Кудинова Практическиы курс англиыского языка для студентов международник Ч.2 2014

Perhaps the most difficult conditions were experienced by those prospectors who braved the Canadian winters to win gold from the Yukon and Klondike rivers. On August 16th 1896 three prospectors struck gold in Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike River, and then in a second creek which was named 'Eldorado'. In the Yukon, gold was obtained by washing gravel from river-beds, and soon as much as $800 worth of gold was being taken from a single pan of dirt.

Within a year, Dawson had grown from nothing to a town

of 30,000 people. Every man who entered the country had to carry a year's supply of food and mining equipment over steep and frozen mountain passes. To do this, each man had to carry 25 kilos of stores about 10 kilometres, leave it there, and return for another load. Therefore to move all his stores less than 80 kilometres, each man had to walk nearly 1500 kilometres. Horses and donkeys died in the ice and snow, but the men kept on going. It is estimated that of the 100,000 men who set out for the Klondike, fewer than 40,000 actually arrived. Only 4000 ever found gold, and very few of these became rich.The rising price of gold in the late 1970s started a new rush to the Klondike. Dawson is still there, and 'Diamond Tooth Gertie's', the only legal gambling hall in Canada, remains in business. Just outside Dawson a mountain is actually being moved to find gold. The whole mountain is being washed down for gold-dust. It is believed to contain at least $80 million worth of gold.

By the turn of the century gold had been found in South Africa and this laid the foundation for the world's largest goldmining industry. Today South Africa accounts for 70% of world gold production. Vast sums of money are being

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invested, and modern mining technology is being used to squeeze gold from the rock.

New finds are being made in Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States. The largest single mine in the world was discovered in Uzbekistan, in 1958. However, in spite of recent finds, modern day 'gold-rushes' are usually confined to speculation on the gold markets of Zurich, London and New York. At times of economic uncertainty investors rush hysterically to buy gold, and the price soars, often only to fall back again. Gold fever is in many ways irrational, but historically gold has always held its value, and it is likely that in an uncertain world, it will continue to do so.

2. Look through the text again and find synonyms to the following words

and expressions:

California: to leave (2 words), to arrive by ship, a criminal Australia: important, to happen, to find gold, by chance

The Yukon: to go through, a gold digger, to challenge, to continue (doing sth) South Africa: to start sth, huge

Twentieth-century gold-rush: to rise very quickly, illogical

3.Make up 5 questions (one for each part of the text) to check the other students’ understanding of the contents.

4.In pairs, discuss the following:

a.Have you ever heard about people who became fabulously rich because they found gold?

b.Do you know any sad stories about those who took part in the gold rush, but were not so successful?

c.Would you go to search for gold? Why or why not?

5.Write a short summary of the text (10-12 sentences). Don’t forget to follow the rules of summary writing!

6.Look at these expressions. What do you think they might mean? Explain

2.Представляешь, Джон подарил Нине золотое кольцо и попросил ее стать его женой! Скорее всего, свадьба будет роскошной.

3.Пушкин и Лермонтов олицетворяют золотой век русской поэзии.

4.Это просто невероятная возможность! Если ты ей не воспользуешься, ты будешь жалеть всю жизнь!

5.Летом я поеду по Золотому Кольцу. Ты был там? – Да. Больше всех мне понравился Ярославль – там невероятно красиво!

6.У нее золотое сердце – она готова помогать всем подряд, причем совершенно безвозмездно!

7.Когда предстану пред вратами рая, мне не в чем будет себя упрекнуть.

8.Мои родители скоро отпразднуют золотую свадьбу.

9.Смотри, в этом банке процентная ставка 14 % в год! - Будь осторожна! Не все то золото, что блестит!

Reading: Sad Millionaires

1 Would you like to be a millionaire? Why or why not? Does a lot of money REALLY make you happy? Tell your partner.

Mark Larsen won over nine million pounds on the lottery two years ago. At first, life was fantastic and Mark had some fun – he spent a lot of money on a big new house and five new cars. Then the problems started. Some friends began to ask him for money. He had a lot of arguments with his wife and they divorced. Now he says, 'I haven't got any friends and I feel lonely. Life was better when I didn't have much money.'

Many people think that money brings happiness. However, according to Professor Michael Argyle, this is not true. In Britain, we are richer but unhappier than fifty years ago. The USA is the richest country in the world but Americans are not the happiest people in the world.

Professor Argyle has found that very poor people and very rich people are unhappier than those in between. For example, very poor people in the developing world live in overcrowded houses without any running water and with no electricity. However, there are also many millionaires with personal problems. A lot of young people who get rich very quickly are at risk.

Because of this, a few young millionaires are changing their lifestyles. Richard Cross, a multi-millionaire computer analyst from California is an example. His house shows no signs of his wealth. There is a small garden and there are only two cars parked outside his house. 'I want my kids to live a normal life, ' says Richard.

So what can make us happy? According to Professor Argyle, you should have one close relationship and some close friends. You should do a little sport and have a lot of contact with other people. Other people make you happy, not money!

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2.Read the article. Are the statements below true (T) or false (F)?

1)Mark Larsen was happier when he was poorer.

2)British people are happier than in the past.

3)D Millionaires and very poor people are often unhappy.

4)Richard Cross has not got much money.

5)It's a good thing to have friends.

6)A lot of money makes you very happy.

3 Match the words to make phrases from the article.

Make your own sentences with the phrases.

.Reading, Speaking and Listening: Consumerism

1. In small groups, discuss the following statements with a partner. Are they true for you? Why / Why not?

1)I hate shopping.

2)Most of my favourite possessions are things that I've bought for m\ self.

3)I rarely buy things 'on impulse' simply because I like them.

4)It's really important to have a lot of branded goods.

5)I think people in my country are very materialistic.

2.Read the information for a radio series. Name three aspects of global consumerism the programmes will explore.

3.In which of the four programmes might we hear about the following?

1)the effects of consumerism on demographic changes

2)the link between people's identities and their purchases

3)people who are fond of products from an earlier period of time

4)narrowing the gulf between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'

5)consumerism that is not simply an urban phenomenon

6)consumerism as a recent phenomenon

7)consumer education

4.Listen to this extract from the programme about Japan and answer the

questions.

1.What evidence is given to support the idea that Japanese people 'love brands'?

2.Why do brands have such value in japan?

3.What happened in Japan between the end of the Second World War and the mid-1990s?

4.Why have young women been the single most influential group of consumers in recent years, and why is this considered a problem?

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5.Do Japanese people think there is a solution to this problem? And if so, what is it?

5. Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1. What do you think will happen to Japanese consumer society in the future? 2. What is the most interesting piece of information you have learned about

consumerism in Japan?

3. Which of the other three programmes you most like to listen to? Why?

7. Use the collocations from Exercise to complete these sentences.

1. A ______ makes sure that consumers are treated fairly and that products are safe.

2. The ______ was followed by a severe downturn.

3. With so many models on the market, good _____ is essential.

4. We've all heard of the ______, but what does it mean? Well, it's one in which buying goods and services is considered to be very important.

8. In two groups read the information below. Plan your argument, then

have a debate.

Group A: You belong to a pressure group that wants people in your country to be less materialistic in the future. Think of some reasons why your country should be less of a consumer society in the coming years.

Group B: You know that there is a powerful pressure group that wants your country to be less materialistic. Think of some reasons why your society should be or should continue to be a consumer society in the future.

This special four-part series investigates consumer trends around the world. What can they tell us about the mindsets of different countries? We visit Germany, Botswana, India and Japan and find that what people buy defines, to an ever greater extent, who they are or who they would like to be. But what's driving our passion to consume? And does it increase our

fulfilment?

India In the first programme of this series looking at consumer issues around the globe, we focus on the gap between rich and poor, and how it could be bridged by the construction of new shopping malls, not only in cities, but also in the countryside. In addition, we explore the relationship between the country's new consumerism and its people's mental health.

Germany This programme examines consumerism as a political statement in the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Consumer products from the period before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 – and subsequent reunification with West Germany – are viewed with nostalgic appreciation, a phenomenon known as 'nostalgie'. Because life in the east of the country is now

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changing very quickly, there is a great appetite for products that evoke a more stable era.

Botswana This is the story of an emerging consumer society. Thanks to the discovery of diamonds in 1966 and a number of years of sound government, Botswana's economy is relatively healthy, creating a new breed of consumer. Yet credit and personal debt are major issues here. So who has responsibility for promoting sensible spending habits? Is it the job of schools, of the banks, or of religious organisations?

Japan In the last programme of this globe-trotting series, we look into the reasons why this advanced consumer nation is obsessed with brands. Why is this the only country in the world where people trust brands so much they will buy a car without taking it for a test drive? We also see the impact of consumerism on the shrinking birth rate and on the family.

Speaking, Reading and Listening: Financial Crisis 1. In groups, answer the following questions.

1)How much do you worry about: a) the money you have now?

b) getting a job / keeping your job?

c) having enough money when you retire?

2)Do you look carefully at what you spend?

3)How do you try to save money?

4)How do you think an economic recession affects: a) young people?

b) elderly people?

2.Read the article below, written in 2009 during the global financial crisis. Write an appropriate headline for it.

3.Read the article again and answer the following questions.

1.Who does the author say was to blame for the financial crisis?

2.What examples does the author give to show that we are not good at learning from past mistakes?

3.What evidence is there that mistakes are being forgotten?

4.Do you think the author is optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Give reasons for your answer.

4.A metaphor is a word or expression used in a non-literal way to represent something else. Find three metaphors in the text that involve parts of the body. What do they mean?

5.What other metaphors involving parts of the body can you think of?

Helen Tate asks whether we are capable of learning anything from the fallout of the financial crisis.

Even before the dust had settled on the wreckage of our financial institutions, the accusations were flying. Who was really to blame? Was it the

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arrogant and greedy investment bankers who were only too happy to take huge risks with loans and credit as long as they were taking home enormous bonuses? Was it the mortgage lenders, who were prepared to lend money to people far in excess of their creditworthiness? Were the politicians and regulators at fault for allowing debt to build up unchecked? Or were the homebuyers culpable for taking out loans they could never expect to repay? And let’s not forget the savers, who were content to take the returns on offer without asking why the rates were so high.

Of course, the truth is that all of the above contributed to the collapse and, unless we stop pointing the finger at each other and focus on the serious business of recognising our collective responsibility for our predicament, we will find ourselves repeating the same mistakes.

Let's face it, we are not good at learning lessons from past errors. The Great Depression of the 1930s was, like the current crisis, preceded by a housing boom, a long period of cheap credit and a stock market crash. There are also disturbing parallels between recent developments and the events in Japan in the 1990s.

But already there are worrying signs of our amnesia. Investment banks are falling back into old habits, hiring high-fliers on mind-boggling salaries and bonus incentives to the mantra of 'We need good people'. Meanwhile, governments are wavering in their commitment to impose the tough financial regulations that they were banging their fists about only months ago. It is as though we can only look backwards for so long. Then we shrug our shoulders and head unwittingly in the direction of the next crisis.

The solution is not to vent our anger at each other. Instead, we all need to pause – bankers, borrowers, lenders, savers, legislators and regulators – and acknowledge our collective failure. Then we must have the courage to take the necessary steps, whether political, corporate or personal, to prevent another cycle of boom and bust.

6. Listen to a banker talking about how he was made redundant during the financial crisis and answer the following questions:

1.How did he find out he was going to lose his job?

2.What problems does he mention about people losing their jobs?

3.Why was he lucky?

4.Does he change his mind about anything while he's talking?

5.How do you think he feels now about the whole experience?

7.Identify the features of natural spoken speech in this audio.

8.Do you share the viewpoint of the article that everyone was equally to blame for the financial crisis? If not, who was most to blame and why? Discuss your ideas in pairs.

Reading and Speaking: A Start-Up

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1. Read the situation and the description of the product. Then, in pairs, discuss the following:

1.What kind of companies do the investment firms finance?

2.How do the investment firms get a return on their money?

3.How does the MLSD save lives?

4.Do you think the MLSD is a marketable product? Give reasons for your answer.

Situation: Kenneth and Ingrid Carter own a company called Marine Instruments. They have recently developed a marine product, an alarm device which helps sailors to locate a member of their crew who has fallen overboard. They need finance to launch the product and to cover their initial marketing costs. They have contacted two investment firms who may be able to help them: Neptune Investments and Ariel Capital. Both firms provide capital and advice for start-up companies and in return expect to share in the profits of the company. This is usually in the form of a percentage stake (shareholding) in the company. Neptune and Ariel like to invest in companies run by enthusiastic, motivated people who have exciting products to develop.

Kenneth and Ingrid have arranged to meet Neptune Investments first. Neptune directors will question Kenneth and Ingrid about their product and if all goes well, will negotiate a deal with them.

Details of the marine product:

MLSD (marine life-saving device) helps to locate and search for the crew members who have fallen overboard from a boat or yacht. The device is attached to the clothing of crew members. If someone falls into the sea it automatically emits a signal which gives the exact location of the person who has gone overboard to someone on the boat. It also sends a signal to other boats in the area. As a result, crew members who fall into the water can be quickly recovered either by their own boat or other boats which are nearby.

2.If you were directors of one of the investment companies, what questions would you ask the inventors of the device? Make a list.

3.Kenneth and Ingrid meet directors from Neptune Investments. Listen to

4. Listen to Part 2 and answer the questions:

1.What financial terms do Kenneth and Ingrid offer Neptune?

2.Why do the two sides fail to make a deal?

Active Vocabulary. Unit 5

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