- •Unit 1. What is economics?
- •Lead-in
- •Words with the stress on the first syllable:
- •Words with the stress on the second syllable:
- •Polysyllabic words with the main and secondary stress:
- •Text a: What is Economics? Active Vocabulary
- •Vocabulary focus
- •Language skills
- •Writing
- •Discussion points
- •Text b: what economics isn't
- •Text c: Micro, Macro and Fantasy Economics
- •Business communication
- •Introductions How to Say Hello
- •If you're determined not to be caught cardless again, here are some tips to help you remember:
- •Grammar present tenses
- •The present simple tense
- •Make up questions the interviewer may ask her. Here are some prompts to help you.
- •Now formulate questions Alice is likely to ask the interviewer.
- •The present continuous tense
- •The present simple versus the present continuous
- •Unit 2. Factors of production
- •Lead-in
- •Reading drills
- •Words with the stress on the first syllable:
- •Words with the stress on the second syllable:
- •Polysyllabic words with the main and secondary stress:
- •Word-formation
- •Text a: factors of production Active Vocabulary
- •Natural resources – land and mineral deposits
- •Human resources – labour
- •Information as a factor of production
- •Vocabulary focus
- •Language skills
- •Writing
- •Text b: entrepreneurship
- •Text c: Factors of Production for an Innovation Economy
- •Business communication
- •In the office
- •Grammar the present perfect tense
- •The present perfect continuous tense
- •The present continuous versus the present perfect continuous
- •The present perfect versus the present perfect contnuous
- •Present tenses review
- •Unit 3.Types of economic systems
- •Lead-in
- •Words with the stress on the first syllable:
- •Words with the stress on the second syllable:
- •Polysyllabic words with the main and secondary stress:
- •Text a: types of economic systems Active Vocabulary
- •Vocabulary focus
- •Language skills
- •Writing
- •Discussion points
- •Text b:command economy
- •T ext c: the good (and bad) model guide
- •Business communication
- •Grammar exercises past tenses
- •The past simple tense
- •The past continuous
- •The past simple versus the past continuous
- •The past simple versus the present perfect
- •Unit 4. Demand and supply
- •Lead-in
- •Text a: demand and supply
- •Vocabulary focus
- •Language skills
- •Writing
- •Discussion points
- •Text b. The role of prices
- •T ext c: two factors that affect labour supply and demand
- •Business communication making an appointment
- •Grammar past perfect
- •Past perfect continuous
- •Past Continuous or Past Perfect Continuous?
- •Past Simple, Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuous?
- •Past tenses review
- •Unit 5. Free-enterprise system
- •Lead-in
- •Text a: what is free enterprise?
- •Vocabulary focus
- •Language skills
- •Writing
- •Discussion points
- •Text b: role of government in a free-enterprise economy
- •Text c: invisible hand
- •Business communication at the airport Look at the picture. What do you think the phrase Live out of a suitcase mean?
- •Going through Customs.
- •Do the drills.
- •2) Role-play the situations in the airport using the vocabulary of the lesson. Grammar future tenses
- •The future simple tense
- •The future simple versus the present simple
- •The future simple versus be going to
- •Be going to versus the present continuous
- •The future continuous tense
- •The future continuous versus the future simple
- •The future perfect versus the future perfect continuous
- •Future tenses review
- •The imperative mood
- •Unit 6. Forms of business organisation
- •Lead-in
- •Reading drills
- •Words with the stress on the first syllable:
- •Words with the stress on the second syllable:
- •Polysyllabic words with the main and secondary stress:
- •Word formation
- •Text a: forms of business organisation Active Vocabulary
- •Vocabulary focus
- •Language skills
- •Writing
- •Discussion points
- •Text b: nonprofit organisations
- •Text c: franchising
- •Business communication at the hotel
- •In pairs read the following situations.
- •2). Choose the correct options to the questions.
- •Grammar nouns
- •ArticleS
- •IntoEnglish.
- •Unit 7. Money
- •Lead-in
- •Text a: money and its role in the economy Active Vocabulary
- •Money is a medium of exchange
- •Money is a measure of value or a unit of account
- •Money is a store of value
- •Money is a means of liquidity
- •Vocabulary focus
- •Language skills
- •Discussion points
- •Text b: a glimpse of the american, british and euro
- •Text c: a barter way of doing business
- •Business communication On the phone
- •Inquiring about the telephone number
- •Useful Language Box
- •Grammar determiners
- •Numerals
- •Unit 8. Taxes
- •Lead-in
- •Reading drills
- •Text a: taxes Active Vocabulary
- •Vocabulary focus
- •Language skills
- •Writing
- •Discussion points
- •Text b: taxation in the uk
- •Text c: taxes are good
- •Business communication
- •In company
- •Grammar pronouns
- •Adjective and adverb
- •Very, too, far, much, a lot, rather, a bit, a little, any, by far, quite, nearly, almost
- •Test yourself Test 1
- •Test 11
- •Test 12
- •Test 13
- •Test 14
- •Test 15
- •Граматичний довідник дієслово the verb
- •Дієслова to be і to have.
- •Часи дієслова
- •Група теперішніх часів Утворення стверджувальних, заперечних та питальних форм
- •Правила написання дієслівних форм
- •Типи питальних речень
- •Загальна таблиця випадків використання
- •Не мають форми тривалого часу дієслова, що виражають
- •Інші дієслова, які не можуть виражати дію або стан як процес:
- •Група минулих часів Утворення стверджувальних, заперечних та питальних форм
- •Типи питальних речень
- •Випадки вживання минулих часів
- •Група майбутніх часів Утворення стверджувальних, заперечних та питальних форм
- •Типи питальних речень
- •Випадки вживання майбутніх часів
- •Інші способи вираження майбутнього часу
- •Наказовий спосіб
- •Іменник the noun
- •Число іменників
- •Деякі іменники мають особливі форми у множині:
- •Утворення множини іменників
- •Класифікація іменників за ознакою обчислювані/необчислювані
- •Випадки переходу необчислюваних іменників у обчислювані
- •Іменники, які узгоджуються із дієсловом в однині
- •Іменники, які узгоджуються із дієсловом у множині
- •Рід іменників
- •Рід іменників в англійській мові
- •Відмінки іменників
- •Відмінок іменника. Форми та особливості вживання присвійного відмінку
- •Форми присвійного відмінку
- •Особливості вживання присвійного відмінку
- •Вживання іменників - назв неістот у присвійному відмінку
- •Іменники у функції означення
- •Артикль
- •Вживання неозначеного артикля.
- •Вживання неозначеного артикля a/an (тільки із обчислюваними іменниками в однині)
- •A/anабо one
- •Артиклі з деякими необчислюваними іменниками
- •Вживання означеного артикля
- •Вживання означеного артикля the
- •Вживання нульового артикля (відсутність артикля)
- •Детермінанти
- •Присвійні прикметники і займенники
- •Присвійні прикметники
- •Присвійні займенники
- •Вказівні слова
- •Кількісні слова
- •Some/any/no
- •Many/much/a lot (lots) of/ (a) few/ (a) little
- •All (of)/most (of)
- •Every/each
- •Another/the other/other
- •Both, neither, either, none
- •Числівники
- •Займенник
- •Особові займенники
- •It або there?
- •Неозначено-особові займенники
- •Indefinite Personal Pronouns
- •Зворотні займенники
- •Прикметник
- •Прислівник
- •Ступені порівняння прикметників
- •Особливі випадки утворення ступенів порівняння прикметників і прислівників
- •Appendices
- •Словотворення Word formation
- •Enjoy your reading
- •I, Pencil My Family Tree as told to Leonard e. Read
- •Innumerable Antecedents
- •Money The History of Money
- •Extract 1
- •Extract 2
- •Extract 3
- •Success story
- •The Financier, by Theodore Dreiser Chapter III
- •The Iron Heel, by JackLondon Chapter 2 Challenges
- •Glossary
- •Internet Resources
- •Contents
Success story
by James Gould Cozzens
I met Richards ten years or more ago when I first went down to Cuba. He was a short, sharp-faced, agreeable chap, then about twenty-two. He introduced himself to me on the boat and I was surprised to find that Panamerica Steel and Structure was sending us both to the same job.
Richards was from some not very good state university engineering school. Being the same age myself, and just out of tech, I was prepared to patronize him if I needed to; but I soon saw I didn't need to. There was really not the faintest possibility of anyone supposing that Richards was as smart as I was. In fact, I couldn't then imagine how he had managed to get his job. I have an idea now. It came to me when I happened to read a few weeks ago that Richards had been made a vice-president and director of Panamerica Steel when the Prossert interests bought the old firm.
Richards was naturally likeable and I liked him a lot, once I was sure that he wasn't going to outshine me. The firm had a contract for the construction of a private railroad, about seventeen miles of it, to give United Sugar a sea terminal at a small deep-water Caribbean port. For Richards and me it was mostly an easy job of inspections and routine paper work. At least it was easy for me. It was harder for Richards, because he didn't appear ever to have mastered the use of a slide rule. When he asked me to check his figures I found it was no mere formality. "Boy," I was at last obliged to say, "you are undoubtedly the dumbest white man in this province. If you don't buck up, Farrell will see you never get another job down here."
Richards grinned and said, "I never want another one. Not a job like this, anyway. I'm the executive type."'
"Oh, you are!"
"Sure, I am. And what do I care what Farrell thinks? What can he do for me?"
"Plenty. If he thinks you're any good, he can see you get something that pays money".
"He doesn't know anything that pays money, my son."
"He knows things that would pay enough for me," I answered, annoyed.
"Oh," said Richards, "if that's all you want, when Farrell’sworking for me I'll make him give you a job. A good one."
"Go to the devil!" I said. I was still checking his trial figures. "Look, stupid," I said, "didn't you ever take arithmetic? How much are seven times thirteen?"
"Work that out." " Richards said, "and let me have a report tomorrow."
When I had time, I continued to check his figures for him, and Farrell only caught him in a bad mistake about twice; but Farrell was the best man Panamerica Steel had. He'd been managing construction jobs both in Cuba and Mexico for twenty years. After the first month or so he simply let Richards alone and devoted himself lo giving me the whole benefit of his usually sharp and scornful criticism. He was at me every minute he could spare, telling me to forget this or that and use my head, showing me little tricks of figuring and method. He said it would be a good plan to take some Spanish lessons from a clerk he named in the sugar company's office.
"Spanish?" said Richards, when I told him he'd better join the class. "Not for me! Say, it took me twenty-two years to learn English. People who want to talk to me have to know it, or they'd better bring an interpreter with them."
"All right," I said, "I don't mind telling you the idea is Farrell's. He spoke to me about it."
"Well, he didn't speak to me," said Richards. "I guess he thinks I'm perfect the way I am. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a beer bottle."
I could easily see that he was coming to no good end.
In January several directors of the United Sugar Company came down on their annual jaunt—nominally business, but mostly pleasure; a good excuse to get south on a vacation. They came on a yacht.
The yacht belonged to Mr. Joseph Prossert, who was, I think, chairman of United Sugar's board then. It was the first time I'd ever seen at close quarters one of these really rich and powerful financial figures whose name everyone knows. He was an inconspicuous, rather stout man, with little hair on his head and a fussy, ponderous way of speaking. He was dressed in some dark thin cloth that looked like alpaca.14 His interest in sugar was purely financial—he didn't know anything about it from the practical standpoint. I really saw him at close quarters, too, for he was delayed on his boat when the directors went on a tour of inspection and Farrell left Richards and me and two or three armed guards to come up that afternoon.
Mr. Prossert was very affable. He asked me a number of questions. I knew the job well enough and could have answered almost any intelligent question—I mean, the sort that a trained engineer would be likely to ask. As it was, I suppose I'd said for perhaps the third time, "I'm afraid I wouldn't know, sir. We haven't any calculations on that," getting a glance of mildly surprised disbelief, when Richards suddenly spoke up. "I think, about nine million cubic feet, sir," he said. He looked boyishly embarrassed. "I just happened to be working it out last night. Just for my own interest, that is. Not officially." He blushed.
"Oh," said Mr. Prossert, turning in his seat and giving him a sharp look. "That's very interesting, Mr.—er—Richards, isn't it? Well, now, maybe you could tell me about—"
Richards could. He knew everything. He knew to the last car the capacity of every switch and yard; he knew the load limits of every bridge and culvert; he knew the average rainfall for the last twenty years; he knew the population of the various straggling villages we passed through; he knew the heights of the distant blue peaks to the west. He had made himself familiar with local labor costs and wage scales. He had the statistics on accidents and unavoidable delays. All the way up Mr. Prossert fired questions at him and he fired answers right back.
When we reached the railhead, a motor was waiting to take Mr. Prossert on. Getting out of the gas car, he nodded absent-mindedly to me, shook hands with Richards. "Very interesting indeed," he said. "Very interesting indeed, Mr. Richards. Good-by and thank you."
"Not at all, sir," Richards said. "Glad if I could be of service to you."
As soon as the motor moved off, I exploded. "Of all the asinine tricks! A little honest bluff doesn't hurt; but some of your figures—"
"I aim to please," Richards said, grinning. "If a man like Prossert wants to know something, who am I to hold out on him?"
"I suppose you think you're smart," I told him. "What's he going to think when he looks up the figures or asks somebody who does know?"
"Listen, my son," said Richards kindly. "He wasn't asking for any information he was going to use. He doesn't want to know those figures. If he ever does, he has plenty of people to get him the right ones. He won't remember these. I don't even remember them myself. What he is going to remember is you and me."
"Oh, yes?"
"Oh, yes," said Richards firmly. "He's going to remember that Panamerica Steel and Structure has a bright young man named Richards who could tell him everything he wanted to know when he wanted to know it—just the sort of chap he can use; not like that other fellow who took no interest in his job, couldn't answer the simplest question, and who's going to be doing small-time contracting all his life."
"Oh, yes?" I said. But it is true that I am still working for the Company still doing a little work in the construction line.