Vocabulary developing

 Exercise 5.

Which of the words or phrases on the right is closest in meaning within the context?

a. trivial		1. unimportant 2. important 3. frightening
b. protein		1. drink 2. an imported food 3. an important food substance found in meat, eggs, etc.
c. affluence		1. influence, authority 2. wealth 3. poverty
d. global crop failures		1. worldwide crop failures 2. serious crop failures 3. failures in grain crops
e. reluctant to change the decade old Food Control Law		1. unwilling to change the ten-year- old Food Control Law 2. eager and willing to change the ten-year-old Food Control Law 3. uncertain whether to change the ten-year-old Food Control Law.

 Exercise 6. In the text find the notions in English for the definitions in Russian below:

1. юридический запрет на осуществление торговой деятельности

2. международный спор

3. экономическое благополучие

READING 2

Make it cheaper and cheaper.

1. ………………

Prices have fallen in the food business because of advances in food production and distribution technology. Consumers have benefited greatly from those advances. People who predicted that the world would run out of food were wrong. We are producing more and more food with less and less capital. Food is therefore more plentiful and cheaper than it has ever been. Spending on food compared with other goods has fallen for many years and continues to drop.

2. ……………….

Supermarkets have helped to push down prices mainly because of their scale. Like any big business, they can invest in IT systems that make them efficient. And their size allows them to buy in bulk. As supermarkets get bigger, the prices get lower.

3. ………………

Huge retail companies such as Wal-Mart have tremendous power and they can put pressure on producers to cut their margins. As a result some producers have had to make cuts. In recent years, Unilever has cut its workforce by 33,000 to 245,000 and dropped lots of its minor brands as part of its “path to growth” strategy. Cadbury has shut nearly 20 per cent of its 133 factories and cut 10 per cent of its 55,000 global workforce. These cuts help to keep costs down, and the price of food stays low.

4. ……………….

Does cheap food make people unhealthy? Cheap food may encourage people to eat more. Food companies certainly think that giving people more food for their money makes them buy more. Giving people bigger portions is an easy way of making them feel they have got a better deal. That is why portions have got larger and larger. In America, soft drinks came in 12oz (350gr), and now come in 20oz (550gr) cans. If a company can sell you an 8oz portion for $7, they can sell you a 12oz portion for $8. The only extra cost to the company is the food, which probably costs 25 cents.

Now companies are under pressure to stop selling bigger portions for less money. But it is hard to change the trend.

http: //www.intelligent-business.org

COMPREHENSION

Exercise 6.

For paragraphs 1-4 of the above text, choose the best title from the list A-F.

For each numbered paragraph, mark one letter A-F.

Do not use any letter more than once.

A The majority of people prefer bigger prices for better quality of products.

B Supermarkets force producers to cut costs.

C Technology improves food production.

D Big supermarkets are more efficient.

E Drinks come cheaper in large cans.

F Supermarkets are greatly bigger than chain stores.

Exercise 7.

Which of these statements agree with the text? Write 'agreed' or 'disagreed' in your notebook.

1. Production of large quantities of food costs less than ever before.

2. Buying in large quantities allows big supermarkets to offer food at lower prices.

3. Some food manufacturers have diminished their products assortment.

4. To meet supermarket demands, Cadbury hires more employees than before.

5. Consumers will buy larger quantities when there is a special price.

6. For the food companies, larger portions are not much more expensive to manufacture.

7. The author considers companies will be happy to reduce the sizes of portions.