Unit 8 Buy, Sell, Trade Lesson 6 On balance
Develop an argument
Speak and read
- You’ve been discussing world trade in class, and your teacher has asked you the
questions below.
Question: Today goods can be transported cheaply around the world. Overall, do you think that’s a good or a bad thing?
- Work in pairs. Add at least one mor reason to each list on the right.
Good The food we want is brought to us all year round. It has created jobs in
countries with high unemployment.
Bad It damages our environment. Some of our countries have lost their manufacturing industry.
- Read the paragraph.
Which opinion does it support?
Does it include any of the reasons on your list?
Over the last half a century, our lives have been transformed by the possibility of transporting goods around the world. However, despite the obvious benefits, my feeling is that it has done more harm than good. One reason for that view is the damage that has been done to our environment due to the increase in global traffic. What’s more, the demand for some products has led to overfishing and a loss of local crops in favor of food o export. Another thing that concerns me is the loss of traditional industries in some countries because of competition from other parts of the world. In addition, I wonder if it’s a good thing for us all to be wearing the same things, eating the same food, and using the same gadgets. As a consequence, it feels like some of the world’s diversity is being lost. To sum up, global trade brings benefits, but we pay a high price for those benefits. That is why, on balance, I think it’s a bad thing.
- Discuss and write
Discuss the reasons that it’s good to transport goods cheaply around the world.
- Share your paragraph with a classmate.
Did your classmate make a convincing argument for transporting goods around the world?
