Student's Book – Dec 2009 (5.9mb) - The Curriculum Project

5.1 INTRODUCTIONKEY WORDSanticipate (v) – to be before others in doing or thinking somethingemerge (v) – to come fromIn this module, you learned about the formation and development of human settlements in SoutheastAsia, the impact of European colonialisation on the Southeast Asian region and about how newnations emerged from a nationalist struggle against colonialism. New nations in Southeast Asiahad to face many challenges in the modern era and there are still more challenges ahead of them.But what exactly does the future hold for Southeast Asia?Making predictions about the future of a country or a region is a very important skill. Every worldleader wants to know what will happen to the world economy, what political problems are waitingin the future, and what society is going to be like. Leaders who can anticipate the future are betterprepared to face it. They can think of solutions to problems before they occur and sometimes, theycan work to prevent problems from happening altogether. A good prediction is usually one that isbased on a good understanding of the past and has good reasons and examples to support the idea.Leaders sometimes make important decisions for their country based on these kinds of predictions.exercisecomprehensionA. What do leaders want to know about the future?B. What can leaders do if they have a good idea about what will happen in the future?C. What makes a prediction a good one?5.2 PERSPECTIVESKEY WORDSbig picture (idiom) – the overall situationgross national income (n) – the total value produced within a country. It is calculated by adding thegross domestic product and all payments received by other countries (for example aid andinterest), minus all payments made to other countries.prospects (n) – the possibility of success in the futureprosperous (adj) – successful or richextensionsummarisingThe following experts express different opinions on the future of Southeast Asia. Readtheir opinions, and write a short summary of one of these.Dr. Gerard PriceFree World AcademyThe big picture for Southeast Asia’s future does not bring too manyworries. The growth of population is under control (555 million in 2005and 700 million expected in 2030). The economy is prosperous and thegross national income (GNI) accounted for $785 Billion in 2004. Allthese countries experienced a strong increase between 1987 and 1996(the output grew by 7% per year!). Unfortunately, the financial crisis in1997 and the high tech crisis in 2001 were very damaging. Today, mostSoutheast Asian countries are facing strong competition from China. Asa result, they cannot expect the same growth rate as in the past. However,the global prospects remain good and the GNI could reach $2,465Billion in 2030.77