U n I t 12

TOPIC: MARKET PRICE

TEXT A

TEXT B

TEXT C

GRAMMAR: The Infinitive. Forms and Functions

The Prepositional Infinitive Complex

Reading drills

1. Practise the pronunciation of the following words:

a) stress the first syllable:

price, value, signal, serve, link, neutral, favour, neither, level, relatively, smoothly, strength, enterprise, opposite, stable, process, surplus, shortage, item, flexible, function;

b) stress the second syllable:

determine, consumer, consumption, surprisingly, instead, event, disaster, affect, react, accordingly, exactly, intention, adjust, adjustment, absorb;

c) stress the third syllable:

unforseen, economic, flexibility, unexpected, equilibrium.

Text A

Prices play an important role in all economic markets. If there were no price system, it would be impossible to determine a value for any goods or services. In a market economy prices act as signals. A high price, for example, is a signal for producers to produce more and for buyers to buy less. A low price is a signal for producers to produce less and for buyers to buy more. Prices serve as a link between producers and consumers. Prices, especially in a free market system, are also neutral. That is, they favour neither the producer nor consumer.

Instead, they come about¹ as a result of competition between buyers and sellers. The price system in a market economy is surprisingly flexible. Unforseen events such as weather, strikes, natural disasters and even war can affect the prices for some items. When this happens, however, buyers and sellers react to the new level of prices and adjust their consumption and production accordingly². Before long³, the system functions smoothly again as it did before. This flexibility to absorb unexpected «shocks» is one of the strengths of a free enterprise market economy.

In economic markets, buyers and sellers have exactly the opposite hopes and intentions. The buyers come to the market larger to pay low prices. The sellers come to the market hoping for high prices. For this reason, adjustment process must take place when the two sides come together. This process almost always leads to market equilibrium⁴ — a situation where prices are relatively stable and there is neither a surplus⁵ nor a shortage⁶ in the market.

Comments

1. to come about — з’являтися

2. ... adjust their consumption and production accordingly — ... таким чином регулюють споживання і виробництво

3. before long — потім

4. market equilibrium — ринкова рівновага (ринковий еквілібріум)

5. a surplus — залишок

6. a shortage — нестача

Vocabulary exercises

I. Give the verbs from which the following nouns are derived:

buyer, producer, consumer, competitor, supplier, accountant, monopolist, worker, employer, supervisor, manager, economist, financier, executive, leader, importer, exporter, seller.

II. Find equvalents:

1. to determine a value 2. market economy 3. price system 4. low prices 5. adjustment process 6. market equilibrium 7. high prices 8. to come about 9. for this reason 10. free enterprise 11. competition 12. new level of prices 13. affect the prices 14. relatively stable

а. низькі ціни б. високі ціни в. ринкова економіка г. ринкова рівновага д. з цієї причини е. визначати вартість є. цінова система ж. процес регулювання з. відносно стабільний и. конкуренція і. новий рівень цін ї. вільне підприємництво й. впливати на ціни к. з’являтися