ТЕКСТ B1

(форма текста - «характеристика»; для изучающего чтения на исполнительско-репродуктивной ступени).

Bank services (Виды банковских услуг).

I. Safeguarding deposits. Money in a bank is safe. Banks keep cash in fire-resistant vaults and are insured against the loss of money in a robbery. In the United States. Canada, and many other countries, the government also insures bank deposits. This insurance protects people from losing their money if the bank is unable to repay the funds.

A bank is not only a safe place to keep money but also a profitable one. Money placed in a savings account earns interest at a specified annual rate. Many banks also offer a special account for which they issue a document called a certificate of deposit (CD). A CD pays a higher rate of interest than a regular savings account. However, the certificate must be held for a certain period, such as one or two years, to earn this high rate of interest. Banks also offer money market accounts. These accounts pay interest based on current conditions in the money market, which deals in corporation and government short-term securities.

II. Current accounts

Current accounts can be used by anyone in the UK provided they can supply a reference or references. The advantages of this account include cheque payments, if there are funds in the account. As a matter of extra securities the customer, when paying by cheque, is required to provide a cheque passed, up to the limit stated on the card. The card also acts as cash card allowing money to be drawn from cash dispensers even when the banks are closed. Although cheques can be drawn immediately, they will take three working days before the amount is debited or credited to an account. When depositing cash or cheques, a paying-in slip is used to record the deposit, its counterfoil, with the bank's stamp and cashier's initials being proof that the deposit was made.

Ш. Providing a means of payment People who have money in a bank checking account can pay bills by simply writing a check and mailing it. A check is a safe method of payment, and the canceled check provides written proof that payment was made. Banks also offer negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, usually called NOW accounts. Like a savings account, a NOW account pays interest. But the depositor can transfer funds to someone else by writing a negotiable order of withdrawal, which is like a check. Many banks also offer credit cards as a means of payment People can pay for their purchases at stores and other establishments by using the cards to charge sums up to an amount determined by the bank. They then write one monthly check to the bank to cover their expenses. The billers are paid directly by the bank.

IV. Making loans. Banks receive money from people who do not need it at the moment and lend it to those who do. For example, a couple may want to buy a $75, 000 house but have only $15, 000 in savings. If one or both of them have a good job and seem likely to repay the loan, a bank may lend them the $60, 000 they need. To make the loan, the bank uses money that many other people have deposited. The major obligation of a bank is to give depositors their money when they want it. But no bank keeps enough cash on hand to meet its depositors' claims if they all demand their money on the same day. Banks know from experience that such heavy withdrawals, called runs, rarely occur. If people are confident that they can get their money back, they will leave it at the bank until they need it. As a result, banks can safely loan or invest a large percentage of the funds deposited with them. In most countries, the government specifies the percentage of a bank's funds that can be used for loans.

V. Electronic banking. Many banks have modernized their check-handling facilities with computers and other electronic equipment. However, an even more advanced system may completely eliminate the use of checks. This system, called electronic funds transfers (EFT), automatically transfers money from one account to another. EFT includes three types of facilities: (1) automated teller machines, (2)-automated clearinghouses, and (3) point-of-sale terminals.

VI. Automated teller machines are computer terminals that have
been established at banks, airports, shopping centers, and other locations. A customer inserts a special card into a teller machine and uses the keyboard to enter a personal identification code. People can use the machine to make bank deposits, transfer funds between a savings and a checking account, and withdraw limited amounts of cash. Automated teller machines enable people to do their banking at any hour of the day or night, seven days a week. Automated clearinghousesare computer centers for the automatic deposit of regular income and the automatic payment of many bills. An employer, instead of issuing paychecks, directs the computer to credit an employee's account with the person's pay. People can also have money for insurance premiums, mortgage installments, and other regular payments transferred from their bank accounts to the billers' accounts.

В приведенных выше микротекстах группы B1 даются характеристики каждого вида услуг, оказываемого банком, описываются все возможные условия, которые могут возникнуть при этом. Представленные выше формы текстов малого членения, предлагаемые для изучающего или ознакомительного чтения на понятийно-когнитивной стадии исполнительско-репродуктивной ступени обучения, обеспечивают учащихся обязательным наборам профессионально-значимого словаря, необходимым метаязыковым минимумом.

Следующие тексты представляют собой краткие сообщения инструктирующего, информационного, аргументационного характера, которые имеют различные композиционно-речевые формы.