Шушунова Наиболее употребителные идиоматические 2011

• Let me start off this presentation by giving you the big picture of what's happening now in our industry.

(to) weigh another offer - to consider another offer, usually a job offer

• Brian told Pfizer he was weighing another offer and that he would give them an answer next week.

Is there any room to negotiate? - Is it possible to negotiate? Are you flexible about the offer?

• Your offer is a little lower than I had hoped for. Is there any room to negotiate?

(to) have in mind - to be thinking of

• Kyle said he wanted to go somewhere exotic for this year's company offsite. Do you know where he had in mind?

out of one's range - more than one wants to pay

• PlastiCase Industries tried to sell us the cases for five dollars each, but we told them that was out of our range.

(to) split the difference - to accept a figure halfway in between; to compromise

• You're asking for $500 for this used office chair, but we only budgeted $300 for it. Let's split the difference and say $400.

(to) sleep on it - to think about a decision overnight; to take a day to decide on something

• Thanks for your offer, but I'm not sure I want to move from the marketing department to the sales department. Let me sleep on it.

(to) touch base with (someone) - to get in contact with; to make brief contact with

• "Hi, it's Andy calling from City Style magazine. I'm just touching base with you to see if you want to buy an ad."

first thing in the morning - early in the morning

• If the report isn't ready by the time you leave this evening, please have it on my desk first thing in the morning.

(to) get the ball rolling - to get started

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Karen: Our offer to you was for $65,000. We can _________ (6)

_________________________________________________ and offer you $72,000.

Rick: Your offer would be more attractive at $75,000 with a guaranteed bonus of $7,500.

Karen: You (7) ____________ ! Let me talk to our senior management. I'll get back to you tomorrow, ________________ (8) _____ .

Unit 6

BUSINESS WORDS AND IDIOMS IN THE NEWS

1 . Immunity law for Italian politicians

Summary: Italy's upper house of parliament has approved legislation which effectively grants judicial immunity to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. This means that his trial in Milan on charges of bribing judges to further his business interests could be blocked indefinitely. This report from David Willey.

The five leading public office holders in Italy including the prime minister, the president, the speakers of both houses of parliament and the chief justice will be able to claim immunity from prosecution under the new law which still has to be passed by the lower chamber, but as Silvio Berlusconi has a clear majority in both houses of parliament, this will be something of a formality.

Mr Berlusconi has re-introduced immunity from prosecution for leading politicians after his lawyers failed to get him off the hook in an ongoing corruption trial in Milan. The new immunity law is eventually expected to be extended to include all members of parliament.

Until ten years ago a similar blanket protection from prosecution for Italian politicians was in force. This was revoked after the scandals of the clean hands bribery scandal which caused a political earthquake at the time in a country where it had become the norm for businessmen to bribe politicians, but now it is back to square one.

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Vocabulary

immunity from prosecution -able to escape prosecution formality - something that has to take place

off the hook - to get out of a difficult situation ongoing - continuing

blanket protection - complete, total, protection revoked - cancelled

a political earthquake - a huge political upset

back to square one - to return to the previous situation

2. Israel Budget

Summary: The Israeli parliament has finally approved more than twobillion dollars worth of cuts in public spending. The controversial package was passed with a fifty-to-one majority – but only because opposition parties decided to boycott the vote. Our reporter is Alex Ritson.

There is no doubt that Israel's public finances are serious trouble. The Government has been spending an increasing amount of money on the military since the start of the Palestinian uprising two-and-a-half years ago. At the same time, the amount it raises through taxation is dwindling after three years of recession. The net result is a shortfall – or budget deficit – which is rapidly approaching five percent of the value of all the goods and services traded in the country in a whole year.

Some of that shortfall can be made up by Government borrowing - but finding international lenders prepared to put up the cash is becoming increasingly difficult. The United States is prepared to guarantee ninebillion dollars worth of Israeli Government borrowing – but that's conditional on these enormous spending cuts being put into place.

Vocabulary

an increasing amount - more and more raises - makes, obtains

dwindling - shrinking

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recession - a period of time when a country's economy is not very successful

shortfall - less than you need

budget deficit - the amount of money reserved by a country that is less than the money spent

traded - bought and sold

borrowing - taking cash with the intention of returning it with interest to put up the cash - to provide the money

cuts - reductions

3. US deflation fears

Summary: Wholesale prices in the US have had their biggest fall in more than half-a-century, prompting fears of deflation. The prices fell by just under two per cent in April, the biggest fall since records started in 1947. This report from Stephen Evans.

The latest figures for American wholesale prices show they fell by nearly two per cent last month. Part of the reason was a fall in oil prices, reversing a previous rise brought on by war, but other prices fell as well - particularly those of cars and clothing. Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve warned of the risk of what it called 'an unwelcome substantial fall in inflation'.

Falling prices would turn the economic world upside down. There would be large pressure for pay cuts, for example, and that would put pressure on anyone with debts.

We aren't there yet. Some other figures do show consumers and businesses getting more confident about economic prospects. If the latest figures, though, are a sign of further price falls, any current glimmers of optimism would vanish.

Vocabulary

wholesale prices - the prices of goods leaving the producer; оптовые цены

fall - decrease, reduction reversing - changing to its opposite brought on by - caused by

substantial - here-big, noticeable; существенный, большой

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turn …..upside down - change… completely

we aren’t there yet - the situation is not as bad as described yet glimmers of optimism would vanish - even the slight hope will be lost

4. European interest rates

Summary: Monthly meetings of policy makers at Europe's two major central banks have decided to leave interest rates on hold. The cost of borrowing set by the European Central Bank for the 12 nation euro zone stays at 2.5 percent. This report from Mark Gregory.

Around Europe interest rates are at their lowest levels in half a century. But businesses are pressing for even cheaper borrowing costs amid signs of continued economic weakness.

A big drop in German manufacturing announced earlier this week is cited as evidence that Europe's most important economy may even be sliding into recession. And the rise of the euro to a four year high against the dollar in currency dealing is a major worry for many European exporters.

But the region's central bankers don't appear to share this gloom. Wim Duisengerg, president of the European Central Bank, said there was insufficient data to justify a cut in rates at the present time. And he poured cold water on hopes of a cut next month saying the end of the war in Iraq had reduced the risk of future economic decline.

The ECB's decision came as a disappointment to European financial markets - share prices fell sharply - but it wasn't a surprise.

The Bank of England had been seen as much more likely to reduce rates in Britain. It didn't, probably because the pound's fall against the euro has pushed up the price of goods imported into the UK, raising the spectre of higher inflation. A rate cut could have added to that risk.

Vocabulary

Interest rates - the level of the cost of borrowing money expressed in percentage; процентная ставка, ссудный процент; стоимость кредита

cited - given, used

recession - a period when the economy of a country is not very successful

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a four year high - the highest figure in four years

exporters - people or companies who sell things to other countries gloom - a sad feeling

poured cold water - said something what reduced the hope of an achievement

cut - reduction

economic decline - the fall of a country’s money, industry and trade ECB - short for European Central Bank

5. Air Canada faces bankruptcy

Summary: The airline Air Canada has announced that it is seeking bankruptcy protection in order to allow it to keep operating. Air Canada says that it will have to restructure and become more competitive and profitable. The bankruptcy protection it has asked for will give it time to make these arrangements. This report from Lee Carter.

Canada's once-proud national carrier has hit hard times. Only late last year, Air Canada seemed to be contradicting the downward trend affecting US-based airlines by posting profits. But a combination of the effects of the war in Iraq, a vicious price battle with small cost-cutting competitors and the recent outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Canada and south-east Asia has led to a slump in passengers and profits. In its court filing, Air Canada revealed it had secured over seven hundred thousand US dollars in financing from G. E Capital, one of the world's largest industrial lenders, to keep the airline operating. Air Canada officials are reassuring passengers that it will be what they call 'business as usual' and that it will operate normally. The country's transport minister scotched rumours of government involvement, saying the carrier's restructuring is a private matter. The airline's debt is estimated at nearly nine billion US dollars.

Vocabulary

national carrier - the main airline of a country

hit hard times - suffered sudden financial difficulties downward trend - a period of falling profits

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posting - officially announcing

price battle - competition between companies as to which one can offer the lowest price for an item or a service

cost-cutting - keeping costs and prices low slump - a sudden large fall in numbers or in value filing - official record

scotched - stopped a piece of information before it could develop any further

6. China Growth

Summary: China has announced a very large increase in industrial production during the months of January and February of this year. But because exports play an important role in China's economic performance, a possible war in Iraq makes China's economic future less certain. This report from Francis Markus.

China's vast industrial machine is churning out mobile phones, television sets, computers and cars at a phenomenally growing rate. And whatever doubts there may be about the quality of economic data, the figures contribute to overall economic growth that is the envy of just about everywhere else in the world - eight per cent last year.

This year Beijing has predicted slower growth, possibly down to seven per cent. The uncertain economic outlook, as a possible war looms, is an important unknown.

The incomes of urban Chinese are increasing rapidly. But the country's domestic market is still too small to absorb the roaring growth in industrial output. So if the country's main export markets such as the United States are plunged into gloom over the next few months, the Chinese economy could be slowed down.

On the bright side, that might help ease some of the international pressure on Beijing to revalue its currency and stop cheap exports flooding other countries' markets. But it could also make it harder to create the millions of jobs China needs to absorb laid off state sector workers and farmers seeking to escape a life of rural poverty

Vocabulary

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vast industrial machine - very large manufacturing industry churning out - producing quickly and in large quantity

at a phenomenally growing rate - more and more quickly

the envy of - if something is the envy of someone, they really want it;

предмет зависти

the uncertain economic outlook - uncertainty about what is likely to happen in the economy

looms - if something looms, it seems to be about to happen

roaring growth in industrial output - extremely fast increase in industrial production

are plunged into gloom - enter an extremely bad period

absorb laid out state sector workers - find employment for people who have lost jobs in the state industries

a life of rural poverty - from the countryside where they are poor and have little opportunity for wealth

7. Effects of food subsidies on Africa

Summary: The United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has asked the world's richest countries to stop giving financial help to their farmers. If they do, they may help to prevent famine in Africa. Mr Annan said that governments had to deal with the other reasons for famine as well as the lack of food itself. This report from Yousef Anani.

Mr Annan told the group of the world's eight richest nations that their food subsidies - which total three hundred billion dollars a year - were stifling agricultural production in Africa. He said the lack of sustainable food production was contributing to severe shortages which threatened more than thirty million Africans with starvation.

Developing countries struggle to sell their produce to highly protected markets like Japan and the European Union because they don't enjoy the kind of subsidies that allow those countries' farmers to sell food more cheaply. To add insult to injury, they also have to contend with cheap imports from the same rich countries into their own markets, leaving them without any livelihood. Mr Annan said the way that agricultural trade was structured was just as responsible for famine in Africa as the lack of food itself.

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Vocabulary

subsidies - money from a government or authority to help an industry, for example farming, or to provide cheaper goods for the public –

in this case, food

stifling - stopping something from continuing

lack of - if something is not available, there’s a lack of it sustainable - something that can be continued at the same or similar level – in this case, producing food

shortages - not enough of something – in this case food highly protected markets - certain areas of business that are financially well protected by their governments

To add insult to injury - To make a difficult situation even more difficult

to contend with - to deal with something that’s difficult livelihood - a way of earning money for everyday needs

famine - a serious shortage of food that might cause many deaths in a country

8. France Telecom job cuts

Summary: The French telecommunications business, France Telecom, is to cut thirteen thousand jobs worldwide. French trade unions fear more jobs could be lost. The job cuts are part of a rescue plan under which the state-controlled company is to receive extra money backed by the government. Patrick Bartlett sent this report.

France Telecom is not alone among Europe's telecommunications firms in announcing large-scale cutbacks. It's part of a massive blood-letting in an industry which invested wildly during the stock market boom, only to see its assets crash as new wireless services failed to live up to the hype. France Telecom's new boss, Thierry Breton, has said seven and a half of the thirteen thousand job cuts will be in France, the remainder at its overseas businesses. Still majority-owned by the French government, France Telecom has been struggling to reduce a seventy billion euro debt mountain. To avoid a threatened break-up of the business the government agreed a complex refinancing package. But the deal

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