UNIT 2. ECONOMIC SYSTEM

1. Прочтите следующие слова:

distribution, appearance, variety,structure, category,society, harvesting, procedure,affront, ancestors, rigid-ily, ancient, path,similar, solution, familiar

2. Прочтите и переведите следующие группы слов:

economic society, a mechanism of survival, the tasks of production and distribution, fairly recent times,in the distant past, the accepted ways, a long process of trial and error, working procedures, the same skills and tools,in a similar manner, equal pay, legal sanction

3. Запомните следующие слова и словосочетания:

— согласно, в соответствии с — появление — спорить, оспаривать — возникать — широкий, обширный — выполнять, осуществлять — обычай — определять — развивать, разрабатывать — придумывать, изобретать ~ отдаленный — распределение — деление, разделение — существовать — равная оплата

according to (adv.) appearance (п.) argue (v.) arise (v.) broad (adj.) carry out (v.) custom (n.) determine (v.) develop (v.) devise (v.) distant (adj.) distribution (п.) division (п.) exist (v.) equal pay

 

fairly (adv.)	— довольно
familiar (adv.)	— знакомый
fixed (adj.)	— закрепленный,
	постоянный
in spite of	— несмотря на
legal (adj.)	— законный, юридический
market (n.)	— рынок
obtain (v.)	— получать
present (v.)	— представлять
procedure (n.)	— технологический процесс,
	образ действия; процедура
process of trial
and error	— путь проб и ошибок
recent (adj.)	— недавний
regard (v.)	— считаться
rigidity (n.)	— жесткость
share (n.)	— доля, акция
share on (v.)	— распределять
similar (adj.)	— подобный
skill (n.)	— умение, мастерство
task (n.)	— задача
tool (n.)	— инструмент
trade (n.)	— занятие, ремесло
variety (n.)	— разнообразие
whereby (adv.)	— посредством чего

4. Определите, к какой части речи относятся следую­
щие слова:

legal, means, different, oldest, selection, ancestors, rigidity, footsteps, pastoral, sanction, able

5. Образуйте существительные от следующих
глаголов:

present, produce, distribute, develop, group, describe, divide, select, change, discuss, decide, use

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6. Преобразуйте предложения в Past и Future Simple:

1. It presents the mechanism for survival.

2. They are able to carry out the task of production.

3. It is possible to group these structures into four broad
categories.

4. These methods are based on tradition.

5. A son follows in the footsteps of his father and uses
the same skills and tools.

6. The distribution problem is solved in a similar
manner.

7. They receive shares according to an ancient custom.

8. Tradition plays some part in economical processes.

Text A

To an economist, economic society presents itself as a mechanism for survival — a means whereby people are able to carry out the tasks of production and distribution. If we look at the different political and social structures which exist in the world today, and the way in which those systems have developed over the years, we are tempted to say that people have made use of, and are making use of, a very great varieties of economic sys­tems. In fact, in spite of the appearance of great variety, it is possible to group these different economic structures into four broad categories. These basic types of econom­ic organisation are usually described as Traditional economies, Market economies, Command economies and Mixed economies.

Traditional economies

The oldest and until fairly recent times by far the most common way of solving economic problem was that of tra­dition. In traditional societies, people use methods of pro­duction and distribution that were devised in the distant past

and which have become the accepted ways of doing things by a long process of trial and error.

In these societies we find that the division of land among the families in the village or tribe, the methods and times of planting and harvesting, the selection of crops, and the way in which the produce is distributed among the dif­ferent groups are all based upon tradition. Year by year, lit­tle is changed; indeed a change in working procedures may well be regarded as an affront to memory of one's ancestors or as an offence against the gods.

The basic economic problems do not arise as problems to be discussed and argued about. They have all been decided long ago. One follows the path that one was born to follow; a son follows in the footsteps of his father and uses the same skills and tools. A caste system provides a good example of the rigidity of a traditional society. The production problems (i. e. What? and How?) are solved by using land as it has always been used and the worker carry­ing out the traditional skills according to his or her fixed place in social structure. The distribution problem (i. e. For Whom?) is solved in a similar manner. There will be time-honoured methods of sharing out the produce of the harvest and hunt. The elders, the heads of families, the women and the children will receive shares according to ancient custom.

Traditional solutions to the economic problems of pro­duction and distribution are encountered in primitive agri­cultural and pastoral communities. But, even in advanced countries, tradition still plays some part in determining how the economy works. We are familiar with industries in which it is customary, for the son to follow his father into a trade or profession, and in Britain equal pay for women did not obtain legal sanction until the 1970-s.