V. Speech practice exercises
1. Discuss the following questions:
1. Imagine you’re the chief financial officer of a large firm. Your company has
just acquired $10,000,000 as a long-term loan from a bank. You want to
use this money to secure (обеспечивать) the company’s financial future. How
would you invest the money?
2. Do you think it is a good business practice for a company to pay its bills
late?
3. “People with overdrafts (задолженность) are bad financial managers.” Do you
agree?
4. What do you think the following sayings mean? Do you agree with them?
a) Time is money.
b) Money is the root of all evil.
c) A fool and his money are soon parted.
d) Money can’t buy you love.
e) Love does much; but money does more.
f) Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
2. Comment on the following quotations of famous people. Which quotations
do you like and which ones don’t you like? Why?
1. “Money is power, freedom, a cushion, the root of all evil, the sum of all
blessings (благо, блаженство).” – Carl Sandburg (1878-1967), American poet
2. “When I was young I used to think that money was the most important thing
in life; now that I am older, I know it is.” – Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Anglo-Irish
humorist and playwright
3.”Prosperity is only an instrument to be used, not a deity (божество) to be
worshiped (поклоняться).” – Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), 30th president of the USA
4. “I’m not really interested in making money. That’s always come, as the
result of success,” – Steven Spielberg (b. 1946), American filmmaker
5. “Rich people plan for four generations. Poor people plan for Saturday
night.” – Gloria Steinem (b. 1934), American feminist and journalist
6. “A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.” – Samuel Goldwyn
(1882-1974), American motion picture producer
7. “Three groups spend other people’s money: children, thieves, politicians. All
three need parental (родительский) supervision.” – Dick Armey (b. 1940),
American politician
8. “I would rather be the man who bought the Brooklyn Bridge than the one
who sold it.” – Will Rogers (1879-1935), American humorist
9. “Never lose hope in your dreams. For without dreams, life is a broken-
winged bird that cannot fly.” – Langston Hughes (1902-1967), American poet
10. “You can be young without money but you can’t be old without it.”
- Tennessee Williams (1914-1983), American dramatist
11. “A budget tells us what we can’t afford, but it doesn’t keep us from buying
it.” – William Feather (1889-1981), American author and publisher
12. “Ignore the stock market, ignore the economy, and buy a business you
understand.” – Warren Buffett (b. 1930), CEO, Berkshire Hathaway, and one of
America’s richest entrepreneurs
13. “At this moment, America’s greatest economic need is higher ethical
standards – standards enforced by strict laws and upheld by responsible
business leaders. There is no capitalism without conscience (совесть),
there is no wealth without character.” – George W. Bush (b. 1946),
43rd president of the USA
14. “Why is there always so much month left at the end of the money?”
- Anonymous
3. Read the text and answer the questions below the text.
