U N I T 1
Text A
Kyiv National Economic University is a prominent economic establishment of higher learning. It provides a high quality training of economists and managers for various fields of national economy and coordinates economic and managerial training programmes in Ukraine.
The leading position of the University, its prestige and renown are the results of its orientation towards progressive goals and objectives of nowadays. The main purpose of the University is to equip students with contemporary knowledge of economics and to provide them with excellent professional skills.
The University was founded in 1906 as a commercial school in the field of industry and trade. In 1908 it was transformed into Kyiv Commercial Institute. The students studied at three faculties: economic, commercial and technical, and railway maintenance. In 1920 the Institute was restructured and named Kyiv Institute of National Economy.
Many prominent scientists and public figures studied and worked at the Institute: the founder of the school of statistics Ye.Slutsky, one of the inventors of the theory of numbers Academician D.Grave, President of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine O.Bohomolets and many others.
In August 1992 the Institute was transformed intoKyiv State University of Economics and became the leading higher school of economics in Ukraine. In February 1997 according to the President decree the University was given the status of National Economic University. At present it is granted autonomy in making decisions on the major directions of its activity.
COMMENTS
1. establishment of higher learning — вищий навчальний заклад
2. to equip students with — тут: надавати студентам
3. railway maintenance — залiзнично-експлуатацiйний
4. public figures — громадські діячі
... it is granted autonomy in making decisions... — йому надано самостійність у прийнятті рiшень
Text B
Kyiv National Economic University is more than 90 years old. It has three academic buildings with all education facilities, four hostels and a sport centre. There are well-equipped laboratories and studies, lecture halls and computing centres. The University’s library has the largest collection of literature on economics in Ukraine. The students have free access to the library, reading-rooms, laboratories, medical assistance and sport facilities.
More than ten thousand future specialists get their training here. They are admitted to the University on the basis of their results at the entrance examinations. The students may enroll in day-time, evening or correspondence departments.
At present the University has 7 faculties at the day-time department: marketing, management, international economics and law, accounting, finance, information systems and technologies, and agrarian management. The graduates of the University work at various branches of industry and agriculture, state and private organizations with different forms of ownership, finance and banking system.
About 50 per cent of young people prefer to combine studies with work. They are admitted to the evening or correspondence departments after passing successfully their examinations.
There is also a preparatory faculty at the University. It offers programmes aimed to prepare applicants for entrance examinations.
COMMENTS
1. education facilities — навчальне обладнання, умови для занять
2. a study — кабiнет
3. ... have free access... — можуть безкоштовно користуватися
4. to be admitted to the University — вступити до унiверситету
5. entrance examinations — вступнi іспити
6. to enroll in day-time (evening, correspondence) department — вступити на денне (вечiрнє, заочне) вiддiлення
7. a graduate — випускник вищого навчального закладу
to graduate from — закінчувати вищий навчальний заклад
8. with different forms of ownership — з рiзними формами власностi
9. to combine studies with work — поєднувати навчання з роботою
10. to pass examinations — скласти іспити
11. preparatory faculty — тут. факультет довузiвської пiдготовки
Text C
Kyiv National Economic University offers a wide choice of programmes and courses for the students: Bachelor’s programmes in economics and management, Master’s programmes, postgraduate and doctorate programmes. They are aimed to develop individual and professional abilities of the students and represent different level of academic achievement.
Bachelor’s degree programmes in economics and management are profession-oriented and require four years of study. The first two years (the freshman year and sophomore year) are aimed at providing general education and preparing for more special studies. The last two years (the junior and senior years) are devoted almost entirely to the majors. The undergraduates major in those subjects which are essential for their future activity.
The academic year is usually nine months duration and is divided into two terms. The students have an examination session at the end of each term. At the end of their studies they have to submit a graduation paper and take the state examinations. The Bachelor’s degree is usually known as the first degree and may be a terminal qualification. But it is often considered as a background for further specialization, a step toward higher degree.
The Master’s degree programmes require one or two years of study beyond baccalaureate. The Master’s degree candidate follows a rather specific course of study, usually in a single field.
The postgraduate programmes provide a deeper study of philosophy, foreign languages and subjects related to the chosen major and lead to the candidate degree.
COMMENTS
1. Bachelor’s programmes in economics and management — бакалаврськi програми з економiки та менеджменту
2. Master’s programmes — магiстерськi програми
3. postgraduate and doctorate programmes — програми аспірантської та докторської пiдготовки
4. freshman — першокурсник
5. sophomore — другокурсник
6. junior — студент третього курсу
7. senior — старшокурсник
8. undergraduate — студент останнього курсу
9. to major in a subject — вивчати основний предмет
10. academic year — навчальний рiк
11. term — семестр
12. to submit a graduation paper — захистити дипломну роботу
13. to take the state examinations — складати державнi іспити
entrance examination — вступний іспит
final examination — випускний іспит
to sit for an exam/to take an exam — складати іспит
to give/set an exam — приймати іспит; екзаменувати
re-examination — перездача іспиту
to fail in an examination — провалитися на іспиті
to pass an exam — витримати іспит
to pass an examination with distinction/honours — скласти іспит з вiдзнакою
to go through one’s exam/to do well at an exam — успiшно скласти іспит
to examine smb (in/on smth) — екзаменувати когось (з чогось)
end-of-exam — іспит у кінці семестру
U N I T 2
Text A
On August 24, 1991 the Verkhovna Rada declared the formation of the Independent Ukrainian State and on December 1991, a nation-wide referendum confirmed the formation of a new large European state.
As to its territory Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe. As to its industrial potential, this is one of the most developed republics of the former Soviet Union with highly developed metallurgy, machine-building, chemical production and agriculture.
The economy of the Soviet Union was functioning for decades as an aggregate national economic system linked by united management, co-operated links and applied technologies. This has predetermined the inherited dependence of Ukraine on economic ties with former republics of the former Soviet Union. It will suffice to point out that 2/3 of the country’s gross domestic product did not have a closed productive cycle in Ukraine.
Clearly the emergence of political and economic borders in a formerly united economy, the emergence of the national monetary-credit and financial systems, breaking of the system of traditional economic links have brought the economy of the country to a crisis. Almost all the indices of the economic development have negative dynamics. But the rates of decrease of production are slown down7 and first signs of stabilization appear in a number of branches of economy.
One of the main reasons of inflation are prices for power carriers imported from Russia. These prices have increased by hundreds times during the last years. The government of Ukraine sees the way out of the crisis in realization of the programme of economic reforms which would make it possible to reorganize the economy, to change its structure, to carry out privatization and to restore stimuli to a highly effective work.
COMMENTS
1. co-operated links — cпiльнi зв’язки
2. inherited dependence — успадкована залежнiсть
3. gross domestic product — внутрiшнiй валовий продукт
4. closed productive cycle — замкнутий виробничий цикл
5. emergence — поява
6. national monetary-credit and financial systems — нацiональна грошово-кредитна та фiнансова системи
7. rates of decrease of production are slown down — темпи зниження виробництва уповiльнюються
8. power carriers — енергоносiї
9. to carry out — проводити
Text B
Two interrelated processes are characteristic of Ukraine’s economy today, namely its assertion as that of an independent state, and its transformation from planned-centralized to market-controlled. These processes are rather complicated, but there are all prerequisites for their effective accomplishment.
Present-day independent Ukraine has a considerable potential to quickly develop its economy — and this is explained not only by the favourable natural conditions, but also by the convenient geographical position in terms of international trade exchanges.
Reforms, started in the national economy after the proclamation of independence, are aimed at the establishment of an open, effective market type economy.
The main directions of the programme of economic reforms are as follows:
1. The programme of structural reorganization.
2. Attainment of balanced payments account.
3. Creation of conditions for gradual integration of Ukraine with the world economy.
These and other problems must be solved at the cost of a wide attraction of foreign investments. In a short period of time the Verkhovna Rada and government of Ukraine have succeeded in creation a legislative and regulating basis for conducting economic reforms. Taxation and budget systems corresponding in their structure to the world practice are created essentially anew. The change over to a free price formation in the economy is carried out. The government regulation of price level is applied only in establishing prices for main energy carriers, some most important food, communal and transportation services.
Much attention is given to the change of the structure of property. Legislative basis is created for privatization of state-owned enterprises, implementation of reforms of the banking and financial systems.
COMMENTS
1. assertion — становлення
2. prerequisite — передумова
3. in terms of — з погляду
4. taxation and budget systems — податкова та бюджетна системи
5. state-owned enterprises — державнi пiдприємства
Text C
Industry is the most important area of Ukraine’s economy. In the current structure of Ukraine’s industry a great proportion is occupied by heavy industry, especially the steel, machine-building and coal industries.
A considerable part is played by the food and light industries. About two-fifth of Ukraine’s people work in industry, and about a fifth work in agriculture. Most other Ukrainians have jobs in such service industries as education and health care.
Many of Ukraine’s heavy industries are concentrated in the Donbas region, the centre of Ukraine’s heavy industry. It has rich mineral deposits and major industrial base with bias towards heavy industry. A large industrial output is yielded by the mining, ferrous metallurgy, chemical and machine-building industries.
The machine-building is presently the largest branch of industry. It accounts for a third of the national industrial output and employs about a fourth of Ukraine’s workers. Automobiles and buses, locomotives and railway cars, airplanes and ships, tractors and harvesters, machine tools and metallurgical equipment are produced at Ukraine’s plants and factories.
However, today’s industries are unable to satisfy the consumers’ wants. The reason is that they are not integrated into the world process of economic, technological and scientific progress. The national industries have low standard in processing raw materials, outdated and worn-out production equipment, unwillingness to accept progressive techniques and approaches and lack of innovating initiative. These and other problems must be solved in the course of new economic reforms aimed at creating a market economy.
COMMENTS
1. with bias towards — тут: на користь
2. output — випуск; продукцiя
3. ... is yielded... — виробляється
4. ferrous metallurgy — чорна металургiя
5. harvester — збиральна машина; комбайн
6. machine tools — верстати
7. to satisfy the consumers’ wants — задовольняти бажання споживачiв
8. raw material — сировина
9. outdated and worn-out production equipment — застарiле та
зношене устаткування
Text D
Ukraine has very favourable conditions for the development of agricultural production: fertile soils, temperately warm climate, a well- developed industry processing agricultural raw materials. Ukraine is one of the world’s most productive farming regions and is known as the breadbasket of Europe.
There are two main branches of agricultural production in Ukraine: crop production and animal husbandry. Crop production is the practice of growing and harvesting crops. It includes: grain and industrial crops, meadow culture, fruit and vegetable raising. Almost half of the cropping area is occupied by cereals such as winter wheat, maize and legumes, rye, oats and barley. Among the industrial crops such as sugar beet, sunflower, flax the leading position is occupied by sugar beet. Close to 40 types of vegetable crops are grown in Ukraine: potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, red beets, carrots, onions, garlic, etc. Melon-growing is practised mainly in the south.
Animal husbandry is the practice of breeding of farm animals and their use. The most widespread branches of animal husbandry are: dairy and beef cattle breeding, pig raising, sheep farming and bee-keeping. The poultry industry is spread through all the provinces. Birds farmed include chicken, duck, goose, turkey. There are large mechanized poultry farms to produce eggs and meat.
Most farms in Ukraine are owned and controlled by the government. They include state farms and collective farms. State farms are managed entirely by the government, which pays wages to farmworkers. Collective farms are owned and managed in part by the workers, who receive wages as well as a share in the farm’s profits. State farms are larger and have more mechanical farm equipment than collective farms. In order to increase crop yields and animal products collective and state farms apply widely intensive technologies.
COMMENTS
1. crop production — рослинництво
2. animal husbandry — тваринництво
3. grain and industrial crops — зерновi та технічні культури
4. cereals — хлiбнi злаки
5. dairy and beef cattle breeding — розведення молочної та м’ясної худоби
6. pig raising — свинарство
7. sheep farming — вiвчарство
8. bee-keeping — бджiльництво
9. poultry industry — птахiвництво
10. state farms — державні підприємства
11. collective farms — колективні підприємства
U N I T 3
Text A
Great Britain is a highly-developed naval and industrial power. Its economy was primarily based on private enterprises. However, some industries were nationalized after World War II. Now it has a mixed private- and public-enterprise economy. The government controls the coal-mining and electric power industries, ferrous metallurgy and shipbuilding. Part of public transport, civil aviation and national bank are also managed by the state.
The main sectors of British economy are manufacturing, services and agriculture. The share of industry in GNP is 11 times more than that of agriculture. Manufacturing plays a vital role in British economy. It accounts for 1/5 of the GNP and employs less than 1/3 of the workforce. Small companies predominate, though companies with 500 or more employees employ a larger percentage of the workforce.
The rise of Great Britain as an industrial nation was partly due to the presence of considerable mineral resources, the most important of them being coal and iron. Next to coal and iron the chief minerals found on the British Isles are the building stone, marble, granite, slate, lead, tin, copper, zink, salt and china clay. But in the course of the last hundred years many of Britain’s most valuable and accessible deposits have been worked out.
Coal-mining, metallurgy, textile, shipbuilding are the older branches of industry. The new industries are the chemical, electrotechnical, automobile, aeromissile and electronics. The new industries have developed hand in hand with science and technology and are equipped to meet present technical demands.
Big cities and towns such as London, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Birmingham have enterprises of nearly all branches of industry. The main centres of cotton and woolen industry are Leeds, Bradford and Manchester.
COMMENTS
1. mixed private- and public-enterprise economy — змiшана економiка, що ґрунтується на приватному та державному пiдприємництвi
4. industrial nation — промислова держава
5. due to — зумовленo
6. hand in hand — плiч-о-плiч
Text B
Services play an important role in British economy and make up an increasing proportion of the national income. They account for about 60 per cent of gross domestic product and 68 per cent of employees. This sector includes health, education, retail and wholesale trade, tourism, financial and business services, insurance, transport, etc.
Banking, finance, insurance, business services and leasing account for 14 per cent of the British economy’s total output. London has the world’s largest insurance market, and its banks are responsible for about a fifth of the international bank lending. London is the world’s principal trading centre for commodities, as well as an increasingly important centre for financial futures markets.
Britain’s banking system comprises the Bank of England, the commercial banks, branches of foreign and Commonwealth banks and building societies. The Bank of England acts as the government’s bank. It helps to implement the government’s financial and monetary policy and supervises the banking system as a whole. Commercial banks provide financial services to individuals and companies, particularly account and loan facilities. Building societies accept deposits and arrange mortgages for house purchase. They also offer home loans and a wide range of banking and insurance services.
Britain has an open economy, in which international trade plays a vital role. About one-quarter of its gross domestic product comes from the export of goods and services. It is the fifth largest trading nation in the world. Since 1973 Britain has been a member of the European Economic Community, an association of 12 democratic states. About half Britain’s trade is with its European Community partners. Britain’s main exports are automobiles, textile, machinery, aircraft, electronic equipment and many others.
COMMENTS
1. to make up — складати
5. to be responsible for — вiдповiдати за, бути вiдповiдальним за
6. Commonwealth banks — банки Спiвдружностi
7. building societies — житлово-будiвельнi товариства
8. to accept deposites — приймати вклади
9. mortgage — застава
Text C
Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in British economy. It supplies nearly 2/3 of the country’s food and directly employs about 2.5 per cent of the working population. However its share of the gross domestic product is less than 3 per cent — the lowest figure among the developed countries.
Great Britain is self-sufficient in milk, eggs, to a very great extent in meat, potatoes and wheat. However it has to import butter, cheese, sugar, tea, fruit and some other agricultural products.
There are more than 250 thousand farms in Great Britan. Most of them are small family farms, where all the work is done by the farmer and his family. The tendency in agricultural development of the country is the disappearance of small traditional farms as they cannot compete with big industrial farms.
The types of farms are different in different regions of the country. In the East most farmers grow such crops as barley, wheat, sugar beets and potatoes. In the West climate is good for the production of farm animals. The greater part of the land here is used for dairy and beef cattlebreeding, and sheep farming. There are a lot of farms where farmers grow some crops and breed some farm animals. These farms are known as mixed farms.
British agriculture is efficient for it is based on modern technology and research. The work in agricultural sector is highly mechanized. Computers and different agricultural machines are used by the farmers in Great Britain.
COMMENTS
1. share — частка
3. ... is self-sufficient — сама себе забезпечує; незалежна; економiчно
самостiйна
4. to a great extent — значною мiрою
5. disappearance — зникнення
6. to compete — конкурувати
U N I T 4
Text A
The United States of America is one of the largest countries in the world. It has a developed free enterprise economy. It means that people are able to own capital and property and to run their own businesses for making profit. Most economic decisions in the country are made in the marketplace. Nearly 90 per cent of the goods and services produced in the country each year come from privately owned companies and firms.
Despite the fact that the United States has a free enterprise system, government’s role in the economy is so important that economists describe it as a mixed economy. It is an economic system that combines elements of public ownership of the means of production with private ownership, and elements of free enterprise with government participation and control.
The USA is a country with a highly developed economy. With only 5 per cent of the world’s population and about 6 per cent of its land area the USA produces 25 per cent of the world’s industrial products, agricultural goods, and services. It leads the capitalist world in industrial and agricultural production, leaving the other capitalist countries far behind.
The United States owes its high level of economic development to its great wealth of minerals and fertile farm soil, together with a moderate climate. The territory is extremely rich in such minerals as coal, oil, natural gas, iron ore and non-ferrous metals. They provide a solid base for modern industry.
The country has very powerful industries, advanced technologies, and science. The structural composition of the US industry shows a marked predominance of heavy industry, namely mining, chemical, metallurgy, machine-building, nuclear power and aeromissile industries. Electronic and electric engineering, transport, communication and machine-tool industries can be found almost in all large cities of the USA.
COMMENTS
1. free enterprise economy — економiка, що ґрунтується на вiльному пiдприємництвi
2. to own — мати, володiти
3. to run a business — вести діло, управляти пiдприємством
4. ... for making profit — для отримання прибутку
5. goods and services — товари та послуги
6. despite — незважаючи на
7. mixed economy — змiшана економiка
8. public ownership — державна власнiсть
9. means of production — засоби виробництва
private ownership — приватна власнiсть
to owe smth to — бути зобов’язаним чимось комусь; завдячувати
fertile soil — родючий ґрунт
moderate climate — помiрний клiмат
iron ore — залiзна руда
non-ferrous metals — кольоровi метали
marked predominance — значна перевага
Text B
Agriculture is one of the most important sectors of the US economy. It accounts for about 3 per cent of the GNP. Farms are owned by the people who operate them and by business corporations. Farming is largely mechanized and scientifically controlled.
