Published : The economist; economist.com
Level of difficulty.***
This brilliant
overview of the period of Chinese history starting from the late 19th
century and ending with changes Deng made to the form of government gives
students a glimpse into the history of a nation they know little about. I
discovered it in the September 1999 issue of The Economist (economist.com). 20th
century history is a firm favorite with students, which suits me too as I would
like to try and broaden the students’ horizons while trying to teach them
English. As usual, due to copyright issues, you will have to access the text
yourselves should you wish to use it. It is suggested that you deal with any
other vocabulary while working through the text.
QUESTIONS
1.
Find
a single word meaning “to declare” in paragraph 1.
2.
What
two factors made China the world’s biggest economy in the past and will
probably ensure it a similar rank between 2000 and 2010?
3.
What
two mistakes is China accused of making in the 19th century?
4.
What
were the two results of the above mistakes? Economic……………………………………..Political…………………………………………………………………….
5.
Now
try and explain in your own words what “internal strife”( p.4, line 3) and
“successive” (p.4, line 4) mean?
6.
What
was the result for China of not importing technology, not establishing the rule
of law, not letting farmers make enough money to buy consumer goods and
fostering war?
7.
What
does “it” in the phrase “Japan used it…” paragraph 6 and “Those last two
actions” in the last sentence of the same paragraph refer to?
8.
In
what respects are the actions of The Japanese army, Chang-Kai-shek’s Kuomintang
and Mao Zetong’s communist party similar?
9.
What
was the reason for Mao’s policy of isolation?
10.
What
exactly was Western sympathy for Mao due to?
11.
What
does “This” in the phrase “This helped cover up…” at the beginning of paragraph
10 refer to?
12.
What
was John King Fairbank referring to when he used the phrase “a modern form of
serfdom”?
13.
What,
exactly, was the reason for the devastating famine in China due to? (Be
explicit)
14.
In
paragraph 11, first find a word meaning “horrible and disgusting” then find a
word meaning “hurt”.
15.
What,
exactly, does”this horrific estimate” in paragraph 12 refer to?
16.
What
were the reasons for the economic growth under Mao? Why then did Deng turn to
capitalism?
17.
Deng’s
reforms are summarized in paragraph 14. Under what heading can we gather them?
18.
Why,
exactly, did Japan prosper after 1860?
19.
What
word can you substitute for “dispersal” p.17, line 5,6?
20.
What
does “That” at the beginning of paragraph 18 refer to?
21.
In
paragraph 18, the writer says “As and when this – or a subsequent – crisis
worsens, there will be nobody to blame but the party”. How does the writer
support this statement?
22.
What
exactly does the phrase “Such an authoritarian approach” at the beginning of
paragraph 21 refer to?
23.
What
does “it” in the phrase “it just might” in the last paragraph refer to?
24.
Why
does the attitude of some Westerners concerning communism seem contradictory?
THE LAST EMPERORS / KEY
1.
Proclaimed
2.
Early
technical advances; the size of the country’s population
3.
Its
rulers were bureaucrats whose highly centralized often arbitrary rule prevented
much of a merchant or entrepreneurial class from emerging / China tried to keep
foreigners at bay
4.
Civil
war (or internal strife), successive military defeats, declining income per
head.
5.
Social
upheavals or civil war; one after the other
6.
China
could not narrow the gap with rich countries standard of living.
7.
China;
seizing the rest of Manchuria in 1931 and full scale invasion of China in 1937.
8.
They
slaughtered millions
9.
Foreign
power had caused mayhem
10.
The
romantic idea of Mao’s long marches…
11.
The
fact that Mao began with a lot of idealistic supporters…/ It served to cover up
an initial slaughter of…. as well as dissent about…
12.
The
huge communal units
13.
The
mass mobilization of rural labour to build…/ fewer people to work the fields/
grain grabbed for towns
14.
Grisly/
Scarred
15.
The
fact that there were 35m. deaths in thirty years ( Or, 6% of 545m. were killed)
16.
Peace,
law and order, Stalinist technology, Stalinist organization / China was getting
weaker and poorer and struggling to feed its growing population
17.
Economists’
prescriptions about how the poor countries could catch up ( Or, Capitalism)
18.
It
had the rule of law, capitalism and an economy fairly open to trade.
19.
Distribution
20.
Democracy
would eventually suggest itself…
21.
What
people in such circumstances are demanding is accountability, and the richer
they get, the more they want it; so that they can protect their gains against
mismanagement and confiscation.
22.
An
adapted form of dictatorship
23.
Communitarian
politics
24.
Because
they are willing to believe that the freedoms they desire for themselves are
not necessary or desirable for people in poor countries
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