2. Reserving a room at the hotel –Заказ номера в отеле

• Hello. Northern Star Hotel. Can I help you?

• Yes. I’d like to reserve a single room with bathroom, for three nights, from Wednesday, the 12^th of February, to Friday, the 14^th of February, inclusive.

• Let me see… Yes, sir. A single room for three nights with English breakfast, is that right?

• Yes, that’s right.

• What is your name, please?

• It’s for Mr Klimenko.

• Could you spell it, please?

• Yes, of course. K-L-I-M-E-N-K-O.

• Thank you, sir.

• Shall I send a deposit?

• No. It isn’t necessary, sir.

• Thank you very much.

3. At the Hotel – в отеле

• Good evening, sir. What can I do for you?

• Good evening. I have a room reserved at your hotel.

• What is your name, please?

• Klimenko.

• Just a moment. I’ll check. … Yeah. A single room with private bath and English breakfast for three nights. Is that right, sir?

• Yes, that’s right.

• Just sign the register … Thank you. Here’s your key. Room three-o-seven, it’s on the third floor. The lift is over there. I’ll have your things sent up.

• Thank you. What time is breakfast?

• Any time between 7 and 9.30. Where are you going to have your breakfast, sir? In your room or in the restaurant?

• I’d rather have it in my room.

• What time, sir?

• At 8 o’clock.

• O.K. Anything else, sir?

• I’d like to eat here this evening. When is the restaurant closing?

• At 9.30, so you’ve got two hours to have your dinner, sir.

• Fine. Thank you.

4. At a passport and customs desk – у стола таможенного и паспортного досмотра

• Your passport, please. How long are you planning to stay in the country?

• Three weeks. Could I prolong my entrance visa in case of necessity?

• Sure. The receiving party shall take care of it. Can you put your bags on the table, and your customs form, please.

• How much do they weigh?

• 23 kilos. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to pay an excess luggage charge.

• Oh! It’s only three kilos overweight.

• Yes, sir…that’s ₤6… Thank you. Have you anything to declare?

• Pardon?

• Alcohol, cigarettes, fresh fruit, plants …?

• Uh, no.

• Open your suitcase, please. Any gifts?

• Only one bottle of vodka.

• All right. It’s duty free. As you probably know, it’s forbidden to bring in more than two bottles of alcohol and two blocks of cigarettes to England. And no limitations as to currency. Here’s your form.

• Thank you.

• Not at all. Next, please.

5. Тексты

Accounting

Accounting appeared with the human civilization hundreds years ago. Nowadays the registration plays a great role in a company's management as it forms the information about the financial and economic activity of this or that company. All the economic operations that have the finance measure are reflected in the system of accounting.

Accounting uses its specific methods, such as: counts, double note, balance and others. According to the bookkeeping the accounts are composed. These accounts are used by tax and finance organs, auditors and lawyers and banks. Bookkeeping should control those people who are in charge of finance.

An accountant is to be a very skillful specialist. He must be good at such things as: documentary, inventarization, calculating, analysis and other operations.

Accountant's job is very interesting but difficult and stressful. As a person with many responsibilities, an accountant has to deal with a lot of problem solving. Besides, an accountant is responsible for finance. An accountant must be a competent specialist. He must be honest, well-educated, well-informed, tactful.

Manager’s Duties

Manager is a person who manages resources of a company on different levels to achieve company’s goals.

Normally a company has 3 levels of management: lower, middle and upper (or executive). Traditional functions of a manager are: planning, organizing and controlling.

Upper managers coordinate the activity of all departments.

Middle-level managers run the departments. So, there are sales managers, production managers, development managers and so on. For example a financial manager is in charge of finance. A personnel manager recruits new workers and employees.

Lower-level managers organize the work of teams. They are team leaders. They check the working process and are responsible for its quality.

A manager’s job is very interesting but rather difficult and stressful. As a person with many responsibilities, a manager has to deal with a lot of problem solving and decision making. A manager should be able to conduct negotiations, to conclude agreements, to arrange appointments with partners. Besides, every day a manager deals with people. That’s why he must be honest, well-bread, well-educated, well-informed, communicative and tactful. A manager should be also good at economics, statistics and accounting. And, of course, a manager must have management and computer skills. In a word, a good manager must be a competent specialist.

My Future Profession - a Lawyer

Soon I’ll graduate from the college. I’ll be a lawyer. And my speciality is the lawyer in the sphere of economics.

The profession of a lawyer is very difficult but interesting. This person should be a very skillful specialist in Russian and may be even in foreign legislation. It’s out of the question that a lawyer is to know where it is possible to find the necessary information: different laws and codes, edicts and decrees of the President and the government. Besides, “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” should be always at his or her hand as it is the first edition that publishes the last decrees, amendments and additions to this or that legislation.

Any citizen of our country knows that the main law of our country is the Constitution and all other acts mustn’t contradict it. I think that everybody should read it and know the main rights and responsibilities of a man and a citizen. Our Constitution was adopted in 1993, December 12. This day is a holiday in our country. The Constitution contains information about the rights and responsibilities of a man and a citizen, the rights and responsibilities of the President of our country, the government, the Duma, the municipal government, the judicial system and other important information.

As for my studies, we have very professional tutors who teach us different subjects, such as: criminal law, civil law, international law, family and labour law, Constitutional law, the theory of state and right, notary and many others. As for me, my favourite subject is… because…

So, a lawyer should know these subjects at his fingertips to be the brilliant and experienced specialist.

A lawyer is a specifically wide notion. This person can hold different positions, for example, a solicitor, a procurator, an assistant procurator, a judge, an investigator, an officer of the court, a bailiff, a notary, a deputy, a custom-house officer, an officer in militia and other positions. As for me, I’d like to be a … because this position is … (prestigious, well-paid, interesting and so on).

All in all, a lawyer should be well-informed, talkative, highly-educated, competent and skillful specialist. I hope that I’ll be an experienced and professional person in this sphere.

The Pope and the Price of Fish

It is interesting for a student of economics to learn how demand and supply analysis works in practice.

Until 1966 Roman Catholics were not allowed to eat meat on Fridays and ate fish instead. In 1966 the Pope (Папа Римский) said that Catholics could eat meat on Friday. What do you think happened to the average weekly price and average weekly quantity of consumed fish?

The demand for fish fell as some Catholics who had to eat fish before started eating meat on Friday when they were allowed to do so.

This is a simple example of the effect of a change in tastes (вкусы) on the demand. Economists said that lower demand would lead to lower equilibrium price and the quantity of the demanded fish.

Studying reports on fish prices and quantities of sold fish in the United States before and after 1966 we can see that this is what happened.

Crime Will Be Out Sooner or Later

Once during the civil wars of Rome a slave was murdered in one of the city squares, and nobody knew who committed the crime. The murdered slave’s dog guarded the body and didn’t allow anybody to touch it. The king, traveling that way, saw the animal watching the body. When he learnt that the dog had been there for three days without food or drink he ordered to bury the body and bring the dog to him.

After some time the review of the king’s troops took place and every soldier had to march after the king. All this time the dog lay quietly by the king’s side, but on seeing the murderers of his late master, he flew at them with extraordinary fury barking and tearing their clothes. The king took notice of it. He ordered to make an inquest and the criminals confessed the crime. Later they were tried and sentenced to death.