Globalization. Use of English B1+

Your shirt was made in China and your mobile … from Japan. You can eat at McDonald's in Warsaw and watch an American film in Rome.

Advances in technology such as mobile phones, aeroplanes, telephones and the Internet … the growth of transport and communication networks possible.

Amongst other things, this means that people and countries can exchange information and goods more quickly and in a … complicated way in a process called globalisation.

But what are the … of the global market? And how will it affect jobs in the future?

Globalisation … we have access to more goods and at more affordable prices, but it comes at a cost.

When a company moves production to an economically disadvantaged country because of the lower costs … , people in industrialised nations lose their jobs.

Meanwhile, workers in places such as Bangladesh and China eam low salaries and their working conditions are often poor. Big fashion companies, for example, sell well-known brands at a sizeable profit, but the people who make the clothes earn only a fraction of the price at which they … .

Interdependency also means that if there is a problem in one country, it can have far-reaching effects elsewhere. Many multinational corporations obtain raw materials in one country, manufacture their products in another and sell all over the world. If these materials aren't available, there can be economic … across the globe.

What's more, globalisation causes ecological problems. The number of planes, ships and lorries that are used to transport goods trom one country to another is constantly on the increase, which means more carbon dioxide … into the atmosphere. That in turn, leads to global warming.

The good news … that consumers are becoming more aware of the issues, especially when it comes to how products are made.

Increasingly, companies … to improve ethical standards.

Levi's, the iconic jeans maker, recently announced a plan to offer financial … to businesses in developing countries if they improve conditions for their employees and their environmental performance.