Listen again and complete these sentences with the phrases given below • - HRD training in Savannakhet • - can learn more about HRD training in Laos • - world population • - needs some information for a report • Julie is going to the presentation on ………………………………..………………… • because/so she ………………………………………………………………………… • Khamseneis going to the presentation on ……………………………………………. • because/so he ………………………..…………………………………………………
Listen • Khamsene: Well, Julie, there are a lot of interesting presentations to choose from in the • next session. Which one are you going to? • Julie: I‟m not sure. The one about INTAN‟s training (1)___________________ • (2)____________________. Maybe I‟ll go to that one. • Khamsene: Yes, it does look relevant to our work, and also the one about • (3)__________________ in Savannakhet (4) _________________. • Maybe I‟ll go to that one too. • Julie: Mmm. And I‟d also like to hear the latest statistics on • (5)________________. There should be some useful information in that • presentation. I think I‟ll go to that because I need to get some • (6)_____________________________ for a report to be written next • month. What about you, Khamsene? • Khamsene: I‟ll go to the presentation on the HRD training in Savannakhet so that I can • learn more about what is happening in (7)__________________________ • Julie: Good idea. See you after this session.
Reading The Lao PDR has made steady progress on its gender equality targets. It is on track to realize parity between boys and girls by 2015. In higher education, however, equality is not as prevalent; falling to 77 girls per 100 boys by the time they reach tertiary education. Women and men account for equal proportions of the total workforce, but there is a wage gap between male and female workers. A quarter of the national parliament in 2012 was composed of women, giving the the Lao PDR one of the highest proportions of women in parliament in the region. The Lao PDR remains primarily a source country for victims of human trafficking. Young women and girls, especially those from economically disadvantaged demography, may be forced into Thailand‟s commercial sex trade or domestic service, garment factories and agricultural industries. Approximately 72% of trafficked children are young girls under 18 years of age. The Government has adopted several laws, regulations and plans to combat trafficking and is a signatory to numerous regional MOUs that seek to prevent, combat and assist human trafficking victims.
Work alone: Refer to the text above, write true or false next to these sentences Meeting the goal targets requires a better understanding at all levels of the dynamics that sustain and/or create gender inequalities, as well as targeted policies, strategies, actions and re-prioritised public expenditures. In turn, this requires committed leadership and political will to trigger social change, because gender inequality has been deeply rooted. Establishment of the Lao National Commission for the Advancement in Women (Lao NCAW) provides an excellent opportunity for the Government to consider gender issues across sectors. A need exists to further collect and disseminate data specific to women and men.
• 1. ........ The proportion of boys and girls are equal in the tertiary education. • 2. ........ There is no gap between men and women in the workforce. • 3. ........ There is a high percentage of Lao women elected to the parliament. • 4. ........ Many young women and girls from the disadvantaged districts are the victims of human trafficking. • 5. ........ Many trafficked girls are teenagers. • Check your answers with a partner.
)Work in pairs: Underline the sentences in the text that are in the present perfect tense. • 1. In recent years, Lao government has tried to ……………………………..……… • 2. Traditionally, in Laos girls from rural areas have ……………………………………. • 3. About …………. %of Lao women have learnt how to read and write. • 4. Lao women have always been responsible for ………………………………………
Work in groups of fours • Each group will prepare a presentation on „The situation of women in Laos‟. Come up with a chart or graph you may need to help you with your presentation. Talk about the situation of women in health, education, the workplace, the home and society. • Use the Lao statistics above and any other information you may have to make your group presentation on the situation of Lao women.
Grammar note: Present perfect • The present perfect tense is formed with: • I / you / we / they + have + past participle of verb • He / she / it + has + past participle of verb • Regular verbs add „ed‟ to make the past participle. Irregular verbs change in different ways. See the irregular verb list on the back of this book • The present perfect tense relates past actions or situations to the present. It is used to talk about a situation or action that began in the past and is still true in the present. The situation or action has not finished.
• e.g. Life expectancy in Laos has increased since 1950. • Julie has been in Laos for the last six months. • Since and for • Since is used when we talk about a certain time in the past • I have lived in Laos since 1992. • Foris used to talk abut a period of time from the past until now. • I have lived in Laos for eight years.
Unit 6 Changes
1.Conversation • Vandy: Hi Julie. I haven‟t seen you for a while. Have you been busy? • Julie: Yes, I have. I‟ve spent the last week at the National University of Laos. Somuch has • changed since I was last there. Have you been there recently? • Vandy: No, not recently. I studied there back in the 1990s. • Julie: That‟s a long time ago. It has changed so much since 2000 when I was last there. It was • very interesting to see it again. So many more modern buildings and students but some old buildings are still there. There are beautiful gardens and a lot of cars of course. I was stuck in a traffic jam trying to leave the University. • Vandy: Yes, the traffic has increased so much in Vientiane. It‟s becoming difficult to get around • sometimes. Dongdok‟s campus is crowded now. What were you doing at the University? • Julie: More research really. I interviewed two female professors about the place of women in the • workplace in Laos. I got some excellent information about how things have changed about women in recent years. Women are involved more in making decisions. There are more womenin high positions. • Vandy: That‟s good. • Julie: Yes, more and more changes. I hope most of the changes are for the better! • Vandy: Yes, me too.
• Vientiane Today • If we compare Vientiane in 2000 and Vientiane now, there are many changes to note. The roads have much been improved with many new major thoroughfares as well as the surfacing of many smaller roads. In the center of the city the footpaths and gutters have been newly built. Better roads are important because of the traffic flow in recent years plus a sharp increase in the number of cars on the roads. Traffic jams are now part of the daily life of most commuters in Vientiane. Fleets of new buses help keep the number of cars down, but traffic continues to be a growing issue in Vientiane. The increase in cars and motorbikes has also meant the increase in the number of road accidents. Fortunately, a new fleet of ambulances in the capital helps cope with the increase in road accidents. • An enormous amount of high-rise buildings are becoming a common sight in the city. Shopping centres, new government facilities, hospitals and schools can be seen all around Vientiane. Ontop of this, a number of new banks and particularly the introduction of Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) are also noticeable. Internet is more widely available throughout Laos and certainly in Vientiane Capital. Wi-Fi is freely available at home, and numerous cafes also offer free Wi-Fi to their customers. As Laos is about to enter the 21stcentury, a lot of more changes in Vientiane and all over the country are to be expected.
• Read the text and check whether these sentences are true or false • 1. Vientiane has changed a lot for more than a decade. T/F • 2. Many roads have seen much of improvement in Vientiane. T/F • 3. Recently the number of cars has sharply been on the increase in Vientiane. T/F • 4. Many buildings and shopping centres have been expanded. T/F • 5. The number of vehicles have risen dramatically. T/
• ) Read the text and discuss with your partner what changes have taken place in Vientiane. • Further practice • a) Discuss with your friend what changes occured in your hometown/district/ province and • report back to the class. • b) Work in groups of 4. Discuss about four disadvantages and four advantages for that • changes. Write down the information on the chart below.
Advantages Disadvantages
• c) Find someone: Ask him/her to stand up and walk around the class. Usethe following chart, ask any student „Have you been to………………..?‟ • Ask „Where was that? „When was that?‟ and „Have things changed?‟ • Write down the information on the chart as shown below: • Place Where When Change • a rural area with • no electricity ..….…… ………… ……….… • a rural area with no • access to clean water ……….… .………… …………. • a rural area with • no roads. .……...… …………. …………
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