UnitedNations-07-CulturalGlobalization_Pass4.indd

Chapter one

What Is Globalization?

Have you ever heard people say, “It’s a small world”? What do they mean by that? After all,the Earth is 24,902 miles (40,076 km) measured around the equator—which isn’t exactly small. Hundreds of years ago, people were not sure what lay on the other side of the world, or even if there was another side of the world. The Earth seemed like a vast and mysterious place. In the fifteenth century, explorers mapped out most of the globe, but travel to distant places took months. Communication was slow and uncertain. People in different parts of the world lived very different kinds of lives. They Wo r d s t o U n d e r s ta n d diversity : variety. exchange rates : rates at which money of one country is exchanged for the money of another. forgery : the act of making or producing an illegal copy of something. multiculturalism : existence of the cultures of different countries, ethnic groups, or religions. piracy : illegally seizing property or people, including intellectual property.

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Chapter One