Vocabulary notes

liquidity shortfall – дефицит ликвидности

bailout – финансовая помощь (нерентабельным банкам)

( to bail out – выручать из беды/

помогать)

downturns – зд. спады деловой активности

stock markets – фондовые биржи

evictions – выселения, лишение владения

жильем

prolonged vacancies – отложенное заполнение вакантных

рабочих мест

to go bust – обанкротиться, разориться

to prop up – зд. поддерживать, помогать

to go under – зд. терпеть банкротство,

обанкротиться

zombie banks – банки-«живые трупы»

in a gray area – в переходной зоне

be contingent on… – зависеть (от обстоятельств)

a government-run bank – банк, управляемый государством

to aggregate – объединять (зд. активы)

to take over a bank – взять банк под контроль

Credit Crunch – затруднения в связи с «невозвратом»

кредитов («кредитный крах»)

… a label that will stick – название (ярлык), к-е закрепится

newly-coined words – новообразования (в лексике)

catchphrase – крылатая фраза

austerity measures – меры строгой экономии

TEXT 3

Access to information technology in “information society”

Introduction

When you hear the term 'information society', you might guess that people are talking about the Internet and the level of access people have to information. According to the United Nations it is important to understand the 'information society' because it affects the way we live, how we learn and work, and how we relate to each other. The term is used in the news because the ability to get information, whether you get it from a computer, a telephone, or your radio, produces a number of interesting issues. How is access to information controlled? And how does this affect economic and political development in the process of globalization? You might also hear of 'the digital divide'. What do you think is the best way to bridge the gap between those who have access to new technology and those who don’t? The text below deals with (is concerned with) the issues of ‘digital divide’ in Britain.

Since the 1980s we have been living through what has become known as the digital revolution. The digital revolution refers to the major changes brought about by computing and communication technology during the second half of the 20th century and which is still going on today.

In fact, nowadays a fast internet connection is seen as an essential service because now most people rely on the Internet in so many areas in their lives. Having access to the Web is as necessary as water, gas and electricity!

While many of us are going online regularly to shop, keep in touch with

friends, apply for jobs, there are also many people who either can't or don't want to get themselves online, which is leading to a digital divide. A digital divide is what we call the gap between people with access to digital technology and those with very limited or no access.

This could be either because of technical or financial reasons or simply because people are not interested in getting themselves online. Whatever the reason, it is beginning to cause problems as more and more public services rely on their customers having the Internet.

You cannot be a proper citizen in our society in the future, if you are not

engaged online. It is not only engaging with public services but having access to the same information and choice as other people.

Unfortunately, there is a rise in the number of people who are saying the Internet is simply not relevant to their lives. The reasons they used to give before were that it is too expensive or they can't get access. But now they say it is more because they have got other things they would rather spend their time doing. They can't 'fit it in' which means they don't have time for it.

The British government is worried about the number of people who feel like this. They are so concerned that they have hired someone called Martha Lane Fox to try to encourage people to get online. She is convinced that some people strongly resist getting themselves online. She believes the Web enables you to have more freedom about how you run your life. The people who are stubbornly refusing to use the Web, saying “there is nothing in it for me”, have not had the opportunity to see what might be for them on the Web, they simply don’t know what they are missing.

How many people over the age of 15 in Britain are now estimated to not use the Internet? The answer is, in fact, 17 million people currently do not have regular access to the Web.

Source: adapted from bbclearningenglish.com