Exercise 3
Read the following article about living without money, and then complete the notes on the opposite
page.
The moneyless man
Mark Boyle, who has written a book called ‘The Moneyless Man’, woke up one morning in 2008 and
made the decision to give up using money for a year. It wasn’t a sudden decision, but something he
had been considering for a long time.
Seven years previously, Mark had been studying in his final year of a business and economics degree
in Ireland. He came across a DVD about Gandhi, who said that if you want something to change, you
have to make it happen yourself. Although Mark didn’t have any idea what changes he wanted to
make back then, he was deeply impressed by Gandhi’s idea.
After graduating, Mark spent several years managing organic food companies, but he came to
realise that even businesses such as these were not environmentally-friendly enough. Many still used
excess plastic packaging, and imported food from overseas, for example. Basically, he realised that
as consumers nowadays, we lack awareness of our impact on the environment. We don’t have to
observe the destruction that is involved in the production of the food and other things that we buy.
As a result, we waste too much of everything. He realised that if we grew our own food, we wouldn’t
throw away so much of it, as some people do today. If we made our own tables and chairs, we
wouldn’t get rid of them just because we wanted a new style or colour in our living room. If we had to
clean our own drinking water, we wouldn’t waste it so freely.
Mark decided that as long as money exists, these problems would not go away. So, in 2008, he
decided to give up money, initially for one year. First of all, he had to find a place to live in. He located
a caravan on the website ‘Freecycle’, where people give away things they no longer need. And he
decided to volunteer three days a week at an organic farm, in return for a place to park his caravan.
Having no way of paying for gas or electricity to keep warm, he burned old wood from the farm as
fuel.
Food is of course a necessity, but Mark soon found a way to provide himself with what he needed. He
grew fruit and vegetables, and gathered more from the countryside. He then realised he could offer to
do some work in exchange for other types of food.
Mark discovered that in a moneyless world, everything takes much more time. For example,
handwashing clothes is far slower than using a washing machine, and cycling several miles to
collect something takes more time and energy than driving or catching the bus or train. However,
he discovered that cycling was a cheaper alternative to going to the gym, and much more enjoyable
too. Another realisation was that he preferred spending time doing something productive rather than
wasting time in front of the television. And finally, he found that by the end of the year, he valued
his friendships even more than he had done before. And that was what made his experiment so
worthwhile.
Page 182 of 0473
You are going to give a talk to your class about Mark Boyle, the moneyless man. Prepare some notes
to use as the basis of your talk.
Make short notes under each heading.
Why Mark chose to live without money:
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
How Mark avoided using money:
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
What Mark learned from living without money:
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
[Total: 9]
Page 183 of 0473
Exercise 3
Read the article about the future of bookshops, and then complete the notes on the following page.
The tale of the vanishing bookshops
The number of bookshops in most towns and cities around the world is in decline – few people
would disagree with this. It isn’t just small, local or independent bookshops that are suffering –
large chains are closing their stores too.
What is behind this trend? One of the major causes is, without a doubt, the competition from online
sellers and supermarkets. These outlets can offer popular titles at a reduced price, by buying and
selling books in large quantities. It suits many people with their busy lifestyles to be able to make a
purchase quickly online, or to be able to put a book in their supermarket trolley while doing the food
shopping. Another explanation is the fact that fewer people seem to want to read books these days.
Many of those that do so think it is much easier and more convenient to carry a tablet or e-book
reader with them than it is to fit a heavy novel in their bag. And of course it means they can have
more than one book to read at the same time. There are, however, some reports that sales of digital
books are now reaching a peak in some countries, following a rapid growth in sales, but this news
may be too late for some bookshop owners. Other important causes include the high cost of rent for
many bookshops, and the fact that in times of economic difficulty, people have less money to spend
on ‘extras’ such as a good book to read.
Bookshop owners, authors and publishers are not giving up easily. They have realised that if they
don’t take action now, the future of the industry is at risk. The challenges have led to some creative
solutions, which many hope will bring people back to bookshops and prevent some from closing
down. One obvious solution is to make a bookshop more individual in style so that people want to
come in. A shop should also be designed to encourage customers to spend time browsing. Many
booksellers say that the best customers are those who do just this – they may have intended to buy
only one book, but having looked at two or three others, decide to buy them too.
Some bookshops have introduced more innovative ideas recently. One is to hold what is known
as a ‘reading spa’. This is an individual consultation with a customer, where they are introduced
to several new books that have been selected to meet their taste in literature. Another idea is
getting people to sign up to a ‘reading year’ service – for an annual fee, a customer is sent a book
each month which has been picked to suit their particular interests. These exciting ideas show that
bookshops can develop into something which goes beyond just selling books.
Other methods designed to bring in customers include opening a cafe in the shop, and putting on
events. These might include inviting an author to come in and read a section from their book, or talk
about it, and sign copies that customers have bought.
Despite these new ideas and approaches, many booksellers recognise the fact that they are
unlikely to get rich by selling books. They do it quite simply because they love it.
Page 184 of 0473
You are going to give a talk to your class about the challenges bookshops face. Prepare some notes to
use as the basis for your talk.
Make short notes under each heading.
Reasons why bookshops are going out of business:
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
What bookshops are doing to attract business:
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
[Total: 9]
Page 185 of 0473
Exercise 3
Read the article about the way amateur archaeologists use satellite technology, and then complete the
notes on the following page.
Satellite imagery
Nowadays, satellite technology is used to provide information on
everything from population growth to forecasting the weather and
making maps. This last example is particularly useful to those
people with an interest in archaeology. In 2014, an amateur
archaeologist called David Young was looking at an area of local
countryside on a satellite map, when he noticed a single tree
right in the middle of a field. David explains, “In the past, when
farmers hit something large and hard while working in their fields, they often planted a small tree. This
was easier than digging the object up, and reminded them to avoid this spot in future.” When David
investigated the area around the single tree, he found some buried coins in a large pot. In another
image, he noticed a narrow strip of land where the grass was not growing well. This indicated that
there was once an ancient roadway which had been buried over time. When he went to this location,
he discovered some ancient cooking tools left behind by travellers who had probably stopped to eat.
David has some advice for other amateur archaeologists: “Unusual patterns in fields today can
sometimes suggest evidence of an ancient community. However, as many of these fields will be
on private farmland, remember to ask permission from the farmer before you start exploring a site.”
Landowners have reported that animals have escaped from their fields because gates have been
left open. Additionally, some farmers have complained that crops have been damaged by people
digging up an area that they think may contain something exciting.
Although amateur archaeologists don’t generally use the more sophisticated technology and
equipment that professionals have, the satellite images that are freely available online have made
archaeology more accessible to everyone, with many advantages. For example, in just one year,
amateur archaeologists identified the locations of hundreds of potentially interesting sites. This is
important because as cities all over the world continue to expand, new building work can permanently
cover places of historical importance. Amateur archaeologists are often able to provide details of
the specific size of an area of interest, then professionals can decide whether or not to investigate
further.
As well as being helpful in finding potential sites of worldwide importance, amateurs also have local
knowledge which can be a valuable source of information for the professionals. They often look
at images of places closer to their homes, and find things that might otherwise go unnoticed. For
example, even strangely shaped areas of forest can be worth further professional investigation.
Once a possible site has been identified, it is important that amateurs inform the professional
archaeologists, who understand the importance of recording exactly where items are found. This
information can be lost if the correct procedures are not followed when the object is removed from the
ground. Also, some people keep what they find for themselves, rather than sharing their discovery.
“If you find something of interest, contact the experts. If you want to be more involved, join a local
archaeology group. It will probably have links to professional archaeologists,” says David. Indeed,
many professionals rely on amateurs for a variety of things, from the discovery of possible sites to
assisting at the site itself. It is a relationship that can work well for both groups.
Page 186 of 0473
You are going to give a talk to your class about amateur archaeologists and the use of satellite technology.
Prepare some notes to use as the basis for your talk.
Make short notes under each heading.
Clues that a site is worth investigation
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
Benefits amateurs bring to archaeology
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
Problems caused by amateurs
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
[Total: 9]
Page 187 of 0473
Exercise 3
Read the article about a mountain-bike race in France called Megavalanche, and then complete the
notes on the following page.
Megavalanche – the craziest mountain-bike race in the world?
With helicopters circling overhead and a DJ playing loud electronic dance music, the noise level at
Megavalanche is higher than at any other mountain-bike race in the world.
We’re in the French Alps – at 3320 metres, to be precise – and we’re on the Sarenne glacier, a
huge ice sheet covering a section of Pic Blanc mountain. When Megavalanche was first held in
1995, around 400 mountain-bikers took part. By 2015, there were over 2000 competitors from
30 different countries. It’s a three-day event consisting of practice, qualifying rounds and a final
30-kilometre race.
There are other dramatic mountain-bike races around the world, but none of them start on a glacier.
They usually involve a series of stages in which riders are timed and the winner has the fastest
time over all the stages combined. Megavalanche is not about racing against the clock, however
– it’s about getting to the finish line before anyone else. It’s also the longest mountain-bike race in
the world.
On the third day, the 300 mountain-bikers who have qualified set off for the final race down the
mountainside. For the first five minutes, they slide down ice, often on their backs, holding on tight
to their bikes. The next section of track is easier to ride on as it is covered in fresh snow, but then
comes an area of loose rocks. The impact on the body is extreme, but if, at this point, they are
desperate for the soft sand tracks found on some mountain-biking trails, then they are out of luck.
As they speed on downwards, there are steep drops on both sides. Further down, they get to stony
paths in the forest, where the sunlight shining brightly through the trees makes it difficult to see
properly. Fortunately, the heavy mud which is found in many cross-country bike races is absent
from Megavalanche, but the grassy paths through the fields on the lower slopes of the mountain
are far from straightforward. For the experienced mountain-biker, the whole route will take under an
hour, and it’s a major test of stamina, strength and nerve.
Surprisingly, injuries are not usually serious. “Most accidents happen in training,” said one of the
organisers, Cathy Labouyrie. “We get the occasional broken arm. Although many riders fall off their
bikes on the glacier, they generally don’t hurt themselves too badly.” So, the race is safer than it
might seem. The event is open to anyone, amateurs as well as professionals, but only the most
skilled riders make the final.
“The organisers say anyone can enter. I’m not so sure about that,” said Josh Naylor, a regular
competitor. “You need a level of skill which you only get from many hours of practice. There’s
certainly a sense of danger about it and that’s something we’re all attracted to.”
“It’s a chance to compete against the best mountain-bikers in the world,” said Florence Toulon.
“And the whole atmosphere is really exciting too. Spectators say the scenery is glorious,” she adds.
“But we don’t notice it. We’re too busy pedalling, trying not to fall off, avoiding other riders, picking
ourselves up off the ground, and checking the bike’s still OK!”
Page 188 of 0473
You are going to give a talk about the mountain-bike race, Megavalanche, to your class.
Prepare some notes to use as the basis for your talk.
Make short notes under each heading.
How Megavalanche is different from other mountain-bike races:
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
Different surfaces Megavalanche competitors have to ride over:
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
Reasons mountain-bikers give for taking part:
• ...............................................................................................................
• ...............................................................................................................
[Total: 9]
Page 189 of 0473
