Exercises

1. Укажите правильные и неправильные утверждения, используя True/False:

1. ( ) The economic systems of the United States and the former Soviet Union are the same.

2. ( ) In the United States the means of production are privately owned.

3. ( ) Karl Marx was an eighteenth century economic thinker.

4. ( ) The British system is based on the principles of Karl Marx.

5. ( ) Because Britain has a system of private enterprise, we can say that its economy is similar to the American economy.

6. ( ) Capital is essentially surplus income used for new business activities.

7. ( ) Individual citizens in Britain and the United States have complete economic freedom.

8. ( ) British citizens can choose what they want to do as long as they obey the law.

2. На основе текста составьте словосочетания «прилагательное + существительное»:

• capitalistic, economic, private, communistic, political, scientific, basic, complex, essential, personal.

• satisfaction, Russian system, necessities, enterprise, commodities, methods, American system, economist, ideologies, range.

Text 3. MONOPOLY

Although in a perfect market competition is unrestricted and sellers are numerous, free competition and large numbers of sellers are not always available in the real world. In some markets there may only be one seller or a very limited number of sellers. Such a situation is called a 'monopoly', and may arise from a variety of different causes. It is possible to distinguish in practice four kinds of monopoly.

State planning and central control of the economy often mean that a state government has the monopoly of important goods and services. Some countries have state monopolies in basic commodities like steel and transport, while other countries have monopolies in such comparatively unimportant commodities as matches. Most national authorities monopolize the postal services within their borders.

A different kind of monopoly arises when a country, through geographical and geological circumstances, has control over major natural resources or important services, as for example with Canadian nickel and the Egyptian ownership of the Suez Canal. Such monopolies can be called natural monopolies.

They are very different from legal monopolies, where the law of a country permits certain producers, authors and inventors a full monopoly over the sale of their own products.

These three types of monopoly are distinct from the sole trading opportunities which take place because certain companies have obtained complete control over particular commodities. This action is often called 'cornering the market' and is illegal in many countries. In the USA anti-trust laws operate to restrict such activities, while in Britain the Monopolies Commission examines all special arrangements and mergers which might lead to undesirable monopolies.

Exercises

1. Ответьте на вопросы:

1. What are not always available in the real world?

2. What is a monopoly?

3. What are the first three kinds of monopoly?

4. What examples of important state monopolies are given?

5. What are Canadian nickel and the Suez Canal examples of?

6. What are certain inventors permitted by law to have ?

7. What word in the last paragraph shows that the fourth type of monopoly is quite distinct from the other three?

8. What happens when certain companies obtain complete control over particular commodities?

9. What do the Americans call their anti-monopoly laws?

10. What does Britain use to restrict special arrangements?

2. Найдите в тексте следующие слова:

свободная конкуренция, основные товары, продавец, государственное планирование, централизованный контроль, правительство, сталь и транспорт, национальные власти, товары и услуги, производители, авторы и изобретатели.

3. Опираясь на текст, переведите следующие глаголы:

to restrict, to distinguish, to monopolize, to permit, to obtain, to lead, to examine, to take place.

4. Выпишите все виды монополий, встречающиеся в тексте (с переводом).

5. Найдите в тексте английский эквивалент следующих словосочетаний: получить полный контроль, антитрастовые законы, «обход рынка», происходить из различных причин, монополизировать почтовые услуги, благодаря географическим и геологическим условиям, не всегда доступны в реальном мире.

6. Укажите правильные и неправильные утверждения, используя: True/ False:

1. In theory there are 4 kinds of monopoly.

2. States always monopolize important basic commodities.

3. Egyptian nickel is a good example of a natural monopoly.

4. Cornering the market is quite legal in the USA.

5. The Monopolies Commission consider that it is undesirable to restrict business merges.