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I. Answer the following questions:

1. What does an economist mean by “want”? Is there a difference between “need” and “want”?

2. What is a scale of preferences?

3. What is the basis of a scale of preferences?

4. What is utility?

5. What is the purpose of economy according to the concept of utility?

6. What are the differences between marginal and total utility?

7. How do you choose “your” supply of goods and services?

8. What are producer goods?

9. What are tangible goods?

10. What are the factors of production?

II. Match the terms with their definitions:

1. Utility

A. goods that satisfy personal need rather than those required for the production of other goods

2. Consumer goods

B. total satisfaction derived from the possession of a commodity

3. Wants

C. the ability to satisfy wants

4. Total utility

D. the utility of one unit of a commodity

5. Marginal utility

E. the basic needs of people

III. Translate the words and word combinations:

Потребительская корзина, удовлетворять потребности, средства, поучать, иерархия потребностей, предельная полезность, общая полезность, уменьшающаяся предельная полезность.

IV. Are the following statements true or false? Correct the false ones:

1. If total utility reaches a maximum, a further supply is a positive nuisance.

2. A drilling machine, or an assembly line in a factory are examples of tangible items.

3. Total utility rises while marginal utility always falls.

4. Consumers base their choice of a supply of goods on the total utility they can obtain.

5. Utility is a subjective concept.

V. Render in the text English:

В экономической теории под полезностью понимается удовлетворение, получаемое потребителем от товаров и услуг, которые он покупает. Представление потребителя о полезности того или иного товара определяет его положение на индивидуальной шкале предпочтений. Поскольку ни один потребитель не может себе позволить все, что ему хочется, то он оказывается перед лицом выбора благ, которые он может позволить себе приобрести. Так выстраивается индивидуальная иерархия потребностей.

Совокупная полезность – это полное удовлетворение, которое мы получаем от обладания товаром. Предельная полезность представляет собой прирост совокупной полезности в результате потребления дополнительной единицы данного блага. Как правило, предельная полезность является убывающей, что означает, что предельная полезность тем меньше, чем большим количеством блага потребитель уже обладает.

VI. Give a summary of the text. Market

A market is where buyers and sellers transact business for the exchange of particular goods and services and where the prices for these goods and services tend toward equality. In order for a market to “clear” or function properly, the quantity of goods and services demanded and supplied must be equal at some given price. At any particular point in time, markets can be in “equilibrium” or “disequilibrium” depending on whether or not aggregate supply equals aggregate demand at the prevailing price. Markets may differ in scope and do not necessarily require buyers and sellers to meet or communicate directly with each other. Business may be transacted through the use of intermediaries as well.

There are two fundamental dimensions of market definition: (i) the product market, where products group together, and (ii) the geographic market, where geographic areas group together. Market definition takes into account both the demand and supply considerations. On the demand side, products must be substitutable from the buyer’s point of view. On the supply side, sellers must be included who produce or could easily switch production to the relevant product or close substitutes. Market definition generally includes actual and potential sellers, that is, firms that can rapidly alter their production processes to supply substitute products if the price so warrants. The rationale for this is that these firms will trend to dampen or curb the ability of firms in the market to raise price above the competitive level.

The location of buyers and sellers will determine whether the geographic market is local, regional, national or international. The exchange of goods and services in the world, or global, market is known as international trade. There are three main benefits to be gained from this type of exchange.

First, international trade makes scarce goods available to nations that need or desire them. When a nation lacks the resources needed to produce goods domestically, it may import them from another country. For example, Saudi Arabia imports automobiles; the United States – bananas; and Japan – oil.

Second, international trade allows a nation to specialize in the production of those goods for which it is particularly suited. This often results in increased output, decreased costs and a higher national standard of living. Natural, human and technical resources help determine which products a nation will specialize in. Saudi Arabia is able to specialize in petroleum because it has the necessary natural resource; Japan is able to specialize in the production of televisions because it has the human resources required to assemble the numerous components by hand; and the United States is able to specialize in the computer industry because it has the technical expertise necessary for design and production.

There are two economic principles that help explain how and when specialization is advantageous. According to the theory of absolute advantage, a nation ought to specialize in the goods that it can produce more cheaply than its competitors or in the goods that no other nation is able to produce. According to the theory of comparative advantage, a nation ought to concentrate on the products that it can produce most efficiently and profitably. For example, a nation might produce both grain and wine cheaply, but it specializes in the one which will be more profitable.

The third benefit of international trade is its political effects: nations that trade together develop common interests which may help them overcome political differences. Economic cooperation has been the foundation for many political alliances, such as the EC (Common Market) founded in 1957.

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