Unit 11 Page 108 Lesson A1A

Page 108:

unit 11: trends

Lesson A: trends in society

1: getting started

A:

Listen. what trends or changes have these people noticed in their society recently?

what social changes have you noticed recently?

1:

James, Miami:

a lot of people obsessed with losing weight and eating healthy foods.

so, the fast-food chains would be forced to change the menus.

now you can get salads and healthy stuff there; as well as burgers and fries.

2:

Tomoko, Osaka:

well one thing is the shortage here of people with skills and technology.

there’s a big demand for that now.

So, skilled workers are being recruited overseas and then they being brought in to fill the jobs.

3:

Chan, Taipei:

I think like everywhere else; the main thing is the spread of technology.

I mean almost everyone has a cell phone and an MP3 player, and wireless Internet access is being made available all over.

4:

Fiona, London:

Well, people are talking about losing their jobs.

in many places, unemployment is going up and a lot of people have been laid off.

and that’s partly because they’re jobs are being outsourced to work as in other countries.

5:

Somchai, Bangkok:

we have a lot of problems with traffic congestion.

fortunately, a lot of new highways have been built.

and there’s a new monorail; but the problem hasn’t been completely solved.

so, commuting can still be a real problem.

6:

Estella, Monterey:

Well, more and more young people are being encouraged to go to college.

which is good; it can be tough though; because tuition fees have just been increased and we’ve not been given enough financial support.