The world we live in is changing fast - Worksheet 1

C1 Advanced · Cross Text Multiple Matching · Cambridge Exam Booster for Advanced, Cambridge University Press

You are going to read four extracts from articles in which experts give their views on progress and tradition. For questions 1–4, choose from the experts A-D. The experts may be chosen more than once.

Guillermo Alvarez

There are countless surveys carried out worldwide every year which monitor the satisfaction levels of different populations, and the majority of these consistently demonstrate an upward trend. I can't help but think that there's a strong correlation between these figures and the increasing levels of prosperity that most nations, and the individuals within them, have experienced. This has come about through rapid development, which has inevitably meant sacrificing some old, well-loved ways of doing things. I'm not sure many people mourn the loss of the repetitive jobs of yesteryear, but the shorter hours that went alongside them have clearly been consigned to history. As people are generally putting off starting a family far more than in previous generations, this will bring them the kind of maturity that will help to make what is a very challenging few years more fruitful as their offspring develop and grow.

Aloza Henry

A modern mythology has developed about traditional customs holding up the financial evolution of a country; it suggests that shedding them will somehow prove liberating. There's as much truth in this as in most legends. This is in contrast to the fears that many commentators raise about certain patterns closer to home, such as the average parental age for starting a family. Considering that seeking to establish a career has gained priority over committing to parenthood, I'm beginning to wonder whether our ancestors had it right. No one has ever satisfactorily explained the reason to me as to why the balance between work and home life has shifted so far towards the former. It stands to reason, however, that those who love their jobs will be more than content with this situation. On the other hand, as the majority of our workforce don't share this luxury, there can only be one outcome in terms of the population's degree of contentment.

Kasper Voss

Whilst the average employee these days probably rues the direction in which the length of their week is going, I'd be surprised if they felt the same way about its mundanity. Factory work has become increasingly mechanised, leading to an expansion in more gratifying work. Given that there are also far more diverting leisure activities to occupy us these days, it's little wonder that there's a tangibly more light-hearted mood than 30 years ago. As with all changes, there are inevitably losers as well as winners, and I'm far from convinced that having close to middle-aged parents is going to stand the newest generation in good stead. That said, by the time the first child arrives, both mother and father are generally some way up the career ladder. This is one example of the many ways in which swift development has contributed to the enhancement of many nations' wealth.

Zhang Wei

The rapid progress we've seen over the last few decades has been interesting to live through. Despite some notable clouds on the horizon, it has been an era which we have ended in a more comfortable and optimistic frame of mind than when we started. Most full-time employees' hours are gradually being reduced as some of what has frankly been an over-stretched and untenable workload is taken over by the rapidly increasing cohort of part-time staff. It's extremely hard to judge whether the financial situation has improved over that time for a majority of the world's population. What clouds the issue more than anything is the astonishing rise in the number of people on the planet. I've yet to be persuaded that the recent rise in starting a family later in life will spread sufficiently to control this. It's my view that starting a family when in your forties goes one step too far against nature.

Which expert expresses a different view to the others about how rapid progress has affected people's happiness?

Which expert expresses a similar view to B about the impact of rapid progress on economic prosperity?

Which expert has a different view to the others about the effect of rapid progress on working life?

Which expert expresses a different view to C about the rise in the age at which couples have children?

The world we live in is changing fast – but is this a good thing?

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