English Language Lesson

Introduction: Soccer, Peanuts, Catfish, Trade

Free Trade or Fair Trade? What Role Should ASEAN Play?

This chapter doesn’t mention very much about ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), but throughout the chapter you should contemplate the role of ASEAN. Here are some questions to think about.

1. What are the differences between free trade and fair trade?
2. Which seems like a better economic system to you?
3. Does ASEAN support Free Trade or Fair Trade?
4. If ASEAN supports Free Trade, whom does it benefit?
5. How should ASEAN support trade between ASEAN countries and the world?
6. Is there exploitation from multinational corporations in ASEAN countries? If there is exploitation, who is responsible?
7. Is there freedom for developing countries to choose how they will trade with the world?

For an explanation about Free Trade and Fair Trade, read below*:

Free Trade vs. Fair Trade? (Paraphrased from a Development in Action-Spring 2004 by Paul Gunstensen http://www.developmentinaction.org/newspages/index/55.php) The question of whether free trade or fair trade is the answer to developing countries’ problems depends on whom you ask. An economist sitting behind a desk at the United States Treasury or the International Monetary Fund would reply ‘free trade’. A small-scale coffee farmer in Central America will almost certainly answer ‘fair trade’. But what is the difference between the two terms and why are they so important? Free Trade Some economists see trade as the ‘engine of growth.’ Growth is the key to eliminating poverty in the developing world. They argue that trade can, and will, raise wages and benefits to workers as the expansion of foreign markets for their goods leads to increased demand. Then, when they provide more supply to meet the demand, they receive more money which increases the ability of workers to purchase more products and become bigger consumers who will, in turn, be able to buy more foreign products. While this is an over-simplified explanation, it nonetheless suggests a situation where everyone appears to benefit. Globalization and capitalism are changing what trade and global business once were. Companies today strive to increase profit by decreasing production costs—something that some economists and transnational corporations say is best achieved through maximizing global competitiveness. They think that countries should adopt trade liberalization, open their markets up to foreign competition and get rid of trade barriers, tariffs and regulations. Governments should not play a big role and should allow the businesses to compete. Fair Trade Developing countries are in a difficult position. If they start advocating for labor rights and environmental standards, transnational companies would take their business to other developing countries where there are no labor rights and environmental standards. If foreign investment is very important to the economic development, there is not very much a developing country can do. It is ironic, then, that the very countries who most strongly argue for free trade themselves benefited from trade barriers, tariffs and other protectionist measures in their own economic development. The United States is perhaps the best example, when one considers the huge pressure exerted by the US Treasury for free trade, as trade was manipulated by the US until its economy was established enough to cope with competition. Similarly, the ‘tiger’ economies in East Asia have used such restrictions very efficiently to bolster their economic development. So free trade is not so free, it’s not so equal and can be very exploitative. But what is the alternative? The concept of fair trade is not new, though it has risen to prominence in the 1990s. Put very simply, fair trade is an attempt at more socially conscious trade, where consumers in industrialized countries pay more for products, which ensures that producers receive a fair and constant price for their goods. A major principle of this type of trade is the formation of long-term contracts and relationships between consumers and producers, enabling producers to plan for the future and providing the incentive to invest in means of production.

*Take note that a Glossary for Free Trade and Fair Trade can be found in the Appendix.

Activity/Exercise #1: If you still do not have a clear understanding of Free Trade and Fair Trade, consider the game below. Break into small groups and read the rules to the soccer game. But, before you read these rules, answer these questions by discussing your answers:

1. What are the main objectives in a soccer match? How does a team win?
2. What are the rules in soccer that ensure that the game is played fairly?
3. What kind of referee do players on both teams hope for? What kind of referee is fair?
4. If a team plays to win at all costs, what are some of the plays that may be considered unfair?
5. How do players feel when a game is not played fairly? Winners? Losers?

Now read through the rules of Oxfam’s Global Trade Soccer Game. Read through the rules by taking turns reading aloud in your discussion groups. Throughout the rules you may find some questions. Feel free to comment and discuss as you read and help each other with the vocabulary. You may even want to try to play this game with your class.

Oxfam America’s Global Trade Soccer Game

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/resources/files/OA-MTF_Soccer_Game.pdf

One way of helping people understand how global trade rules put some countries at a disadvantage is by organizing a metaphorical soccer game modeled on the rules and dynamics of global trade.

If you would actually play a metaphorical soccer game, the class should gather at some location—a soccer field or open area—in order to play the game. Then follow these steps:

• Set up a field for a normal game of soccer.

• Gather the participants and review the structure of the game stressing that the facilitators, who act as referees, are committed to a “free and level playing field.”

• Split the group into two random teams and have each player affirm their commitment to a free and fair game on a level playing field.

• Tell the players that each side has three opportunities to call “foul” on the other side during the game. The referee(s) will make a ruling.

• Instruct them to begin playing a conventional soccer game utilizing the standard rules of soccer.

• After every four to five minutes, stop the game and add a new rule. See the New Rules section below.

• Stop the match after 20 minutes of play and ask debriefing questions. Make sure you devote at least 20 minutes to this discussion.

• Thank the group for their efforts and refer them to Oxfam America’s web site for more information on the Make Trade Fair campaign and how they can get involved. (http://www.oxfamamerica.org/trade)

Structure of Soccer Game

• Each team represents an unnamed country. One team is from the Global North and the other from the Global South.

• Each goal scored represents a profitable export to the other country. As one team builds more profits, they can exercise their economic power to leverage additional advantage on the playing field.

• The referees represent the World Trade Organization. They periodically renegotiate the rules, all in the pursuit of “free trade.”

• Each shift in rules parallels a specific dynamic found in world trade. Players will notice whether they feel helped or hindered by the changes in rules. If they feel unjustly disadvantaged they can cry “foul” and request a ruling by the referees.

• At the end of the game, participants will come together to discuss the game. Lead a discussion of the symbolism of teams, goals, referees, and how the outcome of the game is similar to the outcomes seen in the real world of global trade.

Rules to Impose During Soccer Game

Use some or all of the following rule changes during your game:

Rule #1	After the First 5 minutes: Change the goal size The Referees will make these changes: The Global North’s goal size is to be made narrower. The Global South’s goal size is to be made wider. Enlarging the goal defended by the Global South illustrates how poor countries are forced to open their markets to imports. Reducing the goal size defended by the Global North symbolizes high trade barriers maintained by developed countries against the goods coming from poorer countries.
Rule #2	After the Second 5 minutes: Change the number of goalies The Referees will remove the Goalie from the Global South. The Goalie must leave the field. This illustrates the insistence that poor countries eliminate protections on their economies.
Rule #3	After the Third 5 minutes: Change the number of goalies (again) The Referees will add two more Goalies to protect the goal for Global North’s team. Adding more goalies to the stronger side can show the high protections developed countries maintain against imports.
Rule #4	After the Fourth 5 minutes: Buy off Players The Referees will call on the Global North team to select a player from Global South’s team to play on Global North’s team. After a few goals, allow one side to “hire” an opposing team member of their choice to represent the flow of high-skill jobs to wealthier countries.
Rule #5	After the Fifth 5 minutes: Change the Score The Referees will allow the Global North’s team to count an unmade goal that was blocked “unfairly.” The Referees can even debit a goal from the Global South’s team’s score. This helps illustrate the disproportionate power of rich countries in multilateral and regional bodies such as the WTO and NAFTA, where secret tribunals rule on what are fair or unfair barriers to trade.
Rule #6	After the Sixth 5 minutes: Take away one team’s Ability to Touch the Ball The Referees will now take away Global South’s ability to touch the ball with their feet and hands. This illustrates that when a developing country successfully prospers in the competitive market with that of the wealthier country, the wealthier country can become protectionist and rig the rules to promoting their own product and obstructing the other.

Debriefing Questions to Ask After the Game

• What are Global South and Global North Teams’ players feeling right now?

• Is this a “free and level” playing field? Why or why not?

• How can you relate this situation on the soccer field to actual countries, governments or producer groups in the world economy?

• How do you think this relates to trade?

Vocabulary: Words and definitions for discussion and understanding in this chapter can be found in two glossaries: Glossary for Free Trade and Fair Trade and Glossary of Soccer Terms—Global Trade Terms. Find these Glossaries in the Appendix.

The film that is part of this chapter, “The Luckiest Nut in the World,” mentions these nuts:

peanuts	pecans	pistachios
brown nuts	brazil nuts	cashew

Image credits:

• (peanuts) http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave2/images/peanut/peanut.jpg
• (pecans) http://www.organic-planet.com/products/Images/pecan.gif
• (pistachios) http://www.azpistachio.com/images/pistachio.jpg
• (brown nuts) http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v429/n6990/images/429352b-f1.2.jpg
• (brazil nuts) http://www.canceractive.com/images/brazil_nuts.jpg

Idioms and Phrases from the Film

An Idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.

Below, find some idiomatic phrases and expressions that are spoken in the film. Understanding these idioms will help you understand the film.

touching every life in every nation	Making an impact on everyone; affecting everyone’s life. Global warming is touching every life in every nation.
Hit it, boys!	What one can say to get the musicians to begin to play music (usually used for lively music)
a bumpy ride, a rough ride	a difficult time; living a difficult life. Life without a high school diploma can be a bumpy ride.
deep South	A region of the southeast United States, usually comprising the states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. (The Luckiest Peanut is from the state of Georgia)

born with a silver spoon sticking out of my mouth	Born wealthy, or fortunate, or both, as in Paul can afford to go to medical school; he was born with a silver spoon sticking out of his mouth. Although some authorities believe this phrase alludes to the custom of godparents giving their godchild a silver spoon, affordable only by rich persons, it is more likely that the spoon has come to symbolize wealth.
the American Dream	An American ideal of a happy and successful life to which all may aspire: “In the deepening gloom of the Depression, the American Dream represented a reaffirmation of traditional American hopes”' (Anthony Brandt).
European Legume Foundation	A legume is a biological name for t he pea family. This would include the peanut. In the film, Professor Browne is an “expert” from this institute which is probably a fictional organization—made up for the purposes of this film.
not a blessing, but a curse	A blessing is something promoting or contributing to happiness, well-being, or prosperity; a boon. A curse is a source or cause of evil; a scourge.
keep one’s head above water	Stay out of trouble, especially financial difficulties; also, keep up with work or other demands. For example, With new bills coming in every day they're barely keeping their heads above water, or The work's piling up, but I manage to keep my head above water. This expression alludes to keeping oneself from drowning.
arrive on the shelf	Food (or other products) that are delivered to the grocery store and put on the shelf to ready to be bought by a customer.
to tell it like it is	Speak the truth, no matter how unpleasant. For example, We're obligated to tell it like it is to the stockholders.
it keeps me up at night	Something that keeps people from sleeping such as worry or fear.

http://www.answers.com/topic/

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Study Skill A: Input, Output, Films and Notes

In this chapter, you will be watching a short film. This film is about economics and this film has voices with different accents. You may be thinking, then, that this will be a difficult film to understand. Perhaps, but let this chapter explain why it is important that English Language learners should be exposed to such learning.

The Input Hypothesis  

According to some teachers of English and some theorists for language learning, INPUT is the only way to learn English. INPUT is a short word for "sentences that you read and listen to". Input is the opposite of OUTPUT, which means "producing sentences by speaking and writing".

Stephen Krashen, a professor from University of Southern California, developed a language learning model, the “natural approach” which is based on his “input hypothesis” or “comprehension hypothesis.” This model describes the process of a child learning his/her first language (native language or mother tongue). The child’s brain is a collector of sentences and from this collection of sentences, the child develops a sentence-producing ability. By the time the child is 5, he/she is speaking fluently.

In your native language, you want to express something—you want to convey meaning. The correct phrases and sentences come to you with little effort. This is a process that is mostly unconscious:

1. You get Input. You listen or read some sentences. If there is understanding of what these sentences mean, they are stored in your brain. Your brain has a part that is responsible for storing language.

2. When it comes time to produce output—that is, when you want to write or say something in that language, your brain looks for a phrase that you have heard or read before. Your brain is looking for a phrase that matches the meaning you want to express. Then it imitates the phrase that it has found by either producing the same phrase or creating a similar one—creating your own sentence in that language. The brain does this automatically. It is an unconscious or natural process.

Essentially, the brain is constructing the language and a student of language builds and develops their ability to produce language as their collection of phrases and sentences accumulates. The brain does not imitate one sentence at a time, but can build complicated and long sentences from many parts and can produce original and one-of-a-kind sentences.

Here is an example: the brain knows that it can take one word in a sentence and substitute it for another word—much like drills that you probably have used in the past, only your brain can do this automatically and naturally. If a language learner has heard the sentence, “The cat is sleeping under the table,” it is not difficult to realize that one can create new sentences by substituting other words for words in the sentence:

The cat is sleeping under the table.
The cat is playing under the table.
The cat is playing near the table.
The cat is playing near the old tree.

The brain, of course, is capable of more advanced transformations. If you give the brain three sentences:

I like springtime.
I like riding my motorcycle.
Springtime is exhilarating.

Then the brain can produce this:

Riding my motorcycle is exhilarating.

The noun phrase, “riding my motorcycle” was substituted for the noun, “springtime.” In the end, an original sentence is produced from input (the three sentences). This transformed sentence is vaguely similar to the input.

Here, a noun phrase with a gerund ("riding my motorcycle") was substituted for a regular noun (“springtime”). As a result, we have an original sentence which doesn't look too similar to any of the three input sentences.

THE BRAIN NEEDS INPUT. This is a fact that the language learner cannot ignore. The more sentences one has to imitate, the better a language learner can produce his/her own original sentences. Being able to produce original sentences marks the level of fluency one obtains. So it is essential that a language learner exposes himself or herself to vast amounts of input.

According to the two language learners at the website antimoon.com:

• The brain produces sentences based on the sentences it has seen or heard (input). So the way to improve is to feed your brain with a lot of input — correct and understandable sentences (written or spoken). Before you can start speaking and writing in a foreign language, your brain must get enough correct sentences in that language.
• Output (speaking and writing) is less important . It is not the way to improve your language skills. In fact, you should remember that you can damage your English through early and careless output. Also, it may be possible to develop great output skills without output practice!
• You don't need grammar rules . You learned your first language without studying tenses or prepositions. You can learn a foreign language in that way, too.

Do you know what is the difference between a learner and a native speaker? The native speaker "feels" what is correct. He can tell that a sentence sounds either good or bad (unnatural) and he doesn't need to use grammar rules for that. He can do it because he has heard and read lots of English sentences in his life. This is the only difference between a learner and a native speaker — the amount of input. You can be like a native speaker if you get lots of input, too.

(http://www.antimoon.com/how/input-intro.htmWhat is input?)

Watching Films in English

One way to get input in English is to read an English book. Another way to get input would be to have an English-speaking friend or teacher. And yet, another way would be to watch and listen to films in English.

If you are someone who likes movies, you may find that they are much better in their original form. Watching a film that has been dubbed or has a speak-over narration is not as good as seeing a version in which the actor’s voices are real and like the director of the film imagined.

When you read a book in English, you receive a large amount of input. When you watch a film in English, you receive a large amount of input—that is, you hear and watch many correct English sentences and your brain is collecting them. But input from books and input from film have important differences between them. When you read a book, you learn how native speakers write in English. When you watch a film, you see and hear how native speakers use spoken English.

You see, hear and learn how native speakers use words and phrases in context. Books often use “book language,” but in film, you learn what words are used and how native speakers use them.

To hear the conversation or narrative in context:

• increases vocabulary as the language learner hears and sees words used in context. One can guess the meaning of words by seeing the surroundings, facial expressions, gestures imbedded within a story or narrative.
• improves pronunciation . You cannot “hear” pronunciation in books.
• improves grammar as one’s “ear” becomes more a-tuned and the learner can get a sense of what “sounds right” grammatically in English.
• improves understanding of English spoken as a native speaker—the speed, the accents, the pitch and inflection of different English speakers.
• improves cultural understanding.

Anitmoon.com is a website created by two men from Poland who write: “We are two guys who have learned to speak English impressively well (better than most people with English degrees and almost as well as native speakers) in less than 3 years. In the process, we came up with a number of ideas for effective learning. Those ideas are explained on this website.”

On their website (at http://www.antimoon.com/) they write this guide to watching films in English:

The Difficulty With Watching Movies You won't learn anything from the movie if you don't understand it. You probably won't enjoy it, either. :-( This is one big problem with movies: They are much more difficult to understand than books. If you don't understand a word in a book, you can simply look it up in a dictionary, because the word is written there (you know its spelling). With a movie, you sometimes hear something, but you don't know what it is. Sometimes you don't even know if you've heard one word or two. There are other reasons why listening is more difficult than reading, and they all mean one thing: If you want to understand a movie, you have to know a lot of English words — and not only their spelling, but also their pronunciation. You can greatly improve your vocabulary by reading books, looking up words in your dictionary, and repeating them. But even if you read 200 books in English, you would still not understand everything! There will always be some words that you didn't know before. And some of the dialog will be spoken very quickly and unclearly. (You should know that sometimes even Americans can't understand some of the dialog.) What to do when you don't understand something If you are playing the movie from tape or DVD, you can stop it whenever you don't understand a sentence. You can then play the sentence many times and perhaps you'll be able to understand all the words in the sentence. If you still don't understand a word or two, you can try to look them up in a dictionary (which is not easy, because you have to guess their spelling!). Most DVDs let you turn on subtitles. With subtitles, there is no problem with quick or unclear dialog — everything is just written on the screen. It is also easy to look up difficult words in your dictionary, because you know their spelling. The problem with subtitles is that they make you lazy — you stop listening and concentrate on reading. This is not good if you want to exercise your listening skills. Therefore, you should probably try to watch movies without subtitles. Turn subtitles on only if you're having a hard time understanding the sentences in the movie, and it doesn't help when you listen to them repeatedly. Movie guides There is a great alternative to subtitles. ESLnotes.com (http://www.eslnotes.com/) is a website which has "guides" to popular movies. A guide is a list of over 100 difficult sentences from a movie with explanations. Now the most important thing: You first read the explanations; then you watch the movie. So, when you're watching the film, you already know the necessary vocabulary!

We think this is the best strategy for watching movies, because: It feels great to understand a movie in the original! It's very, very motivating when you learn a word, and then the knowledge of the word lets you enjoy the movie. It gives you a lot of pleasure — so you will want to learn more English vocabulary to understand even more. You don't have to stop the movie. (Or you have to stop it less frequently.) You can simply watch it and enjoy it. A guide doesn't explain all the difficult sentences in the movie. But the explanations in the guide should be enough to help you understand what's happening in the movie. Learning techniques What else can you do to learn from movies more effectively? The same things that you should do when reading books: Pay attention to interesting things : new words, phrases, and grammar structures. Use your dictionary to learn about these interesting things . You can stop the movie to look up difficult words. You can also write down all the interesting sentences, and look them up later. But do use your dictionary! http://www.antimoon.com/how/movies.htm

Notes

When you are watching a film, normally you will not be taking notes. When watching a feature film you should be taking in the entire artistic experience with your eyes, ears and emotions open. However, if you are watching a film that is of educational value, it may be useful to take notes. The film in this chapter teaches economic concepts in order to make students aware of some economic inequalities having to do with globalization. If a teacher or professor would show this film as a part of a course, he/she may expect you to take notes from the film. You may have to write down definitions given in the film or write paraphrases of concepts shown in the film.

Learning to take notes effectively will help improve your study and will help you to remember important information in the film. Merely understanding what is said in the film will not necessarily mean that you will remember it. Writing it down will help you retain the information. The key to good note taking is practice. As you take more and more notes, you will develop the ability to select important facts and data and discard unimportant material.

Here are some hints on note making.

1. Prepare yourself for note taking. What information do you have before viewing the film? What has the teacher told you about the film you will view? What is the title? What do you already know about this topic? From the information you do have, what questions do you think could be answered about this film? What keywords should you listen for?

2. Be attentive and don’t write down everything you hear. Try to select the main points.

3. No need to write down full sentences. Write down keywords and phrases. Also don’t worry about grammar. You may lose your attentiveness if you ponder a grammar point.

4. Take accurate notes. If you write down the exact words, use quotations so that you know that it is a direct quote from the film. When you paraphrase or use your own words, try not to change the meaning.

5. Take notes that are of value to you. Don’t take notes just to be taking notes.

6. Use systems of note taking that you are comfortable with and are useful to you. Perhaps you have special symbols or abbreviations that help. Perhaps making an outline helps. Leave space so that you can add notes later.

7. Keep your notes short and to the point. Condense your material so you can grasp it rapidly.

8. Don't worry about missing a point.

9. After the film, go back through your notes and add more to them as you remember. If there are points that you have missed or do not understand, ask a fellow student or ask your teacher.

10. Review your notes regularly. This is the only way to achieve lasting memory.

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Exercises and Activities for Speaking Skill A:  

Activity # 2: Prepare to Watch a Film. Your teacher will tell you that you will be watching a film called “The Luckiest Nut in the World.” Prepare yourself for this film. See what you can find out about the film before you watch it. Here are some questions to guide your search.

1. Who made this film?
2. Where did this film play?
3. In what year was this film made?
4. Did it win any awards? What kind of awards?
5. What is this film about?
6. Why did the writer-director make this film? What is the purpose or objective of the film?
7. What can I expect to see in the film from all that I have seen, read, or heard?
8. What are some keywords that may help me understand this film? (make sure you know the meaning of these key words)
9. Will there be any bias in this film? Why or why not?

These are all facts about the film. Now think about what you may get or learn from the film? Here are some questions:

1. What do you already know about the topic of this film?
2. Do you think you will learn something new from this film?
3. Do you have any strong opinions about this topic?
4. Do you think that you will feel any strong emotions from this film?

Activity #3: Prepare to Take Notes From the Film. Let’s take the pressure off. First watch the film without taking notes about its content. Watch the film and enjoy it. Below you will see a description of the context and scenes. Each example of context has a letter. Write down the letter to signify the change in scene. Later, when you will take notes, this will help you anticipate when to get ready to write down a definition or important point.

(A) An animated Mr. Peanut & Nuts Sing

(B) Mr. Peanut narrates with historical pictures

(C )Professor Browne, a puppet, speaks

(D) The World Bank representative speaks

All the speakers in this film are native speakers of English. Can you identify the accents that the characters in this film have?

Activity #4: Take Notes from the Film as You Watch It (Part A). Watch the film a second time. This time concentrate on picking out words that have to do with trade, globalization and economics. Listen for the keywords you identified earlier and see if you can identify the idiomatic phrases you learned in the Vocabulary section of the chapter. Then take time to share these words with your class. Perhaps your teacher will write these words on the board. Use the glossaries in the appendix.

(Part B) Watch the film a third time. This time take notes. Use the hints that were described to you in the Skills Section. Use any form of note taking that works for you. After you have viewed the film several times, you will be expected to write a short speech about this film. Be prepared to express what you did or did not learn from the film, what your opinion about the film is, and whether or not you think that others should see the film and explain why. You may watch the film three or four or more times.

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Lecture/Presentation:

The Luckiest Nut in the World
Written, Produced and Directed by Emily James
Produced by Fulcrum TV

Global Justice Award by Oxfam American
(Can be viewed at: http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/5/index.php?id=15)

Transcript:

Music sung by nuts:

• This is a film about Nuts. [Nuts. Nuts. Nuts.]
• It’s a film about Nuts. [Nuts. Nuts. Nuts.]
• That’s Right. Like peanuts, pecans, pistachios too.
• Brown nuts, brazil nuts and the cashew. It’s nuts.
• That’s what I said, it’s a film about nuts.
• It’s a film about trade and economics.
• It’s a film about globalization.
• Nuts all grown all over the world,
• Touching every life in every nation. Nuts!
• Starring Mr. Peanut, the luckiest nut in the world and the rest of his gang,
• Hit it boys! just in case you forgot what this film is about – this is a film about nuts!

Mr. Peanut: Okay! Let’s get started. This is a bowl of nuts and some of them have had a bumpy ride. But not me, ‘cause I’m an American peanut!

Song by Mr. Peanut:

I was born in Georgia in the deep South
With a silver spoon sticking out of my mouth!
I sure was surprised when I realized I was the luckiest nut in the world.

I traveled around all over the globe.
And I was pretty shocked at what I’d seen.
All around there were nuts a-struggling to survive.

Chorus: [While he was living the American dream].

Mr. Peanut: Our politicians tell us that trade liberalization is going to make things better. But what, exactly, is trade liberalization:

Sign: “Professor Browne: European Legume Foundation”

Professor: Liberalization is the process of becoming more liberal or free. Trade liberalization is, therefore, making trade more free by removing trade restrictions.

Mr. Peanut: Well, I suppose in theory, it sounds pretty good. We all like freedom. But from what I’ve seen, things aren’t exactly working out as planned.

Song:

• We’re going to tell some stories that make it clear.
• Why these problems won’t disappear.
• By making trade free indiscriminately its only making things worse,
• It’s not a blessing, but a curse,
• It’s happening more every year.

Signs: “The Groundnut” and “ Senegal and the World Bank”

Mr. Peanut: This is a groundnut. [He’s a groundnut.] Groundnuts are part of the peanut family [cousin of the peanut]. This groundnut originated in Senegal, a country in West Africa. [Groundnuts have been growing in West Africa for centuries] They were brought to Africa by the Portuguese in the 16 th Century. And later . . . [groundnuts replaced slavery as Senegal’s biggest industry]. And by the time Senegal got their independence in 1960, groundnuts were their main export crop.

Professor: By specializing in the thing that a country does best, and then trading for the other things that it needs, it maximizes its productivity. [But like many newly independent African states . . .]

Mr. Peanut: Senegal lacked the resources to invest in their development. [They needed cash] So they got some help from the World Bank.

Banker: We’re satisfied as to your credit and income and we’re glad to make you the loan.

Mr. Peanut: The World Bank encouraged Senegal to focus on exports to earn the cash to repay this debt. [And Senegal’s main export was groundnuts.] But then, in the eighties, something had happened that no one had counted on. Because groundnuts appeared to be a lucrative and stable export crop, other developing countries began to focus on producing groundnuts as a means of earning foreign currency. As more and more countries were producing groundnuts, more groundnuts were on the market. And so, the price fell.

Professor: It’s the law of supply and demand. When supply goes up without a corresponding increase in demand, the price will go down. [With the bottom falling out of the groundnut market. . . Senegal, Senegal, Senegal was getting less for their nuts.]

Mr. Peanut: And they had to borrow even more money just to keep their head above water. Facing bankruptcy, Senegal implemented an economic reform program with the aid of World Bank economists. This program followed the economic thinking of the time. It called for . . .

[Trade liberalization . . .]

Professor: Which begins with the removal of tariffs and duties, so taxes on imports of foreign nuts were removed [Then privatization . . .] reducing government’s involvement in industry.

Mr. Peanut: The state-run groundnut company SONACOS , which had guaranteed prices to the farmers, had partially privatized. [In touch with public spending] They implemented the new strategy for ten years, but the situation only got worse. [As the price of nuts went down, the debt got out of control] And today, Senegal is officially one of the world’s most indebted nations. [They spend more on paying their debt than they do on health and education combined]

Sign: “The American Peanut”

Mr. Peanut: Yes, its time for a story about me. And what a different story it is! American peanuts are one of the most protected cash crops in the world. The U.S. government invested heavily in the peanut trade to set up all the equipment. And to this day, the industry is heavily subsidized. Peanut farmers get a financial bonus from the state for every ton of nuts they produce which allows them to sell the nut at a lower price. So it’s the 21 st Century and what do we find? We’re the world’s largest producer of the edible kind. With 50,000 peanut farms in the U.S. [Today peanuts are big business] adding four billion dollars to the American economy. Peanut farmers have nothing to fear [‘cause the average American eats six pounds of peanuts every year].

• Unlike Senegal, we didn’t need a foreign loan:
• We could set up our infrastructure all on our own.
• With no debts to repay, we’re doing okay
• With a steady demand for nuts right here at home.
• Unlike Mozambique, I’m protected by tariffs,
• And though our competitors may not like it
• We got the best lawyers that money can buy.
• And if there is a case against us we can fight it.
• And unlike Bolivia, the United States is a highly industrialized nation.
• So when nuts like myself arrive on the shelf, we’re of the best possible specification.
• And if one of our trading partners make up a policy we’re not overly keen on
• The threat of sanctions usually helps to resolve any difference of opinion.
• So I tried my best to tell it like it is
• ‘Cause it doesn’t have to be like this.
• It keeps me up at night, ‘cause it don’t seem right
• But I’m the luckiest nut in the world
• .

(Can be viewed at: http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/5/index.php?id=15)

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Exercises and Activities for Listening Skill A:

Exercise #5: Write a Short Speech and Present It. Write a speech that takes no more than three minutes to present to a small group or to the class. Answer these questions:

1. What did you or did you not learn from the film?
2. What is your opinion about the film?
3. Do you think that others should see the film and explain why?

Study Skill B: Attuning Your Ear to the Accents and Dialects Used by English Speakers

More than ever, students learning English have access to listening to native speakers of English through films, radio, television, and the internet. Many students in many countries may also have native speakers of English on their campuses and in their schools. Often students who have access to this English complain that native speakers speak too quickly or speak with an accent that is difficult to understand. To such a complaint, the only answer is to expose yourself to more and more English speakers so that your ear becomes accustomed to listening to them. Secluding yourself from speakers of English will not improve your ability to understand spoken English.

Here we list some of the dialects and accents of English:

Dialects in English

Europe	British - English – Received Pronunciation – Estuary – Cockney (East London) – East Anglian – East Midlands – West Midlands – West Countr – Northern - Lancashire – Yorkshire – Scouse (Liverpool) – Mackem – Geordie – Scottish (Glaswegian Highland) - Welsh – Manx – Mid Ultster – Hiberno English (Ireland) – Guernsey English
North America	American – African American Vernacular – Appalachian – Baltimorese – Boston – Buffalonian – California – Chicano – Cajun – General American – Maine – Maine/New Hampshire - New Jersey – New York City – North Central American – Northeast Pennsylvania – Inland Northern American – Pacific Northwest – Pennsylvania Dutch English – Philadelphia – Pittsburgh – Southern American – Southern Cal - Texas - Tidewater – Utah – Western - Yat – Yooper Canadian – Maritimer - Newfoundland – Quebec – West/Central Canadian – Bermudian – Bahamian – Caribbean – Jamaican
Oceania	Australian – Australian Aboriginal – Torres Strait – New Zealand
Asia	Burmese – Singaporean – Hong Kong – Indian – Malaysian – Philippine – Sri Lankan
Africa	Cameroon English – Liberian – Malawian – South African
Miscellaneous	Basic – International – Globish – Mid-Atlantic – Plain – Simplified – Special – Standard

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/General_American

On the internet, there are many websites that provide opportunities to hear spoken English, to analyze accents, and to improve pronunciation. Just googling something like “American Accents,” “British Accents,” “ESL Listening Accents,” or “Accent Training” (among many other key words) will bring up a very large selection of interesting websites.

For example, the website, http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_maps/namerica.php shows this map. When you click the red flags, it will give you an example of someone speaking with an accent that comes from that part of North America. This is a project of the linguistics program in the department of English, the College of Arts and Science's Technology Across the Curriculum Program, and the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.

There are also a number of websites that help you identify what kind of accent you have. For example, the author took a quiz and got this accurate response:

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta. http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have

For British accents go to: http://www.collectbritain.co.uk/collections/dialects/

If you want phonetic symbols in order to explore the accents found in English, there are websites such as: http://www.americanaccent.com/ in which you can hear the language being spoken and you can use charts such as this:

American Sound	Regular Spelling
Kwee geddit?	Can we get it?
Sko!	Let's go!
Jeet? No, joo?	Did you eat? No, did you?
Jläik smore?	Would you like some more?
I shüda tol joo.	I should have told you.
Ledder gedda bedder wädr heedr.	Let her get a better water heater.
How to wreck a nice beach.	How to recognize speech.
Hole däna sek'nt!	Hold on a second!
Hæoja ly kuh liddul more?	How would you like a little more?
They doe neev'n lye kit.	They don't even like it.

So, as you can see, there are many opportunities to for students of the English language to become familiar with dialects and accents in English.

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Vietnamese Language Lesson

Global Trade and the World

How does globalization influence global trade? Are there any relations between these two trends? What are the negative and positive impacts of the global trade on Vietnam and other developing countries?

Exercise 1: Get into groups of four students to talk about how global trade can change Vietnamese economy and the world.

Vocabulary: Here is the list of vocabulary that can help you talk about the issue.

Thành công -	Successful	Hợp đồng -	Contract
Doanh nghiệp -	Enterprise	Dịch vụ -	Services
Ngân hàng thế giới -	World Bank	Quỹ tiền tệ quốc tế -	Int’l Monetary Fund (IMF)
Hệ thống thương mại toàn cầu -	Global trading system	Tổ chức thương mại quốc tế -	World Trade Organization (WTO)
Lợi nhuận -	Profit	Tiêu chuẩn -	Standard
Kinh doanh -	Business	Thuế -	Tax/Duty
Kim ngạch xuất khẩu -	Export turnover	Cộng tác kinh tế -	Economic partnership
Kim ngạch nhập khẩu -	Import turnover	Sỡ hữu trí tuệ -	Intellectual property
Hạn ngạch -	Quota	Đàm phán song phương -	Bilateral negotiation
Rào cản -	Barrier	Đàm phán đa phương -	Multilateral negotiation

Exercise 2: Bring the group discussions into the class and divide the class into two big groups. One group represents the developing countries. The other represents the developed countries. Each group talks about the benefits and predicaments in terms of their respective economy when joining the World Trade Organization.

Grammar Points

1.) “Bao nhiêu”: “Bao nhiêu” (How many/How much) is an interrogative to ask about a quantity or amount which is countable or uncountable.

Examples:
	Có bao nhiêu quốc gia là thành viên tổ chức thương mại quốc tế? How many countries are the members of the World Trade Organization ( WTO )?
	Ước tính người dân trồng xoài Đồng Bằng sông Cửu Long thu được bao nhiêu sau một mùa thu hoạch? How much profit estimated do the mango gardeners in the Mekong Delta gain after a mango-harvesting season?

2.) “Các”: “Các” (“s/es”-ending) is placed before a noun to pluralize it.

Example:
	Các quốc gia khi gia nhập tổ chức thương mại thế giới đều phải tuân thủ theo các quy định của tổ chức này. Nation s entering the WTO are subject to obeying its principle s.

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Persian Language Lesson

Persian Section

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Spanish Language Lesson

Spanish Section

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