The global trading system can and should work for developed and developing countries alike, Alan Larson, under secretary of state, says in an article adapted from a January 5 speech to the Rotary Club of Washington.
Plenty of obstacles to freer trade remain to be worked out, including differences over environmental and labor rights issues as well as plain protectionism, he says. Still, because both sides want an open, fair trading system — one that lets "globalization work for workers"— they have no choice but to eliminate those obstacles, he says.

It is in America's interest, I am convinced, that the global economy should expand through increased trade and a broader and freer flow of capital. At the same time, to be durable, the global economy must be built on a solid ethical and political foundation. The global economy must be supported by a global sense of community and animated by an appreciation of the common humanity that people throughout the world share. It also must be reinforced by a set of instituti-ons and rules that help ensure that all people, within this country and across countries, can find within the global economy opportunities to expand our freedom and to realize the full potential God has given us.
And when I speak of freedom, I have in mind the Four Freedoms that former U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt stressed — freedom of expression, freedom of worship, freedom from fear, and freedom from want. We face tough challenges as we attempt to pursue these objectives at the beginning of a new millennium because the freedoms that enable people to achieve their potential are spread rather unevenly around the world.

NEW PERMUTATIONS ON AN OLD ADAGE
Many of us have found wisdom in the old adage, "Give a man a fish and he is fed for a day. Teach him to fish and he is fed for a lifetime." Today the adage needs to be updated in several ways.
First, it is not just being politically correct to suggest that the adage should talk about both men and women. In fact, one of the most important lessons of development economics is the importance of ensuring that women as well as men enjoy full economic opportunities.
More profoundly, to move beyond a subsistence lifestyle, men and women in developing count-ries need to be able to sell their products in the global economy and to buy other products that help them achieve the quality of life they value. Here's where the issues start getting complicated.
First, there is the simple question of protectionism. What if I am a fisherman in a developed country and fear that my wages will fall or I will lose my job if I face competition from a fisherwoman from a developing country? Because of her poverty, she may be willing to work longer hours or for lower wages. Is that unfair? Most of us would say that we should not refuse to buy the woman's fish simply because she is poorer and will work for less.
The example is not a trivial one, however. At the recent trade negotiations in Seattle, some countries refused to support a tariff reduction proposal called Accelerated Tariff Liberalization, in part because they wished to protect their fishermen from competition from developing countries. (...)

Assignment:
1. Describe Alan Larson's view of globalization.
2. Which obstacles to freer trade does Larson mention?
3. What rhetorical devices does Larson use to make his speech more effective?
4. You have a choice here. Choose one of the following tasks:
4.1 Comment on the problem of protection "from competition from developing countries" (cf.ll.60f.).
4.2 Write a letter to the editor of the journal Economic Perspectives, in which you discuss the problem of globalization by referring to the situation of the developed and the developing countries.

Unterrichtliche Voraussetzungen Im Unterschied zum Leistungskurs Englisch lassen sich im Grundkurs entsprechend den Interessen sowie studien- und berufsbezogenen Orientierungen der Schülerinnen und Schüler andere thematische Akzente setzen. So kann die Analyse etwa ökonomischer und technologischer Sachtexte ein stärkeres Gewicht erhalten. Dabei erhalten die Schülerinnen und Schüler auch die Möglichkeit, eigenes Wissen sowie - in fächerverbindender Weise - Sachkenntnisse einzubringen, die sie in Fächern wie Sozial- bzw. Wirtschaftswissenschaft oder Physik in bilingualen Modulen (Fremdsprache im Sachfachunterricht) gewonnen haben.

Aus: Einheitliche Prüfungsanforderungen in der Abiturprüfung Englisch
(Beschluss der Kultusministerkonferenz vom 01.12.1989 i.d.F. vom 24.05.2002)