Task 2
Questions 13-18
Read the article about giving to charity. For questions 13-18, choose the correct answer
(A, B, C or D). Mark your answer on the answer sheet.
Giving to Charity
My first encounter with giving to those in need occurred at secondary school. Once a week, our form teachers would hold a collection for a particular charity as part of our civic duty. None of the kids in my class were opposed to this and we contributed willingly enough, unlike certain older kids in the school who rebelled against it. Each week, the head teacher would even announce which class had raised the most. This led to a certain competitiveness among the younger forms. Combined with the fact that nobody ever knew who or what they were donating to, this made the whole exercise rather questionable, in my view. I understand that even now, twenty years later, the practice continues at the school.
At university, I became more politically and socially aware. In particular, I was struck by the numbers of homeless people on the capital’s streets and readily responded to requests from outstretched hands, regardless of the fact that there was a good chance that the money would go on alcohol or worse. I found it distressing that such poverty and hopelessness existed side by side with tremendous wealth. I realised my actions had little influence on the overall picture, but I didn’t want to turn my back on what I saw, which is precisely what so many of my fellow citizens were prepared to do.
Of course, other, more formal, ways of being charitable exist, such as paying a monthly sum from your bank account to a nominated cause. Charities normally ask for small sums like five euros a month. This shouldn’t be a problem, although one of my friends couldn’t say no and discovered that she was making ten such monthly payments! Unbelievably, she hadn’t noticed there were so many until her financial advisor pointed it out. Though the individual amounts concerned were hardly large ones, they soon built up. Initially, she wanted to maintain the payments, though she was eventually persuaded to cease half of them.
Another popular means of giving to those in need is via charity shops. My particular favourite is a charity bookshop near where I live. The reason for this is that although most of the books are second-hand, some are unsold stock, which differentiates such stores from regular second-hand bookshops, especially since the prices are similar. There is a decent range too.
Naturally, the question arises of how effective giving to charity is. Cynics argue that no good ever comes of it, as the same problems reoccur. Others point out that funds often end up in the wrong hands, as witnessed in several cases involving aid to other countries. Such views are short-sighted. Firstly, cases of corruption are very much the exception rather than the rule. In addition, one only has to look at medical advances to see how donations can be put to good use.
So what does the future hold? Will economic progress reduce the demand for charities and their work? Unfortunately, the response is almost certainly a negative one. It is also hard to imagine there will be a significant rise in the sums donated. What will probably be seen, however, is charities being run along the lines of top companies in order to form successful partnerships with governments. The local volunteer-run charity shop is sure to become a thing of the past.
How did the author feel about the school charity collection?
What upset the author most about beggars asking for money?
The unusual thing about the donations of the author's friend is that
For the author, the advantage of charity shops over second-hand shops when buying books is that
What is the author's main point in paragraph five?
What prediction does the author make about charities?