In the text there are some sentences where Present Perfect is used. Find them and try to reproduce.

2. Use the Present Perfect Tense (both in passive or active) to emphasizethe impact of some actions or events on the present moment.

1. i-Phones (to change) radically … our lives. To date, more than 217 million iPhones (to sell) …, and they're being used by construction workers to read blueprints, doctors to diagnose patients, governments to improve services and parents to quiet their kids in restaurants.

2. There is no question that internationalization, and particularly international student mobility, (to transform) … the higher education landscape in the last decade.

3. Credit cards (to simplify) dramatically … the process of making in-person and online purchases.

4. In an era of globalization, AIESEC’s programs (to help) … thousands of young people around the world to develop a broader understanding of cultural, socio-economic and business issues.

5. Grants (to enable) … many students to realize their dream of a higher education and being independent.

Practice

1. Summarize what changes happen to the following things from the list given below. You may develop the list. Your own ideas are welcome!

- trade restrictions and limitations;

- innovations;

- domestic markets;

- telecommunications (as well as other means of communication);

- money in the form of investment and transactions;

- usual people;

- businesses and businessmen;

- horizons (opportunities and prospects).

1. Define the word “globalization”. Refer to your own experience. Exchange opinions.

Reading and Vocabulary

Globalization is a very controversial issue today. Opinions vary considerably over its pros and cons. You can find some of them below. Read the text in detail.

PROs

• Goods and people are transported with ease and speed;
• the possibility of war between developed countries decreases;
• free trade between countries is stimulated;
• competition rises thus reducing prices and improving the quality of production;
• global mass media connects all people all over the world;
• as the cultural barriers reduce, the global village dream becomes more realistic;
• there is a spread of democratic ideals;
• growth of interdependence of the nation-states;
• developed countries can invest in developing ones;
• flexibility of corporations to operate across borders rises;
• the communication between individuals and corporations in the world increases;
• environmental protection in developed countries grows.

CONs

• Outsourcing of manufacturing and white-collar jobs to the Third-World with a low labour cost;
• increase in activities such as child labour and slavery;
• growth of terrorism and criminality;
• ecological problems, especially in developing countries – these areas turn into garbage-dumps where all industrial waste is accumulated and pollution levels are sky-high;
• spread of consumption junk food as fast food chains like McDonalds and KFC are expanding fast all over the world;
• poverty in developing countries rises;
• spread of deadly viruses and diseases like AIDS on a global scale;
• environmental degradation and devastation of natural reserves of the planet Earth.