1. Practice the reading and pronunciation of the following words
| basic | [ `beisik ] | even | [`i:vn ] |
| ideas | [ ai`diәz ] | rather | [ `ra: ðә ] |
| measure | [ `meʒә ] | appear | [ ә`piə ] |
| guide | [ gaid ] | venture | [ `vent∫ ә ] |
| wealthy | [ `welθi ] | associate | [ ә`səυ∫iət ] |
| entrepreneur | [ a:ntrәprә`nә: ] | whether | [ `weðә ] |
2. Match the right and the left columns of the table
| influence | a. | ||
| 2. | tool | b. | |
| 3. | goals terms | c. | |
| 4. | request | d. | , |
| 5. | knowledgeable people | e. | |
| 6. | meets a need | f. | , |
| 7. | fast-growing | g. | |
| 8. | venture capital | h. | |
| 9. | next big thing | j. | |
| 10. | to gain a share | k. |
3. Read and translate the following verbs, divide them into two groups (regular / irregular), write down all three forms of the given irregular verbs.
To start, to involve, to seek, to define, to fail, to support, to suggest, to consider, to find, to know, to appear.
4. Listen to the text and fill in the gaps
| A business plan, in the words of the Small Business Administration in Washington, is a tool with three basic functions 1. As a communication tool, it can show possible investors how well you have considered your ideas. As a management tool, it can list goals and terms 2 to measure progress. And as a planning tool, it can help guide a business around problems. For people starting a new business, the biggest problems commonly involve financing. Entrepreneurs often seek venture capital. This is money from wealthy3 individuals or investment companies for the purpose of building new businesses. | |
| Each year, entrepreneurs with ideas for the "next big thing" flood venture capitalists with business plans. But John Mullins of the London Business School, writing in the Wall Street Journal, says most business plans are never even 4 fully read. A good business plan, he says, must define a problem that the new business will solve. Many plans fail to show how a product or service meets a need. Also, business plans often assume it will be easy to gain a share 5 of a large or fast-growing market. Professor Mullins advises entrepreneurs to do market tests so they have real numbers to support 6 their claims. | |
| And he says honesty about possible problems with the plan is important. Successful businesses often change plans as market7 change. Business students spend hours and hours learning how to write a business plan. But even a good one has its limits. A new study suggests that venture capitalists rarely consider the business plan when deciding 8 whether to invest in a new company. David Kirsch is an associate professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. He and others examined more than seven hundred requests made to an American venture 9 capital firm. He says he was startled to find that planning documents have such little influence. | |
| Professor Kirsch tells us that venture capitalists instead talk to people who know the entrepreneur. They talk to business experts, lawyers and other knowledgeable people. The study appeared 10 in the May issue of Strategic Management Journal. David Kirsch considers business plans a good way to organize an entrepreneur's ideas. But, in his words, "A smart entrepreneur should spend his time developing the business rather 11 than the business plan." |
5. Read and translate the text.
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6. Find in the text the English equivalents of the following words and word combinations, learn them by heart.
| () | |||
| () | |||
| () | |||
7. Translate the following word combinations into English. Use the verbs from ex. 3.
. . . . . . . . . , . .
8. Find in the text the sentences with the following word combinations. Explain the peculiarities of translation paying attention to the grammar phenomena.
when deciding whether to invest, rather than
9. Read and learn the following words paying attention to the ways of word-building.
To serve - service
Success - successful - successfully - successfulness - unsuccessful
Possible - possibly - possibility - impossible
To differ - different - indifferent - difference - differently
10. Answer the following questions
1) What are the biggest problems for people starting a new business?
2) What do businessmen often seek?
3) What must a good business plan define?
4) What do many business plans fail to show?
5) Why should entrepreneurs do market tests?
6) How do venture capitalists decide whether to invest in a new project?
11. Translate the following questions into English
1) , ?
2) , ?
3) ?
4) ?
5) ?
6) ?
7) , , ?
8) ?
9) ?
10) ?
12. Translate the following sentences into English. Use the words given in brackets.
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, . , . , . . (a tool; to show; how well; to include; criteria; to allow; to measure; also; to avoid).
, , . . , . . , , . (to start a business; financing; entrepreneurs; to seek; wealthy people; be ready; even; to prefer; to talk to; lawyers; knowledgeable).
, , . , (). , , . . (to spend; hours and hours; to define; will be solved; to do market tests; to get/ obtain; real numbers; to allow; to measure; chances of success).
