Variant “a”

Pre-reading tasks

1. Запомните следующие слова и словосочетания:

1. unit (n) [`ju׃nit] – единица, блок

2. either … or (cj) [`aiðə `o׃] – или … или, либо … либо

3. distribution (n) [ֽdistri`bju׃ ʃən] – распределение

4. income (n) [`inkəm] – доход, прибыль, поступления

5. to consider (v) [kən`sidə] – рассматривать, полагать, считать

6. both … and (cj) [`bouθ ֽənd] – и …и, как … так и

7.supplier (n) [sə`plaiə] - поставщик

8. employment (n) [im`ploimənt] – работа (по найму), занятость (рабочей силы)

9. to require smth (v) [ri`kwaiə] – нуждаться в чем-либо, требовать чего-либо

10. achievement (n) [ə`tʃi׃vmənt] – достижение

11. proper (adj) [`propə] – правильный

12. government (n) [`gΛvənmənt] – правительство

13. developed (adj) [di`veləpt] – развитый

14. independence (n) [ֽindi`pendəns] – независимость

15. to reach (v) [ri׃tʃ] – достигать

16. to increase (v) [in`kri׃s] – возрастать, увеличивать(ся)

17. average (adj) [`ævəridʒ] – средний

18. productivity (n) [ֽprodΛk`tiviti] – производительность

19. fast (adj) [fa׃st] – быстрый, (adv) быстро

20. population (n) [ֽpopju`leiʃn]

2. Translate the following word and word-combinations from English into Russian:

to focus on individual economic units, the distribution of products and income, as suppliers of labour, achievement of full employment, by means of proper government policies, factors of economic growth, high living standard, to reach a success, per capita, low labour productivity, to consider specific problem, especially great, level of education, high mortality rate, fast population growth.

3. Make the corresponding adjectives using these words:

to develop, independence, industry, employment, to live, depression, interest, economics, advance, to specify, productivity.

4. Find synonyms among the following words:

fast, revenue, recently, output, developed, rapid, to distribute, progress, income, industrialized, increase, lately, supplier, to allocate, achievement, basically, productivity, provider, mainly, to rise.

5. In the dictionary find antonyms to these words:

to increase, progress, independent, independence, variety, export, high, fast, employment.

Text

Areas of economics

There are three main approaches to economics: microeconomics, macroeconomics and development economics.

Microeconomics focuses on individual economic unit such as: the economic behaviour of either individual consumers or firms or industries, the distribution of products and income among all these units. In this field of economics individuals are considered both as suppliers of labour and as consumers of goods. Firms are also studied both as suppliers of products and as consumers of labour and capital.

The term “macroeconomics” was first used in the 1930s. The world depression that began in 1929 required the study of such macroeconomic questions as achievement of full employment and economic growth by means of proper government policies.

The third main field of economics, that is, development economics, studies the factors of economic growth and how these factors are used by governments in order to achieve high living standards.

Development economics is an important branch of economics which considers specific problems of Third World countries. These countries are called “developing” countries. The growth of Third World countries was especially great in the 1950s and 1960s. Most of these countries were a part of the colonial system and they were controlled by Western Europe. Developing countries got political independence after World War II, but they were not independent economically.

Nowadays, though the most of these countries have reached the great success in the development of their different industries, they still have some economic problems such as: lower average income per capita, low labour productivity, low level of education, high mortality rate, fast population growth, low living standards, etc.

Tasks to the text:

1. Fill in the following words from the texts (use the appropriate form of the words): to require; independence, to reach; to be employed; population, labour productivity; distribution; living standards; advanced; variety, dependence.

1. Not many workers … in the depression years.

2. Many factors affect the … of income in an economy.

3. The government … a proper policy to achieve high living standards.

4. The … are very high in some European countries.

5. As the education of … is not very good in developing countries, the … is slow.

6. There is a wide … of problems which Third world countries have in their economies, but economic … is common for most of them.

7. This factory uses the most … technologies in processing agricultural products into foodstuffs.

8. Developing countries got political … more than 50 years ago, but they have not … high level of living standards of developed countries.

2. Answer the questions:

1. What does microeconomics study?

2. Whose economic behaviour is studied by microeconomics?

3. How are individuals considered by microeconomics?

4. What does macroeconomics study?

5. What problems does development economics study?

6. How are Third World countries called?

7. Are developing countries independent politically or economically?

8. What are common problems of all developing countries now?

3. Write a short summary to the text (not more than 5 sentences).

Выполните упражнения на закрепление грамматики.

1. Поставьте прилагательное в правильную форму

1. The central regions of the country are (industrialized) than northern parts.

2. Living conditions in some Latin American countries are (bad) than in developing Asian countries.

3. It was (easy) to make a decision than economists thought.

4. This is (important) stage in the processing of the product.

5. Nowadays mining plants use (modern) machines than ten years ago.

1. Переведите предложения в повелительном наклонении

1. Отправь это письмо!

2. Давайте обсудим экономическую ситуацию в США.

3. Помогите мне перевести эту экономическую статью.

1. Поставьте подходящий по смыслу модальный глагол

1. Even at present computers ... (not) translate from one foreign language into another without mistakes.

2. In the past members of a farmer's family... produce most necessities on their farm, such as clothes and other things.

3. The firm was closed as it... (not) to pay its debts.

4. Developing countries ... (not) become economically independent until they import less than they export.

5. The firm ... increase its profits by means of new materials or technologies.

6. Any country ... follow some rules in international trade.

7. British farmers … (not) ensure the required quality of meat when there was an infection among animals a few years ago.