Tekhanova_V_Topics_for_discussion_Uch-met_pos
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5. Whites ... about 84 per cent of the population of the US. a) consist b) constitute c) create d) contribute
4.Completethesentences.
1.The District of Columbia is ... .
2.The USA abounds in ... .
3. ... is represented by the President.
4.The judicial power is vested in ... .
5.The USA is inhabited by ... .
6.The USA has become one of the most affluent nations in the world due to ... .
5.Say whether the following statements are true orfalse.
1.The USA is situated in South America.
2.The legislative power is concentrated in the Supreme
Court.
3.The executive power is represented by the President.
4.Blacks constitute about 1 per cent of the population.
5.The USA abounds in iron ore and non-ferrous metals.
6.The USA has a favourable geographic position.
6.Answerthefollowingquestions.
1.What countries does the USA border on?
2.What is the population of the USA?
3.Who does the legislative power belong to?
4.The judicial power is vested in the Congress, isn't it?
5.What are the two major political parties?
6.What is the USA rich in?
7.Is the District of Columbia a separate state?
7.Getreadyto discuss the following.
The USA is often called 'the melting pot', 'the salad bowl' and 'the pizza'. How do you understand the meaning of these metaphors?
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Text В
ReadTextВusingthedictionaryanddothefollowingtasks.
1.Thinkofthetitletothetext. _
2.Makeup 5-6questionsofdifferenttypes.
3.Giveashortsummaryofthetext.
The United States of America was originally peopled by Indians and was opened to European colonization by the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The United States has often been called a nation of immigrants. There are two good reasons for it.
First, the country was settled, built and developed by generations of immigrants and their children. Secondly, even today America continues to take in more immigrants than any other country in the world. Many different cultural traditions, ethnic sympathies, national origins, racial groups and religious affiliations make up "the nation".
Among the Americans there are many who (or whose ancestors) originally came from Africa, Ireland, Germany and so on. But in fact, 94 per cent of all Americans today were born in the United States.
The USA is one of the few countries that has no "official" national language or languages. English is the common language by use, but it is not the national language by law. About 30 million Americans speak a language other than English at home.
UNIT 9
AMERICAN ECONOMY
PRE-READING ACTIVITIES
1.Practisethepronunciationofthefollowingwords.
majority [ma'dpnti], private ['praraat], engage [m'geicfc], consequence ['kDnsikwans], vehicle ['vr.ikal], reign [rein], safeguard ['seifga:d].
2.Memorizethewords.
1.majority n — большинство
2.private а — личный, частный
3.own v — владеть
4.pursue v — преследовать
5.engage v — нанимать, занимать
6.prosperous а — процветающий
7.abundant а — обильный
8.profitable а — выгодный
9.sufficient а — достаточный
10.consequence n — следствие, результат
11.annual а — годовой, ежегодный
12.enable v — давать возможность
13.per year — в год
14.reign n — власть
15.safeguard у — охранять
16.pure а — чистый
17.drug n — лекарство
3.AnswerthefollowingquestionsbeforeyoureadTextA.
,1. What type of economy is the American economy?
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2.Does the country have enough natural resources to support the economy?
3.Can you name the factors that turned the USA into a leading and prosperous state?
Text A
Read TextA andfulfillthe tasks which follow.
The American Economy
The USA is one of the largest industrial nations in the world. The United States economy is based on a free enterprise system: individuals and companies are free to make their own economic decisions.
In spite of the fact that the great majority of productive forces are privately owned, the federal government plays an important part in the market place. It pursues the policy of laissez falre ("leave it alone"), allowing private interests to have free reign in operating business. At the same time it provides public goods and services, helps specific groups, checks the purity of products and drugs, controls the ecological situation, safeguards the market system, stabilizes the economy. So, the US economy is considered to be mixed.
About one-fifth of the labour force is engaged in manufacturing. The leading industries are engineering, chemical, oil processing, light and food industry. The USA is the world's leader in such branches as aerospace, biochemical and genetic engineering, communications, computer and information services. Today service industries make up the most important sector of the economy, employing almost three-fourths of the work force.
The USA exports machinery and transportation equipment, such as aircraft, computers, electric power equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, agricultural products, metals and paper.
The USA imports raw materials, automobiles, engines, office machines, telecommunication equipment, clothes, shoes, toys, petroleum, medicines.
Farming accounts for less than 2 per cent'of annual GDP and employs fewer than 3 per cent of US workers. Farmers not 46
only produce enough to meet domestic needs, they produce enough to enable the USA to export more farm products per year than any other nation in the world.
There were a number of factors that turned the USA into a leading and prosperous state. They are the following: a favourable geographic position, abundant natural resources, development of profitable branches of industry, free market system, implementation of new technologies, sufficient amount of labour force, mobility of the Americans, their spirit of enterprise, creativity and initiative. Also, the USA didn't suffer from the consequences of World War II.
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. |
profitable |
a. state |
2. |
sufficient |
b. engineering |
3. |
productive |
с interests |
4. |
prosperous |
d. place |
5. |
specific |
e. amount |
6. |
private |
f. decisions |
7. market |
g. branches |
|
8. |
domestic |
h. forces |
9. |
economic |
i. groups |
10. genetic |
j. needs |
|
2.FindinthetexttheEnglishequivalentsforthefollowingRussiancollocations.
1)система свободного предпринимательства; 2) находятся в частных руках; 3) проводит политику невмешательства; 4) предоставляя свободу в управлении фирмой; 5) считается смешанной экономикой; 6) занято в производстве; 7) чтобы удовлетворить внутренние потребности; 8) внедрение новых технологий; 9) дух предпринимательства; 10) прибыльные
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отрасли; 11) достаточное количество рабочей силы; 12) творчество и инициатива.
3.Choosethebestalternativetocompletethesentence.
1.Effective farming ... the USA to export more farm products per year than any other nation in the world.
a) creates b) engages c) enables d) deals
2. The USA is ... in natural resources.
a) abundant b) profitable c) lack d) prosperous
3. The federal government ... the market system, a) controls b) reigns c) owns d) safeguards
4. The US economy is based on a free ... system.
a) government b) enterprise c) property d) labour
5. The US government leads the policy allowing private interests to have free ... in operating business.
a) reign b) production c) market d) economy
4.Completethesentences.
1. A free enterprise system means ... .
2. ... plays an important part in the market place.
3.The most important sector of the economy ... .
4.Farmers produce enough to ... .
5.The US government leads the policy ... .
6.Service industries employ ... .
5.Saywhetherthefollowingstatementsaretrueorfalse.
1.The United States economy is a mixed economy.
2.The government plays an important part in the US economy.
3.Farming is the most important sector of the economy.
4.World War II brought great damage to the US economy.
5.About one-fifth of the labour force is engaged in agriculture.
6.Chemical industry employs almost three-fourths of the
work force.
• • |
• • |
- |
' |
• |
6.Answerthefollowingquestions.
1, What type of economy is the US economy? 2. What does the policy 'leave it alone' mean?
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3.What are the major industries in the American economy?
4.What does the USA export?
5.What does the USA import?
6.Name the main reasons why the USA has become a leading industrial nation in such a short period of time.
7.Getreadytodiscussthefollowing.
In spite of its overall strength the US economy has faced problems from time to time. What are these problems?
Text В
ReadTextВusingthedictionaryanddothefollowingtasks.
1.Thinkofthetitletothetext.
2. Make up 5-6 questions ofdifferenttypes. 3.Giveashortsummaryofthetext.
A century ago one-half of the labour force worked on farms; in the 1990s that figure was down to less than 3 per cent.
American agriculture is increasingly "agribusiness". Agribusiness refers to the entire complex of farm-related business, from an individual farmer to a multinational maker of farm chemicals. It includes farm cooperatives, rural banks, shippers of farm products, commodity dealers, firms that manufacture farm equipment, food-processing industries, grocery chains and many other businesses.
Earlier, many farms changed hands by being passed on from father to son. The high cost of capital investment in land and equipment now makes entry into farming very difficult for most individuals. In fact, the small family farm is no longer viable in the US. In the late 20th century, farms were increasingly being passed into the hands of corporations, ranging from small one-family business to giant conglomerates. About one-seventh of all farmland is owned by corporations, about two-thirds of which are family corporations.
Beef cattle rank as the most valuable product of American farms. Other leading farm products include milk, soybeans, chickens and eggs, hogs, wheat and cotton. American farms also produce large amounts of tobacco, oranges, potatoes, tomatoes and apples.
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UNIT 10
WHAT IS ECONOMICS?
PRE-READING ACTIVITIES
1.Practisethepronunciationofthefollowingwords.
economics [,i:k3'immiks], economy [I'krnismi], economist [I'konamist], science ['saigns], essential [i'senf(a)l], mechanism ['mekanizm], through [0ru:], structure ['stnvktfa], so iet [sa'saiati], issue ['isju:, 'ifu:], scarcity ['skeasiti], discipline ['disiplm].
2.Memorizethewords.
1.household n — (домашнее) хозяйство, семья
2.consider v — полагать, считать
3.outline v — обрисовать
4.shelter n — кров, укрытие
5.essential a — существенный, необходимый
6.desire n — желание
7.society n — общество
8.considerably adv — значительно
9.similar a — похожий
10.issue n — вопрос, выпуск
11.demand n — спрос, потребность
12.distribution n — распределение
13.consumption n — потребление
14.scarcity n — нехватка, недостаток
15.deal v (dealt, dealt) — иметь дело
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•
3.Answerthe following questions before you read TextA.
1.Do "economics" and "economy" mean the same?
2.What famous economists can you name?
3.Where do economists work?
Text A
Read TextA andfulfill the tasks which follow.
What is Economics?
The word 'economics' comes from the Greek word 'oikonomica' that means household management.
Economics was first defined by Alfred Marshall, one of the greatest Victorian economists, as the study of mankind in the everyday business of life. Adam Smith is considered to be the founder of modern economics because he was the first to outline a free market economy.
Economics is a science. This science is based upon the facts of our everyday lives. We need food, clothes and shelter. If people could get food, clothes and shelter without working, they wouldn't probably work. But we can't be satisfied with only these essential things, we may want other things like books, radios, TV sets, telephones, etc. So the science of economics is not only concerned with basic needs, it is concerned with all our material needs and wants.
Economics is the study of economies. The economy is the mechanism through which the use of labour, land, structures, vehicles, equipment and natural resources is organized to satisfy the desires of those who live in a society. The rules, institutions and traditions used to coordinate economic activity differ considerably among nations, but all societies must deal with similar economic issues.
The discipline of economics is concerned with the use of available productive resources in a society to satisfy what often are conflicting — desires and demands. It deals, among other things, with production, distribution, consumption and scarcity.
--•-. •••.- i . • . . . - .
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POST-READING ACTIVITIES
1.Matchthewordsonthelefttothoseontheright.Make 10wordpartnershipsandtranslatethemintoRussian.
1. |
essential |
a. management |
2. |
similar |
b. economy |
3. |
available |
c. resources |
4. |
market |
d. lives |
5. |
household |
e. economics |
6. |
economic |
f. things |
7. |
basic |
g. wants |
8. |
everyday |
h. needs |
9. |
modern |
i. activity |
10. material |
j. issues |
|
2.FindinthetexttheEnglishequivalentsforthefollowingRussiancollocations.
1) происходит от греческого слова; 2) означает управление домашним хозяйством; 3) изучение человечества в повседневной жизни; 4) основоположник современной экономики; 5) мы не можем быть удовлетворены только этими самыми необходимыми вещами; 6) механизм, посредством которого; 7) сильно различаются; 8) все общества должны решать одинаковые экономические вопросы; 9) имеющиеся в наличии производственные ресурсы; 10) удовлетворять желания и потребности
3.Choosethebestalternativetocompletethesentence.
1.Economics deals with the use of available productive resources in a ... .
a) region |
b) society |
c) district |
d) market |
2. Desires and ... are often conflicting. |
|||
a) skills |
b) demands |
c) wants |
d) wishes |
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