The Role of the English Language

Иванова М.М.

 

Сборник дополнительных заданий к учебному пособию "English for Students of Public Administration – Part 1" для студентов 1 курса бакалавриата

 

по дисциплине «Иностранный язык»

 

(Английский язык)

 

Направление подготовки – 38.03.04 – «Государственное и муниципальное

управление»

 

Профиль – Государственное и муниципальное управление

 

Очная форма обучения

 

Одобрено Советом Департамента языковой подготовки

Протокол №       от 2020 г.

 

 

Москва

2020

УДК 81`33

ББК 81.2Англ

И21

 

Рецензенты:

Т. Л. Калинина

К.филос.наук, доцент, ст.преподаватель Департамента языковой подготовки (Финансовый университет)

Иванова М.М. Сборник заданий для студентов 1 курса бакалавриата, по дисциплине «Иностранный язык» (Английский язык), направление подготовки 38.03.04 – «Государственное и муниципальное управление», очная форма обучения – М., Финансовый университет, 2020. – 102 с. 

 

Данный сборник является дополнительным материалом к учебному пособию “English for Students of Public Administration – Part 1”, состоит из 10 разделов и предназначен для работы студентов в процессе изучения английского языка в профессиональной сфере в области госуправления. Все разделы соответствуют программе и учебным планам подготовки бакалавров данного профиля. Цель сборника – формирование профессиональных коммуникативных компетенций, активизация аналитического и критического мышления, приобретение фоновых и профессиональных знаний в сфере администрирования, а также отработка лексических и грамматических навыков.

Сборник предназначен для студентов бакалавров 1 курса факультета Государственного и муниципального управления и составлен в соответствии с требованиями Федерального государственного образовательного стандарта высшего образования.

 

 

Contents

 

Unit 1. The Role of the English Language 4

Unit 2. Problems that young people face 13

Unit 3. The UK: economic and political structure 21

Unit 4. The System of Education in the UK 29

Unit 5. Basic Business Economics 37

Unit 6. Globalization 43

Unit 7. State Structure of the English-Speaking Countries 54

Unit 8. The European Union 61

Unit 9. The Russian Federation: Three Branches of Power 70

Unit 10. Introduction to Public Administration 79

Transcripts 86

Keys 96

References 101

 

 

Unit 1

The Role of the English Language

Questions for discussion:

1) What do you know about the history of English language?

2) Do you think you could read Middle English? Why or why not?

3) How do you think English will change in the future?

 

Unit 2

Problems that young people face

Questions for discussion:

1) Are there any aspects of one generation’s lifestyle that another generation finds difficult to understand?

2) Do you believe there are any ways in which young people today behave worse, or better, than older people did at your age?

3) Can you think of any examples of one generation having mistaken beliefs or assumptions about another?

Task 1. Read the text about generation gap and find out what problems are raised in it.

Liam (16)

Young people aren’t treated fairly by the media. Every day there’s something

negative in the papers about people of my age – stuff like antisocial behaviour, or

drugs, or fights between gangs. The media create the idea that young people don’t

have enough respect for other members of society, and that all they care about is

having a good time. Well, all I know is that my friends aren’t like that. New technology is one of the things that make it harder for the different generations

to understand each other. Things like social networking sites are an everyday part of my life, but they’re a mystery to a lot of people of my parents’ age. Little things like that add to a sense of separation.

John (59)

Lots of people of my age seem to think the country’s going to the dogs, but I tell them they’re looking at the past through rose-coloured glasses. They say young people today are more individualistic, or even selfish, than in the past, and that their sense of right and wrong isn’t as strong as that of older people. There might be a little bit of truth in that, but in general I think the differences are exaggerated. I know I don’t look at my own kids, who are 19 and 23, and wish they were more like I was at their age. One thing that worries me slightly, though, is the possibility that kids today don’t appreciate what they’ve got. Young people in Britain have more money to spend than they did 50 years ago, and more choices available to them, but I don’t think they’re happier than we were.

Sally (85)

Of course there’s a gap between people my age and the younger generations. British people of my age have lived through a war, and many of us can remember poverty of a kind that hardly exists these days, at least in Britain. That really shapes your outlook on life. Most young people growing up today have never known hardship, so they’re less likely to appreciate what they’ve got. I’m sure youngsters’ behaviour hasn’t got worse in every way, but I do think some of

them lack respect for authority. They don’t have enough discipline. My granddaughter is a teacher, and tells me awful stories about some of the children in her school. In my day it would have been unthinkable to behave like they do – we would have got the cane, and rightly so.

 

Task 2. Here are some simple definitions for words that appear in the text above.

Find the words they refer to and fill in the gaps.

1. If you _ _ _ k at something through r _ _ _-c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ g _ _ _ _ _ s (idiom),

you consider it to be better than it really is.

2. _ _ v _ _ _ y (noun): a situation in which someone does not have enough money to pay for their basic needs

3. _ _ _ ia (noun) radio, television, newspapers, the internet, and magazines,

considered as a group

4. A person who is _ n _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ c (adjective) believes that what

individual people want is more important than what society or the government

wants.

5. _ i _ (noun – informal): child or, sometimes, teenager or young adult

6. If something or somewhere is _ _ _ ng to the _ o _ s (idiom), it is becoming

much worse than it used to be.

7. If you _ p _ _ _ _ _ _ te (verb) something, or a situation, you understand its true

nature. You would realize, for example, how good or important it is.

8. a _ _ _ or _ _ _ (noun): the people and institutions in society that have the power

to tell other people what to do (e.g. the police, and teachers)

9. un _ _ _ _ _ able (adjective): impossible to imagine

10. c _ _ _ (noun): a long, thin stick. (‘The c _ _ _ ’ is a punishment given to children in schools in which they are hit with a long thin stick. In Britain it has been illegal in all state schools since 1987, and in all private schools since 2003.)

11. y _ _ _ _ _ _ er (noun – informal): child or young person. (In Britain this is a word used mainly by old people.)

12. _ _ _ _ soc _ _ _ (adjective): showing a lack of care for other people or for society in general

13. h _ _ _ sh _ _ (noun): a situation in which life is very difficult

14. A s _ _ _ _ l _ etw _ _ _ _ _ _ s _ _ _ (noun), such as Facebook or MySpace,

allows you to communicate with friends and make new friends.

15. _ _ _ look (noun): your general attitude to things

 

Task 3. Decide for which of the three people (Liam, John, Sally) the following statements are true.

1. They mention other people of a similar age.

2. They mention economic changes.

3. They mention an idea other people have about young people, which they don’t (or don’t entirely) agree with.

 

Task 4. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F), or not stated (NS).

1. Liam thinks his friends are similar to the young people who are often written about in the newspapers.

2. Sally thinks life is harder for young people today than it was when she was growing up.

3. John totally disagrees with the idea that young people are more individualistic or

selfish than they used to be.

4. Liam tries to avoid reading newspapers.

5. John has a more positive opinion of young people than some other people of his

age.

6. From what her granddaughter tells her, Sally thinks schoolchildren today behave

worse than they did when she was at school.

7. None of the three people give an example of how young people today behave better than they did in the past.

8. Liam regularly uses social networking websites.

 

Task 5. Answer the questions below.

1. What is the idea about young people that John thinks there might be ‘a little bit of truth’ in?

2. In what way does Liam think technology can add to a sense of separation between the generations?

3. What does John not wish?

4. There is a similarity between something Sally says about young people and,

according to Liam, an idea the media have about young people. What is it?

Task 6. Complete the sentences with the words from the box.

comfort  take a stand take over anxiety depression ignore slogan

1. Bullying can cause _______________ (feeling very sad) and _______________ (an uncomfortable feeling of worry or nervousness).

2. Some children might _______________ (support and make feel better) the person who is being bullied.

3. Why not create an anti-bullying _______________ (a phrase that is easy to remember) and make posters?

4. You could also _______________ (take control of) the school's social media for a week to send out anti-bullying messages.

5. To stop bullying we need everyone to _______________ (be strong and say your opinion).

6. Don’t laugh or _______________ (not react or do anything) what's happening – do something!

 

Task 7. Listen to the audio and fill the gaps.

Source: https://listenaminute.com/b/bullying.html

Bullying

(1)_______________________ bullying. Why do people have to make the life of another person so miserable? Why do they think (2)_______________________ punch and kick someone they think is weaker than them. I was bullied when I was a child. (3)_______________________. I was really afraid to go to school, for many, many years. I knew I was (4)_______________________ times. It was always a group of (5)_______________________ in the corridors, or on the playing fields. They made me hate school. I know they also (6)_______________________. I have no confidence now. I’m 32 years old but I’m afraid (7)_______________________. The school bullies took away my belief in myself. They didn’t know that they would scar me for life. The physical (8)_______________________ not the emotional ones.

Task 8. Put the correct words written below into the article.

Bullying is one of the nastier, (1)__________ sides of human nature. We see it everywhere, from our early days at school to our place of work. What is it that makes bullies want to tease, hurt, humiliate and (2)__________ others? In many cases, people who are bullied (3)__________ their own lives. It’s so sad this can happen in today’s society. But it does happen and it’s allowed to happen. Many terrible things happen in school – children are (4)__________ every day. If this happened to an adult on the street, the bully would be called an attacker or mugger and would be arrested. In school it’s called “part of (5)__________ up”. The bully gets away with criminal assault; the bullied child (6)__________ long-term physical or emotional damage.

Victims of bullies used to feel (7)__________ in their home. The school or office bully could not reach them there. This has all changed with cyber-bullying. Today, cyber-bullies (8)__________ people online. They (9) __________ malicious gossip about them on facebook and other social network sites. Bullies blackmail people, threaten them, attack their families. They feel they have a lot of power (10)__________ behind their computer. There are many websites to help those being bullied online. A good place to start is cyberbullying.us. The link is (11)__________. On this Anti-Bullying Day, take some time to look at this site and think about how harmful all forms of bullying are. Maybe one day we can (12)__________ a stop to it.

http://cyberbullying.us/blog/advice-for-adult-victims-of-cyberbullying.html

 

1.	(a)	darkly	(b)	darker	(c)	darkness	(d)	darken
2.	(a)	injure	(b)	injures	(c)	injury	(d)	injuries
3.	(a)	make	(b)	fake	(c)	bake	(d)	take
4.	(a)	beating	(b)	beats	(c)	beaten	(d)	beat
5.	(a)	growth	(b)	grows	(c)	growing	(d)	grown
6.	(a)	suffers	(b)	abuses	(c)	sends	(d)	hurts
7.	(a)	safety	(b)	safe	(c)	safely	(d)	safes
8.	(a)	victims	(b)	victimizing	(c)	victim	(d)	victimize
9.	(a)	spared	(b)	speed	(c)	spread	(d)	speared
10.	(a)	hiding	(b)	standing	(c)	working	(d)	coming
11.	(a)	down	(b)	below	(c)	decreasing	(d)	less
12.	(a)	get	(b)	have	(c)	be	(d)	put

 

Task 9. Answer the following questions.

1) What does society need to do to stop bullying?

2) Should bullying be made a crime?

3) Should bullying be a crime?

4) Is bullying simply a part of teen age?

5) Should bullied children go to the police and get the bully arrested?

6) What should parents do about bullying?

7) How can we teach bullies their actions are wrong?

8) What questions would you like to ask a bully?

9) Why do people bully others?

10) Is it worse to be bullied as a child or adult?

11) What mental health problems might bullied children have?

12) What happens to people who have depression?

13) Why do schools not act when one teenager physically hurts another?

14) What advice would you have for someone who is bullied?

15) Should bullied children just learn how to deal with bullies?

Task 10. Role play

Role A – Bullying

You think bullying is the biggest thing children have to worry about. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't such a cause of worry. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): exams, parents or money.

 

Role B – Exams

You think exams are the biggest thing children have to worry about. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't such a cause of worry. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): bullying, parents or money.

 

Role C – Parents

You think parents are the biggest thing children have to worry about. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't such a cause of worry. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): exams, bullying or money.

 

Role D – Money

You think money is the biggest thing children have to worry about. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why their things aren't such a cause of worry. Also, tell the others which is the least worrying of these (and why): exams, parents or bullying.

Unit 3

Unit 4

Unit 5

Basic Business Economics

Questions for discussion:

1) What are the basic problems of daily living people must solve?

2) What does economics study?

3) What do economists do in general?

4) Do you think economics is a good subject to study nowadays?

Task 1.Match the notions with their definitions. Be careful as there are two extra definitions.

1. Output 2. Economics 3. Economical 4. Supply 5. Income 6. Expenses 7. Scarcity 8. Inflation 9. Unemployment 10. Consumer

a) Rising prices b) The total value of all goods produced and services performed by a producer, an industry or a country c) An action or activity done for others for a fee d) A company's profit in a particular period of time e) A person who buys goods or services for their own use f) The number of people without work g) The social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services h) Resources used in the production process i) Money that you spend while producing something j) Not using a lot of money k) An amount of something that is available for use l) Lack of something

Task 2. Choose the right word.

1. This is a simple and economic / economical method, i.e. it is easy to use and there is no waste involved.

2. In this paper we develop a framework for analyzing the capital allocation decisions facing economical / financial institutions.

3. Fuel efficient cars are economic / economical, though the extra efficiency comes at a economical / financial cost.

4. We discuss the role of banks in reducing the costs of economical / financial distress of families in Italy.

5. It is an issue for further behavioral and economic / economical research.

6. This procedure will only be effective and economical / financial if times are cut considerably.

7. The paint should be spread on the surface as economic / economically as possible.

8. It requires a very economic / economical use of interior space.

9. Children are economically / financially dependent on their parents.

10. Traders often take unjustified risks in the economical / financial markets.

Task 3. Fill in the gaps using the words from the box. One word is used twice.

economic economical economically economics economists economize economizer economy uneconomic

 

1. Mad cow disease has had a serious __________ effect on beef producers.

2. If we want a holiday we'll have to __________, we are spending too much.
3. The most __________ way of heating your house is by using solar energy.
4. __________ the country has been improving steadily these past ten years.
5. Tourism contributes millions of euros to the country's __________.

6. It is usually more __________ to shop in a supermarket than in a small shop.
7. My daughter is in her third year of ­­­­__________ at university.

8. The minister maintained that the coal mines were __________ and would have to be closed.
9. Naturally the big boss has many professional __________ to advise him.

10. An __________ is a mechanical device intended to reduce energy consumption.

 

Task 4. Match the words to make collocations.

On-going Scarcity of Infinite Durable Household Opportunity Purchasing Out-of-pocket

Resources Power Wants Costs Expenses Appliances Goods Inflation

 

Task 5. Translate the words in brackets.

1) The problem of what goods are to be produced and in what quantities arises directly from the (дефицит ресурсов).

2) Consumer spending on (товары и услуги) rose 0.6% in September, after adjusting for inflation.

3) The government is spending more on projects (чтобы сократить число безработных) and (понизить уровень бедности).

4) Automobiles, video recorders, washing machines, personal computers, and most furniture are good examples of (хозяйственные товары длительного использования).

5) We're looking for ways to help farmers (экономить на) chemicals and fertilizer.

6) Consumers always (реагируют на стимулы), therefore to increase our sales the company should change the price for its products.

7) (Заменитель сахара) is one of the most popular consumer goods among females.

8) In economics, the free rider problem occurs when those who (извлекают выгоду из) resources, goods, or services do not pay for them, which results in an under-provision of those goods or services

9) The minimum wage has been raised, but (потребительская покупательная способность) has fallen by 40 % since the late 60s.

 

Task 6. Listen to the audio and fill in the gaps.

Source: https://breakingnewsenglish.com/0512/051202-us-economy-e.mp3

Unit 6

Globalization

Questions for discussion:

1) What do you think of the concept of a global village?

2) Has globalization improved people’s lives?

3) How has popular culture added to globalization?

4) Do you think globalization could end in a world with just one giant country?

 

Task 1. Fill in the gaps with the words from the box.

Expanded Enterprises Trade Expansion Produce Decades Efficient Aimed Consumption Global Market Welfare Globalization Economic Interdependence

Unit 7

Donald Trump impeached

Donald Trump has been impeached by the House of Representatives in the USA. The House took (1) ___________________ of impeaching the President. It is just the third time in history that a US president has been impeached. President Trump has been charged with (2) ___________________ and obstruction of Congress. These represent the impeachable acts of "high crimes and misdemeanors," which could lead (3) ___________________ from power. This is unlikely, however, as the Republican-controlled US Congress has to (4) ___________________ of that by a majority of two-thirds. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "If we do (5) ___________________, we would (6) ___________________ our duty. It is tragic that the President's reckless actions make impeachment necessary."

The impeachment is the culmination (7) ___________________ and acrimonious three-month investigation into allegations that President Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate (8) ___________________ for personal gain. Mr Trump has continually called the (9) ___________________ witch-hunt in history. Republicans also (10) ___________________ the impeachment. Republican Barry Loudermilk compared the process to the fate of Jesus Christ at his death. He said: "Pontius Pilate (11) ___________________ to Jesus than Democrats have afforded this president in this process." Mr Trump said: "The Democrats are surrendering their majority, their dignity. They look like a (12) ___________________." He tweeted: "They are not after me; they are after you."

 

Task 5. Answer the questions using the information from the audio.

1) How many previous presidents have been impeached?

2) What has President Trump been accused of abusing?

3) What impeachable act is Mr. Trump accused of besides misdemeanors?

4) What majority is needed in Congress to remove a president?

5) What did Nancy Pelosi say President Trump's actions were?

6) How long was the impeachment process?

7) Who is President Trump accused of asking Ukraine to investigate?

8) What did President Trump call the impeachment?

9) Who did a Republican say was treated better than President Trump?

10) Who did President Trump say the Democrats were after?

 

Task 6. Match the synonyms from the listening.

1. step 2. misuse 3. unlikely 4. derelict 5. reckless 6. culmination 7. rivals 8. fate 9. surrendering 10. bunch

a) irresponsible b) negligent c) giving up d) exploitation e) adversaries f) destiny g) improbable h) group i) action j) climax

 

Task 7. Put the correct words written below into the article.

Unit 8

The European Union

Questions for discussion:

1) How many nations are in the European Union (EU) right now? Name them.

2) What were the main reasons for the EU creation?

3) Are there any advantages and disadvantages of being the EU member?

4) Why are many EU citizens against a larger union? Give some reasons.

5) Why not all countries in the Eurozone use a single currency?

Task 1. Read the text and fill the gaps with a proper derivative from the given words.

The European Union (EU) is the most (1)__________ and politically successful UNION of countries in the world. This sort of (2)__________ affects not only the countries within the EU, but also those outside it. The European Union is most likely the (3)__________ and most reasonable union ever. It’s a well-known fact that people over there never complain of having a bad life, however they have different points of view about this fact. The idea behind EU (4)__________ was not only to cement an economic union for the advantage of the nation states which formed it but also to stop the constant cycle of wars in Europe between its great nations. The EU is the largest society with common ideas, plans, (5)__________ regimes, economies etc, where people successfully (6)__________ each other. All of these are positive factors. Even though there surely must be difficulties of living is such huge society; these are (7)__________ with tolerance and understanding. Actually, some of the EU countries were formerly from the USSR proper or from the (8)__________ block. Back in that time they were completely separated from the rest of Europe by the so called Iron Curtain and had undemocratic regimes of a backward nature. Whereas now, twenty years since the fall of the Iron Curtain, all countries of the EU are considered (9)__________ democratic. Never mind the past and its problems, people in Europe are free, happy, delighted, and can expect a decent salary, (10)__________ care and social services.

Economy   Unite   Wise     Create   Democracy Cooperation     Come   Social     Inequality     Medicine

Task 2. Fill in the gaps with the proper words.

(1)__________ of the EU can travel freely from one country to another. The movement of a (2)__________ force in this manner is good for the economy. Of course, a union of so many countries is also very (3)__________ economically when it works properly. Most of the EU countries use the same (4)__________; their laws are harmonized and so on. Due to this, an EU (5)__________ can have some control over (6)__________ and in times of crisis protect it so that it doesn’t fall. This we have seen recently, the different governments have acted like one in order to (7)__________ growth and come out of the (8)__________. These attempts were (9)__________ and we see the European economy growing again as national and central (10)__________ support each other.

Government Promote Citizens Currency Economy Successful Working Authorities Recession Profitable

Task 3. Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition where necessary.

Nevertheless, there are some disadvantages in the EU. For example, (1)__________ EU is a cosmopolitan society, people may find it hard to put (2)__________ with each other’s behavior, languages, customs, traditions etc. However, European citizens are given (3)__________ the protection of charters (4)__________ human rights and social security previsions, so this makes them really free to live their lives (5)__________ peace and security.

(6)__________  my opinion, the EU should accept all the countries of Europe such as Macedonia, Moldova, Ukraine, Belorussia and may it be that one day all these nations be counted (7)__________ its member states. Even Russia (8)__________ some time in the future should also take (9)__________ its rightful place in a unified Europe (10)__________ another European member. However, some of these countries have some economic and political issues which must be resolved first.

 

Task 4. Match the words with their definitions.

1. guarantor 2. to market 3. maintenance 4. debtor 5. to compete 6. currency 7. interest 8. to oblige 9. capable 10. transactional

a) the work needed to keep a road, building, machine, etc. in good condition b) the money that is used in a particular country at a particular time c) someone who formally accepts responsibility for you or for something that belongs to you d) to make goods available to buyers in a planned way that encourages people to buy more of them, for example by advertising e) able to do things effectively and skilfully, and to achieve results f) money that is charged by a bank or other financial organization for borrowing money g) someone who owes money h) to force someone to do something, or to make it necessary for someone to do something i) relating to buying and selling j) to try to be more successful than someone or something else

Task 5. Match the words and word expressions with the proper translation.

1) to corner the market 2) to lay down criteria 3) to guarantee somebody against something 4) to be at issue 5) to take on obligations 6) to cope with competitive pressure 7) non-cash transactions 8) to be in circulation 9) in reserve 10) to run into debt

a) безналичные операции b) в запасе c) монополизировать рынок d) уберечь кого-либо от чего-либо e) справиться с конкурентным давлением f) быть в разногласии g) заложить критерии h) взять на себя обязательства i) находиться в обращении j) влезть в долги

Task 6. Fill in the table with the criteria.

The Copenhagen Criteria	The Convergence Criteria

a) The rule of law

b) Market economy

c) Price stability

d) human rights and respect for and protection of minorities

e) Exchange-rate stability

f) Long-term interest rates

g) the ability to take on the obligations of membership

h) Soundness and sustainability of public finances

i) Public debt

j) Stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy

 

Task 7. Choose join/connect/unite.

1) The bone broke just where the thigh _______________ to the knee.

2) The two countries have _______________ against their common enemy.

3) Why don't you ask your sister if she would like to _______________ us for supper?

4) The two buildings are _______________ by a covered bridge.

5) The police have _______________ with Drug Enforcement Agency in trying to catch major drug traffickers.

6) Conservation groups have _______________ in protest against the planned new road.

7) Can I _______________ my printer to your computer?

8) I'm sure everyone will _______________ me in wishing you a very happy retirement.

9) Nobody _______________ her with the thefts.

10) East and West Germany _______________ under article 23 of the Bonn constitution.

 

Task 8. Read the quotations below. Agree or disagree with them and argue for your point of view using the topical vocabulary. Express your opinion on the following questions.

1. “A new state, if it wants to join the European Union, has to apply to become a member of the European Union like any state.”

Author: Jose Manuel Barroso

2. “The European Union is the world's most successful invention for advancing peace.”

Author: John Bruton

3. “Political union means transferring the prerogatives of national legislatures to the European parliament, which would then decide how to structure Europe's fiscal, banking, and monetary union.”

Author: Barry Eichengreen

 

a) Is the interconnectedness beneficial to the members of the European Union?

b) What are the possible drawbacks of being a member state?

c) Do you think the European Union will fall apart?

 

Task 9. Listen to the audio and mark the statements as True and False.

Source: https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1211/121107-waste_of_money.mp3

 

1) A new report came out about EU spending in 2008-2009.

2) A report said the European Union wasted round 6.4 billion euros.

3) A report spokesman, Vitor Caldeira, said the EU did not hit its target.

4) Caldeira suggested the EU should spend as carefully as Europeans.

5) The spending mistakes were just over 4% of the EU budget.

6) Five years ago, the EU misspent 7% of its budget.

7) The EU gave money to forestry that should have gone to farming.

8) The EU spent too much money on projects for alarm bells in the UK.

 

Task 10. Match the synonyms from the listening.

1. waste 2. annual 3. careless 4. target 5. matter 6. spokesperson 7. error 8. rate 9. seriously 10. alarm bells

a) make a difference b) mistake c) yearly d) representative e) misspend / misuse f) badly g) goal h) slack i) warning signs j) percentage

 

Task 11. Choose the right answer according to the audio.

1. When did the EU waste money?

a) Since it began.

b) Last year.

c) Two years ago.

d) Earlier this year.

 

2. What kind of report is in the article?

a) A financial report.

b) A terrible report.

c) An unpublished report.

d) An annual report.

 

3. What were there too many cases of?

a) The EU ringing alarm bells.

b) The EU not aiming properly.

c) The EU not hitting the target.

d) The EU not scoring.

 

4. Why are Europeans being careful?

a) Because of the financial crisis.

b) Because they are tired.

c) Because they have no jobs.

d) Because of the US economy.

 

5. What kind of economies are there in Europe?

a) recovering

b) weak

c) poorly

d) half-dead

 

6. What was the percentage of the spending mistakes?

a) Under 4%

b) Over 7%

c) Over 4%

d) 4%

 

7. When was the error rate 7%?

a) Three years ago

b) Four years ago

c) Five years ago

d) Six years ago

 

8. What programmes should have got money, but didn't?

a) Farming programmes

b) Fishing programmes

c) Fencing programmes

d) Flooring programmes

 

9. How many areas of the budget had no mistakes?

a) Five

b) Four

c) Three

d) Two

 

10. What should start ringing?

a) Church bells

b) Wedding bells

c) Alarm bells

d) Jingle bells

 

 

Unit 9

Emerging from Communism

For more than 80 years, (1)_______________ was part of the (2)_______________, commonly known as the (3)_______________. Granted, it was the largest, most populous, and arguably, most important part, but it was a part of the greater whole nonetheless. By 1991, Russia was independent under its own name for the first time in decades.

However, the transition from the Soviet Union to the current Russian state was fraught with hazards. In fact, in 1993, a serious coup attempt ended with shots being fired from tanks in the capital. As a result, the president of Russia at the time, (4)_______________, worked to rework the constitution and government of Russia. The resulting arrangement is still in place today.

 

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Lesson Summary

In this lesson, we took a look at the structure of Russia's government. Starting with the (5)_______________ to the current Russian state, we saw this was not always a peaceful transition. Stability, if not always freedom, has been preserved with the establishment of a strong office of the president as well as a strong executive branch. Sitting at the head of it all is the (6)_______________. Still, the legislative and judicial branches have been structured to be of special use in a country as large and diverse as Russia.

The (7)_______________, the lower house, is voted on by allowing people to vote for particular parties, while the (8)_______________, the upper house, has two representatives from every governmental unit within the country. Finally, the (9)_______________ looks at cases about the application of law, while the (10)_______________ examines issues with the constitution.

 

Task 2. Check your knowledge using the information from the video.

1. What kind of cases does Russia's constitutional court hear?

a) Procedural cases

b) All of these

c) Cases concerning the constitution

d) Appeals cases

 

2. What state did Russia evolve out of in 1991?

a) Soviet Union

b) None of these

c) Belarus

d) Tsarist Russia

 

3. What is the most powerful part of Russia's government?

a) The legislature

b) The judicial branch

c) The presidency

d) Executive

 

4. What is the type of organization of Russia's parts?

a) Confederation

b) Commonwealth

c) Federation

d) Unitary state

 

5. What is the name of the lower house of Russia's legislature?

a) Federation Council

b) House of Deputies

c) State Duma

d) Senate

Task 3. Read the text and think over the question how t ensions between Russia and NATO can be easily resolved.

Unit 10

Transcripts

Unit 1

The English language. It’s the official language of 54 different countries and is spoken by over a billion and a half people worldwide. Adding together native speakers, people who speak English as a second language or an additional language and people who are learning English, and it’s the most commonly spoken language across the globe. So what makes English so great? And why do people want to learn English?

This is the British Library in London. It’s the national library of Great Britain and there are over a hundred and fifty million items here from every age of the written word. Let’s go inside.

The Library’s collection has developed over two hundred and fifty years and keeps on growing. There are books, magazines and over the world, so we capture a snap shot manuscripts, maps, music and so much more. Every year, 3 million new items are added, so an extra 12 kilometres of shelves have to be put up. Roger Walshe is the Head of Learning.

Richard: Roger, why is the British Library a good place to come to find out about the English language?

Roger: Well, there’s lots of reasons. We’ve a hundred and fifty million items from all of what the language is like. But I think perhaps more importantly, we have documents here that go right back a thousand years to the beginning of the language. And so what you can see is how this changed and evolved over time. And when you see it changing like that you get a feel for where it might be going in the future.

Richard: So how has English changed over time?

Roger: Oh, it’s changed hugely. If you look back to old English - like a thousand years, it’s almost like German. Very, very difficult to read, only a few people can do so. Then you look up to, say, Shakespeare's period: early modern English. Printing has come in and that begins to standardize the language.                              

Richard: So what impact has technology had on the English language?

Roger: Well, it has two big impacts: one is that lots of new technical words come into the language. We see this in the industrial revolution over a hundred years ago. But the other, bigger, influence is that it enables people all over the world speaking English to communicate with each other, underneath YouTube clips or in chat rooms, and they’re influencing each other's English.

Richard: That’s great, Roger. Is there something you can show me?

Roger: Absolutely. We’ve got some great stuff. If you’d just like to follow me...

Richard: So Roger, what’s this?

Roger: Well this is one of the treasures in the British Library’s collections. English goes back about thousand years to Old English. This is Middle English, about five hundred years ago, and it’s the first book ever printed in the English language.

Richard: So who actually printed this?

Roger: This was printed by William Caxton. Very famous. He went on to print Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the first bestseller in the English language. And one of the difficulties you have as an early printer is that there’s no standard language. There’s no dictionary, there’s no grammars, there’s no guides to usage really, so he often had to make up how to spell words himself.

Richard: And is the spelling consistent throughout the book?

Roger: Well, no, it’s not, even on this page here. This is a kind of a foreword - an introduction to the work. He says he translates it from the French. He has here ‘to French’: f - r - e - n - s - s - h - e.

Richard: Right    

Roger: That’s how he spells French. But if you go back to the centre of the page here, you’ve got ‘French’ again, and it’s got one ‘s’ in it: f - r - e - n - - – e.

Richard: Incredible... And this looks a lot more modern here, what’s this over here?

Roger: This is a very different work. It’s something we chose. It’s from 1867, so a hundred and thirty years ago and we’re all familiar with how people use mobile phones now to text each other - SMS. And they shorten words and they use letters to get their message across. This is a poem written in the nineteenth century in which somebody has done exactly that; he says 'I wrote to you before' - he uses a number 2, letter ‘B’, the number 4.

Richard: That’s amazing. So what does this tell us about the English language?

Roger: Well, it tells us it’s very versatile. It tells us that people play with it and sometimes the changes they make stay. Some of those changes were made 500 years ago, some of them were made 100 years ago. But some of the changes we make now in internet chatrooms and the way we talk to each other and the way people around the world use English will become the future of English as well.

I’d never really thought about English changing, but of course new words are being added all the time and not all types of English are the same.

 

Unit 7

The Canadian Government

When we think of the Royal Family, we usually think of Great Britain's royal family: Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Princes Harry and William, and Kate Middleton. But did you know that Canada's system of government also includes a royal family?

It may come as a surprise, but Canada's royal family is the same one as Great Britain's. How can this be, especially since we don't hear too much about the British royal family as it relates to Canada? Let's take a look at how Canada's system of government works.

Type of Government

Canada's government can be described in two ways: both a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy.

Constitutional Monarchy

In a constitutional monarchy, the Queen (or King) is the Head of State of a nation but is bound by that state's written constitution. While heads of state are not directly involved in governing the country, they typically have ceremonial duties, such as appointing governors to represent them.

To ensure a fair and properly functioning government, Canada, like most constitutional monarchies, also has a parliamentary system.

Parliamentary Democracy

In a parliamentary democracy, citizens elect representatives to a parliament that is responsible for making all legislation and decisions for a nation. As the chief governing officer of a nation, the Prime Minister is the head of parliament (also called the head of government).

The Federal Government

Canada's federal government, called Parliament, oversees the policies and issues affecting the nation as a whole. These include immigration, defense, the economy, and trade with other nations. Parliament is divided into three parts: the Head of State, the House of Commons, and the Senate.

1) Canada's current Head of State is Queen Elizabeth II (the Queen of England and Canada). The Queen appoints a Governor General and 10 Lieutenant Governors to represent her and act on her behalf. The Governor General functions at the national level, and the 10 Lieutenant Governors represent the Queen in each of Canada's 10 provinces.

2) The House of Commons, which makes Canada's laws, is made up of elected representatives, or Members of Parliament (MPs) who each belong to a political party. As of 2017, there are six political parties that are represented in the House of Commons.

Although each political party elects a leader, the party with the most members is the majority party in the House of Commons. And it's the leader of the majority party who becomes the Prime Minister of Canada.

3) The Senate consists of 105 members chosen by the prime minister from various provinces across Canada. Any laws created by the House of Commons must be passed by the Senate.

Provincial Governments

While the United States is divided into 50 states, Canada is divided into 10 provinces. Each province has:

· a Lieutenant Governor, who represents the Queen, and

· a Legislative Assembly that makes the laws for that province.

Similar to Parliament, the Legislative Assembly also has political parties, and the leader of the party with the greatest number of members becomes of the head of government of that province (called the Premier).

Provincial governments function much like U.S. state governments; they create and enforce laws and policies that affect a particular province. These include education, highways and transportation, and health care.

Municipal Governments

Finally, let's take a brief look at municipal governments. Led by mayors and council members, municipal governments run the towns, cities, and districts of each province. Municipalities handle local issues such as parks, local law enforcement and fire protection, transportation and roadways, and water systems.

Lesson Summary

Let's take a couple of moments to review what we've learned about Canada's government and its structure.

The Canadian system of government is both a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as the Head of State bound by the written constitution, and a parliamentary democracy, in which citizens elect representatives to a parliament that is responsible for making all legislation and decisions for a nation, with the Prime Minister (the leader of the majority party) as the ruling head of government.

The Canadian government functions on three levels:

· The federal government is run by Parliament, which consists of the Head of State, House of Commons, and the Senate. The Senate in Canada consists of 105 members chosen by the prime minister from various provinces across Canada. The House of Commons makes Canada's laws.

· The 10 provincial governments of Canada each have a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the Queen as her representative, as well as a Legislative Assembly that makes the laws for that province. The head of government for each province is called the Premier.

· Municipal governments oversee the towns, cities, and districts of each province and are led by mayors and council members.

 

Unit 8

The European Union (EU) wasted a lot of money last year. The annual report on EU spending said the Union misspent almost five billion euros (around US$6.4 billion). The boss of the European Court of Auditors, the group that made the report, said the EU was very careless and should look after its money better. He said his team "found too many cases of EU money not hitting the target". Vitor Caldeira, the Court's president, said that many Europeans have to be careful with their money because of the financial crisis. He said the EU should take greater care with its budget because of the weak economies in Europe: "These problems matter more than ever," he added.

A spokesperson from the EU told reporters that the spending mistakes were under 4 per cent of the total EU budget. He added this was better than the 7 per cent error rate from five years ago. Some of the mistakes were very big. The EU spent money on the wrong things. One example was they gave money for training electronics employees to other kinds of workers. Another was giving money to forestry projects instead of farming programmes. Mr Caldeira said that only two areas of the EU budget had no mistakes. Marta Andreasen of the UK Independence Party said the mistakes showed the EU was seriously mismanaged. She also said this problem should "set alarm bells ringing".

Unit 9

Russia's place as a world power has shown little signs of stopping since the fall of the Soviet Union. In this lesson, we will develop a basic understanding of the structure of Russian government, one that is quite different from our own.

Emerging from Communism

For more than 80 years, Russia was part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly known as the Soviet Union. Granted, it was the largest, most populous, and arguably, most important part, but it was a part of the greater whole nonetheless. By 1991, Russia was independent under its own name for the first time in decades.

However, the transition from the Soviet Union to the current Russian state was fraught with hazards. In fact, in 1993, a serious coup attempt ended with shots being fired from tanks in the capital. As a result, the president of Russia at the time, Boris Yeltsin, worked to rework the constitution and government of Russia. The resulting arrangement is still in place today.

Structure of the Federation

At the core of the Russian system is the idea that it is a federation. A federation exists when a central government places significant powers within local or territorial governments. As you probably know, Russia is the world's largest country by land area, and that sort of size doesn't come without difficulty. While Saint Petersburg and Moscow may appear to be great Western metropolises, many people in the Far East live in a manner that is largely unchanged since the time of Russia's monarchs, the Tsars. As a result, the federation places power in gigantic chunks of Russia. This provides enough self-government to help ease over any tensions due to language, culture, or ethnicity.

That said, some detractors point to the fact that this is not exactly a perfect system. The real power is not held by the heads of each region, nor is it held by the smaller governments that exist independently of the larger constituent republics. Instead, power in Russia is heavily concentrated in one place.

Strong Presidency

The office of the President of the Federation is the single most powerful seat in Russia. When Yeltsin resigned, he handed over power to Vladimir Putin, who used constitutional machinations to stay in power even past the term limits of the office. Technically, the president is not part of the executive branch. However, he maintains extensive executive powers. He can appoint or dismiss judges, ambassadors, and military leaders and also has significant power over the legislature. As long as he consults with the relevant committees, he has the power to do whatever he wants with regards to foreign affairs.

Additionally, in the event that he is unable to continue his duties, he is replaced by the prime minister, who is actually the head of the executive branch. The strength of the presidential office and the executive branch has helped to ensure stability, if not always freedom.

Legislative and Judicial

You're probably getting the idea that the presidency and executive branch of Russia hold much of the power in that country. You'd be right. Still, the legislative branch has some surprising parallels to the United States. It has two houses, a lower house known as the State Duma, as well as the Federation Council of Russia, the upper house.

The State Duma is elected by the people of Russia voting on groups of candidates put forth by each party. This means that people vote for a party, not for a particular candidate. As a result, it is based on the proportion of population, similar to the U.S. House of Representatives. However, whereas the U.S. House of Representatives has seats allotted to states, the State Duma treats it as one big whole from which to draw candidates according to party lists. You don't vote for your representative but instead for your party to have a seat in the Duma. The State Duma has the typical range of powers you'd expect to find in a legislature with a strong executive branch, but there is one notable exception: a two-thirds vote of the State Duma can dismiss the president.

Meanwhile, the Federation Council of Russia is much more similar to the United States Senate. Every constituent part of Russia, from the cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg to giant republics like Sakha in Siberia, each sends two senators to serve in the body.

The Russian judiciary is largely similar to what one would find in other countries. Members are appointed by the Federation Council, with the blessing of the president. However, there is something truly unique for all you comparative law nuts out there. Most countries protect the constitution through their own court systems, whether it ends up in a court hearing appeals or double-checking the application of the law. Russia has a special court, the Constitutional Court, that only hears cases that are deemed as important from a constitutional perspective. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court functions like the appeals courts of most other countries.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, we took a look at the structure of Russia's government. Starting with the evolution from the USSR to the current Russian state, we saw this was not always a peaceful transition. Stability, if not always freedom, has been preserved with the establishment of a strong office of the president as well as a strong executive branch. Sitting at the head of it all is the President of the Federation. Still, the legislative and judicial branches have been structured to be of special use in a country as large and diverse as Russia.

The State Duma, the lower house, is voted on by allowing people to vote for particular parties, while the Federation Council of Russia, the upper house, has two representatives from every governmental unit within the country. Finally, the Supreme Court looks at cases about the application of law, while the Constitutional Court examines issues with the constitution.

Lesson at a Glance

With the fall of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the creation of Russia as an independent state in 1991, there was much transition with the restructuring of its government. Although its structure is similar to that of the United States, it is the President of the Federation within the executive branch that is the single most powerful seat in Russia.

 

Keys

Unit 1

Task 1: a; b; d; e; f; I;

Task 2: 1.250; 2.12; 3.150 million; 4.German; 5. 500; 6.best-seller; 7.Frensshe; 8. 1867/the nineteenth century;

Task 3: 1. I love you. See you later.; 2. Are you OK? Please call as soon as possible.; 3. My holidays were great - and yours?; 4. Would you like dinner tonight?; 5. I need to see you before I leave

Task 4: 1.d; 2.a; 3.a; 4.b; 5.d; 6.c; 7.b; 8.b; 9.b; 10.b

Task 6: studying; associated; memorization; differently; students; commitment; fluency; disadvantage; knowing; investment

Task 7: classes,additional,change, advantage, soak, everyday, popular, offer, influence, grade, compared, government, spread, attended, jobs, business, public, qualified, overtake, expanding

 

Unit 2

Task 2: