Unit 9 american economy

PRE-READING ACTIVITIES

1. Practise the pronunciation of the following words.

majority [ma'dpnti], private ['praraat], engage [m'geicfc],

consequence ['kDnsikwans], vehicle ['vr.ikal], reign [rein], safeguard

['seifga:d].

2. Memorize the words.

1. majority n — большинство

2. private а — личный, частный

3. own v — владеть

4. pursue v — преследовать

5. engage v — нанимать, занимать

6. prosperous а — процветающий

7. abundant а — обильный

8. profitable а — выгодный

9. sufficient а — достаточный

10. consequence n — следствие, результат

11. annual а — годовой, ежегодный

12. enable v — давать возможность

13. per year — в год

14. reign n — власть

15. safeguard у — охранять

16. pure а — чистый

17. drug n — лекарство

3. Answer the following questions before you read Text a.

, 1. What type of economy is the American economy?

2. Does the country have enough natural resources to support

the economy?

3. Can you name the factors that turned the USA into a leading

and prosperous state?

Text A

Read Text A and fulfill the tasks which follow.

The American Economy

The USA is one of the largest industrial nations in the

world. The United States economy is based on a free enterprise

system: individuals and companies are free to make their own

economic decisions.

In spite of the fact that the great majority of productive

forces are privately owned, the federal government plays an important

part in the market place. It pursues the policy of laissez

falre ("leave it alone"), allowing private interests to have free

reign in operating business. At the same time it provides public

goods and services, helps specific groups, checks the purity of

products and drugs, controls the ecological situation, safeguards

the market system, stabilizes the economy. So, the US

economy is considered to be mixed.

About one-fifth of the labour force is engaged in manufacturing.

The leading industries are engineering, chemical, oil processing,

light and food industry. The USA is the world's leader

in such branches as aerospace, biochemical and genetic engineering,

communications, computer and information services. Today

service industries make up the most important sector of the

economy, employing almost three-fourths of the work force.

The USA exports machinery and transportation equipment,

such as aircraft, computers, electric power equipment, motor

vehicles, chemicals, agricultural products, metals and paper.

The USA imports raw materials, automobiles, engines, office

machines, telecommunication equipment, clothes, shoes,

toys, petroleum, medicines.

Farming accounts for less than 2 per cent'of annual GDP

and employs fewer than 3 per cent of US workers. Farmers not

only produce enough to meet domestic needs, they produce

enough to enable the USA to export more farm products per

year than any other nation in the world.

There were a number of factors that turned the USA into a

leading and prosperous state. They are the following: a favourable

geographic position, abundant natural resources, development

of profitable branches of industry, free market system,

implementation of new technologies, sufficient amount of labour

force, mobility of the Americans, their spirit of enterprise,

creativity and initiative. Also, the USA didn't suffer

from the consequences of World War II.

POST-READING ACTIVITIES

1. Match the words on the left to those on the right. Make 10 word partnerships

and translate them into Russian.

1. profitable a. state

2. sufficient b. engineering

3. productive с interests

4. prosperous d. place

5. specific e. amount

6. private f. decisions

7. market g. branches

8. domestic h. forces

9. economic i. groups

10. genetic j. needs

2. Find in the text the English equivalents forthe following Russian collocations.

1) система свободного предпринимательства; 2) находят-

ся в частных руках; 3) проводит политику невмешательства;

4) предоставляя свободу в управлении фирмой; 5) считается

смешанной экономикой; 6) занято в производстве; 7) чтобы

удовлетворить внутренние потребности; 8) внедрение новых

технологий; 9) дух предпринимательства; 10) прибыльные

отрасли; 11) достаточное количество рабочей силы; 12) твор-

чество и инициатива.

3. Choose the best alternative to complete the sentence.

1. Effective farming ... the USA to export more farm products

per year than any other nation in the world.

a) creates b) engages c) enables d) deals

2. The USA is ... in natural resources.

a) abundant b) profitable c) lack d) prosperous

3. The federal government ... the market system,

a) controls b) reigns c) owns d) safeguards

4. The US economy is based on a free ... system.

a) government b) enterprise c) property d) labour

5. The US government leads the policy allowing private interests

to have free ... in operating business.

a) reign b) production c) market d) economy

4. Complete the sentences.

1. A free enterprise system means ... .

2. ... plays an important part in the market place.

3. The most important sector of the economy ... .

4. Farmers produce enough to ... .

5. The US government leads the policy ... .

6. Service industries employ ... .

5. Say whether the following statements are true or false.

1. The United States economy is a mixed economy.

2. The government plays an important part in the US economy.

3. Farming is the most important sector of the economy.

4. World War II brought great damage to the US economy.

5. About one-fifth of the labour force is engaged in agriculture.

6. Chemical industry employs almost three-fourths of the

work force.

6. Answer the following questions.

1, What type of economy is the US economy?

2. What does the policy 'leave it alone' mean?

3. What are the major industries in the American economy?

4. What does the USA export?

5. What does the USA import?

6. Name the main reasons why the USA has become a leading

industrial nation in such a short period of time.

7. Get ready to discuss the following.

In spite of its overall strength the US economy has faced

problems from time to time. What are these problems?

Text В

Read Text В using the dictionary and do the following tasks.

1. Think of the title to the text.

2. Make up 5-6 questions of different types.

3. Give a short summary of the text.

A century ago one-half of the labour force worked on farms;

in the 1990s that figure was down to less than 3 per cent.

American agriculture is increasingly "agribusiness". Agribusiness

refers to the entire complex of farm-related business,

from an individual farmer to a multinational maker of farm

chemicals. It includes farm cooperatives, rural banks, shippers

of farm products, commodity dealers, firms that manufacture

farm equipment, food-processing industries, grocery chains

and many other businesses.

Earlier, many farms changed hands by being passed on from

father to son. The high cost of capital investment in land and

equipment now makes entry into farming very difficult for

most individuals. In fact, the small family farm is no longer viable

in the US. In the late 20th century, farms were increasingly

being passed into the hands of corporations, ranging from

small one-family business to giant conglomerates. About

one-seventh of all farmland is owned by corporations, about

two-thirds of which are family corporations.

Beef cattle rank as the most valuable product of American

farms. Other leading farm products include milk, soybeans,

chickens and eggs, hogs, wheat and cotton. American farms

also produce large amounts of tobacco, oranges, potatoes, tomatoes

and apples.