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The global problems. why be interested in other religions? . Pre-reading task
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THE GLOBAL PROBLEMS
OF
CONTEMPORARY
WORLD
SPEECH PRACTICE
FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS
Минск
2018
PREFACE
The textbook “The Global Problems of Contemporary World” is designed for students studying English at advanced level. It provides them with the necessary skills to communicate successfully. It enriches students’ active vocabulary, encourages learning by focusing on pair and group work, stimulates them to give their own opinions and participate in discussion and roleplay.
The book consists of a selection of informative texts from a variety of authentic sources. It has five thematic Units:
1. Religion in Great Britain and the USA
2. Terrorism
3. War and war conflicts
4. Moral values
5. Drugs
6. Charity and voluntary work
7. New problems which arise
Each Unit contains:
a) discussion points (Pre-reading task) which draw on the students’ knowledge of the given topic;
b) a number of stimulating reading texts with comprehension questions that follow them;
c) vocabulary practice sections (Word study), focusing on exploiting the vocabulary introduced in the reading text through various types of exercises;
d) a speaking/discussion/roleplay activity (Follow-up).
The textbook also includes writing tasks and listening material, for those who want to get more information on the topic can read supplementary texts at the end of each Unit.
C O N T E N T S
UNIT 1. Religion ………………………………………………………..
UNIT 2. Terrorism ……………………………………………………….
UNIT 3. War and war conflicts ………………………………………….
UNIT 4. Moral values …………………………………………………..
UNIT 5. Drugs …………………………………………………………..
UNIT 6. Charity and voluntary work ……………………………………
UNIT 7. New problems which arise …………………………………
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RELIGION
WHY BE INTERESTED IN OTHER RELIGIONS?
PRE-READING TASK
I. Discuss with your partner:
1. What role does religion play in your life?
2. Would you like to know about other religions but yours?
3. Why are more and more people in our country getting interested in religion and going to church?
Regardless of where you live, you have no doubt seen for yourself how religion affects the lives of millions of people, maybe yours too. In countries where Hinduism is practiced, you will often see people doing puja—a ceremony that may include making offerings to their gods, in the form of coconut, flowers, and apples. A priest will apply a spot of red or yellow pigment, the tilak, to the foreheads of the believers. Millions also flock each year to the river Ganges to be purified by its waters.
In Catholic countries, you will see people praying in churches and cathedrals while holding a crucifix or a rosary. The beads of the rosary are used for counting prayers offered in devotion to Mary. And it is not difficult to identify nuns and priests, distinctive in their black garb. In Protestant lands, chapels and churches abound, and on Sunday parishioners usually put on their best clothes and congregate to sing hymns and hear sermons. Often their clergy wear a black suit and a distinguishing clerical collar.
In Islamic countries, you can hear the voices of the muezzins, the Muslim criers who make the call from minarets five times a day, summoning the faithful to the salat, or ritual prayer. They view the Holy Qur'an as the Islamic book of scripture. According to Islamic belief, it was revealed by God and was given to the prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel in the seventh century C. E.
On the streets of many Buddhist lands, the monks of Buddhism, usually in saffron, black, or red robes, are seen as a sign of piety. Ancient temples with the serene Buddha on display are evidence of the antiquity of the Buddhist faith.
On the other hand, there are millions of people who profess no religion nor any belief in a god. They are atheists. Others, agnostics, believe that God is unknown and probably unknowable. However, that obviously does not mean that they are people without principles or ethics, any more than professing a religion means that one does have them. However, if one accepts religion as being " devotion to some principle; strict fidelity or faithfulness;
conscientiousness; pious affection or attachment, " then most people, including atheists and agnostics, do have some form of religious devotion in their lives. With so many religions in a world that gets smaller and smaller by virtue of ever faster travel and communication, the impact of various faiths is felt worldwide, whether we like it or not.
WHY INVESTIGATE?
Have you ever thought or said, 'I have my own religion. It is a very personal matter. I do not discuss it with others'? True, religion is very personal—virtually from birth religious or ethical ideas are implanted in our mind by our parents and relatives. As a consequence, we usually
follow the religious ideals of our parents and grandparents. Religion has become almost a matter of family tradition. What is the result of that process? That in many cases others have chosen our religion for us. It has simply been a matter of where we were born and when. Or, as historian Arnold Toynbee indicated, an individual's adherence to a certain faith is often determined by " the geographical accident of the locality of his birth-place. "
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Is it reasonable to assume that the religion imposed at one’s birth is necessarily the whole truth? If you were born in Italy or South Africa, then, without any choice, you were probably raised a Catholic. If you were born in India, then likely you automatically became a Hindu or, if from the Punjab, perhaps Sikh. If your parents were from Pakistan, then you would obviously be a Muslim. And if you were born in a Socialist country over the last few decades, you might have had no choice but to be raised an atheist.
In many countries now, owing to immigration and population movement, people of different religions share the same neighborhood. Therefore, understanding one another's viewpoint can lead to more meaningful communication and conversation between people of different faiths. Perhaps, too, it may dissipate some of the hatred in the world that is based on religious differences. True, people may strongly disagree about their religious beliefs, but there is no basis for hating a person just because he or she holds a different viewpoint. [1, p2-14]
GUIDE
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