Text b What is Economics?

I. I. Прочтите текст и укажите, какие утверждения соответствуют тексту т (True), а какие нет – f (False):

1. Economics is the study of economies.

2. Economists are interested only in primitive economies.

3. Economists study our everyday lives.

4. Human beings have simple wants.

5. We need only food, shelter and clothes.

6. Alfred Marshall gave the definition of economics.

7. If we could satisfy our basic needs without working, we would still work.

Economics was defined by Alfred Marshall, one of the great Victorian economists, as the study of mankind in the everyday business of life. This everyday business of providing the means of life is called by the general term “economy”. Economics is the study of economies. We must study primitive economies, but it is the advanced economies that interest us most. How do we produce all the things that we need? How do we distribute the products among the various groups in society? What institutions have we developed to promote economic activity and how does each institution play its part in the complex relationships of everyday life?

The science of economics is based upon the facts of our everyday lives. Economists study our everyday lives of our communities in order to understand the whole economic system of which we are part. They try to describe the facts of the economy in which we live, and to explain how it all works. The economist’s methods should of course be strictly objective and scientific.

We need food, clothes and shelter. We probably would not go to work if we could satisfy these basic needs without working. But even when we have satisfied such basic needs, we may still want other things. Our lives might be more enjoyable if we had such things as radios, books and toys for the children. Human beings certainly have a wide and very complex range of wants. The science of economics is concerned with all our material needs: it is concerned with the desire to have a radio as well as the basic necessity of having enough food to eat.

II. Выберите английский эквивалент для следующих слов:

1. научный	a) scientist	b) scientific
	c) science	d) scientifically
2. распределять	a) distribution	b) distributive
	c) distributor	d) distribute
3. экономист	a) economics	b) economy
	c) economist	d) economize
4. способствовать	a) promoter	b) promotion
	c) promote	d) prominent
5. необходимость	a) necessity	b) necessary
	c) necessarily	d) necessitate
6. удовлетворять	a) satisfaction	b) satisfactory
	c) satisfy	d) satisfactorily

III. Найдите в правой колонке русский эквивалент для английских словосочетаний :

1. essential things	a) кров, жилище
2. to play part in	b) основываться на
3. shelter	c) человек, живое существо
4. basic needs	d) общий термин
5. to be based upon	e) материальные потребности
6. human being	f) вещи первой необходимости
7. material needs	g) играть роль
8. general term	h) основные потребности
9. in order to	i) также
10. as well	j) для того, чтобы

IV. Укажите, на какие вопросы в тексте есть ответ – yes (Y), а на какие - нет, no (N):

1. What is economics?

2. What three essential things do we need?

3. What is profit?

4. What should the methods of the economists be like?

5. What might make life more enjoyable?

6. What is the difference between private property and personal property?

7. What is economics concerned with?

8. What are the conditions of creating a market?