I dioms in focus:

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

1. On its home turf the combined bank would be unrivalled.

2. Rear-view mirrors are just the kind of widget that car makers could easily buy from cheap-labour plants in Asia.

3. He committed the Spice Girls to product endorsement deals for everything from ASDA supermarkets to Polaroid cameras.

4. A television advertisement or commercial is a form of advertising in which goods, services, organizations, ideas, etc. are promoted via the medium of television.

5. This fact sheet describes brief examples of ways to promote your product or service from the various print and electronic media.

6. Cornering the market has a long and chequered history. Although there have been many attempts to corner markets in everything from tin to cattle, to date very few of these attempts have ever succeeded.

7. Spam is the pejorative term used for unsolicited, unwanted e-mail.

8. Data mining a supermarket database could reveal that certain items are purchased together, such as beer and chips, or that other items are purchased sequentially, such as basic pet supplies followed by pet food.

9. Corporate spies are determined to use various methods and get the company’s secret by hook or crook in order to use it for their competitive gain.

10. In show business media hype is the practice of spending money on public relations in an attempt to bolster public interest in a movie, television show, or performing artist.

11. Prices may vary so it’s well worth shopping around before you buy.

12. Walking is an excellent exercise and window-shopping is a lovely way to relax after a stressful working day: it is exciting to imagine buying expensive things you like when it does not cost you anything.

Task 2. Match the following idioms with their corresponding definitions

home turf widget endorsement commercial promote a product or service to corner the market unsolicited mail/ mail drop data mining by hook or by crook hype to shop around to go window-shopping

direct mail, junk mail to compare (eg. prices at different shops) unnecessary promotion [of a product or service] in newspapers and the media; publicity domestic or local market/ an area that a person or group considers to be their own by one means or another a generic term [not an actual object] meaning a company’s product an advertisement on radio or television own most or all of the supply of a certain commodity and so control the price to look at goods in the shop windows advertisement technique in which a famous person speaks in favour of a product collecting information about consumer tastes and preferences try to sell product/service by advertising; speak in favour of something

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

1. Using famous people to promote the product can be very profitable, both for the sporting personalities and for the companies which sign them.

2. A(n) advertisement on TV plays an active role in the future and forward markets, ranging from the initial production to the final sales.

3. We need a credible strategy for selling such an innovative development as high-definition television.

4. Singapore has made significant efforts to get control of the market in this type of specialized service company.

5. Junk mail is always theft of service no matter what its topic.

6. Techniques which allow to collect information about consumer tastes can reveal that purchase patterns for some products such as angel food cake, whipped cream, and fresh berries have a shared seasonality.

7. Templeton was recruited to obtain the formula by all means.

8. He says that there isn't any energy crisis at all, that it's all an unnecessary publicity, to maintain outrageous profits for the oil companies.

9. Company A produces 6,000 items a month at a price of $0.33.

10. This job offers only minimum wage so she decided to compare it with other positions and look for one with better pay.

11. Looking at goods in the shop windows can provide a much needed break from the daily stress.

12. The gymnastics team won the championship in their own area.

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

1. In one year alone, Michael Jordan’s ………… of Nike helped sell one and a half million pairs of shoes – and earned him an estimated $20 million.

2. If we managed to hold negotiations in our office, we would feel more confident on our ………….

3. The company distributes a range of accessories and ………… for smartphones and handheld computers, satellite navigation and mobile scanning products to its UK channel partners through its distribution division.

4. The new movie by Steven Spielberg is getting a lot of …………. It’s a gigantic PR job.

5. I’m not going to buy anything now; I’d just like to ………….

6. The government has launched a campaign of television ………… and leaflets.

7. Trade fair can give the opportunity to ………… your business and help you engage with customers.

8. They've more or less managed to ………… the fast-food ………… - they're in every big city in the country.

9. Despite all visible challenges I was determined to get that job ………….

10. The Direct Mail Information Service says that through the nation’s letter boxes last year dropped 2.1 billion items of what is usually referred to as ………….

11. ………… tools allow marketing departments to identify groups of customers and develop highly targeted campaigns.

12. If you want to buy a new car on hire purchase, you should ………… for the best interest rates.

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

1. В середине 80-х компания Levi’s запустила удачную серию телевизионных рекламных роликов, которые помогли значительно увеличить продажи их продукции.

2. Детали для производства этой аппаратуры поставляются из разных стран ЕС.

3. Я использую свой почтовый ящик в основном для деловой переписки, но кроме нее вынужден читать еще рекламные электронные письма.

4. Даже если не собираешься ничего покупать, можно просто рассматривать витрины в магазинах.

5. Издательство Random House активно продвигает на рынок новую книгу, написанную известным автором целого ряда бестселлеров.

6. Производители спортивных товаров часто приглашают известных спортсменов рекламировать свою продукцию.

7. Крупные супермаркеты часто применяют различные техники сбора информации с целью определения потребностей и предпочтений покупателей.

8. Это очень перспективная должность. Я бы хотел получить ее, чего бы это мне ни стоило.

9. Новый ресторан в Мадриде уже успел завоевать клиентов и в данный момент контролирует рынок благодаря своему фирменному блюду паэлья..

10. Этот вид товара не нуждается в крикливой рекламе, он и так хорошо продается благодаря советам тех, кто его уже попробовал.

11. Прежде чем купить новый компьютер необходимо сравнить цены в разных компьютерных супермаркетах.

12. Стратегия компании имела целью укрепить позиции компании на местном рынке в течение ближайших лет.

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UNIT 10

TEAMWORK