05110244

Министерство образования и науки Российской Федерации Омский государственный университет им. Ф.М. Достоевского

Учебно-методическое пособие по обучению профессиональному общению

(для студентов экономических специальностей, изучающих английский язык)

УДК 802.0 ББК 81.2я73 У 91

Рекомендовано к изданию редакционно-издательским советом ОмГУ 5 октября 2004 г.

Рецензенты:

ст. преподаватель каф. английского языка ОмГУ Н.В. Бегун; преподаватель каф. иностранных языков ОмГУ С.А. Батурина

У 91 Учебно-методическое пособие по обучению профессио-

нальному общению (для студентов экономических специальностей, изучающих английский язык) / Сост.: Н.А. Коровина, И.А. Сиволапова, О.К. Сургутская; под ред. С.Б. Невежиной. – Омск: Изд-во ОмГУ, 2004. – 104 с.

ISBN 5-7779-0515-3

Учебно-методическое пособие состоит из 3 частей. В первой части представлены 14 тем в соответствии с программой курса по английскому языку на экономических специальностях. Приложения, формирующие вторую часть пособия, содержат дополнительные упражнения к темам. Лексический минимум, представленный в третьей части, включает список слов, которые студенты должны знать, чтобы обсуждать профессиональные темы.

Пособие предназначено для студентов I, II курсов и аспирантов экономических специальностей.

УДК 802.0 ББК 81.2я73

ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ

Учебно-методическое пособие представляет собой сборник тем для подготовки к курсовому экзамену по английскому языку (раздел “Беседа по теме”). Выбор тем соответствует программе по английскому языку на экономических специальностях:

“Money”, “Management”, “Markerting”, “Recruitment”, “Small business” и т. д.

Сборник состоит из трех частей:

1часть – темы;

2часть – приложение;

3часть – лексический минимум.

Интересные тексты, стимулирующие мышление и способствующие обмену информацией, лексические и речевые упражнения, информативный материал приложений и тематический словарь – все это должно помочь студентам научиться обсуждать профессиональные темы в рамках программы курса.

Упражнения направлены на развитие лингвистической и коммуникативной компетенции: синонимию и словообразование, ознакомление с речевыми образцами, употребление различных клише в речи; развитие навыков диалогической и монологической речи.

Тексты подобраны так, что преподаватель может найти подходящий для разного уровня подготовки материал.

Пособие подготовлено на кафедре иностранных языков Омского государственного университета им. Ф.М. Достоевского.

TOPIC 1. AN INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMICS

TEXT 1

In summary

Economics is a social science that studies the way society allocates its available resources in the production of goods and services consumed by people. Economics and the subject matter of economics, touches our lives daily. If we shop for groceries, go to work, or pay taxes, economics can help us to better understand our world.

Macroeconomics is the study of entire economy. Microeconomics is the study of parts of the economy. While they view the economy from different perspectives, both are important.

Scientific theories are used to explain economic activity in the world. The theories consist of sets of economic principles that abstract from the real world, similar to the way a road map abstracts from the world. A principle is obtained by continuously testing a hypothesis to see if it corresponds to activity in the world.

Positive economics describes the way the world actually operates, and normative economics suggests how the world should operate. Positive economics is based on testable hypothesis, which can be proved false. Normative economics is based on an individual’s values, which cannot be proved either right or wrong.

The economist seeks to identify the benefits and costs of any activity. Since marginal changes in benefits and costs from an activity are the basis for most choices, such changes tend to attract the economist’s attention. Economists also use economic theories to recommend policies to the government.

TASKS

1.Explain why this statement would fall under the heading of positive economics: “The price of oranges will increase if the federal deficit is eliminated”.

2.Explain why this statement would fall under the heading of normative economics: “The price of oranges is too high.” Would an orange buyer view this statement differently than the orange grower would? Explain.

Review glossary

Allocation. The process of distributing resources for the production of goods and services, and for distributing goods and services for consumer goods.

Economics. A social science that studies the allocation of resources to the production of goods and services used to satisfy consumer’s unlimited wants and needs. As a social science economics studies the social relationship of individuals. But unlike other social sciences, economics consentrates its study on the economy.

Economy. A system of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

Efficiency. The process of obtaining the highest level of consumer satisfaction from the available resources.

Macroeconomics. The branch of economics that studies the entire economy. Macroeconomics examines such topics as the total amount of output in economy, the rate of inflation and the number of unemployed workers.

Microeconomics. The branch of economics that studies parts of the economy. Microeconomics examines the individual consumers, business, and industries that make up the economy.

Normative economics. A branch of economics that states the way the economy should operate. A normative statement is based on values and cannot be proved right or wrong.

Positive economics. A branch of economics that tries to explain the way the economy actually operates. Positive economics is concerned with the process of testing hypotheses. A positive statement can be refuted by looking at the real world.

Resources. The materials available to an economy for the production of goods and services.

Scarecity.. The condition that exists when there is an insufficient quantity of resources to produce all of the goods and services desired by people.

TEXT 2

Study carefully the meaning of the following phrases and word combinations to avoid any difficulty in understanding the following text.

1.…that involve everyone – …которые касаются каждого

2.economics is concerned with – экономика имеет дело с (за-

нимается…)

3.by examining – путем изучения

4.…are regarded as uniform enough – …рассматриваются как достаточно однородные

5.…that called for a take-over of the state by the workers – …которая предусматривала, что рабочие возьмут на себя руководство государством

6.did bring about strong economic growth – действительно привело к экономическому росту

7.supply and demand – спрос и предложение

8.in a decentralized way – децентрализовано

9.to some extent – до некоторой степени

The Subject Matter of Economics

No one comes to economics as a traveller to an unknown land. Much of our everyday experience is related to economics. Studying economics is directly connected with very important things that involve everyone, such as unemployment, inflation, wages, poverty, taxes, banks, foreign currencies.

Economics is the science that deals with the production, distribution and consumption of wealth and with the various related problems of labour, finance, taxation etc. Economics is concerned with the economy or economic system. The economic system determines how the nation's resources of land, labour, machinery and raw materials are allocated and used. The problem of allocating resources is a central theme of economics, because most resources are scarce. The allocation of scarce resources and the distribution of the product of those resources are a major part of the subject matter of economics.

In Western economies many resources are allocated to whoever is willing and able to pay the most for them. The distribution is deter-

mined by the amounts of money paid as wages, rent and other forms of income.

Economists use assumptions to build models, both for explanation and for prediction of economic events. They summarize conclusions on economic questions into economic principles. Western economists believe that all economic questions can be analysed by examining the decisions of individuals and the outcome of those decisions made by people as consumers or as managers of firms. The Marxist analysis of Western economies is based on the interrelations between social classes – workers and capitalists – whose interests and behaviour are regarded as uniform enough for a whole class to be seen as a single unit. The Communist system was based on an economic and social theory that called for a take-over of the state by the workers. Although Communist central planning did bring about strong economic growth in some countries – such as in the rapidly industrializing Soviet Union of the 1920s and 1930s – it often resulted in long-term inefficiency and economic stagnation.

A country's economic system is its way of organizing economic activities, including the ways in which people come to specialize in particular tasks they do best. There is a variety of economic systems, which can be divided into three groups:

a)Market or decentralized economic systems in which economic decisions are taken by individuals. Free-market economists examine markets using a fundamental method of economics: supply and demand analysis.

b)Planned or centralized economic systems, in which economic decisions are taken by government planners.

c)Mixed economic systems, in which many economic activities are organized in a decentralized way, but in which the government takes some of the most important economic decisions. In practice, every economic system is mixed to some extent.

d)Economics is connected with such sciences as psychology, history, law, political science, accounting, engineering, mathematics and statistics.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

I. Are the following statements true or false?

1.Economics is concerned with everyday issues, such as unemployment, prices, wages etc.

2.Inflation has nothing to do with economics as a science, but it has a lot to do with my personal income.

3.The allocation of scarce resources is the only subject matter of economics.

4.Economists can explain economic events, but they are unable to predict them.

5.Karl Marx called for a "dictatorship of the proletariat", where the workers would replace the capitalist ruling class.

6.If some economic decisions are taken by the government, we have a centralized economy.

II. Fill in the correct words from text 2.

Economics is __________with the production, distribution and consumption of wealth. It also deals with different_____questions, especially _______ with labour, finance, taxation etc. All of us get

___________ in economic problems. Economists cannot __________

separately the behaviour of every individual in a large population instead, they make _____ and ____economic models. On the basis of these models they ________ economic events. Economists

_________economic systems into ____ Western _________ are _____

mostly ________ economic systems in which economic events are the outcome of _________ decisions. If government planners _______

some of the most important ________ decisions, the economy is

__________.

TOPIC 2. BUSINESS

I. Discuss the following questions:

l. When you see the word BUSINESS, what do you think about? Quickly write down words or ideas as they come into your mind.

SELLER, CUSTOMER, MONEY________________________

Now discuss your notes with your classmates.

2. Write your own definition of business in the space provided below. Begin your definition in this way:

BUSINESS IS_______________________________________

Compare your definition with the one written by the person next to you. Add to your definition if you find any new information.

II. Below is the list of terms that you will find in the text. As you read "What is business?", see if you understand each term. Use this as a working list and add other terms that you do not know.

III. Read the text:

What is Business?

Business is a word that is commonly used in many different languages. But exactly what does it mean? The concepts and activities of business have increased in modern times. Traditionally, business simply meant exchange or trade for things people wanted or needed. Today it has a more technical definition. One definition of business is the production, distribution, and sale of goods and services for a profit. To examine this definition, we will look at its various parts. First, production's the creation of services or the changing of materials into products. One example is the conversion of iron ore into metal car parts.

Next, these products need to be moved from the factory to the marketplace. This is known as distribution. A car might be moved from a factory in Detroit to a car dealership in Miami.

Third is the sale of goods and services. Sale is the exchange of a product or service for money. A car is sold to someone in exchange for money. Goods are products that people either need or want; for example, cars can be classified as goods. Services, on the other hand, are activities that a person or group performs for another person or organization. For example, an auto-mechanic performs a service when repairing a car. A doctor also performs a service by taking care of people when they are sick. So, business is a combination of all these activities: production, distribution, and sale. Still, there's another important factor. This factor is the creation of profit or economic surplus. A major goal in the functioning of an American business company is making a profit. Profit is the money that remains after all the expenses are paid. Creating an economic surplus or profit is, therefore, a primary goal of business activity.

IV. COMPREHENSION CHECK

Answer the following questions about the meaning of business. Questions with asterisk (*) cannot be answered directly from the text.

1.What is one modern definition of business?

2.*How does this modern meaning of business differ from the traditional one?

3.*What factors have brought about these changes?

4.What does production involve?

5.What example of distribution is given in the reading?

6.*Can you think of another example?

7.How do goods differ from services?

8.In addition to production, distribution, and sale, what other factor is important in defining business?

9.What is profit?

10.*In general, what do companies do with their profit?

11.Compare your definition of business with the one given in the

reading.

12.*How are they similar?

13.In what ways does your definition differ from the one presented in the text?

V. CLASSIFICATION

Classification means the grouping of items to show the relationship between them. Items that are classified together have something in common; i.e., something must apply to all the items in that group or class. Look at the items below. They may be classified as either goods or services. Review the definitions and examples given in the reading. Classify the following items as either goods or services.

VI. TEXT ANALYSIS

A.Writers sometimes ask questions to focus and intensify the reader's interest. When the reader comes to one of these questions, he or she generally pauses and considers the question before going on. An answer is not expected. This type of question is known as a "rhetorical question". Find them in the reading.

B.Give definitions for the following business fields by matching a field on the left with a definition on the right. Use the definition form.

Answer the questions:

1.What do you do with money more often? Regularly? Never?

2.What would you like to do with money if you had more than the barest minimum? Much of it.

3.What do you think is the wisest way to deal with money?

TEXT 1

Money can be anything that is generally accepted in payment for goods or services. Almost every society now has a money economy based on coins and paper notes of one kind or another. However, this has not always been true. In primitive societies a system of barter was used. Barter was a system of direct exchange of one good or service for another. Somebody could exchange a sheep, for example, for anything in the market-place if they considered to be of equal value. Barter, however, was a very unsatisfactory system because people's precise needs seldom coincided. People needed a more practical system of exchange, and various money systems developed based on goods which the members of a society recognized as having value. Cattle, grain, teeth, shells, feathers, skulls, salt, elephant tusks and tobacco have all been used. Precious metals gradually took over because, when made into coins, they were portable, durable, recognizable and divisible into larger and smaller units of value.

A coin is a piece of metal, usually disc-shaped, which bears lettering, designs or numbers showing its value. Until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries coins were given monetary worth based on the exact amount of metal contained in them, but most modern coins are based on face value, the value that governments choose to give, irrespective of the actual metal content. Coins have been made of gold (Au), copper (Cu), aluminium (Al), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), plastic, and in China even from pressed tea leaves.

Nowadays however valuable metal has generally been replaced by paper notes.

The use of paper money in Western civilization began in the Middle Ages. The major forms of money in those days, gold and silver coins, were inconvenient to carry and liable to be stolen.

To make business transactions safer and more convenient, people began depositing their coins with local goldsmiths, who gave them

a written receipt in exchange for the coins. In this way, the goldsmith became a kind of medieval banker.

Merchants accepted the receipts in payment for goods because they could redeem the receipts for gold at the goldsmith's shop. In time, the goldsmiths' receipts became very popular with merchants and travelers who had to move large sums of money. As their use spread, the earliest form of paper money in Western Europe came into being.

Now most governments issue paper money in the form of notes, which are really 'promises to pay'. It may or may not be backed by gold or silver. Paper money is obviously easier to handle and much more convenient in the modern world. Cheques, bankers' card, and credit card are being used increasingly and it is possible to imagine a world where 'money' in the form of coins and paper currency will no longer be used.

Although anything can serve as money, it should possess the following qualities:

●Portability. Modern money has to be small enough and light enough for people to carry.

●Durability. The material chosen has to have a reasonable life expectancy. For that reason most countries use a very high quality paper for their money.

●Divisibility. One of the principal advantages of money over barter is its ability to be divided into parts.

●Recognizability. Money should be easily recognized for what it is and hard to copy. The quality of the paper and the engravings make paper money extremely difficult to counterfeit.

TASKS

I. Find expressions which mean:

1.A place to buy petrol.

2.A place where goods are bought and sold.

3.The period between 1801 and 1900.

4.The bony structure of the head.

5.Round and flat in shape.

6.An exchange of goods for other goods.

II. Find words which mean:

1.Can be divided.

2.Lasts a long lime.

3.Can be carried.

4.Can be recognized.

III. Put these words in the correct place in the sentences below: coins/cash/currency/money

1.The ... of Japan is the yen.

2.She has got a lot of ... in her bank account.

3.It costs £10 if you're paying ...: It'll be more if you pay by

cheque.

4.Can you change this pound note into ... for the coffee ma-

chine?*

TEXT 2

Money and its Functions

Money provides us with a medium of exchange, a measure of value, and a store of value.

A Medium of Exchange. It is the very greatest use. The principal difference between a barter economy and a money economy is that in a barter economy you must find someone who has what you want and wants what you have. In a money economy people can buy or sell goods in exchange for money. Workers exchange labour services for money. Money is the medium through which people exchange goods and services.

A Measure of Value. Money enables us to state the price of something in terms that everyone can understand. We can say the eggs we have for sale are worth 85 cents a dozen. This is a far simpler than having to figure out how much milk or meat we would expect in payment for a dozen eggs.

Store of Value. Money is a store of value because it can be used to make purchases in the future. For example, our egg seller could put

* For more exercises see File 1.

the money from the day's sale toward a college education sometime in the future.

Money takes up very little space, and if you put it in a bank, it is as safe as anything in this world can be. But modern money has some very serious disadvantages as means of storing up value. In the old days, when money was in the form of gold and silver coins, the metal in each was really worth the amount stamped on the coin. But the paper in modern paper money and even the metal in most modern coins are worth very much less than the amount written on them. As a result, the buying power of modern money can change very greatly in a short time.

Money also serves as a unit of account. It is the unit in which prices are quoted and accounts are kept. In Britain prices are quoted in pounds sterling, in France in francs. It is usually convenient to use the units in which the medium of exchange is measured as the unit of account as well. However there are exceptions. During the rapid German inflation of 1922–23 when prices in marks were changing very quickly, German shopkeepers found it more convenient to use dollars as the unit of account. Prices were quoted in dollars eventhough payment was made in marks, the German medium of exchange.

There are different kinds of money.

In prisoner-of-war camps, cigarettes served as money. In the nineteenth century money was mainly gold and silver coins. These are examples of commodity money, ordinary goods with industrial uses (gold) and consumption uses (cigarettes) which also serve as a medium of exchange.

A token money is a means of payment whose value or purchasing power as money greatly exceeds its cost of production or value in uses other than as money. A $10 note is worth far more as money than as a 3x6 inch piece of high-quality paper. The essential condition for the survival of token money is the restriction of the right to supply it. Private production is illegal. Society enforces the use of token money by making it legal tender. The law says it must be accepted as a means of payment.

In modern economies, token money is supplemented by IOU money. An IOU money is a medium of exchange based on the debt of a private firm or individual. A bank deposit is IOU money because it is

a debt of the bank. When you have a bank deposit the bank owes you money. Bank deposits are a medium of exchange because they are generally accepted as payment.

(From Applied Economy, Economics, Streamline III)

Answer the questions (Texts 1 and 2):

What is money?

How are goods exchanged in a barter economy? Why was the barter an unsatisfactory system? What is a coin?

What is the history of paper money in Western civilization? Why can we say the goldsmith became a kind of medieval

banker?

Why did merchants accept the receipts of goldsmiths in payment for goods?

Can you imagine a world without money in the form of coins and paper currency? Why?

What qualities should money possess? What are the functions (uses) of money?

Does modern money have any serious disadvantages as means of storing up value?

What else can be used instead of money as a store of value? What is the unit of account in our country?

When did Germany not use its own currency? What is ‘commodity money’?

Explain in your own words what ‘token money’ means? What is IOU money?

TEXT 3

Dealing with Foreign Currency and Money Abroad

A. Work in pairs. Read the article below which advises British people on what sort of money to take with them when travelling abroad. Answer these questions:

1.How many different methods are mentioned? Which?

2.Which method is recommended most highly?

On the Money-go-round

Money – usually the lack of it – is a universal problem for travellers. Whatever the amount they take there is a variety of ways to carry it. Since each has both advantages and disadvantages, a combination of two or three is advisable, the mixture depending on financial circumstances as well as destination.

Traveller’s cheques: will be replaced if lost or stolen, theoretically within 24 hours. You pay 1 to 15 percent of the value of the cheques (and may be a fixed handling fee if you are buying in any of the 20 plus foreign currencies) but usually get a better rate when cashing them. In any of the America be sure to carry dollar cheques.

Foreign currency: carry a small amount (for taxis, porters, telephone calls, snacks) until you can get to a bank. Most UK banks need advance notice of your requirements, otherwise change sterling at the airport or port (though exchange rates are less favourable).

The commission and rate of exchange do very but hopping around is rather impractical. Some countries (in particular Greece) restrict the amount of their currency that you can import. You should also carry some sterling for necessary expenses when you return.

Postcheques: Each cheque, when accompanied by a Postcheque Card (included free with your first order of cheques) can now be used to draw up to £100 in local currency from 90,000 post offices in most of Europe and around the Mediterranean as well as Home King, the Bahamas and Japan.

Credit cards: Access (linked to MasterCard in the US and Eurocard in Europe) and Barclaycard (linked to Visa) are accepted in nearly 5 million outlets each though they vary in their acceptability – Barclaycard, for example, is stronger in France, Spain and Italy, whereas Access is most useful in Germany and the US. Their acceptance in Continental petrol stations, top is not always certain.

They may also be used for cash advances and instead of a deposit on car hire.

Charge cards: American Express and Diners Club are less widely accepted than credit cards and the interest-free settlement period is shorter but then is no pre-set spending limit. In addition to the

initial starting and annual fee for the cards, both charge a one percent processing charge for bills convicted back into sterling.

Eurocheques can be used to withdraw local currency as well as pay for hotels, restaurants, garages and other services in nearly 5 million, mostly European, outlets. The cheques, made out to the exact amount you requires are then debited to your account in the same way as a domestic cheque.

Individual cheques can be cashed for up to a maximum of £100 or the equivalent in local currency.

There is no limit to the number of cheques you can use to male a purchase. You pay around £3.50 for the card and there is also a commission of 1.25 percent on the value of the transaction, plus roughly a 30 pence handling fee per cheque.

(David Wickers)

B. Now read the article once more and answer the following more detailed questions:

3.What happens if you lose your travellers cheques?

4.Where should the British traveller exchange sterling into foreign currency?

5.Why is the British traveller advised to carry sterling?

6.Where can you use Postcheques?

7.What are the advantages of credit card?

8.What disadvantages do charge card have?

9.How do you pay for Eurocheques?

10.What is the limit of a Eurocheque?

TAXES

Read Text 1 and answer the questions:

−What do Americans often say?

−What do they think about their taxation?

−How many types of taxes are there in the US?

−Federal taxes: who must pay them; percentage.

−State taxes: an income tax, a sales tax.

−City taxes: two forms.