his Remain campaign.

A: Do the European leaders believe that anything good has come from Brexit, from their
standpoint?

B: The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, told me she was actually very
emotional about the UK’s departure in January. She said Brexit had had a very positive effect
on the rest of the EU, and thought it had helped to unify the member states. They realized that
if they were going to have successful negotiations with Britain, they all needed to stick
together and maintain a united front.
A: What did Michel Barnier think about all this? He was the EU lead negotiator, and had to
battle away for long months to try to reach an agreement. He must have been sick of the
British by the end!

B He too said Brussels had lessons to learn. For example, he said many regions similar to the
North East of England felt underfunded and overlooked. They also believe that the EU has
not protected them from the effects of globalization. He said the EU should listen more to
European voters.

A: I think we all agree with that! Euroscepticism is still strong across the EU, though the
temptation to leave the bloc which we saw in 2016 in France and Italy has just about
disappeared.

B: That’s true, but if Brexit is a success, other countries might still be tempted to follow!

Summary
This discussion concerns Brexit; it recounts the experience of a BBC journalist who reported
on the process. She gives some personal impressions, and also reports reactions from leading
figures in the EU. Some positives and negatives concerning Britain’s departure are
considered, but the dialogue raises the question of the great potential difficulty in the ongoing
negotiations concerning Britain’s future relationship with Europe.

Questions

1. What is your impression of the current situation between Britain and Europe?
2. Do you think the EU is actually better off now that the UK has left?
3. Could you envisage Britain returning to the EU at some point in the future?
4. Do you think that after Brexit, Britain is a more attractive or less attractive place to
work?
Dialogue 17 Can fashion ever be sustainable?

A I’m Jim Moody, and today on the Fashion Programme I’m with Steph Andrews to talk
about sustainable fashion. Steph, we all talk about climate change and the impact of
travel on greenhouse gas emissions. But we are failing to accept the damage that is
being done by the fashion industry - aided by us, as consumers. 10 percent of the
world’s carbon footprint is generated by the clothing and fashion industry; hugely more
than the 2 percent generated by the aviation industry. A problem!

B Yes, that’s a staggering statistic, Jim. The problem is we all want to look good and feel
good about ourselves. Buying affordable fashion helps consumers do that. But the
industry is trying to improve its image by improving safety, employment and
environmental standards

A Agreed the industry is attempting to reduce its carbon footprint, but consumers aren’t
helping. We all want to be socially accepted, unfortunately our behaviour is far more
selfish than we might like to believe. Rational models of consumption are based on the
idea that individuals make choices that balance costs and benefits. An ethical consumer
will make rational judgements about purchases on the best outcome in terms of costs
and benefits for them and the environment. But most consumers, and in particular
fashion consumers, are quite irrational. Purchase decisions are more likely to be driven
by desires linked to pleasure and excitement.

B I understand what you are saying. Buying fashion is a social activity to satisfy some of
our egotistical drive to be accepted and admired, but it involves emotional decisions
too. So we as consumers need to change our habits.

A Yes. We’re not rational when it comes to fashion and it has to change. By 2030, it is
predicted that the industry’s water consumption will grow by 50 percent to nearly 120
billion cubic meters. The carbon footprint will increase to almost 3000 million tons.
Every year it will create 148 million tons of waste. Did you know that to make just one
t-shirt it takes on average 2,700 litres of water?

B That is scary. The rate at which clothing gets discarded is becoming increasingly faster
as consumers chase the latest fashion trends. It is estimated there is over £30 billion of
clothing sitting in wardrobes across the UK that has not been worn for over 12 months.

A That’s not the full story. Of the 150 billion garments produced by the whole fashion
industry each year, 30 % is never sold. Clothing companies destroy around 12% of their
inventory in value terms every year. Americans buy more than 70 clothing items per
year. That is a new item every 4 or 5 days with over 50 % of the fashion being thrown
out in under a year. What a waste!

B How does the industry destroy its inventory of unsold clothes? Do they recycle?

A Only a part. A lot of it is incinerated, though not all companies report the fact. In 2017
a Swedish factory incinerated 15 billion tonnes of clothing to generate energy. $4.2bn
of clothing came from H&M. And Burberry is reported to have incinerated $37million
of clothing rather than selling the inventory at a reduced price.

B Why didn’t Burberry reduce the price?

A Because they didn’t want to damage the brand image.

B Consumers aren’t responsible for the overproduction though, so what action can we
 take?

A There are a few simple things that we can do. For instance: shop less but spend more on
quality goods that last a long time; develop ‘emotional bonds’ with special items;
prioritize natural fabrics over synthetics as they use significantly less chemicals in the
production process: only support companies that are transparent regarding employment
and production practices, finally, look for traceability.

B Ok, so for example I sometimes buy clothes at an ethical clothing store. They offer full
traceability and even recycling options. Should I think about buying more from that
type of company?

A Exactly. The industry also has to think about changing its strategy, such as only
producing what is expected to sell, based on research and dialogue with customers.
They should sell clothes for full price, and sell second hand or upcycled clothes at a
discount to encourage a change in consumer behaviour.

Summary
Ten percent of the world’s carbon footprint is generated by the apparel industry, significantly
more than the 2 percent generated by the aviation industry. Driven by consumer demand for
fashion there has been a growth in the amount of clothing purchased and subsequently
discarded in under a year. The industry model is based on overproduction. This model has to
change to only producing what is expected to sell based on research and dialogue with
consumers. Consumers also have to change their behaviour to buy in a more ethical way.

Questions
1. What needs to happen in your opinion to reduce the mentality of throwaway fashion?
2. Do you think upcycling items (i.e. reusing items / material to make secondary items)
is a practical solution or will consumers always prefer to buy new?
3. If there was a form of ‘clothes library’ where you could borrow clothes would you
make use of the service?
4. Who is more responsible for the environmental issues with Fast Fashion - the
industry or the consumer?
Dialogue 18 Supersize school classes

A: Welcome to our monthly program ‘Education Today’. With me in the studio is Jonathan
Bishop, the head teacher of a primary school in the west of England, which has one of the
highest average class sizes in the country, with 42 pupils per class. Sometimes the 10 and 11-
year-old children are taught in a class of 67 children in the same room, and at times with just
one teacher. Do you really think this is a good thing, Mr Bishop?

B: Actually, I do. Our school offers an excellent education. The government body which
inspects us rates our school as “outstanding”. You need to remember that class size is not the
major factor in a good quality education.

A: But just about all education professionals say that a maximum class size of 30 is essential
if children are to develop their potential. In fact, in the UK it is illegal for any school to teach
younger children under the age of 7 in classes of more than 30. So how can you justify your
policy?

B: Firstly, it is not class size that dictates the quality of education. 30 is not a magic number.
Our classroom for the 10 and 11-year olds is designed like a lecture theatre. The children
have their computers in front of them, the teachers communicate well, and the children learn.
Obviously, this is not all day every day; the children do many other activities, art, sport,
music and so on.

A: So it’s not financial pressure that causes you to have such large classes?

B: That is a factor of course. Our UK system means that each school receives between £3500
and £5000 a year for each child. I agree it is a temptation for some schools to have bigger
classes, so that they can use the money for other things.

A: One university education professor says that supersize classes damage children’s
education. He thinks we are moving towards the style of giant classes found in Far East
countries like Singapore, where the teacher can be in charge of up to 100 pupils. Those who
say that the quality of education can be maintained in such huge classes are mistaken. For
young children personal attention is vital, and they can get lost in large classes.

B: That’s true, but our younger children are not taught in very large classes. We obey the law!
While these university professors can talk as much as they like about ideal situations, head
teachers have to deal with reality. Schools have funding problems, and teacher shortages. For
example, I know of schools which are obliged to have classes of 40 to 45 pupils in key
subjects such as maths, because qualified teachers are so difficult to find. What else can you
do if you don’t have enough teachers?

A: The National Association of Head Teachers is very worried about the situation. They have
just launched a campaign to protect class sizes in small schools, which it says are most likely
to cram children in to save money. They say that because schools are funded per pupil, the
more kids you have in a school, the more money you get. So schools accept more children,
put them in bigger classes, and their education suffers. The government needs to help the
schools in the worst financial situations, so that they don’t have to create supersize classes
just to make ends meet.

B: I understand their concern. But let me also give you the example of a secondary Grammar
School near London, where the average class size is 32, fairly high. They were once one of
the lowest-funded schools in England, so had to find a solution, and increased class sizes.
Some lectures for sixth formers can have over 200 pupils in the class. The headmaster says
this helps his students prepare for university. And they are now very successful!
B: This surely must also increase the pressure on teachers, who already have a heavy
workload, because of lower teacher-to-pupil ratios. Children may also not be getting the
attention they need to be able to reach their potential. I still think the teacher-pupil
relationship is vital, and that’s not possible in huge classes. Thank you for joining us Mr
Bishop.

A: You’re welcome. Do come and visit our school!

Summary
This discussion concerns the trend towards ‘supersize’ classes in schools in the UK. Critics
say that classes should be maintained at a maximum of 30 children, otherwise personal
attention is lost. The cause of such large classes is often financial pressure and teacher
shortages. A head teacher whose school has large classes says that 30 is not a magic number,
and that children can be taught, and can learn, perfectly well in much larger groups. Schools
have to deal with the reality of the financial pressures and the availability of teachers.

Questions
1. What has been your experience of large or small classes in school?
2. Is it really the case that small classes are better than larger ones?
3. Does the quality of education depend most of all on the ability of the teacher?
4. What are the qualities that are present in a really good school?
 Dialogue 19 Health Care Delivered to Your Door

A: You look exhausted, Natalie. Is it your medical studies?

B: It is, Max. I’m finally doing my internship and I scarcely have time to sleep.

A: Do you have a few minutes for a coffee?

B: Sure, especially as I need lots of coffee. What’s up?

A: I was just reading an interesting article on what’s new in the medical field, and I wanted to
get your opinion. It seems medical care in the U.S. has begun to follow the on-demand
Uber/Amazon model—health care brought to your door.

B: I know you can get just about anything delivered almost instantly. But a doctor appearing
on your doorstep shortly after you, ah, place an order?

A: That’s right. Several companies will now send a doctor or nurse to your home to treat non-
emergency problems like, say, an ear infection or a torn muscle. It’s designed to be as fast and
easy as calling for an Uber. And no waiting for an available appointment, no time spent
sitting in a cold waiting room.

B: I can’t believe this. Do the visiting doctors also deliver pizzas?

A: Not quite. But you can call a company called I.V. Doc and order up intravenous treatments
for conditions like jet lag, hangovers, and food poisoning. And because of increasing
competition, it recently started offering injectable drugs like Botox.

B: Apart from food poisoning, which can be life threatening, these are frivolous—few people
would go to a doctor to treat a hangover or jetlag.

A: Here’s another service. There’s a company called Capsule that will arrive at your doorstep
to deliver your prescription drugs.

B: I can see a lot of potential problems with all this. The Capsule delivery van could be held
up at gunpoint and all the medicines in the vehicle stolen. The person giving the intravenous
injection gives the wrong drug as he’s had to move so quickly from patient to patient because
that’s the nature of on-demand services. Or a doctor makes an incorrect diagnosis because she
doesn’t have the necessary equipment she would have in her office or clinic.

A: These are all possibilities, of course, which is why it’s been difficult for a number of these
companies to get insurance.

B: Insurance is one thing; patient safety is another.

A: The article points out a number of advantages regarding patient care. For example, people
will seek medical care sooner because they won’t have a long wait to see a doctor. Early
detection and treatment can prevent some problems from developing into far more serious
ones. This also can save insurers money, as people will go to emergency rooms far less often,
because their problems will be treated sooner.

B: I knew it was about saving money and not necessarily about saving lives…

A: Actually, Natalie, the article mentioned that by visiting a patient’s home, doctors can
sometimes identify problems there that can lead to illness. There was a man who suffered
from debilitating migraines, had had thousands of dollars worth of tests, and had tried many
medications. When the doctor went to the persons’ home, he discovered black mold on the
walls. Mold removed, no more migraines!

B: I know many people are dissatisfied with the medical industry—costs keep going up,
access to services keeps going down. It’s increasingly difficult to see a doctor. Polls show 7 in
10 Americans believe health care is in a state of crisis. It is a $3.5 trillion industry—surely the
system can be fixed without having to resort to on-demand convenience care. It doesn’t seem
to have much to do with the traditional doctor-patient relationship. I’m concerned only the
wealthy can afford this new system.

A: It’s precisely because of the $3.5 trillion that all kinds of start-ups and investors are
jumping in on what they see as this great opportunity. Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, which is
Google’s parent company, are all getting in on it.

B: I’m one of those rare doctors, who didn’t join the medical profession to make heaps of
money. And I deplore how my profession and health care is now driven by money. That’s
how I see this Amazon delivery of health care. Now I must get back to my patients. See you,
Max.

Summary
New trends in health care in the United States are following the Amazon-Uber model: health
care rapidly delivered to your door. Companies can send doctors or nurses to fix a torn
muscle, give people an IV for hangovers or headaches, or deliver prescription drugs,
Supporters say it eliminates long waits for appointments, it gives medical personnel useful
knowledge about a patient’s environment because of the home visit. Detractors say it has the
potential to cause serious practical problems, and is based purely on profit.

Questions
1. Is this new idea really only for younger and better-off people?
2. What do you see are the advantages and disadvantages?
3. What do you think is driving this movement?
4. Does the health-care system in your country need to be improved?
Dialogue 20 Extinction rebellion

A: David, what’s that badge on your rucksack - XR?

B: It’s Extinction Rebellion, Lesley.

A: I didn’t take you for an extremist. You haven’t been getting arrested in those crazy ‘save
the planet’ demonstrations, have you?

B: No, Lesley, not yet, but I do plan on joining them next time there are mass demonstrations.
Besides, I don’t consider their actions as extreme at all. In my opinion, it’s legitimate civil
disobedience considering the climate emergency we are in.

A: I’m shocked. I think it’s appalling to disrupt other people’s lives the way you do. I was
trapped in London because of a huge delay during the last set of protests. To what end? We
all know about climate change.

B: Exactly, everyone knows about it but no-one does anything. We need to force
governments to act, otherwise it’ll just be business as usual, and we’ll sleepwalk straight into
mass starvation, chaos and human extinction. Nothing compared to a small delay.

A: Firstly, I think you’re exaggerating about that, but even so, the tactics are all wrong. If you
want people to join and support you, you won’t do it by stopping them from going to work,
and blocking up the cities. Ordinary people are victims here.

B: I understand that it’s not popular with those who are directly affected. But people need to
be made aware that if things don’t change now, we are going to face far worse violence, and
in that respect, XR is succeeding. Remember too it’s non-violent; people aren’t actually hurt.

A: Not physically, but what about small businesses put at risk? Or people who can’t afford to
lose a day’s wages? And some people were prevented from reaching hospital!

B: We literally have no time left. Man-made climate change is going to destroy the planet and
people’s lives on a massive scale. We have no choice. We must force our governments to
move to a zero-carbon economy, as we demand, within 10 years.

A: Who are XR to make demands? You are unelected and don’t speak for everyone.

B: Listen, XR is a legitimate movement within a long tradition of civil disobedience. Our

legitimacy comes from the fact that we are voicing the general concerns of society that can’t
be heard or addressed through normal political channels. There is no other way.
Environmental change must come from the bottom-up, because the politicians and elites are
incapable of making the necessary changes without widespread popular rebellion.

A: I don’t think your ideas will work. Once the protests are over, things go back to normal.

B: It seems like that, but XR has already had the great success of changing the debate,
injecting a sense of urgency into public affairs, and forcing people to take climate change
seriously. Since its inception in 2018, XR has spread around the globe. It’s just the beginning
and it cannot be ignored.

A: I’m sorry, but for me, XR just seems to represent a lot of negative, lazy, hippie-like people
who want to bring down the global system. You’re just wreckers.
B: That’s not true. XR has a wide range of people from all walks of life, all professions, all
ages and all socio-economic classes.

A: We need to adapt our current system, not destroy it, which is what many people in XR
openly cite as their goal. They want to bring down global capitalism. Can you imagine the
chaos that would cause?

B: People have lots of different ideas about what to do, but the current system in
unsustainable and urgent action is required. Bringing down the system for its own sake is not
the goal of XR. On the contrary, XR believe that without the radical reforms they are calling
for, such as a fair and just plan that addresses global inequality, and a massive reduction in
consumption, the system as it currently operates will collapse on its own.

A: You’re wrong about that. Capitalism has brought huge benefits to all mankind and will
survive.

B: Wake up! Science is telling us it’s already too late. We have to stop deluding ourselves. I
have children and grandchildren, and there’s nothing more important to me than fighting for
their future.

Summary:
Extinction Rebellion is an international movement that uses non-violent civil disobedience in
an attempt to halt mass extinction and minimise the risk of social collapse, which it believes
will come about as a result of our global economic system, capitalist consumerist society, and
the resulting man-made climate emergency we are in. The movement is controversial and
divisive because of their methods of disruption. They actively seek to bring cities to a
standstill in order to raise awareness of the urgency of serious climate action force the issue
onto the popular agenda.

Questions:
1. Do you have sympathy with the goals and methods of Extinction Rebellion?
2. Will capitalism inevitably collapse?
3. Could you compare Extinction Rebellion with, say, the movement of Martin Luther
King in the use of civil disobedience?
4. Is climate change the biggest single problem facing mankind?
Dialogue 21 Sports and Technology

A: Roger, I’m going out for a run.

B: I’d love to come with you, Barbara. Have you got a minute while I get my cardio
watch, connect to my gps plan and download the session?

A: What happened to just putting on a pair of running shoes and heading out the door?

B: Dead and gone. Technology has invaded the sports world. Today we have hi-tech
equipment and artificial intelligence which enable athletes at all levels to improve
performance.

A: Are you saying that your watch is like a mini robot -slash- coach?

B: That’s right. It’s a basic form of wearable technology, and I can use it to help me
improve my technique and my performance. It has a combination of sensor technology and
artificial intelligence.

A: So tell me what this thing can do.

B; My watch calculates my speed, my total time, the distance traveled and the calories
burnt. It gives me real time feedback. It allows me to create a personalized training program
based on my age, my height, my weight and my overall physical shape. It flashes and beeps
when I go into a red zone beyond my physical limit.

A: Does it tell the time?

B: Of course, Barbara. My watch is my own personal coach. Moreover, this technology

miniaturized into my watch is also being used by group coaches. So this technology isn’t just
to help individuals – it can be used in all high level sports.

A: I suppose professional trainers find it helpful when working with young athletes who
don’t really know their physical limits? Or when the coach has a team of many players to
manage at the same time?

B: Yes. A coach is usually just one individual whereas the high-speed cameras and
wearable sensors can be distributed to an entire team at the same time. And they are much
more precise than the naked eye. They can see how a tennis or golf player strikes the ball, and
analyze their technique. A tiny adjustment in their serve or their swing can bring a huge
improvement.

A Could it possibly help decide which tactics to use in team games? For example, I
imagine in baseball, Artificial Intelligence could tell a coach how the players on the opposing
team usually hit the ball, so the pitcher can select his throws accordingly.

B: Exactly. AI is becoming the coach of all coaches. Sports managers use AI to make
strategic decisions before and during a game. In baseball, for example, computer analysis of
the opposing team’s statistics is often used when choosing which players to select.

A; Could you use it in American football to call real time plays?

B: Of course. AI can give a winning edge to a player or a team through clips of all the top
tactics or visual analysis of every play. Artificial intelligence is a system that does « smart »
things like humans. By using algorithms, it solves problems in an orderly fashion, like sorting
a list. Those algorithms are used to learn a pattern from data and then make inferences on new
information.

A: Let me see if I get this, Roger. A series of moves or plays by the opposition are
captured on screen. Then the systems sort the good (or successful) ones from the bad ones.
After that, the coaches, the players and the fans can predict their adversary’s next moves or
plays, and adapt their own tactics accordingly.

B: You got it! Statistics and quantitative analysis is really nothing new in sports. It’s
been used for years. But now with the help of technology, the whole process is hundreds of
times faster.

A: How about supporters? Can they follow their team’s strategies better?

B: Yes, and sports journalists as well. For example, AI platforms choose the highlights
of a game from the images captured and distribute them to television outlets. Newspapers can
also take advantage of the AI-based capabilities that transform fresh data from a game,
directly into a readable sports column.

A: Cool! So I can survey my personal status while jogging and at the same time follow
the plays of my favorite major and minor league sports events. Now I just need to find my
running shoes.

Summary
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have become an integral part of sports at all
levels. Amateurs can use these systems as personal coaches to plan training sessions, analyze
their personal data and improve their performance. On a professional scale, coaches and
athletes refer to AI platforms to study game tactics and movements. The information gathered
by these platforms can be shared with fans and the media, thus enhancing the experience for
all.

Questions
1) Does this technology take the fun out of sports?
2) Do you think TV sports programs provide too much analysis and too many statistics? (Or
do you not care?)
3) Why has the technology become essential, particularly for competition at the highest
levels?
4) If Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are such powerful tools, does an athlete
still need talent to succeed?
Dialogue 22 Fires in California and Australia

A: It seemed to me, Bruce, that in 2019 that the world had been burning all year – the
Amazon, California, or Australia. California’s fire season overlapped with Australia’s. So
how can the world share its resources to fight the flames?

B: A good question, Sheila. Sharing the giant air tankers that fight fires, which can drop 5,000
gallons of water at a time, used to be simpler. California’s wildfires faded before Australia’s
bush fires surged, leaving time to prepare, move and deploy planes from one continent to
another.

A: But isn’t climate change subverting the system?

B: I think so. Fire seasons are running longer, stronger, hotter. The major fires which covered
Sydney in smoke started early, within days of the last California blazes. And the strain is
global. Countries that used to manage without extra help, like Chile, Bolivia and Cyprus, now
need plane and helicopter contracts for firefighting.

A: The age of fire is upon us, scientists say, and the system built to contain it is being pushed
to its limits. While firefighting is still primarily done on the ground, governments and
frightened residents are increasingly demanding costly assistance from the air.

B: Fire officials seem to be saying they are planning for a world ablaze year-round. Fires
affect places they never used to touch. That has forced firefighting to be a global effort, not a
local or even national effort.

A: But it’s not just a firefighting issue. We need to be more careful in our planning decisions.
We need to examine building in bush-fire-prone areas. People love living in the bush or the
forest, but as those areas become more vulnerable and it is dangerous.

B: In Australia, Sheila, the government has rejected a discussion of climate change and its
impact on fires. But the country is fast becoming a fiery test case for the pressures that are
building worldwide.

A: Why is Australia so vulnerable?

B: It is arid and expansive, with large cities spreading toward wilderness. Climate change is
already changing precipitation patterns, causing a lengthy drought. Dry areas are now drier
and larger. The forests that used to be reliably moist have become tinderboxes waiting for a
spark.

A: Climate scientists say they are starting to see unprecedented conditions. In Australia bush
fires started much earlier than usual, and there were even fires in the subtropical rainforest.

B: As a result, fire officials and scientists say they are being forced to imagine, for the first
time, overlapping and intensifying demands around the world.

A: Something is clearly changing, Bruce. The climate!

B: The fires of this new era cannot always be easily put out. Neither aircraft nor ground crews
can do much for the blazes that spread quickly pushed by powerful winds. The fire that
destroyed parts of California in 2017 jumped an eight-lane freeway. The winds supercharging
the fire that burned through the town of Paradise, Calif., last year pushed water bombers too
high into the air to drop their payload.
A: As a consequence, aircraft use, and fire management costs, are soaring.

B: The United States Forest Service spent more than $1 billion on fire suppression in 13 of
the 18 years between 2000 and 2017. Costs surpassed $2 billion for the first time in 2017 and
2018, when California’s fire seasons were especially severe. In Australia, too, firefighting
expenses are rising.

A: Firefighters are already hard to deploy across state lines: of Australia’s 300,000 fire and
emergency service personnel, roughly 85 percent are volunteers who tend to stay where they
live.

B: So large airplanes and helicopters that dump water or other firefighting materials are
increasingly seen as the most vital weapons for what officials call “surge capacity” — the
ability to add resources as fires defy control.

A: And then, ironically soon after the fires, Australia suffered from floods. Weather is now
extreme!

Summary
As climate change pushed California’s fire season into Australia’s at the end of 2019, how
can the world share its resources to fight the flames? The age of fire is upon us, scientists say,
and the public and private system built to contain it is being pushed to its limits. While
firefighting is still primarily done on the ground, governments and frightened residents are
increasingly demanding costly assistance from the air. Firefighting has now taken on an
international dimension, and needs the co-ordination of responses.

Questions
1. Why has firefighting become a global effort?
2. Do you agree that climate change is responsible for the fires in Australia?
3. What other factors play a role in the development of fires in Australia?
4. Why are these « new » fires so difficult to tame?
Dialogue 23 Are Electric cars the solution to transport emissions in the UK?

A Here in the studio to discuss energy policy today is David Stone. David, encouraging
more people to use electric vehicles is at the heart of the UK government's strategy to
tackle climate change. That's because transport accounts for 23% of the UK's CO2
emissions - more than any other sector.

B Yes, Lisa, but change takes time. Although up 70% on last year, only about 1.1% of
new cars sold this year are electric, and the market for used electric cars barely exists.
As most UK drivers keep their vehicles somewhere between one and 15 years, many
drivers won't be thinking about buying an electric model any time soon.

A Some countries are aiming to totally ban sales of new petrol & diesel cars. Iceland, and
the Netherlands, by 2030 and other countries such as France, the UK and Spain
targeting 2040.

B I question whether that is realistically possible. I don’t think the infrastructure changes
can be completed in time.

A It’s true that huge infrastructure changes are needed – most of all, we need thousands of
new charging outlets. Another difficulty: because fuel tax is an important source of
revenue for governments - and electric vehicle users pay lower taxes - changes to the
tax system may be required. But the biggest challenge is convincing car owners that
electric vehicles suit their needs.

B Choice is also a limiting factor, especially in the delivery van sector. The availability
and cost of e-Vans is much too expensive for many small companies, which have a
small turnover. There are more choices of cars but they are aimed at the top end. Few
all-electric models are available for less than £20,000, and buying a new Tesla Model 3
costs about £37,000.

A All true, and although rapid advances in battery and charging technology are being
made, we desperately need radical changes in planning for electric vehicles. How are
people living in apartment blocks, for example, going to be able to charge their
vehicles? Should they expect charging to be available at bollards or lamp posts along
their street?

B Another question is - who’s going to pay for installing the network? It is widely
assumed that the private sector will build, operate and maintain the charging
infrastructure in the UK. But businesses haven’t been attracted because profit margins
remain small. There are some signs of progress, but it is slow. For example, Tesla is
actively rolling out its own charging network at motorway service stations.

A Perhaps Governments should take on the responsibility. After all, if getting people into
electric vehicles is for the public good, local government should pay for charging points
in areas where demand is too low to offer healthy profits. It should be a service, just
like cycle paths or social care.

B True. In addition, there is still a carbon cost to electric vehicles. Sourcing the minerals
used for batteries, dismantling batteries which have deteriorated, and building and
delivering vehicles to customers worldwide, all involve substantial CO2 emissions.

A And then what do we do with the used batteries? If every new vehicle sold in 2040 is a
plug-in vehicle, it could mean 2.5 million battery packs that will need to be reused or
recycled.
B Companies are working on solutions to that, although it’s early days. Nissan have built
an energy storage facility that re-uses batteries as power storage for domestic and
commercial buildings.

A Even so, static energy storage is not a one-shot solution for where the redundant
electric vehicle batteries will go. I don’t think it’s a viable solution at all, David.

B Why do you say that, Lisa?

A Because there is a large quantity of cobalt in lithium-ion batteries. The most efficient
and cost-effective way of recycling cobalt – which is a very expensive mineral – is to
reuse it for the next generation of batteries for electric cars. A Belgian company has
developed a sophisticated system for recovering cobalt and lithium. Metals are
infinitely recyclable, so they can be reclaimed from used batteries and to produce new
batteries that are as good as any other. But all these processes are difficult and
expensive.

B I suppose the good news is that ecology and economics are unanimous on one thing:
don't bury them in the ground as waste.

Summary
Encouraging more people to use electric vehicles is at the heart of the UK’s
government's strategy to tackle climate change. Transport accounts for 23% of the UK's
CO2 emissions - more than any other sector. Although up 70% on last year only about
1.1% of new cars sold this year are electric, and the market for used electric vehicles
barely exists. Countries are targeting between 2030 and 2040 to ban the sales of all new
petrol & diesel cars. Issues surround the choice of charging technology and
infrastructure. Who will pay for the infrastructure? What will we do with the used
batteries?

Questions
1. Do you think electric vehicles will ever have the functionality of petrol or diesel
vehicles?
2. What would make you buy an electric car?
3. Are electric cars the way forward, or is a high-quality public transport system a better
solution?
4. Where will the power come from to produce all the electricity needed to power these
cars?
Dialogue 24 What if there was no internet?

A: Wow, James, you look stressed out!

B: I am, Sophie. I have to finish a report by tomorrow and the internet connection in my
apartment building stopped working this morning.

A: Can’t you do it at your office?

B: Normally yes, but I am really busy doing other things at the moment, so I can only work
on it at home. I got up early this morning to finish the report, and there was no internet
connection. I think we don’t realize how important it is for us to have internet access until we
don’t have it.

A: I know. There was a Stanford University professor who asked his students to stay off the
internet for 48 hours and then discuss how it affected them. They said it was impossible and
unfair. They argued that going offline, even for a weekend, would prevent them from
completing work in other classes, ruin their social lives, and make their friends and family
worry that something terrible had happened to them. The professor had to concede and
cancelled the activity – and he’s never attempted it again. That was in 2009- what reaction
would he get from students more than ten years later?!

B: One of the biggest problems is that we just assume we will always be connected. But in
fact, it would be very easy for us to lose it.

A: Are you thinking about cyberattacks?

B: That is one possibility. Malicious hackers could bring the internet to a stop by releasing
software that aggressively targets vulnerabilities in routers – the devices that forward internet
traffic. Shutting down domain name servers – the internet’s address books – would also cause
massive disruption, preventing websites from loading, for example.

A: But don’t governments also now try to control the internet?

B: Yes. Some governments have “kill switches” that can effectively turn off the internet in
their country. Egypt did this during the Arab Spring uprising in 2011 to make it more difficult
for protesters to coordinate their activity. Iran has also shut off internet connectivity during
recent protests. China has a kill switch of its own.

A: We are so used to having an always-on internet connection that even relatively short
disruptions would have an effect, but it might not be what you would expect. Research carried
out by the Department of Homeland Security in the US found that although many businesses
claimed they would lose millions of dollars, it turned out that losing internet access for a few
days just made people fall behind with their work.

B: It didn’t actually make much difference?

A: No. People carried out all the same activities they would have done had the internet been
ok, but they just did it two or three days later. In some cases, shutting down the internet for a
short time might even increase productivity. In another study researchers analyzed what
happened when a company suffered an internet outage that lasted four hours or more. Rather
than sit around and do nothing, employees did things that they would normally put off, such
as dealing with paperwork. The result was a boost for business.
B: That is surprising, but what about the psychological effect? Like feelings of isolation and
anxiety which would hit people everywhere. Most of the internet is designed for one purpose:
to allow us to communicate with each other. We are used to being able to connect to anyone,
anywhere and at any time. If we don’t have that we feel vulnerable. I know when I realize
I’ve left my smartphone at home, I feel slightly naked, I suddenly have to think, ‘Do I know
where I’m going? What if my car breaks down?’

A: Some people think we would be more sociable if we spent less time on the internet, but I
don’t think that’s true. If we don’t have our smartphones on the bus we don’t turn to the other
passengers and start a conversation. It may seem terrifying to us to lose our connection, even
for a day, but we would soon lose our fear when we got it back. Losing the internet may make
us recognize its importance in our lives, but we would soon forget and carry on as normal.

Summary
Internet use and being online has become an integral part of our lives. It is hard, and for some
impossible, to imagine not having internet access. But are the effects so bad? Perhaps we are
more afraid than we need to be and it is our need to communicate with others online which is
the source of this fear. We perhaps risk being dependent on something that could be taken
away from us with no warning and we have no alternative plans if it is taken away from us.

Questions

1) How important and in what ways is the internet important to you?

2) What would you do if you were disconnected for 48 hours?
3) How vulnerable do you think we are to cyberattacks and losing internet access?
4) Has the original intention of the internet, with free use and access, been lost in the
domination of Microsoft, Google, Facebook and the other big companies?
Dialogue 25 Slow Travel

A: Have you ever come home from a vacation feeling more exhausted than you were before
you left? Many travellers live hectic, stressful lives, and the frantic pace continues while
they’re on a trip as they rush from one tourist attraction to another. But there’s a grassroots
movement that has quietly emerged as a solution to tourist burnout: slow travel. With me in
the studio to discuss this latest travel trend is John Wilson, who has written a book about it.
John, what exactly is slow travel?

B: On paper, slow travel is an offshoot of the slow food movement – a focus on local farming,
regional cuisine, communal meals and traditional food preparation methods that began in
Italy in the 1980s as a protest against the opening of a McDonald’s in Rome. This cultural
initiative has evolved into an entire way of life known as the Slow Movement, which aims to
address the issue of “time poverty” through an increased focus on making connections; with
people, places and things.

A: But what does this actually mean for travel?

B: Essentially, slow travel means travelling by particular modes of transport, such as train,
horse, walking, biking and boating. It’s all about appreciating the landscape as you go, and
being at one with it – which you don’t get by flying or driving, when you’re seeing everything
from behind a glass window.

A: Is slow travel actually a mindset, not just a series of choices?

B: Absolutely. While physically slowing down is necessary, slow travel is more mindset than
velocity. Slow travel is to tourism what meditation apps are to our lives. In it, connecting to
the soul of a place through its history, food, language and people becomes more important
than ticking off items on a bucket list and Instagram photos.

A: So why is slow travel hot right now?

B: It’s part of the backlash against package tourism, over-tourism and Instagram obsession.
The train travel element is due to eco-anxiety and the spread of the flight-shaming movement.

A: Ah, you’re talking about ‘Flygskam’, the anti-flight movement that originated in Sweden
last year? This movement encourages people to stop taking flights so as to lower carbon
emissions.

B: Yes, that’s right. But there is another reason for this shift: millennials. Responsible tourism
is back in a big way. It was a trendy topic in travel towards around the year 2000, but after the
financial crisis the concept got lost in people’s concerns about value. Now it’s back, and it’s
never going away again, because millennials — the next generation of travellers — won’t
allow that.

A: And these younger consumers are shaping the way tour operators work too?

B: Yes, they are the most ethical consumers ever, so companies are offering ways of
travelling that are increasingly ethical and less damaging to the planet.

A: So what impact can slow travel have on us and our environment?

B: A huge one. Slow travel enables us to learn, relax and rejuvenate; to be part of a place for a
short period rather than just crash through it. Done responsibly it allows us to go beyond the
‘leave only footprints’ mantra that has long been associated with ecotourism. It can leave
positive impacts that will last long after your trip, benefiting the local communities,
economies and wildlife. Also, sometimes it is simply just more interesting to travel in this
way. Exploring ‘the places in between’ is a good way to think about slow travel. That is,
places that may seem less obvious and are less visited, but hold a unique charm.

A: If it’s so slow, how can we fit it into our busy lives?

B: Keeping things local is a good start. Stay in locally owned hotels or accommodation, not a
big chain, hire local tour guides, eat in local restaurants and shop in local shops, this will be
half the battle in turning yourself into a slow tourist. Changing your method of transport is
important, too. Stop and think: instead of taking that flight, could I get there by train instead?
Could I walk through this city instead of taking an Uber? Ultimately though, if we start to
make small changes, a bigger shift will come.

Summary
The author of a book about slow travel is interviewed. Slow travel is part of the Slow
Movement, which aims to address the issue of “time poverty” through an increased focus on
making connections with people, places and things. It means travelling by train, horse,
walking, biking and boat rather than by car or plane, and connecting to the soul of a place
through its history, food, language and people. It’s also part of the backlash against package
tourism, over-tourism and Instagram obsession. Millennials are forcing tour operators to offer
more ethical ways of travel. To become a slow tourist, you can begin by keeping things local.
It’s all about changing your mindset.

Questions
1. What do you think about the slow travel movement?
2. Have you changed your travel habits as a result of worries about the environment?
3. Why is “time poverty” a modern problem?
4. What are the benefits of international tourism? Are there any drawbacks?
Dialogue 26 Scottish independence

A: I know that you voted for Scottish independence in 2014, Deirdre, but did you follow the
riots in the streets of Barcelona concerning Catalan independence on TV?

B: Yes, Hamish, but I’m not sure I understand the cause for so much violence.

A: The Catalan separatists are protesting against the prison sentences that were given to the
separatist leaders who organized an illegal referendum and declared independence
unilaterally in 2017.

B : What were they actually accused of?

A: Sedition, no less.

B: Well, I can’t think of another word to qualify what they did, I’m afraid. And I’m glad us
Scots show a little more wisdom. Our Scottish National Party has just had its annual
gathering in Aberdeen and it was quite peaceful, believe me.

A: Yet Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP’s leader and first minister of Scotland, was quick to
condemn the Spanish court’s decision as “dreadful”.

B: I know but there’s a stark contrast between our movement and the Catalans’. I’m sure you
have noticed that, when it comes to radical activity, Scottish nationalists might engage in a
boisterous march through the streets of Edinburgh or, if especially unhappy, wave some
placards outside the biased BBC, but one thing is sure: we do obey the law, and we are not
violent.

A: Granted. This perhaps reflects the fact that Britain has been a union for more than 300
years, which, in my view, has largely operated to Scotland’s advantage. And I do
acknowledge that, even with the separatist SNP being repeatedly elected to power in
Scotland’s devolved parliament over the past decade, the nation has remained a reasonably
calm part of Britain. Scotland voted 55-45 to stay in the 2014 independence referendum.

B: I’m afraid, calm won’t be the proper word any longer.

A: Why not?

B: Well, recent polls have shown that support for independence is now much higher than 50%.

A: Really? How would you account for such a drastic change from 2014?

B: I would say that one reason is Brexit, which we Scots opposed by 62-38. Brexit is proving
very complicated to implement. Don’t you agree?

A:I do. At the 2019 election the Scots were totally against both Boris Johnson’s
Conservatives and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour. But there are still questions over whether an
independent Scotland would be accepted in the European Union, or be able to survive
economically on its own.

B: But a growing number of Scots, like me, are drawing the conclusion that the union with
England is broken. An independent Scotland inside the EU would be preferable to staying in
an English-dominated, Brexited Britain with all the economic problems that this will cause
for Scotland.
 A: Tell me, Deirdre, how long do you think it will be before you are once again asked to
make a decision on independence?

B: All I know, Hamish, is that Ms Sturgeon wants another referendum on Scottish

independence as soon as possible.

A: Though it seems to me very unlikely that a Conservative government will give that before
the next election to the Scottish parliament, due in 2021.

B: Maybe, I don’t really know. Not my decision!

A: The Conservatives at Westminster are in a strong position, but remember Brexit isn’t all
concluded yet.

B: You have a point there. One thing, I think, is sure: unhappiness with the current situation is
real and probably stronger than our leaders realize.

A: Your problem, I would say, is with the fundamentalists of the SNP. Their approach, to me,
has always been more abrasive and divisive, which might put off many reasonable voters.
Many people think they are just too aggressive. What’s your position on this?

B: Personally, I think the most desirable route to independence is to win a majority in the
Scottish Parliament in 2021. This, I’m sure, would establish an undeniable mandate for a new
referendum or to begin break-up negotiations. But before then, we want to deepen support for
leaving, and drive that 50% figure higher.

A: Don’t you think this might be a giant leap into the unknown?

B: Not any more than Brexit has been. And I trust our leaders won’t go the misguided way
the Catalans did. … Why the sad look, Hamish?

A: Because I’ve always thought “united we win, divided we lose”. To me divorce is always a
sign of failure for both parties.

Summary
Riots in Barcelona over Catalan independence lead two friends to exchange ideas about Scottish
independence and the fact that the nationalist feeling might be rapidly increasing in Scotland, in
contrast with the result of the 2014 referendum. One speaker insists on the fact that separatists in
Scotland abide by the law and refuse the violent methods some Catalans have chosen to use. She
also explains why Scotland might fare better within the European Union rather than within a
Brexited Britain. The other speaker worries that independence for Scotland might be a leap into the
unknown and argues that union is better than division.

Questions
1. Can you really compare the Catalan and Scottish desires for independence?
2. Do you think it would be a good idea for Scotland to leave Britain and become an independent
country within the EU?
3. Do you agree with the speaker who says that “union is better than division”?
4. Does Brexit worry you when you think about the future of both Britain and Europe?
Dialogue 27 Geographic mobility in the USA

A. George, is it true that internal immigration has become a thing of the past in the US?

B. Not quite, Esther! But it is true that geographic mobility has trended downward for
the past 25 years. It is lower now than at any time since 1948.

A. It sounds so strange. I remember coming here to the US in the late 1960s, aged eight.
My father was a British coal miner, and realized there was no future for us in Britain.
Because his sister lived in upstate New York, we emigrated here. I remember that our
neighbors moved to Dallas just after our arrival, stayed there for a couple of years,
then moved to Florida. And there was nothing extraordinary about it at the time.
Everyone moved around!

B. True. In fact, people moved to find economic opportunities. If you were dissatisfied
with your situation, if you couldn’t find a decent job near you, you just moved
somewhere else. Mobility did, and still does for that matter, hinge on people’s ability
and willingness to move where jobs are. In 2018, fewer than 10% of Americans
changed their residence within the 12 preceding months, a big drop from the 25% in
1985.

A. Well, I can see a few reasons for that. One of them concerns housing and housing
costs. The median price for a house or flat in the San Francisco area is $1.3 million.
Not a mansion, just an average house. In Buffalo, New York, the median price is just
$120,000. Which makes it virtually impossible for anyone to move to San Francisco.

B. You are right. The collapse of the housing market after 2008 has had two
consequences: first, it is hard for home owners to sell their homes at a decent price;
then, housing costs have rocketed in vibrant urban areas. But there’s a second reason:
the potential skill mismatch for low-skilled workers.

A. What do you mean by “skill mismatch”?

B. People are likely to be relatively happy with their work when their jobs match their
preferences and their needs, and when they match their abilities. In other words, when
they know they can do the job expected of them without undue stress. Conversely,
when there is a mismatch, when the person is not suited for the job, various problems
are likely to occur for workers and their families as well as for their employers. The
result is that people don’t move if they are not sure they will find a job that matches
their skills.

A. I can relate to that, since that’s what happening in my company. The emphasis is
always on performance. Skill requirements are extremely high, and before a person is
recruited, we make sure that their qualifications and competences are what we want.
If there’s a mismatch, we know that we will have to cope with job dissatisfaction.
That’s time wasted and decreased productivity for the company.

B. The latest figures show that mobility has dropped for nearly every group across the
board, whatever the age, gender or marital status…

A. Is it a problem? After all, mobility is virtually absent from European countries.

B. Precisely. Mobility means more innovation and more economic dynamism. European
economies suffer because people do not move. They tend to stay in their home
regions and refuse to go where jobs are. So some places have skill shortages. And
 when people get stuck in a place, opportunities for workers become limited and that
increases inequality.

A. Yet, some economists contend that job opportunities are similar pretty much
everywhere, and that makes people less likely to move for work. That makes sense,
doesn’t it?

B. It does, but the problem is more complex than we think. There are emotional as well
as psychological factors at work. Society is divided into three categories: the rooted,
who love their local family and community and will not move; they are 47% of the
population. There are the stuck - 15% - whose main concern is their mortgage and the
affordability of housing. And last but not least, the mobile who are 38%. But in the
study only 5% of the mobile said there was 100% chance of their moving in the
following two months. And that says it all.

Summary

Internal immigration is not what it used to be in the US. It is lower than at any time in the
post-war period. Economic reasons are numerous: home owners have been finding it very
difficult to sell their homes since the 2008 economic upheaval, high housing costs in vibrant
areas and skill mismatches for low-skilled workers. Besides, a very recent study shows that
many people are not ready to leave their families and friends, nor their communities for
hypothetical gains.

Questions

1. What are your criteria in looking for a job?

2. Do you agree with the view that lack of job mobility reduces economic dynamism
and activity?
3. Is moving to a big city or a region with a better climate a valid reason for changing
job?
4. In their reluctance to move, are Americans less adventurous now than in previous
generations?
Dialogue 28 Camp Millionaire

A Good morning Tim, how was your visit to Canada?

B Excellent, thank you Barbara, I had a great time with friends in Toronto. What was
interesting was that their son James was just back from his summer camp, and told us all
about it. He spent a week studying finance, the stock market, money management, running a
business, international trade theory, and so on.

A So James is at a graduate Business School, I presume?

B Absolutely not, he’s ten years old.

A What! Why on earth is a young boy like that spending a holiday week learning about
boring financial stuff? – he’s much too young for that.

B Not at all. In fact, there is a growing movement to teach young children the financial facts
of life to prepare them for later. The camp James went to is called “Camp Millionaire”.
Another in Denver is called “Junior Money Matters”. In Texas there is a camp where children
create a business, including making a product and selling it for real money. A Hong Kong
camp for 8-14-year olds teaches kids how to run a business.

A I think this is all totally inappropriate. Children of that age should be having fun in the
summer holidays, and not be forced to sit through some kind of advanced financial seminar. It
just reinforces those kids in a very materialistic and selfish attitude on life, where making
money is the only important thing.

B Their parents look at it differently. James’s parents are both working, so they understand
that you need to work hard to have a good life. They want him to learn about finance so that
he can have enough money to pay his way at university, and then be able to live comfortably
afterwards. He is learning about budgeting, saving, and making investment decisions.

A He’s too young!

B No. Start early! In Canada, as in many other Western countries, credit card debt and student
loans are enormous, and the majority of adults don’t have enough money for retirement.
Much of that comes from a lack of financial education, which is a vital life skill. A university
study found that one third of 3000 young adults surveyed were in financial difficulty, in part
because of poor money management skills.

A I agree with that, but ten years old is much too early. Children of that age should spend a
summer camp outside in the sun, swimming, having fun, playing games, having a proper
break from school. I guess James came home pretty bored after a week of heavy finance.

B No, he loved it. The afternoons were fun outside, but he enjoyed the mornings too. For
example, the children did a stock market challenge – they were given a virtual $10,000
dollars to invest. They learned the basics of the stock market, how it works, trading and so on,
and bought some virtual shares. At first they tended to buy shares they knew well, like Apple
or Disney, but as the week went on they learned quickly, found out about dividends, and
understood how things work. On one virtual investment James made a profit of $1000
overnight, and was very excited!

A These camps sound very elitist to me; only wealthy parents can send their children. They
just reinforce the process where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. No ordinary
working parents could afford to send their children to Camp Millionaire.
B It is true that most kids who go are from middle and upper middle-class families. But the
camp organizers offer bursaries to children from lower income families, and there is a very
good ethnic mix. There is a lot of diversity in Toronto, and Asian, South American, or
African families also see the value in their children having a good financial education.

A That may help a few, but I still think this reinforces a class-based status quo, and doesn’t
really help less advantaged children. And at a time when many parents say how hard it is to
control the information their kids have access to, I think money management and the global
financial system falls into the category of too much, too soon. Let them learn how to manage
their pocket money first!

Summary
The dialogue concerns a growing trend to organize summer camps to teach money
management to young children, often between the ages of 8 and 14. One speaker believes that
this is much too young to teach such concepts, and believes summer camps should be about
fun and enjoyment, out of doors if possible. In addition, these camps can reinforce
materialism and class divisions. The other speaker sees a lot of value in the camps, arguing
that they are a necessary preparation and teach important life skills, especially in enabling the
young people to pay later for their university education.

Questions
1. Do you think a camp like this would have been useful to you when you were
younger?
2. Who should teach young people financial management, and at what age is it
appropriate?
3. Do you agree with the view that these camps are elitist and reinforce class divisions?
4. One speaker says “You need to work hard to have a good life”. Do you agree?
Dialogue 29 Work Experience in Pajamas

A: Hi there Luca, how is your daughter doing with her work experience? – has she just
finished?

B: Yes, Adrienne. She did her internship with Linklaters, a global law firm based in London.
She enjoyed it very much.

A: How did she get on with living in London? It’s a busy, tiring, and very expensive city!

B: That was easy – she didn’t go to London, she stayed at home. Everything was done by
internet, a kind of virtual internship. She does a part-time job to help keep her student loan as
low as possible, so could fit all her work around that.

A: That seems a very bad idea to me. For a good internship you surely you need to be in an
office, in a company, with plenty of interaction with bosses, colleagues, clients and so on.
How can sitting at a computer be of any value – either to your daughter, or to the business?

B: She was able to work very well. She had videos of real partners who were working at
Linklaters who gave her assignments and deadlines. They talked to her from behind a desk in
a very personal and professional manner, just as if she was with them. My daughter says she
loved the freedom to work through all the web-based activities when it suited her – having
everything on her mobile and laptop meant she could even work in pajamas if she wanted!
She did have to be disciplined of course.

A: All that seems to me to be the complete opposite of what an internship should be – which
is a chance to enter the real world of work, and experience the daily difficulty of getting up
early, travelling to your job, coping with unpleasant colleagues, getting home tired at the end
of the day.

B: That may be so for some people. But there are other factors at work concerning
internships. For example, Linklaters say that virtual internships are very attractive for them –
they don’t need to clear desk space for an intern, or pay for their travel and food. They can
look at a wider range of future employees. Their graduate recruitment adviser said “It is a
digital tool that enables us to access a wider pool of talent across the country, which can be
challenging for us, a London-based firm.” They aren’t trying to replace real internships, just
to widen the possibilities.

A: But there is a big problem here. This could lead to a two-tier system, where physical
internships are the ones which are thought to have real value. The students who get those
would be the middle-class students, who are better off, and have a better jobs connection
network. The richer would do well, and the poorer would get a bad deal. Again.

B: You should remember that, out of the 70,000 real world internships undertaken in the UK
last year, a substantial number are unpaid. This puts a strain on many young people who are
unable to afford the cost of travel, appropriate office clothes, or rent, in a big city like
London. Those same young people might also not have the right contacts to find a work
placement. So, a digital internship can help break down some of those geographical, financial,
and social barriers.

A: I disagree. Part of the value of internships is the time, commitment, and energy you have
to put into actually finding a good one. The process of getting a work placement is itself a test
of character – you learn about yourself, and the world of work, by researching, sending all
those CVs, and doing the interviews.
B: That’s not appropriate for everybody. My daughter has a friend who has life-threatening
asthma and had to leave London because of the high pollution levels. She has to live in the
country, where the fresh air does her good, and she can work well on her computer. And don’t
forget that learning how to work away from an office is likely to be very useful for young
people. Remote and flexible working is becoming much more common.

A: Those situations are exceptions. For most students, an internship with a real employer, in a
real company, face-to-face, is the key to finding a good job.

Summary
This debate concerns the growing practice of virtual internships, where the work placement is
conducted by video, email, and mobile, and where the student remains, and works, at home.
Advantages include lower living and travel costs, and training in remote and flexible working.
Companies also have lower costs, and can access a wider talent pool. Disadvantages include
the lack of face to face contact with bosses and colleagues, and the potential danger of a two-
tier system of internships, with virtual ones being less valued that real ones. Only better off
students might be able to obtain real internships.

Questions
1. How would you react to an offer of a virtual internship?
2. Is it the case that the better off students, with more money and contacts, always get
the best internships?
3. Is the purpose of an internship to learn about the job or to learn about yourself?
4. Do employers take advantage of interns?
Dialogue 30 The untapped potential of the longevity economy.

A: Hello, Chris, you look deep in thought, what are you reading?

B: Hi Jan. It’s an article about the effects of the ageing of the population. We’re all living longer!

A: I assume it paints a gloomy picture of the future and how this affects each of us.

B: Well, yes and no. If we look at the numbers, there are some startling facts.

A: Such as?

B: Well, did you know that globally, in 2018, for the first time in history, those aged 65 or older
outnumbered children younger than five. And, the number of people aged 80 years or older is
projected to triple, from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050.

A: That is a lot of old people to look after. The costs of that will be extremely high. Just think about all
the associated medical costs alone.

B: Ok, people are living longer – but in increasingly better health. So, as the population of seniors
increases, so, also, a group of consumers, workers and innovators is growing. In other words, they’re
not simply a group that needs services from the ‘silver economy’, which was aimed at older people.
They aren’t just passive recipients of care. The new generation of seniors can continue to be full
participants in the economy at large.

A: What do you mean? I don't really see how this ageing group can be considered as a new market
segment. What would make them attractive to companies? The global ageing of society is always
reckoned to be detrimental to a country’s economic health. That’s because it reduces the workforce
and increases burdens on healthcare systems. Medical costs, along with providing pensions, home
care, and providing social protection are hugely expensive for governments. Every Western
government faces this challenge.

B: Yes, that may be true, but the idea of 'oldness' and its implications shouldn't stifle the way we can
think about the economic opportunities this group can bring. We need to reflect how people really live
after middle age. Businesses need to provide what older people actually want, not what conventional
wisdom suggests they need. Older people enjoy consuming as much as younger people!, if we think of
the 'on demand economy' for example – Amazon and Ubereats deliveries which younger people
appreciate - the older generation has also benefited from that too, using it as a form of virtual assisted
living. It helps them maintain their independence and live at home.

A: Fair enough, but I can’t really see many older people buying online.

B: Actually, they already do. Some reports even show they outspend millennials online, so it is clear
that companies will have to consider them.

A: Ok, but in practical terms how can countries and companies respond?

B: Japan is an example, the world's fastest ageing country. The country is adapting; from small things
such as free reading glasses in post offices and banks, to providing buttons at pedestrian crossings to
give people extra time to cross. More generally, its inclusive culture is also reflected in how elders
consume right alongside the younger generations, at swimming pools, on package holidays and in
exercise classes for example. All examples of how older generations are consuming and enjoying life
like younger people.
A: I guess we need, then, to take account of this longevity in the world of work. If we retire at 65, we
could well live until 85 or more. To consume and live as you described, we would need to have saved
a lot for our pension.

B: Of course. Companies are beginning to address this. Germany, for instance, has the challenge of an
ageing workforce and an also economy based quite heavily on manufacturing. It has many manual
jobs which are very physically demanding. There, companies are looking into how they can keep their
staff productive well into their sixties and maybe beyond.

A: How?

B: They are analyzing their processes and using technology, ergonomics and workplace design to not
physically overload the worker. That means they can continue to work efficiently without risking
injuries and so stay longer in the workplace.

A: So longevity can be a burden or a blessing for the economy, depending on how well we prepare for
it.

Summary
The subject of ageing populations is one of the main issues facing many industrialised countries today,
and in consequence, developing nations tomorrow. The global population is ageing, and this could be
a major threat to many economies. Or perhaps this new emerging group presents an opportunity for
future growth. The issue is one that has to be addressed, as the process cannot be reversed and the
ways in which this will be done will have profound effects. Companies who succeed in reaching an
older market may reap the suggested benefits.

Questions
1. Do we have to change our perception of the older generations?
2. What age do you think you will retire?
3. What do you think can be done to prepare for this demographic change?
4. In what ways could the over 65 group be a profitable market for companies?
 Dialogue 31 Climate change anxiety

A: Good evening everyone, I’m Henry Baker; welcome to Climate Today. In August 2018, 15-year-old
Greta Thunberg began a School Strike for the Climate. Since then the movement has spread across the world.
Young people are expressing their anxieties about the impact of climate change. With us is Carol Ride, a
psychologist and one of the founders of the not-for-profit organization, Psychology for a Safe Climate.
Carol, what’s the link between psychology and climate change?

B: Well Henry, young people are extremely vulnerable because they fear what the future is going to be like for them.
They are also at a very critical stage of their psychological development, and the impact of such bad news can
produce anxiety and depression. This is happening while their brains are still forming, and is very worrying. Even
very young children can develop anxiety over climate change. Schools and the media spend a lot of time on this
question. We know, too, that some young couples, for example, are deciding not to have children, because of their
deep concern about the future and potential dangers for children. Younger people are affected very strongly by this
question.

A: The world has plenty of problems, why climate change particularly?

B: People are affected by reading and hearing the climate science and becoming increasingly alarmed. What
depresses them particularly is in the inaction of the deciders and the politicians. That of course is why Greta
Thunberg went to Davos this year. All the governments agree something should be done, they meet often and set
targets, but little seems to happen. She tries to be the voice of conscience concerning the environment.

A: More specifically, from a psychological perspective, what is the typical reaction from human beings to an
external threat like this?

B: All of us like to feel secure, and to have some confidence in the future. But the uncertainty and potential dangers
from climate change make us feel insecure: for ourselves, our children, and succeeding generations. It's a
combination of anxiety, fear, and concern. There can also be an element of grief – the loss of something very
important to you. Grief is a very complicated emotion, but we know that it begins with disbelief and shock, then can
go to anger and despair.

A The other expression that we hear very often is eco-anxiety. Can you explain that term to us?

B: Eco-anxiety has been described by the American Psychological Society as a chronic fear of environmental doom.
In fact, a kind of fear that the world as we know it will end. That is linked with grief as well, feeling devastated about
the loss of the future.

A: And I guess another response can be denial? Some people may be severely affected by eco-anxiety, but others are
inclined to deny it or to bury their head in the sand?

B: That’s right, Henry. Take the example of bad news concerning someone’s health. The doctor has told the person
of the connection between their smoking habit and their lung cancer; but we know some people will shut down from
that, avoid hearing any more news about it and continue exactly as before. In other words, they will live in denial. It's
a common psychological response to protect oneself from bad news. This can be the case with eco-anxiety, unless
we feel that there are resources to engage with the problem within ourselves, or resources in the wider community.

A: So to what extent do you think that this concern about climate change is driving the development of mental health
problems as time goes on?

B: Well, there's certainly evidence from psychological studies that people who follow the climate science and the
evidence unfolding before us closely, can be strongly impacted emotionally. They continually feel quite deep despair
and anxiety; this can even affect their capacity to function normally. We know some people need clinical
psychological help with that anxiety and depression. Other people will benefit a great deal by being able just to meet
 with others, talk about how they're feeling, and discover that they are not alone. When they understand how other
people are coping, they will gain some resilience to keep going themselves.

A: Thank you for helping us understand these issues, Carol.

Summary
There is more and more scientific evidence that climate change is having a major impact on our planet. Recently
more than 11,000 scientists across the world declared a climate emergency, and many people are experiencing grief,
anxiety and a sense of powerlessness about the future. Eco-anxiety is now a recognized psychological condition. The
dialogue considers the connection between climate change and mental health, and possible strategies to maintain
hope and take action.

Questions
1. How do you feel about Greta Thunberg?
2. Would you say you suffer somewhat from eco-anxiety?
3. Are schools and the media putting the mental health of children in danger by saying so much about environmental
issues?
4. Why is it proving so difficult for governments to agree to concerted action regarding climate change?
Dialogue 32 Trump and the media

A: Did you see President Trump’s recent tweet about the media?

B: Which one out of the hundreds?

A: As you know he is often angry with how the mainstream media treats him. There was a recent tweet
which appears to be a veiled threat on journalism. He claims that "The LameStream Media is far beyond
Fake News, they are treading in very dangerous territory!”

B: What does he mean?

A: He means that the mainstream media, that he nicknames “lamestream”, could find itself in trouble
because of its reporting on some problems in the Republican Party and the president's approval rating.

B: But that is all true, isn’t it? The Republican Party did see some turmoil due to several high-level
resignations in 2019; and Mr Trump's approval rating has known some historic lows compared to
previous presidents.

A: Yes, there is nothing new here. I’ve seen quite a few press conferences where Mr Trump appears to
bully the media. For example, he branded the press as an "enemy of the people" for reporting on unsavory
aspects of his presidency, such as his administration's poor treatment of immigrants, his embrace of
racists and his attacks on women of color in Congress.

B: But aren’t the press just doing their job?

A: Yes, but Mr Trump does not always seem to accept that. For example, there was the occasion when the
White House revoked CNN reporter Jim Acosta's so-called "hard pass", after a testy press conference in
which Mr Acosta asked the president multiple questions.

B: I remember that. Didn’t the White House also claim falsely that the reporter had been physical with an
intern who tried to take a microphone from him during that questioning? I think they later released a
doctored video of the event to back up their claim.

A: Yes, and things have been getting worse. During the impeachment inquiry, President Trump increased
his already fierce hostility towards news outlets, and also bombards the social media, Twitter most of all,
with falsehoods and conspiracy theories.

B: It sounds like the media faces a challenge in finding new ways to hold the US president accountable.

A: That’s right. Is it enough to do the job of the traditional journalist, asking the president questions, and
faithfully conveying his lies and non-answers? Or have we reached the point where holding Trump and
his team to account through the normal techniques no longer works, given the disdain they so often
display towards basic facts?

B: It sounds to me that we have reached a tipping point. Are politicians and journalists calling for such
lies to be silenced? Should we censor the president and his team?

A: We are at a tipping point, but it is a mistake to stop putting these people on air. Talk of censorship
sends a really bad signal of what the media is all about. But news outlets are not obliged to give airtime to
Trump and his team. It’s up to TV channels to think carefully about who they are inviting on their shows
and to ask themselves about priorities.

A: The debate about broadcasting Trump lies has also spilled over into the social media, hasn’t it?
B: Yes, Trump has used expletives in his tweets; he threatened the whistleblower in the Ukrainian phone
call revelations which provoked his impeachment; he even suggested the possible arrest, for treason, of
the Democrat leading the impeachment inquiry in Congress. He also said on Twitter that if he were to
lose his bid for re-election next November there would be another civil war.

A: How does Twitter respond to what the President tweets on his account?

B: They now subject his tweets to fact-checking – they said some of his tweets were untrue. Which made
the President very angry of course! Facebook was accused by the Democratic party of allowing Trump to
mislead the American people unimpeded.

A: Surely, the social media platforms are responsible, in the same way that TV channels are?

B: I think so, but the communications chief at Facebook dismissed the idea of mediating political
comments. Generally speaking, Facebook or Twitter don’t see it as appropriate to referee political debates
and prevent a politician’s speech from reaching its audience. Though they delete hateful or false
messages.

Summary

Donald Trump often tweets criticism of mainstream media, deeming the press as “the enemy of the
people” and revoking press access. However, the situation seems to be reaching a tipping point. Is it
enough to do the job of the traditional journalist, asking the president questions and faithfully conveying
his lies and non-answers? Or have we reached the point where holding Trump and his team to account
through the normal techniques no longer works, given the disdain they so often display towards basic
facts? TV channels should be more careful about who they invite on air while social media do not seem
concerned about the impact they have.

Questions

1. Are tweets a useful political tool?

2. Are all politicians distrustful of the media?
3. How important is the media for holding politicians to account?
4. Can the press be regulated without censorship?
Dialogue 33 UK Shopping Centre Crisis

A: Good evening and welcome to Business File. According to experts, more than 200 UK shopping
centres are in danger of going bankrupt. Tonight, we look at the reasons behind the crisis in Britain’s
shopping malls. I have with me in the studio retail analyst Jenny Robinson. Jenny, how serious is the
situation?

B: Well, many of the at-risk centres are owned by US private equity firms under deals that will need
refinancing. They have to return money to their investors. That's not looking very likely. Frankly, the
centres are either going to have to be sold at a lower price or have capital injected in order to regenerate,
and we don't see banks having an appetite for that. Research in the Financial Times suggested about
£2.5bn worth of shopping centres and retail parks are up for sale in towns and cities across the UK. The
trend is moving quickly. You really don't want to be in the business of owning shopping centres at the
moment.

A: To that of course we add the enormous costs of the coronavirus lockdown. If some centres do close,
what will the consequences be?

B: It will be catastrophic, particularly in small towns. You could see increasing vandalism, increasing
crime, with a knock-on impact on infrastructure. Many towns will face these problems.

A: But don’t we have too many shopping centres, selling the same things, with the same range of stores
and products?

B: Yes, there is certainly a problem of oversupply, but that’s only part of the picture. In almost every one
of the UK’s shopping centres, you’ll find a Marks and Spencer, Debenhams or John Lewis. They’re some
of the country’s biggest department stores and usually occupy some of the largest spaces in the mall. The
problem is, they are all performing below expectations. If the major anchor store moves out, that affects
the other stores in that centre. It's a downward spiral and you can't fill shopping centres with nail bars and
vape shops. The collapse of British Home Stores, a major chain, two years ago, left empty units in around
200 shopping centres. More than half of those large, empty units have not yet been filled.

A: But why are the some of these oldest and most iconic names in UK retail struggling so badly?

B: Shopping centres have been hit with a perfect storm of weaker consumer spending, the impact of the
internet, and rising rents and rates, making it very difficult for retailers to trade and make a profit. And
then of course came the coronavirus lockdown. The landscape of retail economics is changing before our
eyes. The growth of online retail in the UK has been faster than in almost any other retail market in the
world.

A: So what’s the solution? Is there any hope for Britain’s shopping centres?

B: They must change if they are to survive. In fact, many of the challenges facing shopping centres in the
UK are mirrored in the USA. Centres that have prospered there have been clever about expanding their
offer. Malls need to think like a hospitality brand. There has been a marked shift to the 'experience
economy'. Spending on food and beverage now accounts for over 20% of expenditure in some of the
newest schemes.

A: Some of the big centres in the UK are now incorporating Sea Life Centres, ice rinks, and even indoor
ski slopes.

B: Yes. These are the shopping centres that I think will survive. There's no doubt that if shopping centres
don't deliver an experience consumers want, they will disappear.
A: So, despite their current problems, do you believe that there’s a future for shopping centres?

B: Good question! What people like about shopping centres is that they are centrally located with good
transport links. The problem is, these centres are run by investors who have a short-term approach and
don’t understand the changes needed in marketing management. For example, community facilities such
as libraries, medical centres and even schools could all sit within retail complexes. One new Lidl store has
a school built above it. Malls need more creative solutions like that.

Summary
A retail analyst is interviewed about the crisis in Britain’s shopping centres. Around two hundred are in
danger of falling into administration. The closure of shopping centres could have serious consequences in
areas such as crime and infrastructure. Some of the biggest names in British retail are struggling to
survive. The reasons behind their current difficulties include weaker consumer spending, a rise in rents,
and the impact of online shopping. To survive, shopping centres will have to change and expand their
offer, with more emphasis on food and drink, and even include ice rinks or ski slopes. Another possibility
would be to integrate community facilities such as schools or libraries.

Questions
1. What do you like or dislike about shopping centres?
2. Have you visited shopping centres in other countries? If so, how do they differ from those in France?
3. What recent trends have you noticed when you go shopping?
4. How do you see the retail environment changing in the years to come?
Dialogue 34 Alarming number of pedestrians are killed by cars

A: Hello Cindy, how is your report on road accidents going?

B : Hi Joe, the main thing I found surprising is that more and more pedestrians are being hit or killed on
American roads. In 2010 the number was about 4,300 and that has increased almost every year since. By
2016 it was almost 6,000.

A: I saw as well that in 2018, 41% more US pedestrians were killed than in 2008; the number last year
was well over 6,000. In those same last ten years non-pedestrian road fatalities decreased by 7%! What
about cyclists – are they in the same situation?

B: Well, statistics show that cyclist fatalities decreased from 1980 onwards, but since 2010 have increased
by 25%. Nearly 800 cyclists were killed in 2017.

A: What about Europe, especially the UK, are they in a better position?

B: According to the RAC, a UK foundation that studies road safety issues, since the 70’s and 80’s
progress in accident reduction has been real and substantial. But from 2010 till now the improvement has
mostly come to a halt.

A: I think despite a great amount of dollars invested in our car industry, we are still struggling to reach the
utopia of having driverless and smart cars; the kind that would detect any object and stop automatically.

B: Not long ago, we were promised that sensors and self-driving algorithms would take over the driving
process altogether, eliminating human errors from roads and ushering in a new golden age of safety for all
their users.

A: It seems you don’t think we’re there yet?

B: No. Since 2017, General Motors has claimed that it’s developing self-driving vehicles with the goal of
triple zero; meaning zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. But so far, the numbers show
exactly the opposite.

A There are so many variables in why a car strikes a pedestrian – is the driver or the pedestrian distracted,
reckless or drunk? What is the speed limit, the lighting on the road, weather conditions? Hard to isolate
the influence of each variable.

B: Exactly. Experts say Americans are driving more than ever, and more than residents of any other
country. Many people live in cities where high-traffic, high-speed roads exist in proximity to the places
where people live. This creates more risk of accidents.

A: The speed limit has been increased across the US over the past 20 years and with that the likelihood of
more pedestrians being killed has doubled. Drivers however have improvements in stronger car frames,
airbags and seatbelts.

B Right, American road engineers tend to assume people will drive fast, and so design roads to
accommodate that. Also, more and more Americans are buying big SUV’s and pickup trucks which,
because of their height, weight and shape, are 2 to 3 times more likely to kill people they hit.

A: I think the use of smartphones has contributed hugely to the death of more pedestrians. Sometimes it’s
the car driver using his phone, sometimes pedestrians absorbed in the phone while crossing the road, for
example.
B: That’s true. It is sometimes very difficult, however, to prove definitively if smartphone use is the cause
of an accident. Still, common sense tells us it is potentially very dangerous. Research shows that the use
of smartphones is a factor, but also jaywalking, use of alcohol and even living in a poor neighborhood
have all contributed to more pedestrian accidents.

A: In Europe, car manufacturers such as Volvo have come up with the concept of pedestrian - detection
technology. Will it help reduce the number of casualties?

B: It should. In the US, pedestrian-sensing technology is now standard on almost a third of new cars. In
the EU, regulations passed this year will make such systems mandatory on new cars from 2022 onwards.

A: But critics say not everybody knows how to use the pedestrian-sensing technology. Some big car
dealerships also have problems explaining it to their customers!

B: Well, a 2018 study concluded, these systems would have to improve tenfold to equal the capacity of an
attentive driver! But of course, drivers must learn to use them effectively.

A: And pedestrians need to pay attention where they are walking!

Summary
The dialogue discusses factors involved in a very large increase in the number of pedestrians killed on
American roads in recent years, during a period when non-pedestrian road fatalities decreased. Cyclist
fatalities are also increasing. Factors discussed include smartphone use, alcohol, jaywalking, road design
and speed limits. Driverless cars, with sensor technology to detect pedestrians, have not yet fulfilled their
promise.

Questions
1 As pedestrians, what is our responsibility for avoiding accidents?
2 Can technology help us become better drivers?
3 How much do you think the smartphone is responsible for accidents?
4 Is there really a good future for driverless cars, or are there too many problems?
Dialogue 35 Skills That Won’t Be Automated

A: Dan, it’s so good to see you! Your son David is still at medical school – fourth year, is
that right?

B: Good memory, Emily, yes. And your daughter Evelyne - she’s still studying international
hotel management?

A: Yes, she’s just begun her master’s; in two years she expects to be working in a five-star
palace, maybe in New York or even Dubai. Though of course we do need the hospitality
sector to recover from the coronavirus lockdowns. But even though service jobs are
challenging and exhausting, there’s little risk of hers being automated anytime soon,
unlike lots of others we hear about nowadays.

B: So true. I was just reading about a study which estimates that 10% of jobs in the U.S. will
be automated this year alone. A McKinsey study predicts that almost 50% of all U.S. jobs
could be performed by machines within the coming decade.

A: Is David’s future job as a physician at risk? I’ve heard about doctors consulting online
and very clever machines for diagnosis. Will we need as many doctors?

B: Well, there’s more to being a doctor than simply discovering what is wrong with a
patient. Certainly, repetitive tasks like reading X-rays can easily be automated. However,
the human aspects of the profession must also be considered. Things like sitting down
with a patient to break bad news and discuss possible options for treatment. The bedside
manner is still important!

A: Oh, I see what you mean. It’s not unlike a management job which requires satisfying the
customers; emotion is a crucial aspect of human communication.

B: Yes, as with nonverbal communication and empathy. A machine is incapable of deciding

exactly what we need to deal with immediately, as opposed to what can wait until later.
Because of its complex nuances, emotion is difficult to understand scientifically,
therefore it’s hard to automate.

A: In the hospitality sector, even though customers generally have the same basic
expectations of what they want when come to the hotel, they are all different, with
specific wants and needs. The mission is to satisfy all visitors, which means customizing
all the services.

B: That is like cancer patients. They are all affected by the same disease, but no two cases
are exactly alike. Humans can consider the context when interacting or making decisions,
unlike machines. Every new development modifies how all the factors interact with each
other. But it can also introduce new factors which sometimes change everything. Since
automation operates according to data sets that were created at the outset of the treatment,
adaptation in a different context is difficult for a machine. Humans adapt more easily.

A: There was a course where Evelyne studied the importance of managing and using
emotion, while paying attention to individual situations – or context, as you call it. It’s
supposedly the key to critical thinking, creative problem solving, effective
communication, adaptive learning and good judgment. Machines can’t do this yet, nor are
likely to soon!

B: These capacities, known as “soft skills”, are very much sought after by employers across
industries today. Having them is more important than your choice of subject at university.
 A recent survey showed that 93% of employers are looking for applicants who possess
skills like critical thinking, clear communication and complex problem-solving skills.

A: Those skills are required in a service sector like hotels, as well as adaptive learning, good
decision making and obviously, working well in a team. I understand why these skills are
so hard for machines, Dan; even many humans don’t possess them!

B: You’re right, Emily. We should focus more on these skills in school, at least as much as
on the “hard skills” such as maths, foreign languages, science and computing. Some
people possess them naturally, but I believe we can all work to improve our soft skills.

A: There are huge changes coming to the job market as we know it today. Schools and
universities might have to start directing their attention to the “soft skills”. They should
consider how to prepare young people better for jobs that are - unlike their name suggests -
hard to understand and systemize. These are the skills which will continue to give humans
the advantage over machines.

Summary
The future of work does not look good for many people, with recent studies estimating that almost 50% of
all jobs in the U.S. will be automated within the next ten years, with 10% this year alone. The jobs
concerned are routine and repetitive tasks. Consequently, employers in certain sectors are seriously
seeking applicants who possess “soft skills” such as the capacity to learn adaptively, to make good
decisions and to work well in a team, since such skills are difficult to automate. Educational systems
should begin to better prepare young people to do things that technology is unable to do, as well as
teaching “hard skills” – maths, science and so on.

Questions
1) Is the job you hope to obtain in the future likely to be automated at some point soon?
2) Are soft skills needed to perform your future job?
3) Do you agree with the idea that we can work on improving our soft skills?
4) Have you ever worked with anyone who had very good/very bad soft skills? Describe the
experience.
Dialogue 36 Instagram Influencers

A: Hi Pete, what are you looking at?

B: Hi Rachel. I’m looking at some new photos on Instagram from people that I follow.

A: That’s funny, I just heard about a scandal involving an Instagram influencer. Do you know Tiffany
Mitchell?

B: Hmmm, no I’ve never heard of her. What’s the story?

A: Well, she posted pictures of herself on Instagram after she had a motorbike accident. At first she
received a lot of sympathy. But quite quickly after the photos of her lying beside the road were
posted, people started to doubt her story.

B: Why was that?

A: Well, for a start the pictures were very artistic - in fact they seemed too beautiful for an accident.
Not only that, there were some strange things in her photos - she appeared to have two motorbike
helmets. People started to ask questions: Why was there no blood? Why did she name her tattoo artist
in her post? (she said her flower tattoo might need a "touch-up”) and - even more strange - why was
there a prominently branded bottle of water in the forefront of one of the photos?

B: Who took the photos?

A: Her friend Lindsey was the photographer and she said that looking back at the photos she could
see why they seemed so staged. If she hadn't been there herself, she said, she might also have had a
hard time believing they weren't fake. She added that Tiffany had no idea the photos were being taken
until hours after the accident. But the negative response in Instagram was so strong that Tiffany later
removed the post, and uploaded a video defending herself.

B: What did she say?

A: Well, she denied staging her crash, which she says happened when she took a corner too fast on a
country road in Tennessee. The other helmet belonged to her friend who was also in the photos. She
also said that she had no idea how anyone could believe that it was staged, or being exploited for
attention for a brand campaign.

B: Ah, so people were focused on the bottle of water and didn’t believe her.

A: Exactly. She said the water was handed to her and could have been any brand. It turns out that the
brand was SmartWater which is owned by Coca Cola. SmartWater later said that it had no working
relationship with her. Tiffany said that she always discloses her brand collaborations.

B: Ok, so it seems pretty clear she was telling the truth.

A: Yes, but the scary thing is whether you believe her side of the story or not, the reaction to it
suggests people are becoming increasingly cynical about what they see on Instagram. There are many
examples of Instagrammers failing to declare when their posts are sponsored by the brand they are
promoting, and not a spontaneous expression of their own personal preference.

B: So, you don’t really know if they are just promoting products or if they are being natural. There
was an Instagram post by a UK reality TV star which was banned by the Advertising Standards
Authority - it showed her drinking a branded weight loss coffee while she pregnant. The Authority
said that not only did it break several rules, including encouraging unsafe practices during pregnancy,
but it was also not identified by her as an advert. She said she was not paid by the company that
makes the coffee product.

A: And on the other hand, there are those who like to pretend they have brand collaborations even
when they don’t, because in the Influencer world, the more sponsors you have, the more credibility
you have. Instagram followers actually like a beautified version of reality. They don't want to see the
washing-up in the kitchen sink. Influencers are constantly working with Instagram's algorithms in
order to boost their followers and make the products more marketable. It's a popularity game.

B: Well I can see that from an Influencer's perspective you need to post things the audience wants to
see, because it gets more promoted if more people are looking at it. But Instagram Influencers should
get some credit for their creativity too.

Summary

With the popularity of Instagram, influencers are being linked to promoting an idealistic lifestyle with
products that fulfill the image of a desirable life. By following them, are we in danger of being
victims of marketing and losing our sense of reality? Two friends give two different examples of
Instagram scandals that show that in social media not everything is as it seems. Or have we become
too cynical, expecting too much from these Influencers and being too quick to judge what we see.

Questions
1) What do you know about Instagram- why is it so popular?
2) What is your opinion of social media applications like Instagram?
3) Can we believe what we see on social media, and how can we verify if what we see is true?
4) Whose responsibility is it when it comes to truth in social media?
Dialogue 37 Banning Eating on Public Transport

A: Hi, Justin. How strange to bump into you on the 74 bus! Can I sit next to you?

B: Of course. How are you, Emily?

A: Pretty good. Your cheese and chutney sandwich looks yummy, but if Dame Sally Davies gets her way,
you won’t be able to eat on buses, tubes, or trains—on any urban public transport.

B: Who is Dame Sally Davies?

A: She’s Britain’s Chief Medical Officer.

B: And why does she want to stop me eating my lunch on the bus between jobs?

A: Because she’s alarmed by the increase in child obesity here in Britain and thinks this is one way to
combat it.

B: Does she have other ways?

A: She’s actually got a list. She thinks Value Added Tax should be increased on the least healthy foods to
subsidize fruit and vegetables. She also wants cafes, restaurants, pubs, bakeries, sandwich shops, and
delivery services to be limited as to the number of calories per serving.

B: Is she crazy? There are so many problems with her proposals. Is she going to have food police patrol
buses and subways, fining people who are eating, and snatching their food away? As for limiting calories,
can you imagine what chaos and confusion this would cause for food sellers—to say nothing of anger
among customers?

A: She’s very concerned that childhood obesity has doubled in the last 30 years. If drastic measures aren’t
implemented, we’ll be far from meeting the goals of the government’s plan to reduce childhood obesity
by half by 2030.

B: I’m sure it’s a worthy plan, but I see the problem differently. Children today are far less active than
they were 30 years ago, because of too much time on electronic devices. Plus they’re bombarded by
adverts everywhere for all kinds of junk foods—I’ve never seen a glossy poster ad for broccoli.

A: Dame Sally eventually wants to get rid of marketing, advertising, and sponsorship of unhealthy food
and drinks at all major public venues.

B: But that would mean that if soft drink producers and crisps manufacturers can’t tempt sports fans with
their slick advertising, they would fear losing sales, and so would raise their price.

A: And fewer people will buy their products!

B: Surely if your local pub has to not only give the number of calories in its fish and chips or chicken
curry, but also reduce those calories, it will be very difficult. That extra work will also probably raise
prices.

A: The head of the UK Hospitality industry agrees with you there, especially as most hospitality
businesses are suffering financially. Restaurants believe a limit on all portions to keep calories down will
take away a consumer’s sense of choice, whether they’re adults or children.

B: What about school meals, which are sometimes quite unhealthy? Lots of pizza, for example.
A: Dame Sally wants to ensure that schools provide healthy meals at a low price.

B: Presumably with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, paid for by the suggested tax on junk foods.

A: The problem of weight among children actually begins before school. Nearly half of all pregnant
women are overweight or obese, and one in four babies gains too much weight in their first year because
of overfeeding. All of this contributes to the rising epidemic of Type 2 diabetes.

B: So it seems to me there should be a massive educational outreach promoting healthy eating, beginning
with pregnant women. Though I’m not blaming the victims.

A: It’s a multi-dimensional problem. I hold junk food manufacturers largely responsible. They use tons of
fat and sugar and salt to make their products appealing and even addictive. And they’re very cheap. How
do you get a young child to prefer a carrot or an apple?

B: By starting kids very young on fresh fruits and vegetables. And subsidizing farmers so that vegetables
and fruit are affordable.

A: Dame Sally insists that the impact of obesity on a child’s health is “cruel and avoidable,” and that
children have a right to be healthy. She further insists that children’s health and “a healthy environment
must come above company profits.”

B: I’m certainly with her there.

Summary

Alarmed by the high rate of child obesity, the Chief Medical Officer, has made a number of
recommendations that she believes could bring Britain close to the goal of reducing childhood obesity by
50 percent in ten years. Suggestions include prohibiting eating on public transport, increasing the tax on
unhealthy foods and using it to subsidize fruits and vegetables, limiting the calories per serving of
prepared food, and making schools provide healthy, affordable meals. The unenforceability of some of
her proposals, plus the confusion and added costs they would entail have provoked criticism.

Questions
1. Do you think Dame Sally’s recommendations are realistic?
2. What do you think are the causes of childhood obesity?
3. Why is it so hard for parents to get their children into healthy eating habits?
4. What do you think about the idea of subsidizing farmers from increased taxes?
Dialogue 38 Spy Satellites Watching Businesses from Above

A: Our guest today is Cade Metz, a writer for the New York Times, whose recent article I found rather
chilling. It’s entitled, “Businesses Will Not Be Able to Hide: Spy Satellites May Give Edge from Above.”
It tells us that observation satellites are orbiting above factories, shopping malls, logging operations, and
industrial areas. Cade, welcome, tell us about this new type of commercial, well, spying.

B: Thank you Katie. A while ago high-altitude surveillance was just used by superpowers, but today an
increasing number of start-ups are cashing in on the possibilities this technology offers.

A: Such as?

B: Here’s a recent example. The Chinese province of Guangdong, which drives 12 per cent of the
country’s economy, recently stopped publishing its monthly report on the health of its local factories.
That’s because they were suffering under the U.S. government’s imposition of high tariffs on their
exports. U.S. businesses wanted the information that had been in those reports to know how to gain the
competitive edge. So they hired a small San Francisco start-up to find and give them the information they
needed, using data from satellites orbiting overhead.

A: What kind of data are we talking about?

B: Photos and infrared images—it can show cars, trucks, containers, buildings, mines, oil tankers, all in
high resolution. That information on industrial activity can then be sold, for example, to hedge funds,
banks, and other market traders who use it to make informed business decisions and gain strategic and
financial advantages.

A: Tell us about these observation satellites.

B: Right now there are 730 of them orbiting above the Earth. More than 2000 are planned for the next 10
years. These are cube satellites, which weigh around 5 kilos and cost $3 million. The images they capture
are much sharper than those produced by the previous generation of such satellites, which weighed 400
kilos and cost $300 million.

A: That’s a huge difference! So, many companies can now purchase these cube satellites?

B: At the moment it’s primarily certain specialized companies that own and operate them. The start-ups
then purchase the data they provide, focusing on building automated systems to analyze that data.

A: I’m having trouble seeing how these satellites are doing what somebody with a camera, or a drone
with a camera, can’t do.

B: What began as just satellite cameras is rapidly expanding to include infrared sensors that can detect
heat, or another kind of sensor that can identify minerals, vegetation, and other materials. There are even
radar scanners that are able to construct three-dimensional images of the landscape below.

A: Basically, businesses won’t be able to hide any physical objects!

B: Take the case I mentioned earlier of Guangdong. The company that is collecting and analyzing cube
satellite images from there is using infrared technology, so they can see just what activity is going on
around the 600 industrial sites in that area. That information is approaching what competitors lost by no
longer having access to the business reports. And it’s not just objects that will be picked up by the
satellite’s watchful eyes: soon wireless signals will be able to be tracked, which will give useful
information about the behavior of everything from cellphone networks to cargo ships.
A: This is all just very sci-fi for me. Is it really worth it?

B: Two years ago it was a $4.6 billion business. By 2027 it’s expected to be over $11 billion. Critics say
it’s difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. They question if the data is really useful. The company that
compiled satellite information on Guangdong admitted that it’s not as complete as the information in the
report. But it is a legal way to acquire information about your competitors.

A: Are there any uses for this technology that benefit ordinary people and not just major companies who
want to spy on their competitors?

B: A representative of Human Rights Watch is very enthusiastic. He sees satellite imagery as a way to
check up on what companies and governments are doing. This system can, for example, track everything
from illegal mining and logging operations to massive home demolitions. He says the technology makes
it much harder to hide large-scale abuses.

A Thank you, Cade, for your insights.

Summary
Businesses are now using relatively inexpensive orbiting spy satellites to acquire information on the
activity of competitors. Using high resolution cameras, infrared sensors and other equipment, this data is
then subsequently analyzed to provide businesses with information. The example used is of the Chinese
province of Guangdong, where the production of monthly reports on industrial activity was ended.
Satellite observation now provides the missing data.

Questions
1. What benefits can these spy satellites offer to businesses?
2. If you worked for a large retailer or manufacturer, would you recommend that your company
purchase data that a cube satellite could provide?
3. What do you think about the ethics of this activity?
4. Do you think sometimes technology goes too far, developing new possibilities that aren’t
necessarily useful or needed?
Dialogue 39 A New Esports Degree

A: Esports, an umbrella term for organised, competitive computer gaming, is big business,
with the global industry forecast by analysts to reach a billion dollars by the end of 2020.
Riding the wave of this rapidly expanding sector is Staffordshire University, which has just
begun teaching undergraduate and masters courses in the subject. But who is studying for
these esports degrees and what can they expect to learn? To answer these questions, I have
with me in the studio Stuart Kennedy, who helped launch the university’s new undergraduate
course, and is lecturing on it. Stuart, perhaps you could begin by briefly describing your
course.

B: Certainly. The course, which costs £9,250 a year, will focus on the business of esports,
teaching students how to host and promote events, create businesses and build online
communities. A big part of the three-year degree will be event organisation, with students
expected to hold a large-scale expo in their third year.

A: And how did you yourself get into this area?

B: Well, I've always played video games and been interested in business, so it seemed like a
good idea to combine the two things. In college, I was studying game design and I picked up
my first Esport, League of Legends, a team-oriented strategy game, which really hooked me.

A: And I believe you’ve been exploring the economics of competitive gaming, what makes it
the success it is, and how it will change in the future.

B: Yes, that’s right. For me, gaming is about bringing people together, aside from the
competitive aspect, and a lot of this course is about organising these big events. Ten years
ago, not many people were doing a computing degree and now it’s very popular. The esports
industry is rapidly growing, and I believe it’s going to be the same.

A: People might say it’s a ‘Mickey Mouse’ degree?

B: There are a lot of misconceptions; obviously, people think you are going to be playing
games for three years. In fact the course is like a business degree but in a new industry. In
five or ten years it will be fully accepted.

A: How are Esports related to traditional sports like soccer and tennis?

B: Esports consists of many different games - although those games don't necessarily mimic
traditional sports. Tournaments staged in front of live audiences can attract tens of thousands
of fans, but online they are watched by tens of millions of viewers. In 2014, more than 40,000
people attended the League of Legends World Championship finals when they were held in
Seoul.

A: I believe that the university's new degree course is in part a response to government plans
to develop esports events in the UK?

B: Yes, Esports is one of the fastest growing entertainment media in the world, and anything
that can help the UK establish itself as a centre for this exciting industry should be celebrated.
Plans to grow the UK as an esports hub bring huge opportunities in job creation, and we are
well placed as a university to explore that.

A: Do people now understand that studying esports is a legitimate business pursuit?

B: I think so. Companies are looking for people who are entrepreneurial and tech-savvy and
the industry is driving the creation of new jobs. At the same time, parents are the generation
that grew up playing computer games and there's now an acknowledgement that it is a viable
career route.

A: And how has the course been received?

B: There has been lots of interest, and we’ve had no problem filling the course. I don't know
the exact numbers, but it is over a hundred. It has exceeded our expectations.

A: I assume it mostly attracts young people who are interested in gaming.

B: While it appeals particularly to gamers, it's also attractive to anyone who wants to learn
about this growing industry. One of the best stories has been that, on an open day, a father
and son came. We were talking for five minutes, then 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, then the
father said he wanted to apply, so the father and son will be taking the course together.

Summary
Esports, or organised, competitive computer gaming, is now a big global business, worth
hundreds of millions of dollars. Staffordshire University in the UK has just begun teaching
degree courses in the subject and one of the lecturers is interviewed. He explains that the
course will focus on the business of esports, teaching students how to host and promote
events, create businesses and build online communities. For him, the course is like a business
degree but in a new industry. Esports is one of the fastest growing entertainment mediums in
the world with tournaments attracting thousands of people and there are plans to grow the UK
as an esports hub, creating new jobs in the process.

Questions
1. Would you be interested in such a course? Why (not)?
2. Do you think Esports should be included in the Paris Olympics?
3. What is the attraction of watching other people play video games?
4. Wouldn’t people be better off playing real sports?
Dialogue 40 How to stop wasting food

A: Today on our show, we will hear from an expert on food waste and get some tips about
how we can tackle an ever-increasing problem. Welcome to Climate Talk, Jenny.

B: Thank you for inviting me, Simon; it’s a pleasure to be here.

A: First of all, what kind of figures are we talking about? Maybe you could give us an idea of
the amount of food that’s wasted in the world?

B: Of course. Around the world, roughly one-third of all agricultural land produces food that
is lost in the production phase or wasted in the retail and consumption phase. That’s more
than 1.3 billion metric tons of edible food. Why is this? Well, some of the reasons are poor
climatic conditions such as droughts or floods in some areas, food damaged by the producer
on his farm, or in transit, or poor food storage, and then consumers’ eating habits.

A: So you’re saying in fact that a third of all food is wasted every year? That’s an enormous
figure. How does all that waste affect our climate problem?

B: Food waste and loss contributes approximately 8 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Clothing is also 8 percent, the airline industry just over 2 percent. This is a problem we must
tackle now.

A: Those are some incredible figures. Food waste pollutes as much as the clothing industry
and almost four times more than the airline industry! What about the economic impact?

B: Economically speaking, a lot! Because of wasted food, industrialized countries are losing
$680 billion and developing countries are losing $310 billion. Wasted food costs the world
economy about $1 trillion. Providing the poorer regions of the world with clean water and
good sanitation would cost about $150 billion a year.

A: So if we reduced our food waste, could we, theoretically perhaps, feed the world?

B: Yes, the food wasted could feed the world if we managed the food supply chain better. The
Food and Agricultural Organization found that consumers in rich countries waste almost as
much food (222 million tons) as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230
million tons). An incredible waste when over 800 million people go hungry.

A: So how can we deal with this problem of food waste?

B: First, we need to change our habits. It’s too easy to waste food, as there are no
consequences for throwing food away. That needs to change. We can all shop smarter and
stop over-serving ourselves and others. Big portions lead to big waste. Don’t stock your
shelves full all the time. Use local markets to buy meals for a few days, avoiding waste. Eat
more ugly fruit – the odd shapes which are often rejected for cosmetic reasons. They taste just
as good, and are becoming more widely available.

A: That seems like sound advice.

B: Second, we need to rethink arbitrary food expiry dates. Most people don’t realize that
these dates are set by companies, not health agencies, with the intention that you buy more
food. The result is that perfectly good food that could still be eaten ends up in the trash
instead. Third, our local governments, which are often responsible for the collection of
household food waste, could do much more. In San Francisco, for example, which has a zero-
waste goal by 2020, they’ve reduced waste from the landfill by over 80 percent, transforming
food waste into compost and selling it back to farmers.

A: Those are two problems that governments should tackle. Your final piece of advice?

B: We need better refrigeration to prevent food spoilage. Many countries don’t have the
capacity to keep food cold when it’s stored or transported. If they could build a “cold chain” –
with the necessary refrigeration along the way – a lot less food would be wasted between
farm and market.

A: Thank you Jenny for clarifying this subject.

Summary
This interview discusses the worldwide food wastage issue. A statistical idea of the size of the
problem is given, and four specific ways to reduce food waste are explored; these include
changing shopping habits and not stocking up on too much food, rethinking expiration dates,
diverting waste from landfills by composting, and improving refrigeration methods and cold
chains in developing countries.

Questions:
1) Do you see the waste of food as a problem?
2) What can individuals do to reduce the amount of food we waste?
3) Are local initiatives the best? – for example websites which alert consumers to shops
selling food which would otherwise go to waste, at lower prices.
4) How can we change the way people buy and consume food without damaging our
economy?