The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are referred to as English-speaking countries. Market economy, i.e. based on free enterprise, generally characterized by private ownership and initiative, with a relative absence of government involvement is characteristic for them. However, government intervention has been found necessary from time to time to ensure that economic opportunities are fair and accessible to the people, to dampen inflation and to stimulate growth. Such economies are generally described as mixed, which is to say that even though the great majority of productive resources are privately owned, the federal government plays an important role in the market place.
Every economic system tries to anticipate and then meet human needs and wants through the production and distribution of goods and services.
The economic system is the mechanism that brings together natural resources, the labour supply, technology, and the necessary entrepreneurial and management talents.
What countries are referred to as English-speaking countries?
Are those developed or developing countries?
What is characteristic for a free market economy?
What are the major ingredients of an economic system?
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland lives by manufacture and trade. For every person employed in agriculture eleven people are employed in mining, manufacturing and building. The UK is one of the world’s largest exporters of manufactured goods per head of population.
Apart from coal and iron ore Britain has very few natural resources and mostly depends on imports. Most of the raw materials for its industries such as oil and various metals (copper, zinc, uranium ore and others) have to be imported. Britain also has to import timber, cotton, fruit and farm products. Britain used to be richly forested, but most of the forests were cut down to take more room for cultivation.
Three-quarters of the United Kingdom’s land is dedicated to agriculture. Among the most important crops grown on the farms are wheat, barley, oats and potatoes. Sheep, cattle and pigs are the most numerous types of livestock. The fields are mainly in the eastern part of the country. Most of the farms are small (one third of them is less than one hundred acres). Farms tend to be bigger where the soil is less fertile. Britain has one of the most efficient agricultural industries in Europe and produces 60% of its food. Only about 2 percent of the workforces are employed in farming, but the yields of English farms and pastures are very high.
In the past English industrial prosperity rested on a few important products, such as textiles, coal and heavy machinery. Now the UK has a great variety of industries, for example heavy and light industry, chemical, aircraft, electrical, automobile and many other industries. Today high technology industries are more developed than heavy engineering.
In the 19th century Britain secured a leading position in the world as manufacturer, merchant and banker. After World War 1 the world demand for the products of Britain’s traditional industries – textiles, coal and machinery – fell off, and Britain began expanding trade in new engineering products and electrical goods.
The crisis of 1929 – 1933 brought about mass unemployment, which reached its peak in 1932. Britain’s share in the world industrial output decreased. After the crisis production and employment increased following some revival in world trade and as the result of the extensive armament programme.
During World War 2 Britain’s economy was fully employed in the war effort. Massed raids of German planes on British industrial centers caused considerable damage to Britain’s industry. World War 2 brought about a further weakening of Britain’s might. Great Britain is no longer the leading imperialist power it used to be. It has lost its colonies which used to supply it with cheap raw materials.
Britain produces high quality expensive goods, which has always been characteristic of its industry. A shortage of raw materials, as well as the high cost of production makes it unprofitable for British industry to produce semi-finished goods or cheap articles. Britain mostly produces articles requiring skilled labour, such as precision instruments, electronic equipment, chemicals and high quality consumer goods. Britain produces and exports cotton and woolen goods, leather goods, and articles made of various kinds of synthetic (man-made) materials. Britain is the fifth largest trading nation in the world.
The original basis of British industry was coalmining and the early factories grew up not far from the main mining areas. Glasgow and Newcastle became great centers of engineering and shipbuilding. Lancashire produced cotton goods and Yorkshire woolen, with Sheffield concentrating on iron and steel. Birmingham developed light engineering. There appeared a tendency for industry and population to move to the south, particularly to London area.
Britain's industry is now widely dispersed. Great progress was made in the development of new industries, such as the aircraft, automobile, electronic industries and others. A number of atomic power reactors were made. Great emphasis was made on the development of the war industry.
In the 18-19th centuries the greatest number of people was employed in manufacturing industries. Today the service industries like banking, insurance, advertising, computer software, tourism and retailing employ most of the British workforce. These are also the fastest growing industries.
Words and phrases that will help you to understand the text:
to be employed in agriculture (industry, etc.) – быть занятым в
сельском хозяйстве (промышленности и т.п.)
to employ smb. – нанимать кого-либо
mining – горно-добывающая промышленность
manufacturing – обрабатывающая промышленность
manufactured goods – промышленные товары
consumer goods – товары широкого потребления
per head of population – на душу населения
apart from smth. – помимо, кроме чего - либо
raw materials – сырьё
an industry – отрасль промышленности
timber – древесина
cotton – хлопок, хлопчатобумажная ткань
to make room for smth. – освобождать место (пространство) для
cattle – крупный рогатый скот
sheep – овца, овцы
to breed (bred, bred) – разводить (животных)
crop – сельскохозяйственная культура
wheat – пшеница
barley – ячмень
oats – овес
to tend to do smth. – иметь тенденцию делать что-то
soil – почва, земля
fertile – плодородный
a merchant – торговец
demand for smth. – спрос на что-либо
textiles – изделия текстильной промышленности
machinery – машины, машинное оборудование
to expand trade (in smth.) – расширять торговлю (чем - либо)
engineering – машиностроение , машиностроительная промышленность
electrical – электрический
to bring about smth. – приводить к чему-либо, вызывать что-лтбо
unemployment – безработица
to reach smth. – достигать чего-либо
share – доля
industrial output – выпуск промышленной продукции
to decrease – уменьшаться, уменьшать
revival – возрождение, оживление, возобновление
an article – изделие, товар, предмет производства
to require smth. (doing smth.) – требовать чего-либо, нуждаться
1. Britain is an agricultural country. 2. Britain is rich in natural resources, such as oil, copper, zinc and others. 3. Britain exports raw materials to other countries.
4. After World War I the world demand for the products of Britain's main industries - textiles, coal and machinery - increased greatly. 5. As a result of the crisis of 1929-1933 Britain's share in the world industrial output became greater. 6. The crisis of 1929-1933 brought about the mass unemployment. 7. Very few people are employed in the mining and manufacturing industries in Britain. 8. Britain's industry produces mostly very cheap low quality goods. 9. A shortage of raw materials makes it profitable for Britain to produce semi-finished goods and cheap articles. 10. No emphasis is made on the development of the war industry.
11. Britain's industry is concentrated in one area. 12. All Britain's industries and services have been nationalized.
Экономика Великобритании
Соединенное Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии – крупная капиталистическая страна с рыночной экономикой. Она имеет высокоразвитую промышленность. Большая часть ее населения занята в промышленности, торговле и секторе услуг и только около 2% населения – занимается сельским хозяйством.
В Великобритании немного полезных ископаемых. Она богата лишь углем и железной рудой, поэтому ей приходится ввозить сырье из других стран. Недостаток сырья и высокая стоимость производства делает невыгодным для промышленности Британии производство полуфабрикатов и дешевых товаров. Характерной чертой британской промышленности является производство дорогих товаров высокого качества, требующих квалифицированного труда.
Традиционными отраслями британской промышленности являются машиностроение, текстильная, судостроительная и угольная промышленность. Однако после первой мировой войны спрос на продукцию традиционных отраслей промышленности сократился, и Великобритания начала развивать новые отрасли промышленности, такие как химическая, авиационная, автомобильная и др.
Великобритания больше не является ведущей империалистической державой, какой она когда-то была. Она потеряла свои колонии, которые снабжали ее дешевым сырьем.
Соединенное Королевство является одним из ведущих экспортеров промышленных товаров на душу населения. Британия является пятым крупнейшим торговым партнером. Промышленность Британии широко рассредоточена. Большой успех был сделан в развитии новых отраслей промышленности, таких как авиационная, автомобильная, электронная отрасли и другие. Сегодня большая часть трудовых ресурсов Британии занята в сфере услуг. Большая часть отраслей промышленности и сферы услуг в Британии находятся в частной собственности.
be rich (poor) in smth.
be employed in industry (agriculture)
import smth. from …
export smth. to …
make great progress
demand for smth.
used to do smth.
characteristic of smth.
make it (up) profitable for smb. to do smth.
The United States of America is rich in natural resources, the main being iron ore, coal and oil. The nation produces more than 100 million tons of iron a year. Four fifths of the ore mined in the USA comes from the Great Lakes region. Though a great deal of the ore has been used up, its resources have not been exhausted. Most of the coal mined in the USA is used by power plants to produce electricity. Coal is also used in the chemical industries for the manufacture of plastics and other synthetics. The production, processing and marketing of such oil products as petrol (called "gasoline" or "gas" in the USA) make up one of America's largest industries.
The basic metals and minerals mined in the United States are zinc, copper and silver.
Some of the main crops grown in the USA are wheat, maize, cotton, tobacco and fruit. Cattle and pig-breeding make up an important branch of America's agriculture. To make the farmer's work more productive scientific methods of farming are employed and modern technique of freezing, canning and packaging farm products is used.
The United States is a highly developed industrialized country with various branches of heavy industry prevailing, namely, the mining, metallurgical, automobile, shipbuilding, electronics, space research and chemical industries as well as engineering. Many branches of light industry are also developed; among them are the textile, food and wood-working industries.
A great deal of attention in American industry is devoted to research and emphasis is made on the use of labour-saving machines. In the past few years the number of workers has increased only a few per cent, while the number of scientists and engineers at the plants has almost doubled.
Mechanization and automation do away with thousands of office jobs, intensify production and increase labour productivity. But they also bring about a further growth of unemployment.
New industries are created as new discoveries are made in physics, chemistry and other sciences. Atomic energy, for example, has created a wide range of new industries. Electronics has become a major industry.
Throughout American industry great emphasis is being made on management training. A great number of schools are training young people to become industrial leaders.
American industry is distributed unevenly. Most of the industrial enterprises are located in the eastern part of the country. But industry is spreading out as there is a tendency to build factories far removed from the home plant and closer to natural resources and markets. Good transportation facilities and rapid communication systems make it possible for the main plants to keep in touch with branch factories.
Each region of the United States has characteristics of its own due to the differences in climate, landscape and geographical position. Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska is the richest farming region of America and it is known as the Corn Belt. California is a fruit raising area. New Orleans is a cotton industry center, Los Angeles, a shipping commercial center, Detroit, a world’s leading motor car producer.
The leading US exports are industrial machinery, electronic equipment, textiles, grain, iron, coal, oil products and chemicals.
Words and phrases that will help you to understand the text:
to mine coal (ore, etc.) – добывать уголь (руду и т.п.)
to exhaust smth. – истощать (исчерпывать) что-либо
a power plant – электростанция
chemical – химический
to process smth. – обрабатывать что-либо
plastics – пластмассы
silver – серебро
maize – кукуруза
a branch – отрасль
to employ smth. – использовать (применять) что-либо
technique – методы, приемы
1. Great Britain is rich in... (oil; gold; copper; silver; iron ore; zinc; coal).
2. Great Britain has to import ... (coal; agricultural products; electrical goods;
chemicals; electronic equipment; oil; various metals; food products; cotton;
timber; tobacco; wheat; fruit).
3. When the world demand for the products of Britain's main industries –
textiles, coal and machinery - decreased, it began seeking compensation in
new engineering products, such as ... (cars; atomic power reactors;
electrical goods; electronic equipment).
4. It is characteristic of Britain's industry to produce ... (semi-finished goods;
cheap articles; raw materials; high quality expensive goods; articles
requiring skilled labour; precision instruments; electronic equipment).
5. The main products of Britain's industry are ... (precision instruments; high
quality consumer goods; electronic equipment; chemicals; textiles; ready-
made clothing; manufactured goods; petrol).
A great number of new industries were added to the traditional ones such
as … (the aircraft industry; the textile industry; the electronic industry, the
shipbuilding industry, the automobile industry; mining; engineering).
7. The main crops grown in Britain are ... (flax, cotton, oats; wheat; barley;
tobacco).
In Britain they breed … (cattle that is cows and oxen; horses; sheep; pigs;
goats; rabbits).
1. What natural resources does the United Kingdom have?
2. What raw materials does Britain import?
3. What does Britain export?
4. What did the crisis of 1929 -1933 bring about?
5. What is the characteristic feature of Britain's industry?
6. Why is it unprofitable for the UK to produce semi-finished goods or cheap
articles?
7. What are the main articles produced by British industry?
8. What are the main industrial centers of Britain?
9. What are Britain's main industries?
10. What can you say about Britain's agriculture?
1. Does Britain live by agriculture or...?
2. Does Great Britain export raw materials or…?
5. Did the world demand for the products of Britain's main industries after
World War 1 increase or...?
4. Did Britain's share in the world industrial output increase as a result of the
crisis of 1929-1933 or...?
5. Does Britain's industry produce high quality goods or...?
6. Is Britain's industry located in one area or...?
7. Is Britain still a mighty colonial power it used to be or...?
l. Britain is rich in ... 2. Britain has to import …3. When the world demand for the products of Britain's main industries decreased it began seeking compensation in ... 4. The characteristic feature of Britain's industry is the production of… 5. The main products of Britain's industry are... 6. Britain's industry is widely dispersed, but it is still possible to point out the following concentrations of industry... . 7. A great number of new branches were added to the traditional industries such as… .