Discussion questions.

The following questions are all open-ended, which means that several different correct answers can fit each one. Answering some of these questions requires knowledge of current events. Choose one question to discuss in a small group. If there is time, research the topic. Give reasons to support your answers.

1. Warren Buffett, the world's second-wealthiest person, donated $31 billion of his $44 billion fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill Gates, the world's wealthiest person, and his wife, Melinda, established the Gates Foundation in 1994. Its mission is to improve health and education throughout the world. If you had the job of deciding where, when, and how to spend such huge sums, what would you do? Why?

2. Since 2003, the U.S. and its allies have been fighting a difficult war in Iraq. Is it turning into a civil war? Why or why not?

3. The U.S. is dependent on oil from the Middle East. In what ways might the U.S. reduce its dependence on oil? Explain.

4. India and China have more than a billion people each. What problems does such a huge population create for a country?

5. China is a major manufacturing country. Its economy is growing every year. A huge project, the construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the Chang Jiang [Yangtze River], is nearing completion. Why do you suppose China's government considers this project important? What are the drawbacks of the dam and why have many people protested its building?

Answers

1. Answers will vary. Some possibilities: provide more money for research on the prevention and cure of malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other diseases; vaccinate children for preventable illnesses; build new schools; improve existing schools; help communities get cleaner water, more nutritious food.

2. Some reasons why the war is difficult: large numbers of dead and injured among U.S., allied, and Iraqi soldiers; involvement of terrorists from outside Iraq; loss of civilian lives due to terrorist bombs; inability of allied forces to stop lawlessness; difficulty of rebuilding power stations to provide steady electricity for the people; difficulty of helping Iraqis create a workable democratic government. Some reasons for saying yes (it is civil war): increasing number of Sunni attacks on Shia mosques, neighborhoods, and civilians; increasing number of Shia attacks on Sunni mosques and neighborhoods.

Some reasons for saying no (it is not civil war): U.S. and allied forces are training Iraqi army and police; democratic elections have led to a legitimate govenment.

3. Answers will vary. Some possibilities: seek new sources of oil other than the Middle East; pass laws that encourage automakers to build more fuel-efficient cars; develop improved petroleum-mining technology; use renewable sources of energy such as hydrogen, wind, solar power, and ethanol Ca fuel made from corn).

4. The larger the population, the more difficult it is to ensure sufficient housing, water, food, sanitation, schools, health-care facilities, and jobs. Each year, millions of people move from rural areas to major cities, hoping to find more opportunities. The recent growth in manufacturing and service technology in both countries has led to higher incomes for many people. The dam is an engineering marvel that boosts China's growing reputation in high technology. The Three Gorges Dam, which has taken years to build, will produce vast amounts of hydroelectric power for China's growing industries, and will control flooding on the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River).

On the other hand, building the dam has meant closing off and flooding hundreds of miles of land. According to estimates, more than a million people had to leave their villages and find new homes. Environmentalists object that the dam will pollute the river.