2. Choose the synonyms to the given words according to the context. Reproduce the sentence from the text with the synonym chosen.

to discourage a) to force b) to disappoint c) to deprive d) to dissuade

to wait upon a) to serve b) to accompany c) to hope for d) expect

to treat a) to cure b) to discuss c) to regard d) to offer food

pace a) step b) speed c) peace d) rate

3. Complete the following sentences.

1. The text under consideration deals with ... .

2. The fundamental principles of Montessori method are ... .

3. In an enriched environment children themselves can ... .

4. Children learn through purposeful activity such as ... .

5. To develop confidence and self-esteem ... .

6. In her later years Montessori ... .

7. Montessori was the first to put the learner ... and her influence on education is still felt.

4. Put the jumbled sentences in the logical order to sum up the contents of the text.

1. Children learn through purposeful activity which presupposes work not just play.

2. Montessori was keen on travelling and considered herself the citizen of the world.

3. Children learn better in an enriched environment

4. The influence of this pioneering method on education was great.

5. The text under discussion deals with the essence of Montessori method and its influence on modern education.

6. They are free to choose the type of activity to engage in.

7. In Montessori method the learner is at the centre of the learning process.

8. It stimulates the senses through pictures, sound and touch.

Unit XVI

Key words and expressions: compulsion to buy, hobby, financial ruin, rising incomes, personal problems, excitement, to feel important, to escape the demands of life.

Pre-reading tasks

1. Look at the title of the text. Try to guess what the text is about. What nation in your opinion is meant? a Nation of Shopaholics

It's the sort of thing men joke about in the pub. 'My wife's addicted to shopping', they'll say, while their mates grin and nod sympathetically.

A study suggests however, that the compulsion to buy may be a growing problem, affecting as many as one in five people, and in extreme cases leading to family breakup and financial ruin. [1]

The number of people who confess to being shopaholics has grown from fifteen percent to twenty-two percent of the population in five years. And while twenty-nine percent of women admit to being addicted, so do fifteen percent of men. Shopping is no longer simply a way of providing .essentials for the family, say market researchers, to many women it is more like a hobby.

True, many people have more money to spend these days. Personal disposable income has risen in twenty years. However, what they buy is not necessarily what they can afford.

Over the same period, the number of people using credit cards has increased by four times, and consumer debt has trebled. [2]

A bank executive stole more than €150,000 from her employers and blew it on clothes and make-up to 'escape the stresses of being a working mother'. Lyne Harding hid her purchases from her husband, who had no idea of what she was doing. And she got away with it for four years. [3]

Spending sprees can be a symptom of serious personal problems, according to researchers who have studied the subject. There are 'revenge shoppers', who want to spite their husbands or boyfriends because they are unhappy with their relationships. There are those who need shopping trips to add excitement to their lives. Dr Helga Dittma, of the University of Sussex, believes habitual shopping - particularly for designer clothes and jewellery - is a symptom of a collapse of self-esteem. 'Addicts want not only the latest fashions, they want to feel like the sort of person who would normally own them, and to feel important, glamorous and loved’.

Post-reading tasks

1. Choose the synonyms to the given words according to the context. Reproduce the sentence from the text with the synonym chosen.

compulsion a) desire b) hope c) influence d) attempt

to afford a) to allow b) to supply c) to be able to buy d) to avail of

to admit a) to permit b) to let in c) to agree d) to claim

disposable a) the one you can spend freely b) the one you must save c) intended to be used only once d) personal

2. The following passage is taken from the text above. Where does it go (1, 2 or 3)?

She went on huge spending sprees, sometimes spending thousands on designer clothes and make-up in one day. 'It was a vicious circle. 'I could not stop spending', she told the police after her arrest. 'It all started as an attempt to escape the demands of a full-time job, combined with looking after a home and children', she said.

3. Look at the following words from the text. Which of them are NOT associated with the noun MONEY?

Income, debt, consumer, purchases, vicious, market, to afford, to revenge, an addict.

4. Speak on the four causes of shopaholism and two consequences using the words given.

Causes:

1. More money to spend, personal income, to rise, to be able to afford, consumer debt.

2. A symptom of personal problems, to revenge, unhappy.

3. To add excitement, collapse of self- esteem, to feel glamorous and loved.

4. To escape demands and stresses, working mothers.

Consequences:

1. Family breakup.

2. Financial ruin.

5. Complete the following sentences.

1. A person addicted to shopping ... .

2. Women shopaholics spend money on clothes to escape ... .

3. To many women shopping is ... .

4. Many people can afford to spend more as ... .

5. A lot of people spend more than they can afford which leads to... .

6. Shopping trips add ... .

7. For some women it is a way to escape ... .

8. Shopaholism may be a symptom of ... .

9. It helps the addicts to feel ... .