Speaking. Comment on the following quotations from the Belarus President’s speeches

Quotations

Comment on the following quotations from the Belarus President’s speeches. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons to support your opinion.

1. “The use of the latest technologies, priority development of science-intensive branches, import-substituting and export-oriented productions are the main avenues Belarus will move along” (March 3, 2006)

2. “Belarus has been growing much faster in resent years comparing to the CIS and EU countries. However, it is only innovation in all spheres that can ensure further progress. Facilitating innovation, upgrading production and improving labor efficiency are the main targets for the future ” (May 23, 2006)

3. “ It is in small towns and villages that we see enormous unexploited potential for the development of the country” (November 23, 2006)

4. “In terms of universal cooperation Belarus is very promising a country. We have no foreign debts, we have low inflation, we have- this is very important- diligent people; the economy functions intensively; we manufacture competitive goods. We are always able to earn money for the budget ” (January 22, 2007)

5. “Today it is the West, the EU that occupy the first place in trade and economic cooperation with Belarus, then goes Russia. We have deliberately sought not to be dependent on one country and we have been honest about it when diversifying our foreign policy and economy ” (April 24, 2007)

6. “It is only by joint efforts and discipline that the Belarusian people can ensure economic security of the state, progress and prosperity of our independent Belarus” (June 14, 2007)

7. “The world financial and economic crisis teaches us to act quickly. It is important that having assumed such a great responsibility we should not slow down the process of economic integration but should demonstrate cohesive and well coordinated work ”(November 27, 2009)

1. Study and discuss the key highlights of Belarusian economy (2007) in pairs:

- Territory - 207 600 sq. km (ranked 86 in the world)

- Population - 9.7 million (ranked 79 in the world)

- Population density - 49 people per sq. km.

- Workforce - 4.5 million

- Literacy - 99.6%

- Capital - Minsk (1.81million)

- Regional centers: Gomel (480 000), Mogilev (390 000), Vitebsk (360 000), Grodno (320000), Brest (300 000), Minsk (2 000 000)

- Total GDP - US$44.67 billion.

- Real GDP growth rate - 8.1%; nominal GDP growth rate - 20.7%

- GDP per capita ($) - 4 6 0 8

- Inflation rate - 12.1%

- Exports - US$24.8 billion (48% of total external trade turnover), imports - US$27 billion (52%)

- Exports to CIS - 46.4% of total exports, to other countries - 53.6%

- Imports from CIS - 66.3% of total imports, from other countries - 33.7%

- Imports/GDP ratio = 0.6; Exports/GDP ratio = 0.56

- Unemployment Rate - 1% (officially); 4.1 - 4.5% (independent estimates)

- Current Account Deficit (% GDP) - 6.4

- FDI inflow (% GDP) - 3.96

- Gross Foreign Debt (% GDP) - 28.4

- Year-average government bond yield - Not issued

2. Comment on the above data using the given verbs (active or passive voice):

Affirm, announce, appraise, assess, assert, calculate, constitute, consider, declare, estimate, express, maintain, make known, mean, proclaim, rank, reach, represent, stand for, show.

3. Match the Russian and English idioms. Use them to speak about Belarusians.

1. жить открытым домом 2. знать как свои пять пальцев 3. королевский приём 4. кровь с молоком 5. на широкую ногу 6. приложить все старания 7. принимать близко к сердцу 8. работать как вол 9. утечка мозгов

the Brain Drain to work like a horse to take to hart to leave no stone unturned to do everything in a big way the picture of health a royal welcome to have at one's fingertips to keep open house

4. Study the table below. Speak about changes in key economic indicators over the 2001-2008 period using the following phrases:

To increase by …%, to fall steadily, to remain stable,

to rise from … to …, to drop slowly, to level off,

to improve rapidly, to decline gradually, to stay at the same level,

to grow substantially, to go down slightly, to continue to be,

to go up step by step, to fall off dramatically, to go on as.

to take off, to decrease,

to shoot up, to lessen,

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