Text A. British Economy

Britain lives by manufacture and trade. For every person employed in agriculture eleven people are employed in mining, manufacturing and building. The United Kingdom is one of the world’s largest exporters of manufactured goods per head of population.

Apart from coal and iron ore Britain has very few natural resources and mostly depends on imports. Its agriculture provides only half the food it needs. The other half and most of the raw materials for its industries such as oil and various metals (copper, zinc, uranium ore and others) have to be imported. Britain also has to import timber, cotton, fruit and farm products.

Britain used to be richly forested, but most of the forests were cut down to make more room for cultivation. The greater part of land is used for cattle and sheep breeding, and pig raising. Among the crops grown on the farms are wheat, barley and oats. The fields are mainly in the eastern part of the country. Most of the farms are small (one third of them is less than one hundred acres). Farms tend to be bigger where the soil is less fertile.

In the past century Britain secured a leading position in the world as manufacturer, merchant and banker. After World War I the world demand for the products of Britain’s traditional industries - textiles, coal and machinery - fell off, and Britain began expanding trade in new engineering products and electrical goods.

The crisis of 1929 - 1933 brought about mass unemployment, which reached its peak in 1932. Britain’s share in the world industrial output decreased. After the crisis production and employment increased following some revival in world trade and as a result of the extensive armament program.

During World War II Britain’s economy was fully employed in the war effort. Massed raids of German planes on British industrial centres caused considerable damage to Britain’s industry. World War II brought about a further weakening of Britain’s might. Great Britain is no longer the leading imperialist power it used to be. It has lost its colonies which used to supply it with cheap raw materials.

Britain produces high quality expensive goods, which has always been characteristic of its industry. A shortage of raw materials, as well as the high cost of production makes it unprofitable for British industry to produce semi-finished goods or cheap articles. Britain mostly produces articles requiring skilled labour, such as precision instruments, electronic equipment, chemicals and high quality consumer goods. Britain produces and exports cotton and woollen goods, leather goods, and articles made of various kinds of synthetic (man-made) materials.

The original basis of British industry was coal mining, and the early factories grew up not far from the main mining areas. Glasgow and Newcastle became great centres of engineering and shipbuilding. Lancashire produced cotton goods and Yorkshire woollens, with Sheffield concentrating on iron and steel. Birmingham developed light engineering.

There appeared a tendency for industry and population to move to the south, particularly to the London area. (Britain’s industry is now widely dispersed). Great progress was made in the development of new industries, such as the aircraft, automobile, electronic industries and others. A number of atomic power reactors were made. Great emphasis was made on the development of the war industry.

Vocabulary

I. Translate the words of the same root; define what part of speech they belong to:

discover - discovery; physics - physicist - physical; chemist - chemical - chemistry; distribute - distributor - distributive - distribution - distributable; even - evenly - unevenly; manufacture - manufacturer - manufacturing; employ - employee - employer - employment; mine - miner - mining; export - exporter - exportation; depend - dependable - dependent - dependence - dependency.

II. Read the following international words. Guess their meaning. Look them up in a dictionary to make sure you are right:

nouns: exporter, import, industry, farm, position, banker, product, program, economy, centre, colony, instrument, chemicals, tendency, reactor;

adjectives: electrical, industrial, imperialist, characteristic, electronic, synthetic, atomic.

III. Read the text British Economy. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following Russian phrases:

быть занятым в промышленности, производительность труда, промышленные товары, на душу населения, делать открытие, за последние несколько лет, полезные ископаемые, сырьё, дешевые товары, товары высокого качества, новые отрасли промышленности, квалифицированный труд, ведущая империалистическая держава, судостроительная промышленность, характерная черта.

IV. Translate the text 'British Economy'.

V. Finish the phrases, choosing the necessary words in brackets.

1. Great Britain is rich in... (oil; gold; copper; silver; iron ore; zinc; coal). 2. Great Britain has to import... (coal; agricultural products; electrical goods; chemicals; electronic equipment; oil; various metals; food products; cotton; timber; tobacco; wheat; fruit). 3. When the world demand for the products of Britain's main industries - textiles, coal and machinery - decreased, it began seeking compensation in new engineering products, such as... (cars; atomic power reactors; electrical goods; electronic equipment). 4. It is characteristic of Britain's industry to produce... (semifinished goods; cheap articles; raw materials; high quality expensive goods; articles requiring skilled labour; precision instruments; electronic equipment). 5.The main products of Britain's industry are... (precision instruments; high quality consumer goods; electronic equipment; chemicals; textiles; ready-made clothing; manufactured goods; petrol). 6. A great number of new industries were added to the traditional ones such as... (the aircraft industry; the textile industry; the electronic industry; the shipbuilding industry; the automobile industry; mining; engineering). 7. The main crops grown in Britain are... (flax; cotton; wheat; barley; tobacco; oats). 8. In Britain they breed... (cattle, that is cows and oxen; horses; sheep; pigs; goats; deer; rabbits).

VI. Put the questions, the answers to which are the following sentences.

1. No, it isn’t. Apart from coal and iron ore Great Britain has very few natural resources. 2. It imports raw materials for its industries such as oil and various metals. It also imports agricultural products. 3. It is a shortage of raw materials that makes it unprofitable for British industry to produce semi-finished goods or cheap articles. 4. It produces articles requiring skilled labour such as precision instruments, transport engineering equipment, electronic equipment, chemicals and high quality consumer goods. 5. It’s widely dispersed, not concentrated in one area. 6. Cattle, sheep and pigs. 7. Wheat, barley and oats. 8. Where the soil is less fertile.

VII. Finish the questions and answer them.

1. Does Great Britain live by agriculture or...? 2. Does Great Britain export raw materials or...? 3. Did the world demand for the products of Britain's main industries after World War I increase or...? 4. Did Britain's share in the world industrial output increase as a result of the crisis of 1929-1933 or...? 5. Does Britain's industry produce high quality goods or...? 6. Is Britain's industry located in one area or...? 7. Is Britain still a mighty colonial power it used to be or has she lost...?

VIII. Put alternative questions and answer them.

1. It does not export raw materials, it imports them. 2. The world demand for the products of Britain's traditional industries has decreased. 3. It's characteristic of British industry to produce high quality expensive goods, not cheap articles. 4. It is not concentrated in one area, it is widely dispersed. 5. Automation is introduced both in heavy and in light industries.

IX. Finish the sentences.

1. Great Britain is rich in... 2. Great Britain has to import... 3. When the world demand for the products of Britain's main industries decreased it began seeking compensation in... 4. The characteristic feature of Britain's industry is production of... 5. The main products of Britain's industry are... 6. Britain's industry is widely dispersed, but it is still possible to point out the following concentrations of industry... 7. A great number of new branches were added to the traditional industries such as...

X. Answer the questions.

1. What natural resources does Great Britain have? 2. What raw materials does Great Britain import? 3. What does Great Britain export? 4. What did the crisis of 1929-1933 bring about? 5. What is the characteristic feature of Britain's industry? 6. Why is it unprofitable for Great Britain to produce semifinished goods or cheap articles? 7. What are the main articles produced by British industry? 8. What are the main industrial centres of Great Britain? 9. What are Britain's main industries? 10. What can you say about Britain's agriculture?

XI. Correct the statements which do not correspond to the reality.

1. Great Britain is an agricultural country. 2. Great Britain is rich in natural resources, such as oil, copper, zinc and others. 3. Great Britain exports raw materials to other countries. 4. After World War I the world demand for the products of Britain's main industries - textiles, coal and machinery - increased greatly. 5. As a result of the crisis of 1929-1933 Britain's share in the world industrial output became greater. 6. The crisis of 1929-1933 brought about mass unemployment. 7. When World War II came to an end, the USA found itself dependent, financially and economically, on Great Britain. 8. Very few people are employed in the mining and manufacturing industries in Great Britain. 9. Britain's industry produces mostly very cheap low quality goods. 10. A shortage of raw materials makes it profitable for Great Britain to produce semifinished goods and cheap articles. 11. No emphasis is made on the development of war industry. 12. Britain's industry is concentrated in one area. 13. All Britain's industries and services have been nationalised.

XII. Make up the plan of the text 'British Economy'. Retell the text according to your plan.

XIII. Translate into English in written form.

Экономика Великобритании

Великобритания - крупная капиталистическая страна. Она имеет высокоразвитую промышленность. Большая часть её населения занята в промышленности, и только небольшая часть - около 8 % населения - занимается сельским хозяйством.

В Великобритании не много полезных ископаемых. Она богата лишь углем и железной рудой, поэтому ей приходится ввозить сырьё из других стран. Недостаток сырья делает невыгодным для промышленности Англии производство полуфабрикатов и дешевых товаров. Характерной чертой Британской промышленности является производство товаров высокого качества, требующих квалифицированного труда.

Традиционными отраслями английской промышленности являются машиностроение, текстильная, судостроительная и угольная промышленность. Однако после первой мировой войны спрос на продукцию традиционных отраслей промышленности сократился, и Великобритания начала развивать новые отрасли промышленности, такие как химическая, авиационная и др.

Великобритания больше не является ведущей империалистической державой, какой она когда-то была. Она потеряла свои колонии, которые снабжали её дешевым сырьем.

Text B

Most people work in order to earn their living. They produce goods and services. Goods are either produced on farms, like maize and milk, or in factories, like cars and paper. Services are provided by such things as schools, hospitals and shops. Some people provide goods; some provide services. Other people provide both goods and services. For example, in the same garage, a man may buy a car, or he may buy some service which helps him to maintain his car. The work which people do is called their economic activity. Economic activities make up the economic system. The economic system is the sum-total of what people do and what they want. An educated man has to study the economic system and economics which affect our lives. Economics is a science. It is based upon the facts of our everyday lives. Economists study our everyday lives and try to describe the facts of the economy in which we live. They try to explain how the system works and their methods should be objective and scientific. We need food, clothes and shelter. If we could get food, clothes and shelter without working, we probably would not work. But even when we have these essential things, we may want other things. If we had them, these other things (like radios, books and toys for children) might make life more enjoyable. The science of economics is concerned with all our material needs and wants. It is not just concerned with basic needs and wants like food, clothes and shelter.

I. Translate the words of the same root. Define speech parts.

economic - economics - economist - economy - economical - economically.

II. Fill in the blanks with one of the words given in exercise I. Translate the sentences.

1. Adam Smith and Keynes are two famous.... 2. These people are studying the science of.... 3. We sometimes call a person’s work his... activity. 4. People should be very... with the money they earn. 5. The economic system of a country is usually called the national....6. The people in that town live very....

III. Study the different meanings of the word order.

Order: - way in which things are placed in relation to one another - порядок;

- condition in which everything is carefully arranged - режим;

- command - приказ;

- request to supply goods - заказ;

- purpose, intention:

in order to - для того, чтобы;

in order that - с целью;

- rank or class of society - орден.

Translate the sentences. Pay attention to the meaning of the word order:

1. The order of baronets sounds archaic nowadays. 2. The device has been operating in the working order since its construction. 3. The words in the dictionary are always placed in the alphabetic order. 4. The boss said we should obey his orders. 5. Economists study our lives in order to understand the general economic system. 6. All the goods on this order have been packed.

IV. In each of these sentences a word is missing. Provide a word from the list below and translate the sentences.

1. Transport systems like railways, buses and planes provide the public with important.... 2. They told him to look at the... and then do the exercises. 3. He decided to... the work in order to make some.... 4. It was... for him to go to the city as soon as possible. 5. They had enough... to buy most of the... they needed.

Prompts: commodities, money, essential, services, example, undertake.

V. Read Text B without a dictionary. Find the sentences with modal verbs. Translate them.

VI. Translate Text B.

VII. Say, whether these statements are true or false, and if they are false say why.

1. Most people produce only goods. 2. Services are provided by such things as schools, hospitals and shops. 3. Economic activities make up the economic system. 4. The economic system is the part of what people do and what they want. 5. Economists study only our individual lives. 6. They try to describe the facts and explain how the system works. 7. We need only food, shelter and clothes. 8. The science of economics is concerned only with our basic needs.

VIII. Group work. Suggest a few headlines to Text B and discuss them with your fellow students. Choose the best one.

IX. Most people work in order to earn their living, and they produce goods and services. This fact can be shown as a diagram:

Most people produce

goods or services

The things which people produce are called their products. So the diagram can be drawn as:

Products

goods services

Below there are 20 kinds of people. Ten of them produce goods; ten produce services. Make a diagram like this one and list the people under goods and services.

Text C. The Subject of the Science of Economics

The science of economics is based upon the facts of our everyday lives. Economists study our everyday lives and the general life of our communities in order to understand the whole economic system of which we are the part. They try to describe the facts of the economy in which we live, and to explain how it works. The economist’s methods should of course be strictly objective and scientific.

We need food, clothes and shelter. We probably would not go to work if we could satisfy these basic needs without working. But even when we have satisfied such basic needs, we may still want other things. Our lives might be more enjoyable if we had such things as radios, books and toys for the children. Human beings certainly have a wide and very complex range of wants. The science of economics is concerned with all our material needs: it is concerned with the desire to have a radio as well as the basic necessity of having enough food to eat.

I. Read Text C and say what basic needs and what non-essential wants are mentioned in the text. Put them down in the chart.

II. Speak on the science of economics. The questions below will help you:

1. What is the subject of the science of economics? 2. What methods do the economists use? 3. What needs and wants is the science of economics concerned with?

Text D. Planning: the Path to Better Results

Planning is the most important guide to starting, building and managing a successful business. All business owners must plan. Planning is a future-oriented activity. It makes your future what you want it to be. Planning produces benefits that are essential to effective business. It is the best tool available to help a small business raise money. A business plan is a communications tool for investors, suppliers, employees and others interested in understanding the operations and goals of your business. There are some obstacles that hinder planning, including lack of know-how, fear of the unknown, inexactness. A business plan describes what a business does, how it will be done, who has to do it, where it will be done, why it’s being done and when it has to be completed. A typical business plan contains the following elements: business description, products and services, sales and marketing, operating requirements, financial management, concluding narrative. Your business plan should be complete, clear, neat and accurate. It will be an extension of you and your business. What many managers fail to recognize is that planning is a good investment. If you don’t plan for the success of your business… you will fail. It is that simple!

I. Translate Text D with a dictionary in written form.

II. Retell the text.

C O N V E R S A T I O N