The economy and everyday life

I. Mind the pronunciation of the following words:

literally [`lIt({)relI] - буквально

outward [ `autw{d] - внешний; ~ sign – внешний признак

retire [rI`taI{] - уходить в отставку

wealth [welT] - богатство; процветание

exchange [Iks`tSeIn(d)Z] - биржа

insurance [In`Su{r({)ns] - страхование

merchant [ `m{:tS({)nt] - торговый; коммерческий

epitomize [I`pIt{maIz] - воплощать; олицетворять

secrecy [ `si:krIsI] - секретность; тайна

discretion [dIs`kreS({)n] - свобода действий

quid [ kwId] - соверен; фунт стерлингов

haggle [ `h@gl] - торговаться; спорить

charity [`tS@rItI] - благотворительность

adventurous [{d`vents({)r{s] - предприимчивый

shabbiness [`S@bInIs] - бедность; убогость

II. Read the text.

The one thing the English will never forgive

the Germans for is working too hard.

George Mikes

This statement was written by a Hungarian humorist who emigrated to Britain in 1938. He wrote it in the 1960s, when the German economy was rapidly overtaking Britain’s. Living standards in Britain have risen steadily since then, but not as fast, perhaps, as they have in other EU countries. Britain used to be one of the wealthiest countries in Europe. These days it is often, by most standards of measurement, poorer than the EU average.

Earning money

The statement above is, of course, not literally true. However, it does reflect a certain lack of enthusiasm for work in general. At the upper end of the social scale this attitude to work exists because leisure has always been the main outward sign of aristocracy. And because of Britain’s class system, it has had its effects throughout society. If you have to work, then the less it looks like work the better. Traditionally therefore, a major sign of being middle class has been that you do non-manual work. The fact that skilled manual (or “blue-collar”) workers have been paid more highly than the lower grades of “white-collar” worker for several decades has only slightly changed this social perception. This “anti-work” outlook among the working class has led to a relative lack of ambition or enthusiasm and a belief that high earnings are more important than job satisfaction.

These attitudes are slowly changing. For example, at least half of the workforce now does non-manual work, and yet a majority describe themselves as working class. It would therefore seem that the connection between being middle class and doing non-manual work is growing weaker. Nevertheless, the connection between class distinctions and types of work lives on a number of ways. One illustration of this is the different way in which earnings are conventionally expressed and paid. Another is the fact that certain organizations of professional workers, such as the National Union of Teachers, have never belonged to the Trades Union Congress.

Perhaps the traditional lack of enthusiasm for work is the reason why the working day, in comparison with most European countries, starts rather late (usually at eight o’clock for manual workers and around nine for non-manual workers). However, measured by the number of hours worked in a week, the British reputation for not working hard enough appears to be false. The normal lunch break is an hour or less, and most people (unless they work part-time) continue working until five or later. Many people often work several hours overtime a week. In addition, a comparatively large proportion of British people stay in the workforce for a comparatively large part of their lives. The normal retiring age for most people is sixty-five (sixty for some, including a greater proportion of women).

There are three main ways in which people look for work in Britain: through newspaper (national ones for the highest-qualified, otherwise local ones), through the local job center (which is run as a government service) and though privately-run employment agencies (which take a commission from employers).