Тексты для самостоятельной работы

Прочитайте тексты и выполните задания к ним. Правильность выполнения заданий вы можете проверить по ключам, которые приведены после текстов и заданий. Предлагаемые аннотации и рефераты являются образцом. В этих заданиях возможны варианты.

ТЕКСТ 1

No population centre in America, even the smallest one, is conceivable without a bank building. A small town may have several banks, and in a big city there are tens of them.

Like any business, a bank is after a profit, above all. Money is the commodity it sells. To put it simply, a bank seeks to "buy" money cheaply (not necessarily from the Federal Reserve Bank), at an annual six-percent interest, for example, and to sell it dearly (as, say, credit to a building company) at an annual interest rate of 11 percent. This is what the banks are busy doing. There are many variations within this pattern of course.

Naturally, the banks put their money where it brings them the highest profit. That is why they always keep up to date with the market situation. By shifting money of various "costs" from sphere to sphere, from one geographical region to another, the banks activity stimulates progress in industry, construction and agriculture. Besides this, the banks promote the growth – or cause the demise – of individual population centres or even whole regions.

Banks are interested in keeping most of their money in circulation so that it should bring them profit. They seek to reduce their lending rates in order to attract buyers. The cuts in interest rates are more than made up for by an increase in the amount of money in circulation.

In their pursuit of high profit, the banks sometimes get involved in risky operations fraught with bankruptcy. Therefore the Federal government takes measures to minimize the danger of banks going broke. Every bank is obliged to take out insurance against robbery or bankruptcy lest the clients should lose their money in any case.

The banks cater to big and small companies and to individuals.

Задания к тексту 1

1. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

a) Why is bank compared to any other business?

b) How does a bank buy and sell its commodity?

c) How can a bank promote the growth or cause the demise of whole regions?

d) Why do banks reduce their lending rate?

e) Why are banks obliged to take out insurance against robbery or bankruptcy?

2. Выразите содержание первого абзаца одним предложением.

3. Соедините два первых предложения пятого абзаца, используя другие соединительные слова или фразы, не меняя при этом их смысла (см. Деление текста на параграфы).

4. Составьте план текста.

5. Выпишите предложения, наиболее полно раскрывающие каждый пункт плана.

6. Озаглавьте текст.

7. Переведите текст.

8. Напишите аннотацию к данному тексту.

ТЕКСТ 2

EVOLUTION OF MARKETING

The evolution of marketing is the evolution of the exchange process. Unless two or more individuals or organizations have something to exchange, there is no need for marketing. The desire to exchange occurs only when someone produces more than he/she can consume (a surplus). This surplus is exchanged for surplus someone else produced. Possibly the first marketing transaction took place when one cave-dweller, who enjoyed making arrows but did not like to hunt, persuaded a fellow cave-dweller, who liked to hunt but did not enjoy making arrows, to accept some arrows in exchange for some animal skins and meat. Since that primitive time, marketing has become very sophisticated indeed. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans all had well-developed trade systems. The Old Testament contains many references to such marketing topics as money, wealth, credit, products, international trade, government regulation, middlemen, taxation, poverty, welfare, pricing, trade fairs, and business ethics.

During the Middle Ages trade declined. However, it -picked up again during the Age of Discovery (roughly 1400-1760 A.D.) as merchants sought to extend their reach over much of the world. As you no doubt recall, Columbus made his first voyage to America in an effort to find a more direct trade route to Asia and the Far East.

In the late 1700s the Industrial Revolution began, and as it continued, marketing grew in importance. This latter-day development can be divided into three periods— the production era, the sales era, and the marketing era.

Задания к тексту 2

1. Озаглавьте абзацы текста.

2. Выделите ключевые слова.

3. Перестройте второе предложение первого абзаца, используя другие соединительные фразы или слова, но не меняя при этом его смысла.

4. Выберите правильный ответ:

1) The desire to exchange occurs only when:

a) the first marketing transaction takes place;

b) someone produces more than he/she can use;

c) somebody doesn’t like doing this or that thing.

2. Marketing grew in importance during:

a) the Middle Ages b) the Age of Discovery c) in the late 1700s

5. Напишите аннотацию к данному тексту.

ТЕКСТ 3

WHAT IS MARKETING?

It is impossible to speak about marketing without understanding what "needs and wants" mean. So let's begin with the definition of needs and wants. A need occurs when a person feels physiologically deprived of basic necessities like food, clothing, and shelter. A want is a felt need that is shaped by a person's knowledge, culture, and personality. So if you feel hungry, you have developed a basic need and desire to eat something. Let's say you then want to eat an apple or a candy bar because, based on your past experience and personality, you have these will satisfy your hunger need. Effective marketing, in the form of creating an awareness of good product at convenient locations, can clearly shape a person's wants.

The American Marketing Association, representing marketing professionals in the United States and Canada, states that "marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives," Many people incorrectly believe that marketing is the same thing as advertising or personal selling. This definition shows marketing to be a far broader activity. Further, this definition stresses the importance of beneficial exchanges that satisfy the objectives of both those who buy and those who sell ideas, goods, and services—whether they be individuals or organizations.

To serve both buyers and sellers, marketing seeks (1) to discover the needs and wants of prospective customers and (2) to satisfy them. These prospective customers include both individuals buying lor themselves and their households and organizations that buy for their own use (such as manufacturers) or for resale (such as wholesalers and retailers). The key to achieving these two objectives is the idea of exchange, which is the trade of things of value between buyer and seller so that each is better off after the

trade.

For marketing to occur, at least four factors are required: (1) two or more parties (individuals or organizations) with unsatisfied needs, (2) desire and ability on their part to be satisfied, (3) a way for the parties to communicate, and (4) something to exchange.

Задания к тексту 3

1. Ответьте на вопросы по содержанию текста:

a) What is need?

b) What is the difference between wants and needs?

c) What is marketing?

d) Why is it necessary to differentiate between marketing and advertising?

2. Озаглавьте 3-й и 4-й абзацы текста.

3. Выберите правильный ответ.

1) Marketing is effective if:

a) it makes people know about good products;

b) it discovers the needs and wants of prospective customers;

c) it creates exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives;