Текст книги "Английский разговорный язык. Практическое пособие по развитию устной речи"

Telecommunications

An important role in the organization and operation of the modern global economy is played by telecommunications. Telecommunications makes possible to globalize markets, bridge time-zone differences, reduce transactions costs, expand productivity, and directly increase economic well-being.

Advances in microelectronics, photonics, computer software, network architecture, high-definition television, and superconductivity are constantly reducing costs and expanding capabilities in telecommunications. Simultaneously there appears a generation of computer-literate consumers and producers with a taste and propensity for interactive communication.

For a great number of companies nowadays telecommunications is a part of the production process and even of the product. Telephonic order entry and credit validation, as well as video and teleconferencing services make transacting business convenient. Telephone lines connect firms and their customers supplying them with product information. Some companies now build telecommunications capabilities right into the equipment they produce.

Telecommunications capabilities make possible extensive worldwide business communication which leads to globalization of markets and businesses.

Слова и выражения:

advances – достижения, продвижения вперед

bridge – мост; заполнять пробел

definition – определение, здесь: разрешение

entry – вход, точка входа

equipment – оборудование

expand – расширять(ся)

extensive – широкий, экстенсивный

generation – поколение

globalize – глобализировать, делать всемирным

interactive – интерактивный

literate – образованный, грамотный

microelectronics – микроэлектроника

network – сеть

order – заказ

photonics – фотоэлектроника

propensity – склонность (к чему-либо)

simultaneously – одновременно

software – программное обеспечение

superconductivity – сверхпроводимость

taste – вкус

telecommunications – системы телекоммуникации

teleconferencing – телеконференция

transaction – сделка

validation – проверка законности, соответствия, полномочий

worldwide – всемирный

time-zone – временнáя зона

network architecture – сетевая архитектура

high-definition television – телевидение высокого разрешения

computer-literate – «компьютерно грамотный»

telephonic order entry – телефонное размещение заказов

credit validation – подтверждение полномочий, кредитоспособности

Exercise 16

Answer the questions:

1. What role do telecommunications play in the organization and operation of the modern global economy?

2. What technological advances are used in telecommunications?

3. Who is able to take part in interactive communication?

4. What types of telecommunication make business convenient?

5. How can telecommunications become a part of a product?

Computers: Male or Female?

Five reasons to believe computers are female:

1. No one but the Creator understands their internal logic.

2. The native language they use to communicate with each other is incomprehensible to everyone else.

3. The message «Bad command or file name» is about as informative as, «If you don't know why I'm mad at you, then I'm certainly not going to tell you.»

4. Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later retrieval.

5. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

Five reasons to believe computers are male:

1. They have a lot of data, but are still clueless.

2. They are supposed to solve problems, but half the time they are the problem.

3. As soon as you commit to one you realize that, if you had waited a little longer, you could have obtained a better model.

4. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.

5. Big power surges knock them out for the rest of the night.

Floppy Disk Care

By following the instructions below, you should have error-free, long-lasting floppy disks.

1. Never leave diskettes in the disk drive, as data can leak out of the disk and corrode the inner mechanics of the drive. Diskettes should be rolled up and stored in pencil holders.

2. Diskettes should be cleaned and waxed once a week. Microscopic metal particles can be removed by waving a powerful magnet over the surface of the disk. Any stubborn metallic shavings can be removed with scouring powder and soap. When waxing the diskettes, make sure the surface is even. This will allow the diskette to spin faster, resulting in better access time.

3. Do not fold diskettes unless they do not fit into the drive. «Big» diskettes may be folded and used in «little» disk drives.

4. Never insert a diskette into the drive upside down. The data can fall off the surface of the disk and jam the intricate mechanics of the drive.

5. Diskettes cannot be backed up by running them through the xerox machine. If your data is going to need to be backed up, simply insert two diskettes into the drive. Whenever you update a document, the data will be written on both diskettes.

6. Diskettes should not be inserted or removed from the drive while the red light is flashing. Doing so could result in smeared or possibly unreadable text. Occasionally the red light remains flashing in what is known as a «hung» or «hooked», state. If your system is «hooking» you will probably need to insert a few coins before being allowed access to the slot.

7. If your diskette is full and you need more storage space, remove the disk from the drive and shake vigorously for 2 minutes. This will pack the data enough (Data Compression) to allow for more storage. Be sure to cover all the openings with scotch tape to prevent loss data.

8. Access time can be greatly improved by cutting more holes in the diskette jacket. This will provide more simultaneous access points to the disk.

9. Never use scissors and glue to manually edit documents. The data is stored much too small for the naked eye, and you may end up with data from some other document stuck in the middle of your document. Razor blades and scotch tape may be used, however, provided the user is equipped with an electron microscope.

10. Periodically spray diskettes with insecticide to prevent system bugs from spreading.

Слова и выражения:

access – комп. доступ

blade – лезвие

bug – жук, комп. системный сбой

clueless – не имеющий ключа, доступа

command – команда

commit – посвящать (себя чему-либо или кому-либо), давать обязательство

commitment – обязательство (по отношению к кому-либо или чему-либо)

communicate – общаться

compression – сжатие

corrode – подвергать коррозии, ржавению

Creator – Создатель

diskette – дискета

edit – редактировать

error – ошибка

even – ровный

flash – сверкать

fold – складывать пополам

glue – клей; клеить

"hooked" – «зависший»

"hung" – «зависший»

incomprehensible – невнятный, непонятный, неразличимый

informative – информативный

insecticide – инсектицид

insert – вставлять

internal – внутренний, внутренняя

intricate – сложный

jacket – комп. корпус (дискеты)

jam – застревать (в чем-либо), забивать (что-либо)

language – язык

logic – логика

magnet – магнит

manual – ручной

microscope – микроскоп

microscopic – микроскопический

particle – частица

paycheck – чековая книжка

powder – порошок, пудра

powerful – мощный

razor – бритва

retrieval – восстановление, повторное использование

scotch – скотч

scour – чистить, очищать

shavings – стружки

simultaneous – одновременный

slot – щель для монеты

smear – мазать, покрывать пятнами

spray – спрей

spread – распространяться

storage – хранение

stubborn – упрямый

stuck (от stick – прилипать) – прилипший

update – дорабатывать, совершенствовать

vigorously – энергично

waxe – натирать воском

xerox – ксерокс

be mad at smb – разг. злиться, гневаться на кого-нибудь

turn smb on – разг. «заводить кого-либо»

power surge – энерг. перепады напряжения

knock out – разг. выбивать, посылать в нокаут

the rest – остаток

error-free – свободный от ошибок

disk drive – дисковод

leak out – вытекать

roll up – сворачивать в трубочку

pencil holders – футляры, держатели для карандашей

upside down – «вверх ногами»

be sure – удостовериться

naked eye – разг. невооруженный («голый») глаз

system bugs – системный сбой

Exercise 17

Answer the questions:

1. Who can understand computers' internal logic?

2. Who can understand the computers' native language?

3. Where are a man's smallest mistakes stored?

4. How much do you have to spend on the computer's accessoires?

5. What do you have to do in order to get the computer's attention?

6. Why cannot one leave diskettes in the disk drive?

7. How should the diskettes be stored?

8. What should microscopic metal particles be removed with from the surface of the disk?

9. How can one use big diskettes in little disk drives?

10. How can one back up the data?

11. Why cannot one use a xerox machine to do so?

12. What does one have to do if the system is hooked?

13. What does one have to do to compress the data on a diskette?

14. How many holes should one cut in a diskette jacket to make the access time double fast?

What Happens if One Types the Wrong e-mail Address:

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel plans. So, the husband left Minneapolis and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day. The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an e-mail to his wife. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her e-mail address, and without realizing his error, sent the e-mail.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He died of a heart attack. The widow decided to check her e-mail expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My loving wife

Subject: I've arrived

Date: April 6, 2006

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send e-mails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure it is freaking hot down here!!!!!

Telecommunications: a Historical Review

A German archaeology team digs down 50m and finds traces of copper wire. Afterwards the German government proclaims that 2,000 years ago the Germans obviously had developed a telephone system.

Later an English archaeology team digs down 100m and finds traces of glass strands. Afterwards the British government proclaims that 3,000 years ago the English obviously had developed a fibre optic-based telephone system.

An American archaeology team digs down 200m and but finds nothing at all. Afterwards the American government proclaims that 4,000 years ago the Americans invented mobile phones!!!

Слова и выражения:

accidentally – случайно

archaeology – археология; археологическая

coordinate – скоординировать

copper – медь

couple – пара (здесь: супружеская)

dig – копать

error – ошибка, дефект

faint – терять сознание, падать в обморок

fibre – волокно

freak – нечто ненормальное, аномальное

funeral – похороны

hectic – нервный, лихорадочный, возбужденный, чахоточный

honeymoon – медовый месяц

journey – путешествие

message – сообщение, письмо

mobile – мобильный

optic – оптическое

proclaim – провозглашать

relative – родственник

rush – броситься

schedule – расписание

scream – вопль, пронзительный крик; вопить, пронзительно кричать

strand – волокна, прядь

thaw – таять

trace – след

type – печатать на пишущей машинке, компьютере

uneventful – спокойное, обошедшееся без особых событий

widow – вдова

wire – провод

e-mail (electronic mail) – электронная почта

thaw out – оттаять

icy winter – холодная (ледяная) зима

check into the hotel – зарегистрироваться в отеле

leave out – выпустить, пропустить

heart attack– сердечный приступ

freaking hot – ненормально жарко

fibre optic-based – основанная на оптико-волоконной технологии

Exercise 18

Answer the questions:

1. Why did the couple decide to go to Florida?

2. Where did they plan to stay?

3. Why was it difficult for them to coordinate their travel plans?

4. What day of the week did the husband fly?

5. What error did the husband make?

6. Where did the widow come from in Houston?

7. What had her husband died of?

8. Why did the widow lose consciousness?

9. What was the weather like in the place where she received the e-mail from?

10. Where did she receive the letter from?

11. What material did the German team dig out?

12. Who invented the first fiber optic-based telephone system 3,000 years ago?

13. Who invented first mobile phones 4,000 years ago?

4. Международная экономика
(International Economics)

European Economic Community

Since World War II, countries have reduced barriers to trade mainly through multilateral negotiations such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

A central premise of the GATT is nondiscrimination: countries should give all GATT members the same access to their markets. The main exemption to that rule is free trade areas. Partners to free trade agreements are allowed to exempt one another's goods from import duties while maintaining tariffs and/or quotas on products from other GATT countries. The European Economic Community (EEC), the most prominent example of a free trade area, actually is what economists call a customs union. Whereas member nations in a free trade area remove all barriers to trade among themselves, in a customs union they also adopt uniform tariffs on goods and services from outside the union.

The EEC is currently attempting to transform itself from a customs union to a true common market in which capital and labour, and not just goods, are allowed to flow freely from one country to another. The EEC's impact has been significant. In 1960 more than 60 percent of the trade of the Community's twelve members was with other parts of the world. Now more than 60 percent stays within the European grouping. Where the EEC contented itself initially with removing internal barriers to trade, it has since expanded into the regulation of domestic markets and monetary unification.

Слова и выражения:

access – доступ

adopt – принимать

barrier – барьер, преграда

community – сообщество

content – удовлетворять(ся)

currently – в настоящий момент

domestic – домашний, внутренний

exempt – исключать

exemption – исключение

expand – распространять(ся), расширять(ся)

grouping – группировка

impact – удар, результат, вклад

import duties – импортные пошлины

initially – изначально

maintain – поддерживать

multilateral – многосторонний

negotiations – переговоры

nondiscrimination – отсутствие дискриминации

premise – предпосылка

prominent – значительный, важный

quota – квота

tariff – тариф

unification – унификация

uniform – единообразный

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) – Генеральное соглашение о тарифах и торговле

free trade areas – зона свободной торговли

customs union – таможенный союз

Exercise 1

Answer the questions:

1. How have countries been reducing barriers since World War II?

2. What is the GATT's central premise?

3. What is the main exemption to the rule of nondiscrimination?

4. What are partners to free trade agreements allowed to do?

5. How do economists call the European Economic Community?

6. What is the main difference between a free trade area and a customs union?

7. What is the EEC currently attempting to transform itself into?

8. How much of the Community twelve members' trade was with other parts of the world in 1960?

9. How much of the European Community trade stays within the EEC's countries now?

10. What has the EEC been preoccupied with since it removed internal barriers to trade?

Exchange Rates

Under the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates, which lasted from 1946 to 1973, exchange rates (for example, the number of dollars it takes to buy a British pound or German mark) were fixed at levels determined by governments. In 1973 «floating» exchange rates were introduced. Since then exchange rates are determined by people buying and selling currencies in the foreign-exchange (Forex) markets.

Floating rates tend to be unstable at times. Thus, the pound sterling / U.S. dollar rate did not change at all from 1949 to 1966. In 1967 the pound was devaluated by 14 percent. Since the end of fixed rates in 1973 to 1991, however, the pound, on average, either appreciated or depreciated by 14 percent every two years.

The experience with floating exchange rates in the twenties had been marked by massive instability. Currency markets were subject to destabilizing speculation, which created pointless and economically damaging fluctuations.During the fifties and sixties, however, both economists and policymakers began to see exchange rate flexibility in a more favourable light.

The main advantage was that nations could pursue independent monetary policies and adjust easily to eliminate payments imbalances and offset changes in their international competitiveness. Some of the changes in exchange rates can be attributed to differences in national inflation rates, as well as in different growth rates in various countries' money supplies.

Слова и выражения:

appreciate – повышать цену, ценить, повышать курс валюты

attribute – приписывать

competitiveness – состязательность, конкурентоспособность

currency – валюта

depreciate – обесценивать(ся), снижать стоимость, курс валюты

destabilizing speculation – де – стабилизирующая спекуляция (игра на курсах валют)

devaluate – обесценивать(ся), девальвировать(ся)

eliminate – уничтожать

fix – устанавливать, фиксировать

flexibility – гибкость

float – плавать

fluctuation – колебание

mark – марка

offset – возмещать, компенсировать

pointless – бесцельный

pound – фунт (стерлингов)

pursue – следовать, преследовать

tend – стремиться (к чему-либо), иметь тенденцию (к чему-либо)

unstable – нестабильный

Bretton Woods system – Бреттон-Вудская валютная система

exchange rate – обменный курс

it takes… – на это требуется…

Forex – сокр. foreign exchange

by 14 percent – на 14 процентов

on average – в среднем

favourable light– благоприятный свет

payments imbalance – платежный дисбаланс

inflation rate – темпы инфляции

growth rate – темпы роста

Exercise 2

Answer the questions:

1. How long did the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates last?

2. Who determined the levels of exchange rates within the Bretton Woods system?

3. When were the «floating» exchange rates introduced?

4. Who determines at what price to buy and sell a currency under the «floating» exchange rates?

5. What is a Forex market?

6. How has the pound sterling been fluctuating since 1967?

7. How do currency markets behave when they are subject to destabilizing speculation?

8. How did the economists's attitude towards exchange rate flexibility change in the sixties?

9. What is the main advantage of floating exchange rates?

10. How do exchange rates relate to differences in national inflation rates?

What is Fluctuations?

A tourist from China was traveling to New York City for a two week vacation. He went to the bank as soon as he arrived in order to exchange his Chinese money for American money. He gave the teller 1000 yuan, and the teller in turn gave him 150 dollars.

A week went by, and the tourist had used up his money, so he returned to the bank. He gave the teller another 1000 yuan, but this time the teller only gave him 125 dollars. Seeing the difference, the man angrily asked the teller in his broken English why last week he received 150 dollars for the same amount of money. The teller replied, «Fluctuations.»

Flustered, the tourist responded, «Well fluck you crazy Americans too!»

Слова и выражения:

fluctuations – колебание (цен)

fluster – разгорячаться, возмущаться

teller – банковский кассир

yuan – юань

China – Китай

in turn – в свою очередь

Exercise 3

Answer the questions:

1. For how long did the Chinese tourist come to New York?

2. What was the exchange rate of the dollar to the yuan on the first week of his vacation?

3. By how much had the yuan depreciated in two weeks?

4. What is fluctuations, in the Chinese's point of view?