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The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong,
are more powerful than is commonly understood.
John Maynard Keynes (1883 – 1946), a British economist
LEAD-IN
1. The dictionary defines economics as “the study of the production of wealth and the consumption of
goods and services in a society”. List five economic issues relating to production and consumption
that your national or local government has to deal with today.
2. Why do you think everyone should understand basic economics?
PRE-TEXT EXERCISES
A. Reading drills
Ex.1. Practice reading the following words.
tion [ʃn]: action, nation, station, dictation, translation, position, condition
ssion, ssian [ʃ(ə)n]: session, expression, impression, permission, Prussian, Russian
cia [ʃə], cean [ʃ(ə)n]: ocean, special, especially, official, politician, musician, social
a [a:] перед ss, sk, sp, st, ns, nd, nt, ft, th, nce: class, glass, grass, pass; after, craft, raft, daft; ask, task,
answer, father, rather, bath, path; fast, faster, last, past, master, castle, can't; gasp, grasp; command,
demand, plant, grant; chance, dance, glance, France.
Ex.2. Read the words in the following groups. Pay attention to the word stress.
a) words with the stress on the first syllable:
answer, chart, numbers, needs, wants, household, term, human, market, concept, actually, goods, services,
product, produce, surplus, previous, science, limit, object, purchase, action, fee, land, labour, labourer,
capital, enterprise, timber, profit, business, tools, choice, scarcity, satisfy, constitute, income, force,
option, benefit, equity, branch, gross, issue;
b) words with the stress on the second syllable:
economy, economist, accept, resources, statistics, specifically, behaviour, endeavour, defence, invisible,
amount, variety, sufficient, incentive, produce, abandon, interpret, production, tentative, explain, decision,
desire, consume, consumer, consumption, activity, object (v.), attempt, perform, except, combine, reward,
machinery, available, unlimited;
c) polysyllabic words with the main and secondary stress:
administration, availability, economics, economic, economical, economically, complicated, constitution,
constitutional, constitutionally, publication, comprehensive, influential, insufficient, definition,
distribution, individual, satisfaction, satisfactory, unemployment, microeconomics, macroeconomics.
В. Word formation with the help of suffixes
Ex.3. Explain the difference between the words in groups.
a) act, acting, active, activity, action;
b) consume, consumer, consumption, consumerism;
c) economy, economics, economic, economical, economically;
d) satisfy, satisfaction, satisfactory;
e) product, produce, produce, productive, productivity, production.
Ex.4. Make up nouns as in the model:
a) from the verbs:
Model: verb + -ment → noun
e.g. govern - government
Enjoy, employ, develop, accomplish, encourage, punish, fulfil, equip, agree, adjust, acknowledge,
commit, enrich, establish, move, judge, measure, recruit, manage.
b) from the adjectives:
Model: adjective + -ity→ noun
e.g. reliable- reliability
Possible, probable, responsible, familiar, complex, hilarious, curious, prosperous, punctual, real, senior,
special, able, public, similar, sensitive, active, minor, scarce.
Ex.5. Make up:
a) adjectives from the following nouns:
Model: noun + -ant = adjective
e.g.assistance (n) – assistant (adj.)
Distance, significance, importance, resistance, brilliance, consultancy, dependence.
b) adjectives from the verbs:
Model: verb + -less = adjective
e.g. hope (v.)- hopeless(adj.)
End, use, care, aim, thank, fear, harm, rest, mind, brake, doubt, dream, form, love.
There's no one universally accepted answer to the question "What is economics?" Browsing
different information resources, you will find various answers to that question. Economics may appear to
be the study of complicated tables and charts, statistics and numbers, but, more specifically, it is the study
of what constitutes rational human behaviour in the endeavour to fulfil needs and wants.
The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek oikonomia, the word composed of oikos
(“house”) and nomos ( “custom” or “law”), hence, “rules of the house(hold)”.Modern economics began
in 1776, with the publication of Adam Smith's “Wealth of Nations”. This was the first comprehensive
defence of the free market, and continues to be an influential work to this day. Central to the work was
the concept of the “invisible hand”, the idea that the market, while appearing chaotic, is actually guided
to produce the right amount and variety of goods and services. If there are insufficient goods, there will
be great economic incentives to produce more; if there are surplus goods, there will be an economic
incentive to produce less or different types of goods. Smith's work was so influential that previous
tentative schools of economics were abandoned after its publication.
Modern definition of economics interprets it as a social science, which analyses the production,
distribution, and consumption of goods and services, studies human behaviour and explains how
individuals and groups make decisions with limited resources as to best satisfy their wants, needs and
desires.
Wants and needs refer to people’s desires to consume certain goods and services. In economic
terms, a good is a physical object that can be purchased. A service is an action or activity done for others
for a fee. The term product is often used to refer to both goods and services.
Economics often uses such categories as factors of production, which are basic elements used to
produce goods and services. In essence, land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship are main
productive resources. Land represents all natural resources, such as timber and gold used in the
production of a good. Labour is all of the work that labourers and workers perform at all levels of an
organisation, except for the entrepreneur. The entrepreneur is an individual who takes an idea and
attempts to make an economic profit from it by combining all other factors of production. The
entrepreneur also takes on all of the risks and rewards of the business. The capital is all of the tools
and machinery used to produce a good or service.
The need for making choices arises from the problem of scarcity. Scarcity exists because
people’s wants and needs are greater than the resources available to satisfy them. From here it can be
easily understood that scarcity is the fundamental economic problem of having seemingly unlimited
human needs and wants in the world of limited resources. Scarcity means that people want more than is
available. Thus, people must choose how best to use their available resources to satisfy the greatest
number of wants and needs. Scarcity limits us both as individuals and as a society. As individuals, limited
income (time or ability) keeps us from doing and having all that we might like. As a society, limited
resources (such as manpower, machinery, and natural resources) fix a maximum on the amount of goods
and services that can be produced. Economics is sometimes called the study of scarcity because economic
activity would not exist if scarcity did not force people to make choices. People must choose which of
their desires they will satisfy and which they will leave unsatisfied.
When there is scarcity and choice, there are costs. The cost of any choice is the option or options
that a person gives up. Most of economics is based on the simple idea that people make choices by
comparing the benefits of options of different goods and choosing the one with the highest benefit. The
opportunity cost of a particular choice is the satisfaction that would have been derived from the next best
alternative foregone. It is the cost of any activity measured in terms of the value of the best alternative
that is not chosen.
Economics is the study of how people choose to allocate scarce resources to satisfy their
unlimited wants. In the situation of scarce resources and unlimited human needs, economics has a very
important task of minimizing costs while producing different goods and services. The main problem in
economics is the question of allocating scarce resources between competing uses. In this connection very
significant decisions must be made about three basic economic questions: What to produce? For whom
to produce? and How to produce?
What products and services should be produced? In order to answer this question we need to
determine the needs of individual consumers as well as the economy in general. A wide range of goods
and services needs to be produced in order to cater for many and varied needs of consumers. The demand
from consumers and available resources will normally determine what products and services to produce.
How much of each product and service should be produced? The amount of each product to
produce will be determined by the demand for the various products as well as the availability of the
resources required to produce those goods and services.
For whom should goods and services be produced? The demand for goods and services will
largely determine for whom they will be produced. Goods are therefore produced for those consumers
who demand the goods, and have the ability to pay for the goods demanded.
Two main branches of economics are: microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics
examines the actions of individuals and firms, and how they interact. Macroeconomics studies the
economy at large, examining such phenomena as inflation, unemployment and gross domestic product.
No aspect of life is untouched by economics - though it can be hard to convey its central
importance in human lives. Economics has things to say, and to teach, about the importance of education,
about taxation and government expenditures; about why some companies succeed and others go bust. It
teaches why some countries grow rapidly and others struggle to grow at all.
Language notes:
great economic incentives – великі економічні стимули;
surplus goods – надлишкові товари;
tentative schools of economics – експериментальні економічні школи;
opportunity cost – альтернативний вибір;
economic activity would not exist if scarcity did not force people to make choices – не існувало б
господарської діяльності, якби дефіцит не змушував людей робити вибір;
to take risks and rewards – йти на ризик і заробляти винагороди;
to go bust – збанкрутувати, розоритися;
rational judgments – обґрунтовані судження;
trade-off –альтернатива, компроміс.
VOCABULARY FOCUS
Ex.3. Give three forms of the following verbs. Find the sentences with these verbs in the text.
Find, come, begin, be, do, take, make, arise, keep, leave, give, choose, have, teach, say, go, grow.
Ex.4. Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right.
1 scarcity a the study of the way in which money and goods are produced and used
2 consumer b a continuing increase in prices, or the rate at which prices increase
3 economics c a subject or problem that is often discussed or argued about, especially a
social or political matter that affects the interests of a lot of people
4 demand d a situation in which there is not enough of something
5 distribution e the number of people in a particular country or area who cannot get a job
6 inflation f a balance between two opposing things that you are willing to accept in order
to achieve something
7 unemployment g someone who buys and uses products and services
8 issue h all the people who live together in one house
9 costs i an advantage, improvement, or help that you get from something
10 GDP j the need or desire that people have for particular goods and services
11 trade-off k the money that you must regularly spend in order to run a business, a home,
a car, etc
12 surplus l the act of sharing things among a large group of people in a planned way
13 benefit m the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in one year,
except for income received from abroad
14 income n an amount of something that is more than what is needed or used
15 household o the money that you earn from your work or that you receive from
investments, the government, etc
1. Economics is the study of what constitutes rational human behaviour in the endeavour to fulfil
_________.
2. Modern economics began in 1776, with the publication of Adam Smith's Wealth of _________.
3. Modern definition of economics interprets it as the social science, which analyzes the production,
distribution, and consumption of _________.
4. A service is an action or activity done for others for a _________.
5. _________are basic elements used to produce goods and services.
6. The entrepreneur is an individual who takes an idea and attempts to make an _________from it by
combining all other factors of production.
7. Scarcity exists because people’s wants and needs are greater than the _________available to satisfy
them.
8. The cost of any choice is the _________that a person gives up.
9. Economics is the study of how people choose to allocate scarce resources to satisfy their _________.
10. The demand from consumers and available resources will normally determine what _________to
produce.
Ex.7. Fill in the gaps with appropriate prepositions or adverbs.
1. Browsing different information resources, you will find various answers ______ that question.
2. Economics is the study ______ what constitutes rational human behaviour.
3. Modern economics began ______ 1776.
4. Central ______ the Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations was the concept ______ the “invisible hand”.
5. If there are surplus goods, there will be an economic incentive to produce ______ or different types
of goods.
6. Modern definition ______ economics interprets it asa social science.
7. A service is an action or activity done ______ others ______ a fee.
8. The need ______ making choices arises ______ the problem of scarcity.
9. Scarcity means that people want ______ than is available.
10. The cost ______ choice is the option or options that a person gives up.
11. Most ______ economics is based ______ the simple idea that people make choices.
12. Economics has a very important task ______ minimizing costs ______ producing different goods
and services.
13. Very significant decisions must be made _____three basic economic questions.
14. The demand _____ consumers and available resources will normally determine
what products and services to produce.
15. Goods are produced ______ those consumers who demand the goods, and have the ability to pay
______ the goods demanded.
Ex.9. Look through the text again and replace the words/phrases in italics with similar ones.
1. The term “economics” comes from the Ancient Greek “oikonomia”, the word composed of “oikos”
("house") and “nomos” ( “custom” or “law”), thus, “rules of the house(hold)”.
2. Wants and needs refer to people’s wants to consume certain goods and services.
3. In economic terms, a good is a physical object that can be bought.
4. Economics often uses such categories as factors of production, which are basic elements used to
manufacture goods and services.
5. Scarcity exists because people’s wants and needs are greater than the resources available to meet them.
6. The main problem in economics is the question of allocating limited resources between competing
uses.
7. That’s why very significant decisions must be made about three basic economic questions: What to
produce? For whom to produce? and How to produce?
8. For the purpose of answering this question we need to determine the needs of individual consumers as
well as the economy in general.
9. Goods are thus produced for those consumers who demand the goods, and have the ability to pay for
the goods demanded.
10. No aspect of life is untouched by economics – despite the fact that it can be hard to convey its
central importance in human lives.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
WRITING
DISCUSSION POINTS
Ex.18. Name as many famous economists as you know. Explain their role in the development of
economic science.
Ex.19. Economics has been called “the study of scarcity and choice”. How does this relate to your
budget for the week? How does this relate to your nation’s budget?
Ex.20. Scan the text below and give headlines to each paragraph.
Let's start with what economics isn't. Economics isn't a meal ticket to make lots of money in the
stock market, although economics helps you understand how stock markets and other markets work.
Economics also isn't a business degree, although economics teaches important business skills. (1)
____________. As such, economics helps to explain the mysteries of how people and society operate.
Economics is defined as the study of how people choose to use their scarce resources in an
attempt to satisfy their unlimited wants. (2) ____________. Think, for example, why you don't own a
Ferrari or a Porsche (if you do, congratulations). You probably can't afford to purchase these expensive
automobiles, or even if you can, this is not the best use of your money. You may want a Ferrari, and in
fact there is no prohibition against your buying a Ferrari. But you don't have the resources - namely,
money - to buy a Ferrari.
Take this one step further. Why don't you go to the movies every night, or go out dancing until 2
AM every evening? You may want to, even prefer to, but you can't because you have homework, or a job,
or both. Even if you could financially afford this lifestyle, your time is a scarce resource. (3)
____________.
Economics builds scientific models to explain why people behave the way they do. And
economists use these models, in conjunction with their observations of the world, to analyze and explain
why things happen the way they do.
Does this sound boring? It shouldn't. (4) ____________. Even more, economics is about finding
the truth, even if the truth may go counter to what you, and most people, may intuitively believe. As one
economist put it, economics is about paradoxes, about providing answers to riddles that are contrary to
accepted opinion yet are true. Think about a few such paradoxes:
Supermodels and athletes may be better off bypassing college for professional work than by
attending college.Why? The potential income they forego by attending school is greater than the benefit a
college degree brings to a supermodel or star athlete. This is not to say that education is bad, or
supermodels can't afford college; rather, it simply says that the allocation of time is better spent working
than by attending school.
(5) ____________. Traffic jams seem to be a necessary evil, right? What if drivers needed to pay
a toll, say $1, during busy rush hours. This would certainly prevent some drivers who didn't need to drive
from driving during rush hour, and traffic congestion would lessen. In economics, driving is a want and
freeways, time, and money are resources. If we could better allocate these resources, then we could lessen
traffic.
This is what economics is all about - finding answers to problems that are not always as they seem to be.
Why major in economics? Economics teaches valuable skills and problem-solving techniques that
will help you solve the mysteries life presents. But there's another reason. (6) ____________. In addition
to academia and government, economists work in all facets of the business world, including
manufacturing, mining, banking, insurance, and retailing. Not to mention sports, recreation,
entertainment, and technology.
Why do businesses need economists? First, economists are trained to think analytically and
critically to solve complex problems. Second, and relatedly, (7) ____________, and as such economists
are trained to recognize human behaviour in relation to work, production, distribution and consumption,
the fundamental operations of most businesses.
Businesses began to hire economists in increasing numbers shortly after World War II, and the
economics profession has grown rapidly ever since. Both large and small firms hire economists. Large
firms tend to have whole divisions dedicated to economic research, with a number of economists
addressing specialized areas. Smaller firms, on the other hand, tend to hire only one or two economists to
address a number of general areas: planning, forecasting, finance, and other duties.
(8) ____________. Economists analyze data and provide information; the manager uses this
information to make decisions. The public profile may not be there, but the power of the information is
great. This may explain why so many corporate CEOs rose to their positions through the economics
division.
Ex.21. Read the text. Choose the best sentence A-G to fill each of the gaps 1-7. Do not use any of
them more than once.
A Again, economics is about solving problems.
B Economics is a social science
C In other words, we have unlimited possibilities in life to do whatever we want, but we are limited by
the resources we have to do these things.
D Namely, jobs, and decent-paying ones at that.
E The role of the economist may differ from that of the manager.
F Traffic jams can be prevented.
G You need to spend time studying or working which prevents you from movie watching and dancing.
H Economics, first and foremost, is a social science.
Ex.22. Read the text and decide whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false
statements.
1. Economics helps you understand how stock markets and other markets work.
2. Economics is a business degree.
3. Economics teaches important business skills.
4. Economics helps to explain the mysteries of how people and society operate.
5. Economics is defined as the study of how people choose to use their unlimited resources in an attempt
to satisfy their scarce wants.
6. Economics builds scientific models to explain why people behave the way they do.
7. In economics, driving is a resource and freeways, time, and money are wants.
8. Economists work in all facets of the business world, including manufacturing, mining, banking,
insurance, and retailing.
9. Economists are trained to think analytically and critically to solve complex problems.
10. Only large firms hire economists.
11. Large firms tend to have whole divisions dedicated to economic research, with a number of
economists addressing specialised areas.
Ex.23. Read text B again and answer the following questions.
1. What is not economics?
2. How is economics defined?
3. Why does economics build scientific models?
4. How do economists use these models?
5. What is economics about?
6. Why do businesses need economists?
7. When did businesses begin to hire economists?
8. How do large and small firms hire economists?
9. What is the role of the economist?
10. What does the manager use to make decisions?
Ex.25. Reading
(1) There are two branches of genuine economics, the micro and the macro, and a third and
phoney one, the fantasy economics that feeds on wishful thinking demagogy and the rantings of
pretentious charlatans. As micro and macro are tangled up in one of their periodic conflicts of mutual
misunderstanding, the hour is to the fantasy economics "new order," "need, not greed," "equitable
distribution," "stability," and so forth. None of this rhetoric is harmless, and the seductive apple-pie-and-
motherhood language it uses makes it difficult to combat. Micro-economics finds support in common
sense, the lessons of everyday life and perhaps also in inherited instincts that favoured genetic survival in
evolutionary selection. Micro-economics teaches that no sane man will try to increase his income by
borrowing more heavily on his credit card so that his increased consumption should stimulate
consumption, fill factory order books, and permit him to earn more by doing overtime. Yet macro-
economics suggests that something of the sort is a quite plausible sequence of events. Plausible, however,
is sometimes mistaken for necessarily true. "It all depends"; macro-economic plausibility may or may not
point to correct conclusions.
(2) When in 2000 France's socialist government reduced the "legal" work week to 35 hours the
main plea was that this will spread the available work among more people, i.e. reduce unemployment,
which of course it did not. It increased costs and caused much disruption. On the other hand, when in
2008-2009 a large proportion of German employers reduced both the work week and wages, the result
was that German unemployment rose significantly less than that in neighbouring countries. Could this be
a negation of the French experience? It was nothing of the sort; it was simple that other things were not
equal, in one experience labour costs increased, in the other they did not. Micro and macro are fairly
unanimous that you do not increase the demand for labour by making it more expensive. Higher
unemployment pay has no direct incidence on wage cost, because it is paid out of general tax revenue and
leaves unemployment insurance rates (a kind of payroll tax) unchanged. However, wherever the incidence
of a higher cost first hits the economy, the indirect incidence will inevitably work through to labour cost,
too.
(3) The contemporary quarrel between micro and macro rages around the sustainability of
growing government debt, the potential of the fiscal stimulus to induce growth and create jobs, and the
risks of unorthodox central banking. In all these areas, the instinctive, micro-oriented "know-nothings"
confront the educated Keynesians. The latter keep desperately trying to hammer into the thick skulls of
the former the basic blueprint of John Maynard Keynes's system. More government spending (i.e.
dissaving) generates income that is greater than the spending itself, with part of the income being
consumed and part saved to generate the saving that matches the government dissaving. In Keynesian
parlance there is the multiplier effect and it is greater than 1. As long as there is spare capacity
(unemployment) in the economy, the government ought to go on spending more, working through the
multiplier, because the extra private saving takes care of the government dissaving and the extra
consumption is, so to speak, a welcome windfall gain. Timidly refusing to generate it is criminal waste.
(4) Fantasy economics as a study of warfare or at best a bitterly fought football game helps to
understand the self-inflicted pain most of Europe is currently suffering in the "crisis" of the euro - a
"crisis" that is increasingly looking like a quasi-permanent state of affairs. The euro replaced national
currencies in 1999 partly because it was promised to raise economic growth rates "in the region by 5 per
cent or more, and partly because it would enable Europe "to look the dollar in the face" or, better still, to
become its equal as a global reserve currency. Milton Friedman was convinced that, failing fiscal
unification, the euro experiment will collapse in a matter of months. Instead, it is still subsisting, though it
has signally failed to fulfil the promises of growth and especially of prestige that had been made for it. It
is being maintained by the Herculean efforts of the more solvent of the member states that seem
determined to throw good money after bad to save their nearly insolvent fellow members without
admitting that at least some of this money can be regarded as already gone down the drain. The mystery is
that doing this is unanimously acclaimed as wise, constructive and necessary because it preserves the
integrity of the Eurozone. There is ominous talk of "fragilisation" and "contamination" from Greece to
Ireland, Ireland to Portugal, Portugal to Spain and so on, ending in some unspecified but catastrophic
collapse. Nobody feels the need to ask why such language is the right one to use, and why the "integrity"
of the zone and its common currency is so precious as to warrant the most painful economic and political
contortions. Heavily loaded metaphors suffice to convince us that Greece, Portugal, Spain or Italy
reverting to their own separate currencies would be a bad thing for anyone, let alone (as is being asserted)
for everyone.
(5) What is saddening is that it is not solid understanding of micro and macro theory, the
depressing history of exchange controls, fixed rates and commodity price stabilisation schemes, not the
vacuity of fantasy economics that will preserve us from these hoary panaceas, but rather the sheer
unlikelihood of reaching unanimous agreement among sovereign states on anything substantive, however
foolish it may be.
Task 1. Discuss how micro and macro are tangled up in conflicts of mutual misunderstanding. (para.1)
Task 2. Explain why higher unemployment pay has no direct incidence on wage cost.(para.2)
Task 3. If something is constructive (para.4), is it
a) involving the use of imagination to produce new ideas or things;
b) useful and helpful, or likely to produce good results;
c) designed for building?
Task 4. What way out of the crisis does the author see? (para.5)
Task 5. What does the author mean by “hoary panaceas”? (para.5) Which of them does he focus on in
the above text?
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
INTRODUCTIONS
Conversation Practice
Notes:
1. It is not common to use titles (Mr., Mrs., Dr., etc.) when referring to yourself. However, it is polite to
use titles with others in formal situations, unless they give you permission to do otherwise.
Examples:
I'm Mr. Robert Smith. (Title is not necessary here.)
I'm Robert Smith. (Better.)
I'm Dr. Sampson. (Okay if you want to keep the relationship formal.)
After an introduction:
Nice to meet you, Mr. Smith.
Oh, please call me "Bob."
2. Do not use titles with first names, and do not use last names alone without titles.
Hello, Mr. Bob (Wrong!)
Hi, Bob (Okay.)
Good morning, Smith (Wrong!)
Good morning, Mrs. Smith (Correct.)
Ex.1. Do you know the other people in the class? Introduce yourself to everyone.
Good morning. My name is __________ . I am from __________ .
Listen to others introducing themselves. Say "Nice to meet you" and repeat their names. Smile (and shake
hands if appropriate).
Ex.3. Put the following sentences into the correct order to make a conversation.
Helen: Please call me Helen.
Paul: Morning, Jane. How are you?
Jane: Yes, it is. Let me introduce you … Excuse me, Mrs Anderson’. May I introduce you to Paul
Carroll?
Jane: Good morning, Paul.
Paul: Pleased to meet you, Mrs Anderson.
Jane: Fine, thanks, and you?
Paul: And please call me Paul.
Helen: How do you do?
Paul: Fine. Is that Mrs Anderson over there?
Ex.4. Read the conversation. Fill in the blanks with the question words.
Who, what, how, why, when, where.
Alex:______ do you do? My name is Alex Smith.
Peter:______ do you do? Nice to meet you. Peter Brown.
Alex: Ah! You are giving a talk on computer software.
Peter: That’s right. ______ are you from, Mr Smith?
Alex:New York.
Peter: And ______ do you work for?
Alex: Shell.
Peter: Ah, yes! You are giving a talk on transmission systems.
Alex: That’s right.
Peter: I’d like to hear it. ______ is it?
Alex: After lunch. ______ don’t you come along?
Peter: I’d like to. ______ time does it start?
Useful language
May I introduce you to … ? … this is … How do you do? How do you do?
Do you know … ? … this is … Hello./Hi. Nice to meet you.
Good morning. My name is … I have an appointment to see …
I don’t think we’ve met. I’m …
Excuse me. Are you Ms Peterson? I’m …
Ex.8. Read the text. Some parts of the text have bееn taken out. These extracts аre given below.
Complete each gap with the appropriate extract.
Having trouble introducing yourself? While introductions come easy to the extrovert, the introvert
will go as far as feeling anxiety when surrounded by people whom they do not know. Some tips to try: 1.
Look people straight in the eyes - eye contact is important because __________ and also shows self
confidence. 2. Smile - it is important to keep a __________ (and fresh breath too). 3. Your smile is your
icebreaker, it draws people to you because you will look __________ . 4. Handshake - a firm handshake,
once again, demonstrates your __________ , but be sure you don't break the other person's arm or hand.
5. Just __________ hand shake you will definitely gain your confidence. 6. Say your name and
immediately ask for theirs - __________ - "It's a pleasure to meet you, John" or "Nice to meet you, Jane"
- repeating the person's name will help you remember their name and, again, will also show you care. 7.
Have a great conversation. Make sure you introduce yourself with both __________ . 8. Giving a
nickname is absolutely ok, but __________ is your nickname. 9. It is an awkward joke if __________ .
10. Always give notice it's a nickname, i.e. "My name's Mike, but they __________ . 11. You may tell a
little bit of your background in order to start your conversation.
a) like a happy, stable person
b) then repeat their name while saying
c) never appropriate to say your name
d) call me 'The Stunner'
e) it shows that you care
f) first and last names
g) you consider it a joke
h) nice, bright smile
i) a squeeze and control
j) self-confidence.
PRESENT TENSES
Ex.1. Find the verbs in the sentences below, define their tense forms and translate the sentences into
Ukrainian.
Model:
Every morning my grandfather reads a fresh newspaper. (Present Simple) He is reading his favourite
newspaper now. (Present Continuous) He has been reading it for half an hour. (Present Perfect
Continuous) Oh, he has read the newspaper, and is now discussing the news with my father. (1- Present
Perfect; 2 – Present Continuous)
1. The factory produces electric motors. The factory has been producing electric motors for 50 years.
Recently, the factory has produced a new model. The factory is launching a new model these days.
2. Lucy is a florist. She works for Evelyne’s. She has been working there for two years. This week
Lucy is working at the exhibition of flowers.
3. - Maggie, it’s time to go.
- Has it stopped raining?
- No, but it isn’t raining heavily.
- Paul, it has been raining all day. I don’t want to leave home and get wet.
4. - What are you watching?
- BBC weekly news.
- Do you know what is on after the news?
- A serial. This soap opera has been running for about a year. You won’t believe this; my mom has
already seen more than two hundred series.
Ex.2. Define what tense forms should be used in the following micro-situations. Refer to the Table
of Present Tenses if necessary. You don’t need to translate the sentences.
1. Алекс, ти керуєш машиною? – Ні, але я вчуся. Ось уже два тижні, як я хожу на курси водіїв.
2. Сьюзан, де Фред? – Він в аналітичному відділі. Вони з Мaйклом з самого ранку коректують
базу даних.
3. Энтонi, м-р Райт вже підписав документи? – Ні. М-ра Райта немає на місці. Я чекаю на нього.
Між іншим, я чекаю на нього з 3-ої години.
4. Що ти шукаєш на моєму столі, Мері? – Вибач, Хелен, нашому босу знадобився лист від М&S.
Ми з Евелін шукаємо його з самого ранку.
5. Займайтесь своїми справами. Я вже віддала йому листа.
6. Дивись, Люсі знову з кимось розмовляє по телефону. Наша нова співробітниця забагато
теревенить з подружками.
7. Може, зараз вона розмовляє по справі? – Навряд, ось вже хвилин 10 як вона обговорює з
кимось колір нової сумочки або щось там ще.
8. Ви вже надрукували звіт? – Ні ще, я якраз цим займаюсь. – Єво, але ви друкуєте цю сторінку
вже цілу годину.
Ex.3. Write the 3rd person singular of the following verbs. Classify the verbs into three groups as it
is shown below.
Work, go, fly, destroy, do, pass, rush, buy, pay, try, sell, love, laugh, know, serve, clean, catch, manage,
agree, buy, fix, brush, kiss, study, finish, wash, copy, watch, stay, wash, write, read, drive
+s works, destroys,
+es goes,
+ies flies,
Ex.4. Put the verbs into three groups according to the reading rules and read them.
Start, begin, stop, stay, finish, close, open, make, catch, copy, say, like, put, miss, manage, mix, teach,
type, try, laugh, fly, freeze, dry, crash, pass, push, lose, drop, fall, rise, save, wish, change
Ex.9. Add suitable question tags to the following sentences. Read them with the correct intonation
at the end of the tag to show that you are asking if something is true (1-7) and that you are only
inviting the listener to agree with you (8-13).
Model: She doesn’t often agree with us, does she?
You are not really asking a question, you are only inviting the listener to agree with you. So your voice
goes down at the end of the tag.
I am late, aren’t I?
You are asking if you’re late. So the voice goes up.
Ex.10. Fill in the gaps with the correct auxiliary verb to complete the song.
Love Song
… she love him? Yes, she …
… she happy? Yes, she …
… he know it? Yes, he … Yes, he knows it.
Ex.14. Work in pairs and try to improvise an interview of your own. You can use some of the
questions in Exercise 6. Think about answers.
Ex.15. Open the brackets and put the time expressions in the right place. The first two sentences
have been done for you as an example.
1. Don’t call him. You know he is very busy at work. (always) – He is always very busy at work.
2. They give me a welcome (always) when I go there. – They always give me a welcome when I go
there.
3. I have a cup of green tea in the morning. (usually) – _____________________
4. My brother drinks coffee. (always) – _________________________________
5. He doesn’t take sugar in his coffee. (usually) – __________________________
6. Oliver is a manager. He gets to work by 9. (normally) – ___________________
7. He drives to the office. (generally) – __________________________________
8. He is late for work (never) but he stays at the office until late in the evening. (often) –
________________________________________________________
9. Does he travel on business? – Yes, he does. (often) – ____________________
No, he does. (never) – ____________________
10. Psychologists say that people who have red cars drive fast and aggressively.
(usually) – _______________________________________________________
Ex.16. Complete the following proverbs and sayings inserting often, always or never in the right
place. Match the proverbs with the Ukrainian equivalents. Give your own interpretation of them.
1. The morning sun lasts a day.
2. Lost time is found again.
3. The best is the enemy of the good.
4. The customer is right.
Не можна повернути втрачений час. Клієнт завжди правий. Ніщо не є вічним під місяцем. Краще
часто є ворогом хорошого.
Ex.19. Add –ing to the verbs. Make spelling changes where necessary.
A.
hope – hoping hop – hopping
give – sit –
argue – plan –
use – swim –
change – rub –
note – put –
B.
refer – referring
begin –
control –
omit –
upset –
but:
open -
C.
copy – copying tie – tying
study – lie –
fly - die -
employ –
buy –
Ex.21. Read the following sentences and match them with a, b, с, d. Explain the use of the Present
Continuous in every case. Translate the sentences.
a - actions taking place now, at the moment of speaking;
b - temporary actions or situations happening around now;
c - actions which happen too often and we want to express our annoyance or criticism;
d. - actions which we have planned and arranged to do in the near future;
e. - changing or developing situations
Ex.22. Read the following description of one morning in the life of Gregory and the way he is
getting to work. Choose the correct tense form to complete the sentences.
1. It is 8 o’clock in the morning. Gregory drives/is driving to the furniture factory.
2. His trip usually takes/is taking 25 minutes. This morning it takes/is taking much longer, because
workers repair/are repairing the highway.
3. So Gregory has to use Larson Road. He usually does not use/is not using Larson Road.
4. Normally, he takes/is taking M 25.
5. Traffic always moves/is moving faster on this road.
6. Today, the weather slows down/is slowing down the traffic.
7. It rains/is raining heavily, and the roads are slippery.
8. Gregory doesn’t like/is not liking to drive in the rain.
9. He is a careful driver, and he always drives/is driving slowly when the roads are wet.
10. The radio in his car is on, and Gregory listens/is listening to the traffic report.
11. He always listens/is listening to the radio on his way to work.
12. The announcer describes/is describing an accident on Larson Road.
13. Gregory doesn’t want/is not wanting to be late for work, but there is nothing he can do about the
traffic conditions.
14. Cars actually don’t move/are not moving, and he gets/is getting more and more nervous.
15. He understands/is understanding that it isn’t the best idea to drive to work while the main road is
under repair.
Ex.23. Match two parts of the sentences in the box to make up logical sentences describing people’s
criticism, annoyance or surprise.
BEGINNING ENDING
1. You are always interrupting me a) fault with whatever I do?
2. Boys at school are always bullying Sherry b) to buy her a red Ferrari.
because of c) her red curly hair. She refuses to go to school.
3. My wife is always nagging me d) Alice Marshal in the supermarket.
4. Alan’s mom is always criticizing e) when I’m talking.
5. It’s so strange. I’m always meeting f) with my brother. His wife doesn’t like it.
6. Mary says she wants to lose weight, but she is g) silly questions.
always eating h) something between having meals.
7. I don’t want to invite Helen. She is always i) me and the way we live.
flirting
8. Why are you always finding
9. You’re always asking me
Ex.24. In these dialogues, finish the replies using the construction ‘be always + –ing’.
Model: - I’m afraid I’ve lost my glasses again.
- Oh no, not again! You’re always losing your glasses, Granny.
3. - Lucy, we can’t go to Bristol today. Our car has broken down again.
- This car is absolutely useless! It ___________________________.
Ex.25. Make up dialogues using the words and expressions in the box. Refer to the first dialogue as
a pattern.
DVD get on my nerves
fridge get out of order
record player make a strange noise
mobile phone let me down
Ex.28. Open the brackets, putting the verbs into the correct form, the Present Continuous or the
Present Simple. Compare the sentences, try to elicit the difference.
1. Why _____ you _________ (not/listen) to me? – I _________ (listen) to you very attentively. I
always (listen) to you attentively.
2. Why _____ you _________ (yawn)? – I _________ (yawn) because I’m very tired and it is already
late. I always _________ (yawn) when I’m tired.
3. Do I like our new flat? Sure. It is large and light and it _________ (have) a balcony facing the sea.
We ________(have) a party this Sunday. Can you come?
4. Look! Vivien _________ (wear) the same shoes like me.
5. Why ____ you never _______ (wear) your red jacket? It is so stylish.
6. Look! It _________ (snow). - Oh, how beautiful! This is the first time I’ve seen snow. It _________
(not snow) in my country.
7. Mark Brown is a computer consultant. He _________ (work) for a firm which is based in Geneva but
he _________ (work) in Bradford these days. He _________ (set up) a new quality control system at
the moment.
8. You know, I _________ (leave) for Warsaw tonight. Му train ________ (leave) at 8 p.m.
9. The river Danube _________ (cut) Budapest in two.
10. Have a smoke, Vic. – No, thank you. I _________ (cut down) on cigarettes. At least, I’m trying to.