"Without geography you're nowhere."

La inocente muñeca

Por mucho que insistieron, Miriam se negó a dejar sola a su muñeca. La niña no protestó cuando le ordenaron quitarse la ropa y quedarse desnuda delante de todos esos desconocidos. Sin embargo, no consiguieron convencerla de que soltara su muñeca. Su madre le dijo que podía esconderla entre la ropa; nada le pasaría allí. Un amable soldado, que se acercó a la niña cuando la escuchó llorar, se comprometió a tener cuidado de la muñeca. No sirvió de nada. Miriam no consintió en separarse de ella.

Así fue como la inocente muñeca acabó dándose una ducha de gas.

Ecosistema

El día de mi cumpleaños, mi sobrina me regaló un bonsái y un libro de instrucciones para cuidarlo. Coloqué el bonsái en la galería, con los demás tiestos, y conseguí que floreciese. En otoño aparecieron entre la tierra unos diminutos insectos blancos, pero no parecían perjudicar al bonsái. En primavera, una mañana, a la hora de regar, me pareció vislumbrar algo que revoloteaba entre las hojitas. Con paciencia y una lupa, acabé descubriendo que se trataba de un pájaro minúsculo. En poco tiempo el bonsái se llenó de pájaros que se alimentaban de los insectos. A finales de verano, escondida entre las raíces del bonsái, encontré una mujercita desnuda. Espiándola con sigilo, supe que comía los huevos de los nidos. Ahora vivo con ella, y hemos ideado el modo de cazar a los pájaros. Al parecer, nadie en casa sabe donde estoy. Mi sobrina, muy triste por mi ausencia, cuida mis plantas como un homenaje al desaparecido. En uno de los otros tiestos, a lo lejos, hoy me ha parecido ver la figura de un mamut.

José María MERINO, Ecosistema.

3º CC.SS. - TEMA 11 - Globalisation (3)

1.1. Information society

Thanks to media the whole world is interconnected, which has developed the information society, where people can obtain and pass on information easily and quickly. It helps to create a knowledge society where people receive information and are also educated.

As a result there is exchange of customs, literature, music, art, science, technology...

EXERCISES:

Q8 What are the most influential mass media today?

1.2. Dividing the world

Globalisation has extended the way of life of Western countries (mostly the USA and Europe’s countries) worldwide.

- Some cultures and peoples have stimulated the defence of their own values and beliefs as a means to preserve their traditions against the West.

- Some other people have even taken up radical positions.

There are two major areas in the world nowadays:

Central parts. These areas have large metropolises or global cities (New York, Tokyo, London, Paris...) that have become the main decision-making centres and the main multinational companies are located. It is composed of the richest countries (USA, European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan) as well as some emerging countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China).

- They export high-value products and technology.

- They make large investments and grant loans for development.

- They offer advanced services and provide skilled workers.

Peripheral areas. They are less developed areas (mostly African, Asian, and Latin American) and they depend totally on central parts.

- They export raw materials and cheap manufactured goods.

- Their levels of external debts are quite high.

- They offer tourism to rich tourists of developed countries.

- They provide cheap labour force.

EXERCISES:

Q9. Which continents are the two major areas in the world today located on?

1.3. Controversy about globalisation

1.3.1. Support for globalisation

There are international organisms that support globalisation, such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) or the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as well as the most industrialised countries that meet in the G8 (France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, USA, Canada, and Russia) and G20 (20 countries that represent 85% of the world’s economy). 

 

These organisations and states support globalisation basing on:

- It extends market economy, where goods, services, capital, and people can freely exchange.

- It benefits all countries and individuals since it increases the supply of goods and services, which involves lower prices.

- People, cultures, and countries are brought together.

- It leads to a greater cooperation between governments and institutions in order to solve global problems (poverty, environment, wars...).

- Data, information, and knowledge are transmitted more easily and that enriches people.

EXERCISES:

Q10. What is the G8 and what does it do?

Q11. What are the G20 countries?

 

Q12. Search for information on this website and answer the questions.

http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/10thi_e/10thi00_e.htm

a) What reasons explain we are better off with the system than without it?

b) Who Benefits from the WTO?

3º CC.SS. - TEMA 11 - Globalisation (2)

INITIAL ACTIVITIES
Q2. What images spring to mind when you hear the word ‘globalisation’?
Q3. How has globalisation affected your life?
Q4. Has globalisation improved people’s lives?
Q5. Do you think globalisation will make us all the same in the future?

1. GLOBALISATION
Globalisation has created a common market where people, goods, ideas, knowledge and information travel worldwide.

This new model has the following characteristics:
- Growth of international trade.
- Production is manufactured worldwide by multinational companies, which have branches in many countries.
- Increase of financial flow due to investment and speculation in order to get profits or funding.
- Interrelation of the whole world, where a decision taken in a part of the world affects the entire planet.

EXERCISES:
Q6. What is globalisation?
Q7. What are the ten biggest transnational companies?

3º CC.SS. - TEMA 11 - Globalisation (1)

 

One frequently-quoted example of globalisation is McDonald’s. Some people say that McDonald’s restaurants are a bad thing because they mean that everybody will eat the same food; others say that they are a good thing because you are always able to eat something you recognise know and like.





Q1. Read the document and answer the questions:
a) What is your opinion about the document?
b) Which countries do not have any McDonald's restaurants? Why?
c) Make a brief summary (10 lines) of Super Size Me?

3º CC.SS. - TEMA 10 - China’s political system

Describe the institutions of China's government, party and judicial system. Answer the questions:

• When was the Chinese constitution issued? What were the characteristics of China’s constitution?
• What political system was there in China before 1949?
• What political parties are there in China? Why is the Communist Party so important?
• Why doesn't China adopt the same multi-party system as the Western countries, under which various political parties hold the state power by turn?
• Are there elections in China? Are democratic elections?
• What is the National People's Congress? How many deputies are there?
• What is the party's political bureau?
• How is the territorial organisation in China?
• Is China a dictatorship?

El Lobo y el Cordero

Un Cordero, perseguido por un Lobo, se refugió en un Templo.

—Si te quedas ahí, el sacerdote te atrapará y te sacrificará —dijo el Lobo.

—Que el sacerdote me sacrifique o que tú me comas son la misma cosa —explicó el Cordero.

—Amigo mío —dijo el Lobo—, resulta doloroso verte considerar tan importante asunto desde un punto de vista puramente egoísta. Para mí no son la misma cosa.

Ambrose BIERCE, El Lobo y el Cordero.

1º A.S. - BLOQUE 6 - Actividades

75.- Indica cuándo se produjeron los siguientes hechos:
Tratado de Roma:
Tratado de Maastricht:
Europa de los Diez:
Europa de los Veinticinco:
La Comunidad Europea pasa a llamarse Unión Europea:
Aparición del euro:
Entrada de España en la Comunidad Europea:

76.- ¿Qué países se incorporaron estos años al Mercado Común o a la Unión Europea?
1957:
1973:
1981:
1986:
1995:
2004:
2007:
2013:
Candidatos:

78.- Responde las preguntas:
e) ¿Cuántos eurodiputados hay en la actualidad? ¿Cuántos son españoles?

79.- ¿Qué países tienen como moneda el euro?

3º CC.SS. - TEMA 10

Tema 10

3º CC.SS. - TEMA 9 - Final task

Final task: An EU Country

• Political system, chief of state and head of government.
• Population, birth rate, death rate.
• GDP and GDP per capita.
• Currency.
• Physical map: mountain ranges, rivers.
• Most populated cities.
• Percentage of people in each economic sector.
• Major industries.

El dios más importante

Estaban reunidos todos los dioses discutiendo entre ellos cuál era el más importante. Habló el dios de la física y dijo:

–Es evidente que yo soy el más importante, pues del caos originario extraje las leyes físicas del mundo y eso permitió ordenar el planeta.

Le interrumpió el dios de la química y dijo:

–Yo soy mucho más importante, pues del caos originario saqué las leyes de la química y con ellas se construyó la vida.

Insatisfecho, habló el dios de la biología y tronó:

–Yo soy el más importante, pues del caos originario extraje las cadenas del ADN que permitieron la existencia del mundo.

Con cierta tranquilidad, habló el dios de la política y dijo:

–Claro, claro, claro, pero, perdonen ¿quién inventó el caos?

Juan Carlos MONEDERO, Curso urgente de política.