Is it easy to be a N Yorker

I. READ AND TRANSLATE THE TEXT (in writing):

IS IT EASY TO BE A NEW YORKER?

The typical New Yorker is either Chinese, Jewish, African American, Italian, Greek, Dutch, Irish, German or Ukrainian. In other words, like the unicorn, there is no such creature.

Nothing about New Yorkers is typical except their attitude. The New Yorker Attitude hangs over the city like a London fog. The New York Attitude literally stops traffic. It can keep you from getting where you want to go. It can give you headaches, and make your blood pressure rise. Try to ignore it and, no matter how many maps you might have, you won't get anywhere.

The key ingredient in the New York Attitude is money. This is the city that invented, along with "power lunches" and "street smarts", the phrase "time is money". In New York City everything is money. Can you believe $ 10-15 per hour to park your car in midtown? That's why if somebody threatens you, "Your money or your life," you may be absolutely sure that he is out-of-towner, because in New York your money is your life.

Being a New Yorker is something that New Yorkers do better than anyone else. It's an around-the-clock business and they work hard at it. Whatever you want to say about them, New Yorkers do their homework. It doesn't matter how much they earn or how much they're going to spend: everyone is an expert. They all know where to get the greatest hot dog in town, find the cheapest florist, which movie theatre has the best sound system, and which hit is worth seeing on Broadway. Not that any two lists are ever the same. No one is supposed to agree. That is the fun! The important thing is having an opinion.

Stop someone on the street and ask directions - it's as though you, a total stranger, had walked into his private office in the middle of a conference he was having with himself.

New Yorkers value their privacy as fanatically as Italians or the Spanish their siestas. Privacy is for New Yorkers what "saving face" is for Asians - a technique for survival in a crowded environment. It has nothing to do with being cold or unfriendly.

It's hard being a New Yorker. On a daily basis, the city streets are littered with far more than old cans and gum wrappers. After the exodus of the middle class to the suburbs, New York became a city of extremes, people say. Extremes like characters in a soap opera "The Rich and the Homeless." The truth really is that a city with all its brightness of New York can't help casting a few shadows. The homeless are a sad fact of life today, something you come upon in Paris, Hong Kong or London; New York isn't alone in not knowing how best to handle the situation, but in New York it strikes you harder than elsewhere.

The city is also noisy and expensive, its people are pushy and rude, the weather is awful (especially in summer), the traffic is impossible and you often can't find a cab when you need one. Everybody knows that, because people have been saying these things for years, and New York is still the most-visited city in the world.

Still, there must be something that attracts everyone - something in New York you can't find any place else.

Unless you're in town to visit relatives, New York means Manhattan. The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island are not visited as tourist attractions despite every New Yorker having a favourite restaurant, bakery, park, or museum in one of the other four boroughs. Local people travel back and forth across the rivers and bridges to visit family or the ethnic delights of, for example, Italian Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. The so-called "outer" boroughs are culturally-rich outposts that offer entertainment. But there are so many interesting sights in New York that it's really hard for a New Yorker to know all of them.

That is another reason for the statement that it is not easy to be a New Yorker.

If you are going to do business with New Yorkers here are some tips on the business protocols of New York.

Because to New Yorkers time is money, do not be surprised if a New Yorker asks you: What's in this deal for me? or What will I get out of this? Just make sure that you are prepared to answer this question.

New Yorkers rarely work as a team in business. Individual performance is what counts, and officers are rewarded according to their individual contribution to an organization. Rank and status are not acquired at birth or with age; they are given to the individual who proves to be the best.

You will have to be punctual with any appointment you make. Executives often schedule appointments within twenty minutes of each other. If you are late, you may have missed an opportunity to meet with the necessary party. Schedules are planned weeks in advance and it may be difficult to reschedule on short notice.

In business New Yorkers do not spend much time on pleasantries. Once you shake hands and exchange business cards get right to the point of your visit. Within the first five minutes, and executive will determine whether or not your proposal has merit, is right for the company, or is interesting enough to pursue further.

Business is often discussed socially, at breakfast, lunch, dinner, cocktail parties, golf outings, on tennis courts, or at health and fitness clubs.

It is not considered impolite for an executive to take calls while you are having a meeting in his/her office. In addition, many executives also carry a beeper which signals them they should call in.

New Yorkers love to conduct business over meals. It is very fashionable to have meetings over a "power breakfast" from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Business lunches usually begin at 12:30 p.m. and end no later than 2 p.m. Business dinners are usually scheduled early, around 7 p.m., since many New Yorkers commute to the city from surrounding suburbs and wish to return home in time to be with their families before it gets too late.

Gifts are usually not exchanged when conducting business. Strict rules and policy in American corporations may prohibit or discourage the exchange of gifts. An executive must report any gift received and, in most cases, will not be allowed to accept those valued over twenty dollars.

References

Unicorn – единорог

"power lunches" and "street smarts",

Litter – мусорить

cans and gum wrappers – жестяные банки и обертка от жвачки

‘exodus – переезд, переселение

Extremes - крайности

Cast – отбрасывать (тень)

Pushy – толкаются

boroughs. [‘b∧rә] – небольшой город

outposts – авантпост, отдаленное поселение

reward – вознаграждать

contribution – вклад, содействие

acquired [ә’kwaiәd] – благоприобретенный

Executives – руководители предприятий, администраторы, должностные лица

Pleasantry – шутки

Merit –зд. заслуживает внимания

Pursue [pә’sju:] – продолжать заниматься

Commute – ам. совешать регулярные поездки на работу в город из пригорода

II. EXPLAIN, PLEASE, WHY THE TEXT IS CALLED IN THIS WAY.

III. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. Is it easy or difficult to conquer New York?

2. What is the key ingredient in the New York Attitude?

3. What phrases were invented by New Yorkers?

4. What do New Yorkers value highly?

5. What is a special technique for survival in New York?

6. What is the weather like in New York?

7. What boroughs does New York consist of?

8. What are the so-called "outer" boroughs?

9. How do New Yorkers do business?

10. What for are New Yorkers awarded in the office?

11. In what situations is business discussed?

12. Where is it fashionable to have meetings?

IV. GIVE SOME FACTS ON:

1. the population living in New York;

2. cities New York is compared with and in what connection;

3. the most interesting sights in New York

VI.CHOOSE THE THINGS THAT MAY INTEREST YOU IN NEW YORK. WHY?:

Power lunches; movie theatres; suburbs; boroughs; restaurants; parks; museums; bridges; culturally-rich outposts; sights; cocktail parties; tennis courts; golf outings; fitness clubs.