Supplementary reading

1. Read the text about Zara.

Have you ever been to Zara store?

You probably have because it's one of the fastest-growing chains in the world. The person behind Zara is Amancio Ortega. He is the richest man in Spain, but very few people know his face. There are only two official photographs of him, and he rarely gives interviews. Although he is a multimillionaire businessman, he doesn't look like one - he doesn't like wearing suits or ties, and prefers to wear jeans and a shirt.

When he was young he worked as a shop assistant in a clothes store, but he always dreamed of having his own business. In 1963 he started a small company which made women's pyjamas. In 1975, at the age of 40, he opened his first clothes shop in La Corufia, a small city in north-west Spain, and named it Zara. Now you can find Zara shops all over the world, from New York to Moscow to Singapore. So why is Zara so successful?

The main reason is that Zara reacts incredibly quickly to the latest designer fashions, and produces clothes which are fashionable but inexpensive. Zara can make a new line of clothes in three weeks. Other companies normally take about nine months. The clothes also change from week to week - so custormers keep coming back to see what's new. It produces 20,000 new designs a year - and none of them stay in the shops for more than a month.

So if you've seen a new jacket or skirt you like in ZARA store, hurry up and buy it, because it won't be there for long.

2. Cover the text and answer the questions below from memory.

1 Who is Amancio Ortega?

2 What is unusual about him?

3 When did he open the first Zara shop?

4 Where are there Zara shops now?

5 What are the secrets of Zara s success?

3. Give a short summary of the text in English.

Vocabulary

supermarket – универсам

market – рынок

pharmacy – аптека (US)

shopping center – торговый центр

department store – универмаг

shopping mall – торговый центр

bookshop – книжный магазин

lace shop – магазин кружев

travel agent's – агентство путешествий

confectioner's – кондитерская

bookstall – книжный киоск

antique shop – антикварная лавка

bookshop – книжный магазин

butcher's – мясная лавка

jeweller's – ювелирный магазин

bakery – булочная

post office – почтовое отделение

flower stall – цветочный лоток

newsagent's – газетный киоск

florist's – цветочный магазин

greengrocer's – овощной магазин

hair & beauty salon – салон красоты

chemist's – аптека

designer fashion house – дом моды

painkillers – болеутоляющие

pralines – пралине (конфеты с начинкой)

lamb chops – отбивные из баранины

gold necklace – золотое ожерелье

paradise – рай

plenty of – множество

rare – редкий

offer – предлагать

a great variety – большое разнообразие

high quality – высокое качество

woolen skirt – шерстяная юбка

leather jacket – кожаный пиджак

designer clothes – дизайнерская одежда

trendy – модный

fashionable – модный

big bank account – большой счет в банке

a wide range of – широкий диапазон

sales – распродажа; at/in the sales

to suit everyone’s pocket and taste – подходить по карману и вкусу

scruffy – поношенный, потрепанный

bargain – сделка, покупка

customer – клиент

discount – скидка

receipt – квитанция, чек

refund – возмещение

shop assistant – продавец

trolley – тележка

shop window – витрина

till – касса (US)

doormat – коврик у двери

celebrated – известный

chairman – управляющий

medicines – лекарства

perfumes – духи

van delivery service – служба доставки

spread – распространяться

employ – нанимать

staff – штат

fire brigade – пожарная команда

security personnel – служба безопасности

official supplier – официальный поставщик

goods – товары

caviar – икра

motto – девиз

fascinating – очаровательный

prescription – предписание, рецепт

order – заказать

loaf (loaves) – буханка

enormous – огромный

fitting room – примерочная

aisle – проход

mince – фарш

pork chops – свиные отбивные

chicken breasts – куриные грудки

Tapescript for Ex. 19a.

1 A: I'm looking for Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Do you have it in stock?

B: Yes. It will be in the Classics section, on your left.

A: Thank you.

2 A: Do you have this in my size?

B: Yes. Here you are. Would you like to try it on?

A: Yes, please.

B: The fitting rooms are to your right.

3. A: Good morning. Two white loaves and half a dozen rolls, please.

B: White or brown rolls?

A: White, please.

B: Here you are. Anything else?

A: No, thanks.

3. A: A kilo of mince, four pork chops and two chicken breasts, please.

B: Okay. We've got some lovely beef sausages today if you're interested.

A: That's a good idea. I'll have six, please.

A: Excuse me - I can't seem to find the sugar.

B: It's at the other side of the shop.

5 A: Where, exactly?

B: Aisle 7. Follow me and I'll show you.

A: Thank you.