ГМУ учебник по английскому

-Oh, yes. I’m sure they are somewhere here. Just a second, please.

-Miss Benton, is it difficult to keep your desk clean?

-I’m sure I took the reports out of the drawer (выдвижной ящик) and put them in my briefcase (ручной чемоданчик) yesterday.

-Maybe you should check whether they are still in your briefcase!

-Oh, no. It’s empty! I must have thrown all that stuff in the wastepaper basket (корзина для мусора). Exactly. Here you are, Mr. Brown.

-Thank you. But I’ll have to ask you to rewrite them on the computer and print them once more, please.

-Of course, Mr. Brown.

-Now, have we got any meetings arranged for today?

-There is one at 2.15. There is also a conference at half past three. And don’t forget about your meeting with Mr. Grant for lunch.

-OK. Put all the details of the plan for today on the noticeboard (доска объявлений), please. Here are the letters that should be answered today. Please, send this fax, too. If anyone calls, I’ll be in my office.

-Of course, Mr. Brown. Thank you.

Useful expressions

Are there any letters or faxes for me? – Есть какие-либо письма или факсы для меня?

Could you give me the reports that Mr. Andrews left yesterday? – Вы можете мне дать отчёты, которые вчера оставил мистер Эндрюс?

Have we got any meetings arranged for today? – У нас назначены какие-либо встречи на сегодня?

Here are the letters that should be answered today. – Вот письма, на которые следует сегодня ответить.

Put all the details of the plan for today on the noticeboard, please. –

Пожалуйста, повесьте все детали сегодняшнего плана на доске объявлений.

Were there any phone calls while I was out? – Были какие-либо телефонные звонки в моё отсутствие?

Learn these expressions by heart and make your own dialogue as in the example.

Reading III. 1. Read the story.

A Transaction

Mr. Boggis was dealing in antique furniture1 and had his own shop. When customers came to his shop he showed them round it so that they could see the whole range of his goods.

Mr. Boggis was a talented salesman: he could buy furniture at a very low price and sell it at a price several times higher. He bought furniture from people in the country who didn’t know the value2 of antique furniture.

One Sunday Mr. Boggis was delighted3 to find a very old commode by a

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famous carpenter4. There were only four commodes of this kind. Other salesman had sold the three commodes at an extremely high price, and that was the fourth.

It was a nice piece of furniture with beautiful legs.

Mr. Boggis wanted to buy the commode but he did not want to show Mr. Rummond who had the commode that it was great value.

Mr. Boggis said:

“Well, the commode doesn’t look beautiful. I can’t compare it with the others that I already have. Besides, it’s not the original, it’s a copy of a commode by a well-known carpenter. I’ve just remembered that I could use its legs for some other furniture, but I can’t buy the whole commode just for the legs.”

“How much could you give for the commode if you are interested in the legs?” asked Mr. Rummond.

“Shall we say 20 pounds? That will be quite reasonable5.” “Make it 35.”

“I can’t offer you a higher price, this is my final offer!”

“I’ll take it,” Rummond said. “It’s yours. How are you going to take it?” “In my car. I’ve left it not far from here.”

Mr. Boggis walked to his car to get it nearer the door. He was smiling to himself. The commode was his for 20 pounds and he could get 15 or 20 thousand pounds for it later.

In the house Mr. Rummond discussed the transaction with his so Bert. “You did it very well,” Bert said, “Do you think he will pay you?” “We shan’t put it into the car till he pays us the money.”

“The commode is very big and what if it doesn’t go in the car? He’ll go away and you’ll never see him or his money again. Besides, he didn’t like it very much.”

“I can’t say he did.”

“Listen to me, father. I’ve got an idea. He told us that he wanted only the legs. Right? So all we’ve got to do is to cut them of right now before he comes back. Then the commode will go in his car. Besides, he won’t have to cut them off at home himself.”

“It’s not a bad idea,” Rummond said.

After they had cut off the legs Rummond thought that the commode was still big for Mr. Boggis’s car and he was afraid Mr. Boggis would not take it. So he decided to cut the commode itself into several pieces. It was very difficult to do it and Rummond said, “That was a very good carpenter who did the job.”

“We are just in time,” Bert said, “Here he comes.”

(After R. Dahl)

Notes:

1.antique furniture - антикварная мебель.

2.value – цена, стоимость, ценность.

3.to be delighted – быть довольным, восхищаться.

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4.carpenter – плотник.

2.Say what you have learned from the story about:

1.Mr Boggis’s business;

2.his transaction with Mr Rummond.

3. Think and answer:

1.Why did Mr Boggis look for antique furniture in the country and not in the city?

2.Why did Mr Rummond agree to sell his commode at a very low price?

3.Will Mr Boggis take the commode after Mr Rummond cut it into several pieces? Why do you think so?

¨Grammar snack: Supply the correct tense forms.

A POLITE1 COMPUTER

Computers can solve difficult problems. One day a famous general was given a computer which (be) ____ able to answer complicated questions on war problems. The War Office also (send) ____ an expert to fix the computer. The general (think) ____ hard over an important military2 problem for a long time and the computer (bring) ____ at the right moment to help the general. It (take)

____ the general ten minutes to set the problem. “The enemy just (open) ____

fire from the south.” The general wanted to know what the results (be) ____ if he (attack) ____ the enemy or if he (remove) ____ his army. The computer (start) ____ (work) ____ at once. While the computer (operate) ____ by the expert, the general (watch) ____ the screen (flash3) ____. At last the answer (received) _____ “Yes”. The general’s face (grow) ____ dark red. He shouted at the top of his voice: “Yes, what?” The computer (get)____ down to work again. “Yes, sir!”. It (be)___ half an hour later when the next answer (come) ____. “Yes? Sir!”

Notes:

1.polite – вежливый.

2.military – военный.

3.to flash – светиться.

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2.Не подводите клиента, держите слово и выполняйте свои обязательства в срок.

3.Не «кормите» клиента пустыми обещаниями. Его интересует не то, что вы сможете предложить когда-то в будущем, а конкретные нынешние услуги.

4.Успех предприятия в целом зависит от работы его отдельных подразделений. Чаще всего неудача кроется не в плохой работе отдельных сотрудников, а в плохой организации дела.

5.Научите персонал своевременно и без лишних эмоций исправлять

ошибки.

6.Старайтесь удивить клиента, постоянно совершенствуя сервис.

7.Честность и качество обслуживания – это единое целое, по которому клиент судит о солидности фирмы. Качество зависит от профессионализма и преданности фирме ее сотрудников.

8.Успех фирмы – в создании дружной квалифицированной команды,

апоэтому на руководящие посты необходимо воспитывать и назначать умных людей. Не жалейте денег на их образование.

9.Если вы руководитель, чаще прислушивайтесь к предложениям сотрудников, видящих производственный процесс изнутри.

10.Сотрудники всегда должны помогать друг другу. Это показатель слаженности команды!

Lesson 4. Money

“Money talks they say. All ever said to me was ‘Goodbye’.”

Gary Grant (1904-1986), American film star

& Useful vocabulary

1.exactly - точно: They were doing exactly the opposite to what I had told them.

2.approximately – приблизительно: The plane will be landing in approximately 15 minutes.

3.change – менять, сдача, мелкие деньги: If it cost 25 pence and you gave her a pound you should get 75 pence change.

4.bill – счет: Have you paid the phone bill yet?

5.receipt – чек: Ask the shop for a receipt when you pay the bill.

6.beggar – нищий: He’s a cheerful little beggar!

7.charity – благотворительность: She gave the old woman some shoes because of charity.

8.to divide – делить, разделять: Divide this line into 20 equal parts.

9.equal – равный, одинаковый: “x = y” means that x equals y.

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10. to avoid – избегать, уклоняться: To avoid the city centre, turn right

here.

11.amount – количество, сумма: Large amounts of money were spent on the bridge.

12.tax – налог: The government plans to increase taxes by five per cent over the next year.

13.decline – упадок, ухудшение: Do you think standards of morality have declined in recent years?

14.gain – увеличение, прирост, заработок: The car gained speed as it went down the hill.

15.drop – падение, снижение (внезапное): The price of oil has dropped to $12 a barrel.

16.increase – рост, увеличение, возрастание: They have increased the price of petrol by almost 20 %.

17.to rocket – взлетать, резко возрастать: The price of sugar has suddenly rocketed.

18.to plummet – внезапно и быстро падать в цене или количестве:

Prices have plummeted.

19.to double – удваиваться: I paid only £2 for this old book and a dealer offered me double for it.

20.to fall (fell, fallen) – спадать, понижаться: The temperature fell four

degrees.

21.to halve – сокращать наполовину: By introducing robots we have halved the time it takes to operate the car.

22.to level off – прекратить рост: “Level off” means to stop climbing or growing and become steady or continue at a fixed level.

23.triple – тройной, утроенный: The firm tripled its profits last year.

24.to recover – получать обратно, обретать снова: The company hopes to recover the cost of developing this product within about two years.

25.decrease – уменьшение, понижение, убавление: Our sales are decreasing.

26.to fluctuate – колебаться, быть неустойчивым, волновать(ся): The price of vegetables fluctuates according to he weather.

27.to improve – улучшать, усовершенствовать: I want to improve my

English.

28.peak – высшая точка, максимум: Demand of coal is at its peak in January and February.

29.to rise (rose, risen) – увеличиваться, возрастать, повышаться: The rise of computer technology has transformed industry.

30.precious – драгоценный: My time is precious; I can only give you a few minutes.

31.currency – денежное обращение, деньги, валюта: The British teachers in China were paid in local currency.

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32.property – собственность: The city is growing and property in the centre is becoming more expensive.

33.real estate – недвижимость: He sells real estate.

34.interest – процент, rate of ~ процентная ставка: Bank interest rates are going to rise this month.

35.venture – рискованное предприятие, опасная затея, спекуляция:

Now is not the time to venture on such an ambitious project.

36.profit – прибыль, выгода: We sold our house at a profit.

37.huge – огромный: “Huge ” means “extremely large”.

38.boom – бум, сенсация: There’s been a boom in exports this year.

39.collapse – падение, крушение, гибель: The company collapsed in its first year of trading.

40.unfortunately – к сожалению: We were going to have a picnic but unfortunately it rained all day.

41.confidence – доверие, уверенность: After another poor performance, the company’s management has now lost the confidence of its shareholders.

42.to reach – получать, достигать: She’s reached the age of 50.

43.to burst (burst, burst) – лопаться, разрываться: You’ll burst if you eat any more of that cake.

44.explosion – взрыв, вспышка: How can we account for the recent population explosion?

45.salary – жалованье, оклад: He is on a very good salary now. Starting up: 1. Do the quiz individually. Then compare answers with a

partner.

1.How much cash do you have with you at the moment? Do you: a) know exactly? b) know approximately? c) not know at all?

2.Do you normally check: a) your change? b) your bank statements and credit card bills? c) restaurant bills? d) your receipts when shopping? e) prices in several shops before you buy something?

3.Do you: a) give money to beggars? b) give money to charities? c) give away used items, such as clothing?

4.If you go for a meal with someone you don't know well, do you: a) offer to pay the whole bill? b) suggest dividing the bill into equal parts? c) offer to pay the whole bill but expect them to pay next time? d) try to avoid paying anything?

5.What do you think about people who do not pay correct amount of tax? Is this: a) a serious crime? b) morally wrong but not a crime? c) excellent business practice?

6.If you lend a colleague a small amount of money and they forget to pay it back, do you: a) say nothing b) remind them that they owe you money?

c)arrange to go for a drink with them and say you've forgotten your wallet or purse?

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Write one more question to add to the quiz above. Ask a partner to answer

it.

Discuss your answers to the quiz. What do they say about your attitude to money? What do they say about your culture?

Discussion: 1. What kind of movement do the verbs below describe? Match them to the symbols. Then compare your answers with a partner. (Use some symbols more than once.)

2.Peter Bingham, President of a clothing company, is in a meeting with his Sales Director John Amidon, and his Financial Director, Kate Simmons. Complete their conversation with appropriate forms of the verbs in brackets. Sometimes more than one tense is possible.

Peter: I'm glad you decided to make it today. I'd like to start by taking a look at the year's sales and profit figures. First of all John, could you summarise the sales figures?

John: Well, we had a good January- 5.2 million. January's a difficult month because sales always_____1 (drop) after Christmas. In February we started the new children's line and it went very well. Total sales_____2 (rise) to almost 8 million, which was nice. Unfortunately they then_____3 (plummet) after the fire in the main factory. But by the end of April we_____4 (recover) - 10.2 million was the figure - and since then sales_____5 (go up) progressively month by month. The December figures aren't in yet, but it looks like we____6 (probably reach) 15 million this month.

Peter: Good. I've got a couple of questions, but I'll save them for later. Kate, sales have increased, but has that meant higher profits?

Kate: Yes, it has. We're waiting for the final figures, but we already know that generally, in the first three quarters of the year, profits_____7(rise) by 15% compared to last year, from 960,000 to 1.1 million. In fact since April, profits_____8 (increase) every single month and they_____9 (still go up).

Peter: What about next year?

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Kate: Well, as you know, next year we're going to centralise distribution, so costs____10 (decrease). Even if sales_____11 (level off), profits______12 (improve).

Make your own dialogue about talking prices.

Reading I. 1. In your opinion, which of the following give the best return on your money? Which are very risky? Which are less risky?

venture

2.Work in three groups. Each group reads a different text: either The South Sea Bubble or Tulipomania or The Wall Street Crash. Make notes on the key points.

The South Sea Bubble1

The South Sea Bubble is the name given to a speculation in 1720 and associated with the South Sea Company in London. People bought shares in the company expecting to make a huge profit, but the boom in shares collapsed and many investors lost all money.

The South Sea Company was founded in 1711 to trade with Spanish America The company's stock offered a guaranteed interest of 6% and it sold well. Unfortunately, however, Spain allowed the company to send only one ship a year to trade in the area.

The first voyage in 1717 was a success. Then King George I became governor of the company in 1719. This created confidence in the business, and soon it was paying 100% interest.

In 1720, there was a boom in the South Sea Company's shares because it agreed to take over the country's national debt. It expected to get back its money by increased trade and a rise in the value of its shares.

The shares did, in fact, rise dramatically. The stock of the company, which had been around £128 in January 1720, reached £1,000 in August. However, by September the market had collapsed, and the price fell back to £124. Finally, with the support of the Government, the shares levelled off at around £140.

The South Sea Bubble had burst and it led to an economic depression in the country.

Note:

1. bubble – пузырь.

Tulipomania

The first modern stock market appeared in Amsterdam at the beginning of the 17th century. In Holland in the 1630s, there was one of the first and most

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extraordinary speculative explosions in history. It was not in stocks and shares, in real estate or in fine paintings, as you might expect, but in tulip bulbs1. It has become known by the name Tulipomania.

People from all classes invested in the bulbs. Many sold their property so that they could pay for the bulbs they had bought in the tulip market. Foreigners joined in the rush2 to buy the flowers and money poured3 into Holland from other countries.

In 1637, the boom in the market ended. No one knows why, but people began to sell. Soon there was a panic among investors and the tulip market collapsed. Many people who had offered their property as security for credit went bankrupt. People who had agreed to buy tulips at inflated prices were unable to pay their debts. When sellers took legal action to recover their money, the courts4 were not helpful because they saw such investment as a kind of gambling5.

It is not surprising that the collapse in prices led to a strict economic depression in Holland.

Notes:

1.tulip bulbs - луковицы тюльпанов.

2.rush – наплыв, спешка.

3.to pour – течь, литься.

4.court – суд.

5.gambling – спекуляция, мошенничество.

The Wall Street Crash

The stock market crash in the United States in 1929 was huge and it led to a severe2 and lasting economic crisis in the world. Many bankers and industrialists lost their money and reputations. Some went to prison3 and others committed suicide.

Share prices on the New York stock exchange had begun rising in 1924, and in 1928 and 1929 they rocketed to unbelievable levels. In spring 1929 there was a break in the rising prices when the Federal Reserve Bank said it might raise interest rates to slow down the boom. However, a major bank, the National City Bank, assured investors that it would continue to lend4 money to them at reasonable5 rates.

Soon the market took off again. People could buy stock for 10% of its value and borrow6 the remaining 90%. The lending rate varied from 7% to 12%. Almost everyone was optimistic. One economist, at the peak of the boom, said that people generally agreed «stocks are not at present overvalued».

It all ended on 21 October, 1929. The market opened badly and there was heavy selling. Confidence in the market disappeared. There was a story that the big bankers were getting out of the market. Share prices fell dramatically and kept on falling. The boom was over. But its cost would last for years to come.

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