Unit 11. My Major. Accounting Pre-reading activities

1. Practise the pronunciation of the following words.

external [Ik'st3:nl], assess [q'ses], financial [faI'n1nS(F)l], liabilities ["laIq'bIlItiz], revenue ['revqnju:], auditing ['O:dIting]

2. Memorize the words.

1. accountant n – бухгалтер

2. experience n – опыт

3. record v – записывать, регистрировать

4. event n – событие, значительный факт

5. value n – ценность, стоимость

6. assess v – оценивать

7. involve v – вовлекать

8. equity n – собственный капитал

9. owner n – владелец

10. balance sheet – балансовый отчет

11. income statement – отчет о прибылях и убытках

12. cash flow – движение денежной наличности

13. net worth – стоимость имущества за вычетом обязательств, собственный капитал предприятия

14. assets n – активы

15. liabilities n – пассивы

16. revenue n – доход, выручка

17. expenses n – расходы, затраты

18. tax n – налог

19. transaction n – сделка, операция

20. profit n – прибыль

3. Answer the following questions before you read Text A.

1. You decided to work in the field of accounting. What determined your choice?

2. Where do accountants work?

3. What qualities must a good accountant possess?

Read Text a and fulfill the tasks which follow. Text a Accounting

Accounting is the process of recording, classifying and summarizing economic events in a logical manner. Accounting is often called the language of business. Information provided by accountants is of great value for managers. It helps them organize the operation of their business in the most effective way. With the help of this information managers can assess the financial status of the organization and make plans for the future. The major fields of accounting include financial accounting, tax accounting, auditing and management consulting services.

The accounting process follows accounting principles and rules. Regardless of the type of business or the amount of money involved, common procedures for handling and presenting financial information are used. Incoming money (revenues) and outgoing money (expenditures) are carefully monitored and transactions are summarized in financial statements, which reflect the major financial activities of an organization.

Two primary financial statements are the balance sheet and income statement. The balance sheet lists all the assets, liabilities and owner’s equity of an entity at one point in time, usually the end of a month or a year. The income statement presents a summary of the revenues and expenses of an entity for a specific period of time, such as a month or a year.

People who specialize in the field of accounting are known as accountants. The work of an accountant involves recording financial transactions and keeping other financials records, preparing financial reports. Most accountants work for business companies, government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

Post-reading activities

1. Match the words on the left to those on the right. Make 10 word partnerships and translate them into Russian.

1. financial a. principles

2. balance b. manner

3. consulting c. statement

4. income d. events

5. business e. services

6. economic f. organizations

7. logical g. sheet

8. accounting h. transactions

9. government i. companies

10. nonprofit j. agencies

2. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following Russian collocations.

1. представляет большую ценность для руководителей; 2. организовать работу наиболее эффективно; 3. оценить финансовое состояние организации; 4. независимо от типа фирмы или количества оборотных денег; 5. доходы и расходы тщательно контролируются; 6. основная финансовая деятельность; 7. за определенный период времени; 8. запись финансовых сделок; 9. составление финансовых отчетов; 10. некоммерческие организации.

3. Choose the best alternative to complete the sentence.

1. Information provided by accountants helps managers … the financial status of the organization.

a) create b) own c) assess d) record

2. The balance sheet presents all the assets, … and owner’s equity.

a) incomes b) profits c) taxes d) liabilities

3. Accountants are involved in recording financial ….

a) transactions b) issues c) assets d) liabilities

4. Incoming money is known as ….

a) expenses b) revenues c) profits d) transactions

5. Outgoing money is known as ….

a) taxes b) revenues c) expenditures d) incomes

4. Complete the sentences.

1. Accounting is the process of …

2. The major fields of accounting include …

3. … are summarized in financial statements.

4. Two common financial statements are …

5. The balance sheet shows…

6. The income statement presents…

7. Accountants are busy with…

5. Say whether the following statements are true or false.

1. Information provided by accountants helps managers organize their business effectively.

2. The balance sheet shows the financial performance of a company over a specific period of time.

3. The income statement shows the financial position of a company at one point in time.

4. Without information provided by accountants managers can’t make plans for the future.

5. Different businesses use different procedures for handling financial information depending on the type of business and the amount of money involved.

6. The major fields of accounting are controlling and staffing.

6. Answer the following questions.

1. What is accounting?

2. Why is accounting called the language of business?

3. How does the information provided by accountants help managers?

4. What are the main functions of an accountant?

5. Where do accountants work?

6. What are the major fields of accounting?

7. Get ready to discuss the following.

Accounting is often called ‘the language of business’. How do you understand this?

Read Text B using the dictionary and do the following tasks.

1. Think of the title to the text.

2. Make up 5-6 questions of different types.

3. Give a short summary of the text.

Text B

The independent auditor examines a client’s financial statements for the purpose of determining their fairness. His opinion as to the fairness with which the statements present the financial position, the results of operations, and changes in financial position is based on the results of various audit procedures.

Audit procedures are specific acts performed during the auditor’s examination to test the reliability of various types of evidence and thus determine the reasonableness of the statement presentations.

In determining appropriate audit procedures, the auditor should keep the following objectives in mind:

1. To obtain information about the client’s background.

2. To study and evaluate the client’s system of internal control.

3. To determine the genuineness of the transactions underlying account balances.

4. To ascertain that account balances are fairly stated and properly classified on the financial statements.

5. To ascertain that the financial statements are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

6. To detect major fraud or other irregularities, although the examination is not necessarily designed to achieve this objective.

Unit 12. My Major. Marketing

Pre-reading activities