Unit 3 the pefect deal that keeps everyone happy

1. Pronounce the following words and word combinations. Use a dictionary if necessary.

Sensibility, disdain, governance, to convince, corporate, magic, concerned, to concede, the Netherlands, distinctly, coup, origin, priority, blood, peer, to migrate, legal, key, significant.

2. Give Russian equivalents to the following words and word combinations.

To tread a careful line, to describe the occasion, to move on from smth., to perform a magic trick, to split shares into categories, domestic dividend, to keep smb. on board, to have arguments and rifts, to be headquartered, insider, to overbook oil reserves, to move off the board, to scotch, to flag access to, to scrap one’s dual-head structure, to spell out issues.

3. Read the text again and answer the following questions.

1. What occasion was described as a “great day” and a “historic moment”?

2. Why are investors pleased?

3. What did the advisers recommend to do with shares?

4. Who managed to keep the Dutch and British governments to keep on board?

5. What will the corporation tax be?

6. Where will the new company be headquartered?

7. What was the opinion of NRC, the Dutch national evening newspaper?

8. Who will head the company?

9. Why was the merger decision made?

10. What is the percentage controlled by Royal Dutch and Shell Transport?

11. What restricted Shell’s ability to conduct all paper deals?

12. What does Shell need to do?

13. Why is simple structure of the company more preferable?

4. Complete the sentences with the information taken from the text.

1. Shell has to … … many implementing issues.

2. Shell will be able to conduct all paper deals after … its dual-head … .

3. The structural overhaul … the newly unified company’s … to acquire currency.

4. The current non-executives will … … the board in two years.

5. There is no place for Sir Mark Moody-Stuart at a time when Shell’s oil reserves were being … .

6. Jeroen van der Veer managed to … the Dutch and British governments … … .

7. The advisers recommended that Dutch and British shares be … into A and B … .

8. The company has … the … … of coming up with a structure that keeps everybody happy.

5. Explain the following English words and word combinations in your own words.

To tread a careful line, to give a disdain, to perform a magic trick, to suffer tax disadvantages on dividends, to be split into, domestic dividend, to be tax resident, to overbook oil reserves.

6. Decide which of the following statements are right and which are wrong. Give the correct variants.

1. The merger was described as a “great day” and a “historic moment”.

2. Investors are not satisfied, because they will suffer tax disadvantages on their dividends from the new deal.

3. The company thinks that both governments can expect different levels of corporation tax as in the past.

4. The new company will be headquartered in the Netherlands.

5. Directors at the group consider that this merger is in effect a Dutch “putsch”.

6. The new company will be headed by a British chief executive and a British chairman.

7. The decision to incorporate the new company in the UK was driven partly by the desire to replenish oil reserves.

8. Mr. Van der Veer chaired the structural review of the company.

9. After the deal Royal Dutch shareholders will own 40 per cent of the new company.