Part 5

1. Only a few generations ago, the number of possessions that most people owned was
far fewer than those in a developed country today. For example, shoes were
expected to be worn for many years; a working man in the early twentieth century
may only have owned lifetime. When necessary, they would be repaired rather than
discarded, as fashion was regarded as a luxury. If you were lucky enough to have a
telephone, the thing might be expected to be in use for a lifetime.
2. 2. In the journalist Levine decided to make a change to her lifestyle: she and her
husband Pad would reduce their spending to a minimum. For a whole year, they
would only buy essential items, such as food and things they needed for work. They
would mend anything that broke or was old, and they would avoid going out.
Although they would save money, this was not the main point of the exercise.
3. 3. In order to make the experiment as authentic as possible, the couple did not tell
people why they were no longer buying things. If they had told them, their friends
might have offered to pay for them. Levine wanted to experience the effects of
stepping off, to see how practical it was, and to see how it affected her friends, family
and strangers. She wanted to know how it would feel to live outside the modern age.
4. Published in 1996, the book was called Not Buying Anything. Reading it more than
ten years later, it is interesting to see how the author predicted many of today's
concerns, such as plastic waste and excessive screen time. She realized how much
waste she was generating as a result of shopping. she became more local in her
shopping habits, which again seems to be a current trend.
5. One of the more interesting problems the Levine encountered was giving gifts. As
they were not allowed to buy unnecessary things, they decided that the best option
was to make them. However, their attempts at making a gift for a friend's graduation
looked rather cheap, and they decided it would not be appropriate to give it to her.
Luckily, Pad had an inspiration; he suggested that his wife should choose something
that she loved
6. A more serious issue concerned meetings for work. In Asia where it was common for
journalists to meet their sources and contacts in cafes to discuss the stories they
were working on. This was not an option as she did not want to rely on others to pay.
She didn't have an office, and meeting at her home seemed inappropriate. This was
a real problem, and in the end she decided to continue visiting cafes, as they were
necessary to her work.
7. Overall, the year proved to be a fascinating experiment, and reading about it makes
you realise. Being more mindful of what we buy is vital for our planet, as resources
are rapidly out. On a more personal level, as well as the obvious economic benefits,
there are health benefits forces you to use your imagination to come up with ways to
live with fewer things. It was certainly an eye-opening insight for this reader.
.. A REASON FOR BEING SECRET 3

IMPORTANT LESSONS FOR US 7

A REASON FOR MAKING A COMPROMISE 6

STILL RELEVANT TO OUR TIMES 4

A TEMPORARY EXPERIMENT 2
MAKING THINGS LAST LONGER 1

THE DIFFICULTY OF BEING GENEROUS 5

PART 5
TO DEVELOP CURRENCIES

1. While money has been a part of life for over 2,000 years, there was a need for exchanging
goods and services. To satisfy this need, people traded in an arrangement called barter.
Bartering is when one person exchanges what they have with another person who has. It is
because a stone axe may not be of equal value to a wooden boat. Therefore, bartering was
a limitation to trade, as it could take a long time.
2. The exchange system was not a perfect way to t trade, but the Asian began using
commodity items to help improve it. They used cacao beans, which are small and easy to
carry, as a way to make change or balance out barter agreements. Then, if there weren't any
agreements to be made, the beans could be used to make chocolate. Another example of
this merchandise currency was developed in China. At that time, tools were used as a
medium of exchange, and these small objects were the way to the first coins.
3. The first currency in Asia was created about 1,500 years ago in the form of metal coins.
Bean shaped metal coins were made and struck on one side with an image that represented
the coin's value. This new method of minting a metal coin as a form of official currency soon
became popular The strength and utility of coins help them remain an official form of
currency today.
4. Coins were durable for many years, new paper currency notes began appearing in China.
Due to inconsistent supplies of gold, small businesses and local governments sometimes
wrote paper notes to increase commerce. Soon, state governments began asking their
banks to produce paper currency notes. This was a way to offer higher denominations and
preserve supplies of precious metals. In order to create new paper currency, the notes were
redeemable for their value in any time of ages.
5. . There are 8 percent of the currency in the world today exists as physical cash. They
believe most currency exists in computers and internet banking systems. Structures for
'electronic money', as it is known, were first used by consumers in the Asia, like Vietnam.
Today most people interact with electronic money through their bank cards, which have
made purchasing goods and services from around the world much more.
6. The Chasekirik believed that currency was created out of necessity. He felt that when the
people of one country had excess of what they created but needed the products of another
country, money became necessary. The use of currency has indeed made it much easier to
conduct international trade, and electronic currency makes it even simpler today. Currency
has also made it possible to measure the strength of national economie. The stability of
these countries and the faith in their leaders often affects the value of a currency on the
international market.
7. form of currency has changed so dramatically, it is reasonable to believe that money will
once again transform. For nearly every country, the design on currency notes and the
currency used by each country. Some countries in China, Laos have adopted the US Dollar
as their official currency in recent years. Although some countries may find their national
currency replaced with another, global diversity will ensure that currency will remain.
OLD CURRENCY USED TODAY 4
THE CREATING OF A HARD CURRENCY 3
AN INTERNATIONALLY CURRENCY SYSTEM 6
A SOFT CURRENCY TO BE DEVELOPED 5
MONIES COME AND GO 7
A SUBSTITUTE FOR CURRENCY 1
A CURRENCY OF PRODUCTS ARRSES 2
Part 5
1. Sociologists say that humour is found in all communities. It is compiled a list of what a
scientist called 'human universals'. By studying societies around the world, he identified
those attributes which appeared in every culture, finding over six in total. Although some of
these are not surprising - language, for example, is a universal human trait - many scientists
see humour appear on the list of studies.
2. Many jokes rely on expected response or behaviour. This has led some to propose the
theory that jokes help learn to identify personality. Another theory is that humour is a way of
showing we are better than others, which is known as the victory theory. A third theory is that
humour is a way to relieve stress; people often laugh just before doing something difficult.
These are just a few of the competing theories to explain the function of humour.
3. On a more basic level, humour can simply make life become happy. A funny remark or a
humour help people to be able to getting to know each other. It is common to tell a joke
when making a speech to relax both the speaker and the audience. A shared sense of
humour is an important friendship indicator. There is a bond between the joke- teller and the
person who laughs appreciatively.
4. Humour can lead to problems. It is easy to cause offence if you do not know what is
humorously acceptable in a country other than your own; what is amusing in one place

may not be so in another. This is highly relevant in international contexts, where an attempt
at humour might result in the loss of an important contract. For tourists, too, an insensitive
approach to humour can lead to uncomfortable situations
5. An investigation into how the form of jokes varies between two or more languages has
produced interesting results. The Korean language, for example, does not work for some
English-style jokes In Japan, it is difficult to keep the surprise until the end of the sentence,
which is vital to the success of many jokes. Translating a joke into another language can be
painfully unfunny because the process required to do so may stop the joke of its humour
6. It is perhaps not surprising that age is also a variable when it comes to humour. Young
people have sense of humour, favouring physical jokes, slapstick and making fun of their
elders. Much of this 'childish' humour six-year old, much verbal humour is hard to
understand, as it depends on knowing what normally happens in the world. On the other
hand, older people can enjoy the sensation of undoing a puzzle to find the humour in a joke.
7. A sense of humour is clearly a complex and important. A well-developed sense of humour
almost guarantees a degree of popularity, and also gives the impression of confidence and
intelligence. It appears, though, that people are expected to develop it independently, mainly
through observation and imitation. In this respect, it could be argued, gaining a sense of
humour is similar to acquiring our first language. Why some of us are so much better when
we have jokes and laugh.

HUMOUR IS REALLY COMMON 1

THE REAL PURPOSE OF HUMOUR 2

HUMOUR BUILDS RELATIONSHIP 3

TAKE CARE WHEN WE USE HUMOUR 4

DIFFERENCES STOP HUMOUR 5

PEOPLE FIND FUNNY CHANGES OVER A LIFETIME 6

WHY NEED TO LAUGH 7