I dioms in focus:

Task 1. Study the following examples and try to understand the underlined idioms in context. Find their Russian equivalents.

1. The stock of the Internet company rose very quickly when they went public, selling its shares to potential investors.

2. When we joint this consortium, the EU project was in full swing as the members of the consortium had won this EU grant two years earlier.

3. In 1990s the Government closed down most of the mines in Donetsk, which resulted in the growth of unemployment among miners.

4. She felt lack of job satisfaction, so she hung up her hat to take a more challenging job.

5. After lengthy negotiations we finally clinched a deal.

6. The merger of the two companies will inevitably lead to the house-cleaning. The structure of the company will be changed and hundreds of jobs may be lost.

7. Last year, Group Bon Appetit PLC took over Innovia Cafes, having bought the control stake of its shares.

8. Profits were falling until the bookstore branched out into selling CD’s and cassettes.

9. We need to wind up now, we've only got five minutes to take the final decision.

10. Many wheat farmers have begun to diversify into other forms of agriculture.

11. If you want this job, you should get a jump on this opportunity and send your CV before the vacancy is advertised in newspapers.

12. The assumption that the brightest law graduates gravitate to large firms leaving only the worst students to hang out their own shingles, does a disservice to a great number of highly qualified attorneys who choose to practice on their own.

13. The manufacture and supply of automotive products is Bosch’s core business, accounting for the major share of total turnover and driving the growing export businesses.

Task 2. Match the following idioms with their corresponding definitions.

to go public in full swing core business to get a jump on to clinch a deal to hang out one’s shingle / to set up in business branching out / to branch out into going out of business / to close down to take over a house-cleaning to diversify into sth to wind up / to wind up a company / to wind up in the wrong hands 13. to hang up one’s hat

basic activities of the company to strike a deal, come to an agreement; fig. – to be of decisive importance in taking decision to get a head start, get started before your competitors in fully active operation to sell shares of a privately owned company to the public reorganization of a business, usu. including dismissal of employees to stop/cause to stop operating / stopping trading; going bankrupt expansion/diversification/ to expand to buy a company or gain control of it by buying of its shares or the company to start a business, announce the opening of a business / start new type of business to vary range of products in order to expand operation to finish working to cease to exist; to end up in the possession of someone you don't want, e.g. in the hands of a competitor /put a company into liquidation

Task 3. Substitute for the underlined phrase an idiom with the same meaning.

1. Many of the city's leading restaurants were put into liquidation for the whole of August.

2. STS sold the shares to the public on the London Stock Exchange in 2000 and now hold nearly 80% of the silicon etching market.

3. He started his business in Brandon many years ago, and has been a lawyer then ever since.

4. Many British firms are prepared to undercut one another to the extent that may be necessary to strike a deal.

5. The process of reorganisation including dismissal of employees decreased the efficiency of the company’s work. It can be explained by the reaction of the staff to the pressure from redundancy process as well as rumours of more staff cuts.

6. Shortly after TokCO gained control over OnkCO, by buying its shares the group’s share price reached a peak of almost 400 pence. But then it began to decline dramatically.

7. It's possible to expand one’s interests from computing to jobs in banking, accountancy and so on. 

8. OK, just to bring the meeting to an end, could I summarize what we have decided?

9. In the beginning Philips concentrated on making light bulbs, but in 1920s it started varying its product range and since then, the company has continued to develop new and exciting product ideas.

10. (heading) State tries to get a head start to prevent global warming.

11. The foundation of Frost and Sullivan’s GPS includes assisting companies to reach the full potential in their basic activities.

12. Mariner slugger Edgar Martinez, who has spent his entire major league carrier in Seattle, announced, that he would finish working at the end of the season.

13. The 7th China Hi-Tech Fair, an important international event, is expected to be in fully active operation on October 12th in Shezhen, south China province.

Task 4. Complete the sentences with one of the idioms in focus, paying special attention to the form of the verbs.

1. In 1978 the company ……………….. , offering half a million shares of stock on the New York Stock Exchange.

2. The market is called a perfect one when competition in such market is………………………..

3. The car specialists don’t consider BMW40 worth the first prize. They think, it was BMW40’s superior design that ……………….. .

4. The government decided to …………….. the bank after it declared bankruptcy.

5. The clothes manufacturer recently ……………………into children's wear. 

6. If this confidential information ……………….., the company could be in serious trouble.

7. The choice facing some publishers is simple: ………………. into computer software or go bankrupt.

8. You should …………………the tender. If we win, our sales will increase rapidly.

9. She is good enough at fixing vacuum cleaners that she should ……………… and try making some money at it.

10. Siemens focuses on eight ……………… segments: energy, industry, communication, information, health care, transportation, components and lighting – which gives the company a uniquely wide scope of operations.

11. Warren ………………. (after 31 years in Austin Fire Department Chief Gary Warran announced last week that he would resign his position).

12. In the course of the process of monopolisation a lot of small and medium businesses ………………….. .

13. The merger resulted in ………………….. , which was accompanied by compulsory redundancies.

Task 5. Translate the following sentences into English using idioms instead of the phrases underlined.

1. Битва компаний цифровой связи в полном разгаре, так как есть еще много незанятых ниш на рынке коммуникационных услуг.

2. Компания «Альфа Ассистанс» занимается производством электродвигателей для бытовой техники. Это ее основной вид деятельности.

3. Несмотря на то, что у него не было подходящего образования, личное обаяние, отличные коммуникативные навыки и знание нескольких иностранных языков сыграли решающую роль, и Джордж получил должность менеджера внешнеэкономической деятельности.

4. Акции компании «Омега Лтд» уже не приносят хорошие дивиденды, поэтому на собрании акционеров было принято решении продать мелкие пакеты акций населению.

5. Компания Проктер энд Гэмбл – лидер на рынке моющих средств, так как рекламные кампании это фирмы начали действовать раньше, чем конкуренты.

6. Рокфеллер начал свой бизнес с продажи куска мыла и стал одним из самых богатых людей в мире.

7. Сначала компания БМВ занималась производством летательных аппаратов, но затем изменила специализацию и стала ведущей автомобильной компанией.

8. Бизнес Джона шел неудачно, и его предприятие пришлось ликвидировать.

9. Дойче банк купил акции Дрезднер банка, и произошло слияние банков.

10. Завод был производителем тракторов, но затем диверсифицировал свой бизнес и стал ведущим производителем кухонной утвари.

11. План развития бизнеса компании-дистрибьютора попал в руки конкурентов, и она потерпела фиаско на рынке.

12. Ухудшение условий труда, а также сокращение заработной платы стали причиной его решения уйти с работы.

13. В результате слияния двух банков было произведена реструктуризация.

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UNIT 5. HIERARCHY