International Students NZ

Today’s picture: Scene from Berinzenne, Belgium (kindly supplied by Monique Sauvage)

Part 1: Today's word

Altruism is the opposite of self-interest. Altruistic behaviour aims to help other people or to contribute towards the common good, without receiving any direct benefit yourself.

Click here for interactive exercises on academic vocabulary and writing.

Part 2: Test

Here are FOUR sentences with the word of the day. But only THREE are correct. Which is the Odd One Out?

Business sponsorship is not merely altruistic, but may fulfil important commercial objectives.

He argued that a moral foreign policy needs a strong element of altruism, rather than focusing exclusively on national interest.

The organisation provide strong financial incentives for altruistic projects that would benefit the community.

Voluntary organisations are hopeful that altruistic behaviour will be strengthened rather than weakened as a result of the credit crunch.

Part 3: Practice Questions:

Have you engaged in any altruistic activities this week?

It has been argued that businesses work more efficiently if they are motivated only by self-interest? Do you agree?

Part 4: The Idiomatic Five

be in the dark
uninformed
Sorry, I can’t tell you more. We’re as much in the dark about the takeover as you are.

it’s early days yet
there’s still time to improve
Manchester United are one down against Barcelona, but it’s early days yet.

be in deep water
in big trouble
I think that politician is in deep water, now that the tax authorities have opened his bank accounts.

throw sb in at the deep end
give sb a lot of responsibility after minimal preparation
It’s a really practical teaching course. After a few hours preparation, they just throw you in the deep end with your first class.

be out of your depth
unable to cope
I don’t know why I agreed to help design the college’s homepage. I had no experience and was completely out of my depth.

Part 5: Kiwi Quiz Question

How did Australian Rugby League players show their support for Breast Cancer Awareness last weekend?

Click here for images

Part 6: Today's online listening:

Vocabulary for the article:

spurious
triumphalism
rein in
vice
virtue
benevolence
crowd out

Questions for the lecture:

1) A character in which TV series is said to have been based on Professor Sandel?

Bro’ Town
The Simpsons
South Park
Family Guy

2) Why does Professor Sandel describe economics as a spurious science?

It has no theoretical foundation
It can be used inappropriately
It is basically unimportant
It is uninformative

3) The underlying argument of this series of lectures is for a public discourse based on ...

individual self-interest
the common good
moral relativism
public accountability

4) What does Professor Sandel identify as the underlying view of morality held by Western Governments over the last thirty years?

economic growth is inevitable
globalisation is a major threat
public good is determined by market forces
human rights are fundamental

5) What is the basic flaw with the ‘greed critique’?

markets depend on self-interest
business people are not greedy
there is no evidence of irresponsible risk-taking
greed is not a personal vice

6) What is the main focus of Professor’s Sandel’s critique of markets over the last 30 years?

their inefficiency
their sustainability
their scope
their self-interest

7) Professor Sandel uses the proposal for a market in refugees as an example of how markets...

act as an unfair mechanism
put personal profit before public good
are becoming increasingly globalised
change the way we value people and things

8) What is the main point underlying Professor Sandel’s examples of the Israeli pre-school, the tourist in the Grand Canyon and polluting companies?

the ambiguity of financial penalties
the decline in public morality
the globalisation of morality
the need for better education

9) The relative success of blood donation in the UK is attributed to ..

commercialisation
altruism
market norms
efficiency of collection

10) How does Professor Sandel summarise the main mistake made during the last 30 years?

market economy
market society
market mechanisms
free markets

Today’s musical suggestion: from the UK
Money performed by The Beatles
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