Economists are interested in problems that affect prices of goods and services and also resources necessary to produce them. Economists also take interest in sellers' and buyers' behaviour in the market, in the relationship between “price system” and “market mechanism”.
There are three main approaches to economics: microeconomics, macroeconomics and development economics. There are also several specialized (applied) areas of study. Among them are money economics, international economics, labour economics, industrial economics, agricultural economics, civil engineering economics, growth economics, mathematical economics, etc. Civil engineering economics is developing rapidly and successfully as it is important for most countries of the world.
Microeconomics studies the economic behaviour of individual consumers, firms or industries. The distribution of products and income among all these units is also analyzed by microeconomics. 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. Macroeconomics studies such questions as achievement of full employment and economic growth by means of proper government policies. This area of economics was developed by the British economist John Maynard Keynes.
Development economics studies the factors of economic growth and how these factors are used by governments in order to achieve high living standards.
Business today is full of risk and opportunity. Many people need to plan, prepare, and practice to create a successful business. Economists are to be able to evaluate and use new information. Finally, they have to learn modern skills and adapt to changing technology.
ЗАДАНИЕ 8. Закончите предложения.
1. No matter how great the intelligence of manages, they can never be … .
2. The ability and the willingness to find out are … .
3. Business is an increasingly important … .
4. Marketing is the movement of goods and services from … .
5. Economists are interested in problems that affect prices of … .
6. Microeconomics studies the economic behaviour of … .
7. Many people need to plan, prepare, and practice to create … .
ЗАДАНИЕ 9. Соедините части предложений A и B по смыслу.
A
Resources and labour are necessary
It is necessary to know marketing
It is not enough to study economic theory
To buy goods and services it is necessary for a consumer
Development of trade
B
a. is essential for economic growth of a country.
b. to produce goods.
c. to sell goods and services well.
d. to have enough money.
e. to be a good economist.
ЗАДАНИЕ 10. Переведите на английский язык, используя слова и выражения из текста «Professional Activity».
1. Есть много качеств, которые очень важны для экономиста.
2. Экономист должен уметь организовывать и планировать.
3. Важным качеством менеджера является умение оценивать результаты компании.
4. Экономист должен уметь оценивать и использовать новую информацию.
5. Бухгалтерский учет занимается измерением и передачей финансовой информации.
ЗАДАНИЕ 11. Ответьте на вопросы о Вашей будущей профессиональной деятельности.
1. What are the demands on economists?
2. What are the tasks of a manager?
3. What problems are economists interested in?
4. What are three main approaches to economics?
5. What applied areas of economics do you know?
6. What does microeconomics study?
7. Whose economic behaviour is studied by microeconomics?
8. How are individuals considered by microeconomics?
9. How is economy considered in macroeconomics?
10. What is studied by development economics?
11. What fields of business are there those offer exciting careers?
ЗАДАНИЕ 12. Подготовьте дома рассказ о профессиональной деятельности экономиста.
ТЕМАТИКА ОБЩЕНИЯ: 1. Язык как средство межкультурного общения.
2. Глобальные проблемы человечества и пути их решения.
3. Информационные технологии 21 века.
4. Избранное направление профессиональной деятельности.
TRANSLATION
English is one of the most widely used languages in the world. Today knowledge of foreign languages is important because they are the main and the most efficient means of information exchange between the people of the world. Over 337 million people in the world speak English as their mother tongue, and about 350 million people speak it as a second language. English is an official language in over 75 of the world's territories. The native speakers of English live in Great Britain, in the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. English is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic, Canada and South African Republic. As a second language it is used in the former British and US colonies.
English is the major international language for communication in such areas as science, technology, business and mass media. English is used as one of the official languages of the United Nations Organisation. It is the language of computer software and video games, literature and education, popular music and satellite broadcasting, academic conferences and international tourism.
English is the language of international commerce. Over 80 per cent of the world's electronically stored information is in English and two-thirds of the world's scientists read in English. English words are borrowed to add to other languages. Almost all computer terms in Russian are taken from English.
Every good specialist has to know English because it is necessary nowadays. When learning a foreign language you learn the culture and history of the country where this language is spoken.
WRITING TASK
Write about areas in what English is mostly used. What are the main difficulties for you in learning English?
TRANSLATION
There are around 6,000 living languages in the world – and at least half of those are in danger. In every part of the world, languages are disappearing. In the past 500 years 4,5 percent of languages have died out. Greek and Latin are among them. 417 languages in the world are spoken by a few people. If very few people
speak a language, it will probably die out.
Languages may be lost through migration, as people move from small rural communities to urban centres. Natural disasters can also devastate populations and their language. Governments also play a role in the extinction of languages. The need to establish “official languages”, for a country to educate its children, conduct its political affairs and carry out its business had a disastrous effect on small languages.
As languages are lost, whole ways of life and knowledge may be lost along with them. If you grow up not speaking your language, you won't know who you are.
WRITING TASK
Write about reasons for language disappearing. Why should we care about our language?
TRANSLATION
Globalisation leads to better products, which are more cost effective to produce and therefore cheaper for everyone. Globalisation also connects people by means of communication and offers them new opportunities for travel, work and education. It means a faster rate of development for the whole world.
Globalisation is great social and economic progress for developing countries. Free markets and the free movement of people, goods and services are beneficial to economies all over the world.
But globalisation mostly benefits the rich nations, who control prices, who influence the economies of poor countries and cause populations to migrate in order to try and improve their lives.
WRITING TASK
Write your opinion on globalisation. Do you see globalisation as a force for good or bad?
TRANSLATION
Globalisation means the process of integration of markets, great changes in trade and finance and the establishment of the global economy.
The main aim of economic globalisation is to change the world into one dynamic market which has uniform characteristics in different countries. Besides globalisation means wide advertising of new consumer products all over the world, low taxes for producers and similar life styles for people of different nationalities.
First steps towards globalisation in Europe were made by the establishment of the Common Market in 1993 and the introduction of the “euro” as the new single currency for Europe on January 1, 1999. Euro banknotes were introduced in circulation in 12 member-countries of the European Union in 2002.
Globalisation at a business level means that a company has decided to participate in the global economy. Nowadays any company may do e-business using the Internet services and other information technology.
WRITING TASK
Write about benefits in e-business. What does globalisation mean in business?
TRANSLATION
Technology has brought great benefits to human beings. However, it is important also to be aware of the dangers of technology.
People often mention the social benefits of the Internet. Users can communicate with people from all over the world and make friends with them. But people lose opportunities of meeting real people and having face-to-face contact.
Technology such as television, the Internet, mobile phones and email speeds communication but also creates isolated people who interact with machines rather than with other human beings.
One of the most dangerous effects of technology is that we have no privacy any more. Big Brother is constantly watching us and recording what we are doing.
Throughout the world, rich countries are using technology to dominate poor countries. Multinational companies introduce advanced machines and computers into poor countries. And as a result many workers lose their jobs.
In conclusion, technology is developing too fast and it is essential to control technology – before it controls us.
WRITING TASK
Write about technological innovations which improve human life. Can technology solve all the world's problems?
TRANSLATION
The Internet appears to be the innovation for global influence, and which will change lives the most.
The Internet has also greatly influenced how people buy and sell goods. International Internet shopping is now common, with people buying all sorts of goods, from different sites.
One of the Internet's greatest successes is Wikipedia, the free online encyclopaedia, which is compiled and updated by its users. It carries far more content than any other encyclopaedia and is a great starting point for research, but remember to double-check important facts as it contains errors.
The other major information resource on the Internet is Google, a search engine which finds and ranks web pages according to the number of links made to them.
The Internet virtual world is “inhabited” by more than 6,6 million residents from around the world. It is now much easier to share experiences with others too. Sites such as YouTube allow people to upload and share videos and a number of figures becoming Internet phenomena. Much of the power of the Internet lies in the fact that people are developing new ways to be creative and innovative, combining ideas and skills without an organisation.
WRITING TASK
Write about the Internet sites you have used. What kind of sites are they?
TRANSLATION
Today Microsoft employs more than 55,000 people in 85 countries. In 2006, the company made profits of US $12.6 billion. But it was not always that way.
Microsoft was set up in Albuquerque (New Mexico, the USA) in 1975 by Bill Gates and his friend Paul Allen. The two men were guided by a belief that every desk in every office, and every home, should have a computer, so they started to develop software for personal computers. At first, the company concentrated on selling to businesses. In the late 1970s, Microsoft moved to the Seattle area. It is still based there today, on its own “corporate campus” in Redmond. In the mid 1980s, Microsoft was growing rapidly and chose the Republic of Ireland as the location of its first production faculty outside the USA.
The company slogan is “Where do you want to go today?” In 1996 Microsoft was named the company that Americans respected and admired the most. In 1999 Gates's book “Business @ the Speed of Thought” was published. The book shows how computer technology can solve business problems in new ways. It is now published in 25 languages and in more than 60 countries. Bill Gates himself has given over $30 billion to support projects in global health and learning.
WRITING TASK
Write about any top company and its products. Would you like to work for it?
Учебно-методическое пособие «Сферы общения» по развитию навыков устной речи и межкультурной коммуникации для студентов 1-2 курсов экономических и других специальностей, созданное в соответствии с примерной программой «Иностранный язык» для неязыковых вузов и факультетов, одобренная на заседании НМС по иностранным языкам МИНОБОРНАУКИ РФ от 18 июня 2009 г. Протокол № 5 и соответствует государственному образовательному стандарту. Рассчитано на 340 часов (170 часов аудиторных занятий и 170 часов самостоятельной работы).
Основными целями обучения иностранным языкам в неязыковом вузе являются формирование и совершенствование иноязычных коммуникативных умений студентов. Данное пособие представляет собой многоуровневый курс языкового, речевого и страноведческого материла. Пособие содержит темы, которые изучают студенты, начиная с первого года обучения.
Учебное пособие состоит из 4 тематических разделов и 6 блоков (Units), посвященных определенной сфере общения (бытовая, учебно-познавательная, социально-культурная и профессиональная сферы). Каждый раздел делится на две части.