Warm-Up

What do you think are the biggest problems in Western countries? Put them in order of importance. Exercise 1 social problems

begging

discrimination

violence

drugs

homelessness

inequality

poverty

racism

unemployment

abortion

Depression is UK's biggest social problem, government told. Depression, anxiety and other forms of mental illness have taken over from unemployment as the greatest social problem in the UK, a health economist warns today.

Exercise 2 Listen to the radio news report about changes in British society. Match the topics with the graphs below. a)Percent of households with cars b)Percent of households with computers c)Percent of women who work d)Percent of year olds in full-time education

Before listening, learn the key words about trends in British society. Example A: The number of crimes has gone down over the last twenty years. B: No. It has gone up by…

◇ to rise, to climb, to go up, to rocket, to double/triple, to be on the increase ◇ to fall, to go down, to decline, to be on the decrease ◇ to go up and down Key Words: Describing Trends

a)Percent of households with cars b)Percent of households with computers c)Percent of women who work d)Percent of year olds in full-time education

Our standard of living has ____ and the average income of British families is now nearly 550 ps a week, compared with 326 ps in The percentage of households with cars has ______ from 62% to 72% while the number with central heating has _________ from 61% to 90%. The percentage of households with computers has _________ from around 3% to over 40%. risen climbed increased rocketed Listen again:

…The bottom 20% of society are now relatively much poorer and their share of the nation’s wealth has ________ from 10% to 6%. Problems like begging and homelessness are ____________ declined on the increase …Over the last 20years, unemployment has ________________ but has __________ recently. It _______ from around 1.7 million in 1981 to 2.1 million in 1989, only to ____ beneath a million in the spring of gone up and downgone down went up fall …Between 1981 and 2001, the number of crimes in England and Wales almost _______ from 280,000 to 520,000. doubled

◇ to rise, to climb, to go up, to rocket, to double/triple, to be on the increase ◇ to fall, to go down, to decline, to be on the decrease ◇ to go up and down Words to describing Trends

Listen again and complete the table average income of British family per week ￡ 326 life expectancy for men and women unemployment1.7 million

numbers in full- time further education number of crimes (England and Wales)