Close-up p 37. Questions and Vocabulary

 Ex E

destitute: having no money, no food, no home etc. E.g.  The floods left many people destitute.

humbling: causing someone to understand that they are not as important or special as they thought. that makes you less arrogant. Sp. aleccionador, que enseña humildad, que llena de humildad,  que te baja los humos. E.g. It's a humbling experience to see people being so positive about life when they have so little. I find his heroism humbling. Working with the needy is a humbling experience.Sp. Trabajar con los más necesitados es una experiencia aleccionadora.

prevalent: common at a particular time, in a particular place, or among a particular group of people. E.g. prevalent in/among etc.  These prejudices are particularly prevalent among people living in the North.  the prevalent belief in astrology.

selfless: thinking more about the needs, happiness, etc. of other people than about your own

• a life of selfless service to the community.

traumatic:  /trɔːˈmætɪk/
extremely unpleasant and causing you to feel upset and/or anxious

• a traumatic experience
• Divorce can be traumatic for everyone involved.

impoverished: /ɪmˈpɒvərɪʃt/
very poor; without money

• impoverished peasants
• the impoverished areas of the city

harrowing: /ˈhærəʊɪŋ/ making you feel very upset because you are very shocked or frightened. distressing. Sp. desgarrador horroroso. E.g. Driving through the flood was a harrowing experience. Sp. Conducir por el terreno inundado fue una experiencia desgarradora.

chastening /ˈtʃeɪsnɪŋ/ making somebody feel sorry for something they have done. Sp. aleccionador.

• It was a chastening experience.
• She gave them a chastening lecture.
• The party suffered a chastening defeat in the elections.

altruistic: /ˌæltruˈɪstɪk/ altruistic behaviour shows that you care about and will help other people, even though this brings no advantage for yourself. OPP selfish  E.g. Were his motives entirely altruistic?
altruistic behaviour.

 

Ideas focus

hashtag activism: Hashtag activism is a term coined by media outlets which refers to the use of Twitter's hashtags for Internet activism. The term can also be used to refer to the act of showing support for a cause through a like, share, etc. on any social media platform, such as Facebook or Twitter. The point of hashtag activism is arguably to share certain issues with one's friends and followers in the hopes that they will also share the same information. This leads to a widespread discussion and allows for change to occur. However, hashtags have also been used to debate and make people aware of social and political issues. They can be seen as a way to help or start a revolution by increasing the number of supporters from across the world who have not been in contact with the issue. It allows people to discuss and comment around one hashtag. Hashtag activism is a way to expand the usage of communication and make it democratic in a way that everyone has a way to express their opinions. Especially it provides an important platform for historically disenfranchised ( /ˌdɪsɪnˈfræntʃaɪzd/ not feeling part of society) populations, enabling them to communicate, mobilize and advocate on topics less visible in mainstream media.