Text Comprehension Exercises.

I. Listen to the text “The Economic Faculty “and answer the following questions

1. Economics is about everyday and topical issues of our life, isn’t it?

2. What is economics concerned with?

3. When was the еconomic faculty set up?

II. Listen to the text again and say which of the following replies is correct

1. Economics analyses a) what, how and for whom society produces, b) the state of education, c) the policy of the state.

2. Economics is not simply about technical efficiency, it is about a) bringing up children, b) the just efficient distribution of national income, c) the weather of the country.

3. The economic faculty is a) the most difficult faculty, b) the most advanced faculty, d) the youngest faculty.

4. The relatively high level of numeracy and analytical ability of the graduates are attractive to a) spectators, b) fans, c) employers.

5. They are capable specialists in a) modern techniques of processing economic information, b) writing poems, c) teaching school students.

6. The principal method of assessment of students’ knowledge is by a) the amount of visited classes, b) the appearance of the students, c) oral examinations.

Text Exercises

1. Read the text and find in it English equivalents of the following words and word combinations

Практический опыт, неограниченный спрос, ограниченная способность, производить товары и услуги, психологический эффект, баланс платежей, истощение ресурсов, передача информации, справедливое и эффективное распределение национального дохода, современное обучающее оборудование, обработка данных, привлекательны для работодателей, современные технологии

2. Read the text and answer the following questions

1. Is it easy to give definitions to economics? 2. What is economics about? 3. Is studying economics useful for future enginieers? 4. What courses are available at the faculty? 5. What are the employment opportunities of the faculty graduates? 6. What techniques of teaching are applied in the university? 7. What are the assessment methods? 8. Are modern teaching facilities available for students?

3. Agree or disagree with the following statements

1. It’s not difficult to understand what economics is about.

2. The central economic problem is to reconcile the conflict between people’s unlimited demands with society’s limited ability to produce goods.

3. Economics is aimed at solving the problem of balance of payments.

4. The economic faculty doesn’t offer its students other subjects or courses.

5. Economics broadens the educational base of an engineer.

6. Economic faculty graduates have a wide range of employment opportunity.

7. Resource exhaustion and environment pollution are not economic issues.

4. Develop the following ideas, use the words and word combinations provided in brackets

1. Economics is about everyday and topical issues. (unemployment, its social consequences; price inflation; of, the problem, balance of payments, the slow rate of the country economy; the control of resource exhaustion, and, and, national income, environmental pollution, just, of, efficient, distribution).

2. The Faculty of Economics is very young (the youngest faculty; 1994; modern teaching facilities; the teaching staff; advanced work; economic research; economic studies; science subjects).

3. Employment opportunities of the graduates of the faculty are very high (a wide range of; high level of numeracy, and, analytical ability; attractive to employers; in government, in private and state sector; competent to solve, capable specialists in).

4. Methods of assessing the students’ performance and knowledge are different (oral examinations; degree assessment; final examinations; course papers; project work; field practice).

5. Extend the following statements, use the text for your reference

1. Economics is based on the facts of our everyday life.

2. The Faculty of Economics is the youngest faculty in the university.

3. The faculty offers the students a great variety of economic and engineering courses.

4. Modern teaching facilities are available for advanced work across the whole spectrum of economic research.

5. The faculty maintains scientific and educational relations with many universities.

6. Speak on:

1. the science of economics,

2. the Faculty of Economics,

3. the employment opportunities of its graduates,

4. scientific and educational contacts of the faculty.