II. Задания к тексту а

1.Согласны ли вы со следующими утверждениями?

1. The economy of Great Britain is among the less developed countries in growth rates and compe­titiveness.

2. The United Kingdom has a developed mixed private- and public enterprise economy.

3. The state sector increased considerably during the 1980s and 1990s.

4. A gradual reduction in the level of direct personal taxation is one of the actual policies of the British government.

5. Small companies predominate in the economy of the UK.

6. Agriculture accounts for "more than 50 per cent of the GNP.

7. The United Kingdom's coal industry remains one of the largest and most technologically advanced in Europe.

2. Переведите на английский язык:

1. Государственный сектор был уменьшен в течение 1980-х и 1990-х вследствие политики приватизации или денационализации корпораций, находящихся в общественной собственности.

2. Имелось также улучшение уровня жизни.

3. Безработица и рост инфляции были постепенно уменьшены, но оставались высокими.

4. В настоящее время правительственная политика включают в себя контроль и частое регулирование процентных ставок, постепенное сокращение уровня прямого персонального налогообложения; сокращение уров­ней власти и влияния национальных профсоюзов, поддержку более широкого владения собственными домами и акциями в компаниях у отдельных лиц.

III. Страноведческое чтение. «Как работают британцы»

Прочтите текст В и ответьте на вопросы:

1. What has “anti-work” outlook among the working class led to?

2. What are the ways on which the connection between class distinctions and types of work lives?

3. What is the reason why the working day starts rather late?

4. What are three main ways in which people look for work in Britain?

5. Describe the differences in employment for men and women.

Text b. Earning money

The one thing the English will never forgive the Germans for is working too hard. This statement was written by a Hungarian humorist who emigrated to Britain in 1938. He wrote it in the 1960s, when the German economy was rapidly overtaking Britain's. Living standards in Britain have risen steadily since then, but not as fast, perhaps, as they have in other EU countries. Britain used to be one of the wealthiest countries in Europe. These days it is often, by most standards of measurement, poorer than the EU average. (In fact, in 1992 it was even poor enough to qualify for special EU funding for poorer member states, though national pride prevented it from applying).

The statement above is, of course, not literally true. However, it does reflect a certain lack of enthusiasm for work in general. At the upper end of the social scale this attitude to work exists because leisure has always been the main outward sign of aristocracy. And because of Britain's class system, it has had its effects throughout society. If you have to work, then the less it looks like work the better. Traditionally therefore, a major sign of being middle class (as opposed to working class) has been that you do non-manual work. The fact that skilled manual (or 'blue-collar') workers have been paid more highly than the lower grades of white-collar (i.e. non-manual) worker for several decades has only slightly changed this social perception. This 'anti-work' outlook among the working class has led to a relative lack of ambition or enthusiasm and a belief that high earnings are more important than job satisfaction.

These attitudes are slowly changing. For example, at least half of the workforce now does non-manual work, and yet a majority describe themselves as working class (see chapter 4). It would therefore seem that the connection between being middle class and doing non-manual work is growing weaker. Nevertheless, the connection between class distinctions and types of work lives on in a number of ways. One illustration of this is the different way in which earnings are conventionally expressed and paid. Another is the fact that certain organizations of professional workers, such as the National Union of Teachers (NUT), have never belonged to the Trades Union Congress. The connection can also be seen if we look at those people who hold the most important jobs in the country.

Perhaps the traditional lack of enthusiasm for work is the reason why the working day, in comparison with most European countries, starts rather late (usually at eight o'clock for manual workers and around nine for non-manual workers). However, measured by the number of hours worked in a week, the British reputation for not working hard enough appears to be false. The normal lunch break is an hour or less, and most people (unless they work part-time) continue working until five or later. Many people often work several hours overtime a week. In addition, a comparatively large proportion of British people stay in the workforce for a comparatively large part of their lives. The normal retiring age for most people is sixty-five (sixty for some, including a greater proportion of women).

There are three main ways in which people look for work in Britain: through newspapers (national ones for the highest-qualified, otherwise local ones), through the local job centre (which is run as a government service) and through privately-run employment agencies (which take a commission from employers). The overall trend in employment over the last quarter of the twentieth century has been basically the same as elsewhere in the western Europe. The level of unemployment has gradually risen and most new job opportunities are in the service sector (in communications, health care and social care, for example).

This situation has led to an interesting irony with regard to the two sexes. The decline of heavy industry means fewer jobs in stereotypical 'men's work', while the rise in service occupations means an increase in vacancies for stereotypical 'women's work'. In 1 970 around 65% of all those in work in Britain were men. In 1993 men made up only 51 % of the workforce. When the law against sex discrimination in employment was passed in 1975 it was intended mainly to protect women. However, in 1994 nearly half of the complaints received by the Equal Opportunities Commission (which helps to enforce the law) came from men. In that year there were two-and-a-half times as many unemployed men as there were unemployed women. Many men now seek employment as nurses, child carers, shop assistants, secretaries and other kinds of office worker. But they often find that, for no justifiable reason, they are riot hired. It seems that these jobs are still considered to be more suitable for women. One of the reasons for this may be the low rates of pay in these areas of work. Although it is illegal for women to be paid less than men for the same job, in 1993 the average full-time male employee earned about 50% more than the average full-time female worker.