Christmas is coming - all the way from China

Level 3 Advanced
1 Key words
Fill the gaps using the key words from the text.
sleigh
1 A

goods

cracker

consignment

capital

wrapping paper

is a vehicle pulled by animals and travels on snow. In the UK and the USA, people say that

Santa Claus rides one.

2 A

is a decorated paper tube that makes a noise when you pull it apart. It contains a small toy,

a paper hat and a joke inside. Its used traditionally at Christmas in the UK.
3

is special paper used for wrapping presents.

are objects produced for sale.

is money or property that you use to start a business or invest.

6 A

is an amount of goods delivered.

2 What do you know?

Choose an option and then look in the text for the correct answer.
1 How do the majority of trade goods arrive in a country like Great Britain?
a) by plane
b) by truck
c) by ship
2 Which of the following statements do you think is true?
a) China exports more to Britain than Britain exports to China.
b) China imports more from Britain than Britain imports from China.
c) China and Britain are equal in terms of imports and exports.
3 Large quantities of Chinese imports to other countries are
a) good news for Chinese workers.
b) bad news for European manufacturers.
c) good news for job creation

NEWS LESSONS / Christmas is coming / Advanced

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4 One of Britains biggest exports to China is

a) waste plastic
b) Christmas presents
c) batteries

Christmas is coming - all the way from China

Level 3 Advanced
Christmas is coming - all the way from China
by John Vidal
Christmasiscomingnotinsacksorsleighsthisyearbutonboardthebiggestshipaoat,onitsmaiden
voyage from China. To the relief of children, parents and shopkeepers everywhere - but to the despair of
European manufacturers - mountains of crackers, toys and games as well as decorations, wrapping paper,
food and every imaginable gift are currently steaming past Spain on the way to Felixstowe, Suffolk, aboard
the Emma Maersk 3.
If anything should happen to this 400m-long, 61 metre-high behemoth, that is as wide as a motorway and is
powered by the largest diesel engine ever built, then Christmas might have to be cancelled. The manifest for
the 3,000 containers of goods that it will drop off in Britain on its way to mainland Europe reveals the largest
singleconsignmentoffestivecheereverdeliveredaoatingworldofBritishdesiresandnecessities.
Crackers, poker tables, bingo sets, drum kits, electronic toys and pre-school building blocks by the score will
be delivered in astonishing quantities: 1,886,000 Christmas decorations are loaded in one container, 40,000
rechargeable batteries and 22,280kg of Vietnam tea in another. In another are 12,800 MP3 players.
There are potato mashers, slotted spoons and graters to cook with, leather sofas to recline on, new
spectacles to watch new televisions by, and pyjamas to go to bed in. Pets will be especially pleased; 138,000
tins of catfood - variety unknown - are on their way, as are mountains of dogfood. But the ship and its cargo
was the subject of an intense row over the increasing number of imports from China. Caroline Lucas, Green
MEP for southeast England, said it was a microcosm of globalisation gone mad. All these goods could have
been made in Europe, said Ms Lucas Whole sectors of global trade are now being dominated by China.
The real cost of the goods that the Emma Maersk is bringing in should include the environment, the markets
destroyed in developing countries and the millions of jobs lost. Britain exported more than GBP 2.8bn of
goods to China last year but imported nearly GBP 16bn, a 30-fold increase on 1980. The UK is Europes
third-biggest trading partner with China but in global terms represents less than 2% of Chinas trade.
While the Emma Maersk is carrying about 11,000 containers and is by far the largest container ship ever
built, Yentian port, from which it set off last month, now exports nearly three times that many containers
every day.
Last year Ms Lucas led an EU study into trade with China and found its implications terrifying. These are
the goods that Europe used to make. We are faced with a country that has an almost absolute advantage
in an increasing number of sectors. This a triumph for multinational capital, not for Chinese workers who, as
well as suffering from some of the worst labour exploitation on record, are also losing jobs at a phenomenal
rate, she said.
The Emma Maersk,therstofaeetofsevenequallylargecontainerships,willsoonbeonitswaybackto
China taking back the detritus of a throwaway Christmas. One of Britains biggest exports to China is now
waste plastic - which is turned back into soft toys and decorations.
GBP: Great Britain Pounds
bn: billion

NEWS LESSONS / Christmas is coming / Advanced

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Guardian News & Media Ltd 2006

Christmas is coming - all the way from China

Level 3 Advanced
3 Comprehension check
Decide whether these sentences are true or false according to the text.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

The Emma Maersk 3 is a Chinese ship.

The ship contains 3,000 containers for all of Europe.
There are a lot of animals on board the ship.
China doesnt have very much trade with the UK compared to other countries.
Yentian port exports a maximum of 11,000 containers every day.
Europe could have made many of the products on board the Emma Maersk 3.
The Emma Maersk 3 will return to China empty.
Soft toys and decorations are two products that can be made from waste plastic.

4 Vocabulary Extremes
Find examples of the following ways of expressing extremes in the text.
Using a superlative (e.g. the biggest ship)
Using a metaphor or simile (e.g. mountains of crackers, toys)
Using extreme adjectives (e.g. astonishing quantities)
Using large numbers to create effect (e.g. 1,866,000 Christmas decorations)

5 VocabularyDenitions
Find a word or expression which means the following.
1 doneforthersttime(paragraph1)
2 going quickly (paragraph 1)
3 a giant animal (paragraph 2)
4 in quantities of twenty (paragraph 2)
5 argument (paragraph 3)
6 something small that represents something larger (paragraph 3)
7 begin a voyage (paragraph 4)
8 waste (paragraph 6)

6 Vocabulary Collocations
Fill the gaps using adjectives. Check your answers in the text.
1

cheer

blocks

batteries

row

trade

countries

partner

rate

toys

7 Discussion

NEWS LESSONS / Christmas is coming / Advanced

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Do you think that this is an example of globalism gone mad?

Do you think people consume too much at Christmas?
Is it wrong for Britain to import so many goods from China?