Ex.9. Перепишите и письменно переведите 2 абзац текста.

GLOBALIZATION

Ex.8. Прочитайте текст, устно переведите его и выполните упражнения, данные ниже.

[1] Globalization is the buzz¹ word of our time. In the last two decades, the amount of money and goods moving between the countries has been rising steadily. At the same time, trade barriers across the world have been lowered.

It is becoming clear now that power in the world shifted from individual governments to the markets. In theory, governments are free to set² their own economic policies. In practice, they must conform to a global economic model. The crises in the Far East countries some years ago showed that financial markets control national economies.

[2] The trend towards globalization began in the early 1970s, when the system of fixed exchange rates, set up after World War II, stopped functioning. This meant that the value of currencies was now determined by the markets instead of individual governments. By 1990, nearly all world’s major economies had got rid of restrictions on how much money or goods could be moved in and out of their countries.

The Economist – a British weekly magazine, which reports business news and publishes articles about the economic situation in the UK and other countries, about large companies etc. – has identified four factors contributing to the rise of globalization.

• Free movement of capital ‘at the touch of a button’. This is the fuel³ of investment activity in all its forms.

• Trade liberalization⁴, with the lowing of trade barriers.

• Decrease of shipping costs thanks to the efficiency of containerization. (The shipping charge for a whole scale of goods crossing the Pacific Ocean can be as little as $50.)

• Reduction in telecommunications and computing costs. (The cost of a 3-minute phone call from New York to London in 1930 was $300 in today’s money. Nowadays, there is more computing power⁵ in the average wristwatch than these was in all the world’s computers in 1950.)

The factors mentioned above let companies grow into multinationals – producing goods on one side of the planet and selling them on the other.

[3] But how close are we to a truly global economy? There is a long way to go. A global economy means complete freedom of moving goods and services, capital and labor. Yet, even ignoring the tariffs and other restrictions still in place, cross-border trade is very small compared to the volume of goods and services traded within countries. Foreign investments are also extremely small, they account for a little more than five per cent of the developed countries’ domestic investments. But what is really holding globalization back is the lack of labor mobility⁶. Even in the European Union, where people are free to live and work in any country, labor markets remain mostly national.

[4] It should be noted that globalization is facing widespread resistance in the developed countries. Antiglobalists declare that reducing standards of living in poor countries is caused by lowering trade barriers. It is due to globalization that workers in less developed countries are low-paid and exploited. Globalization affects rich countries as well: wages of resident workers are falling, especially in labor-intensive industries.

According to the United Nations’ report, economic globalization is creating a dangerous gap between multi-billionaires like Microsoft’s Bill Gates, the Walton family, who own the chain of stores Wal-Mart, the Sultan of Brunei – who has combined wealth of $135 billion – and the millions who have been left behind. In the last four years, the world’s 200 richest people have doubled their wealth to more than $1 trillion. In the same period, the number of people living on less than dollar a day has unchanged and remained at 1.3 billion.

Globalization, as the UN report states, is also leading to the increase in international organized crime⁷. It is not a secret that criminals use worldwide markets for illegal selling drugs and arms. Six major international crime syndicates are now linking in a global network, getting benefits of globalization.

“The world is going in the direction of greater integration, driven mostly by a philosophy of market profitability and economic efficiency,” the UN’s report says. “We must bring human development and social protection into the equation.”

Notes: 1) buzz – модный

2) are free to set – могут свободно определять

3) fuel – зд. стимул, “двигатель”

4) liberalization of trade – снятие или ослабление торговых ограничений, либерализация

торговли

5) computing power – вычислительные возможности

6) labor mobility – мобильность/подвижность рабочей силы, движение работников [в том

числе и между странами]

7) increase in international organized crime – рост международной организованной

преступности

Ex.10. Выберите подходящее по смыслу слово (слова) из предлагаемых в скобках вариантов. Предложения перепишите и переведите.

1) Nowadays, it is becoming clear that power in the world shifted from individual governments to the [large multinational companies; international crime syndicates; markets; international charitable organizations].

2) By 1990, nearly all world’s major countries had [imposed; got rid of; removed; lifted; abolished; placed; put] restrictions on how much money or goods could be moved in and out of their countries.

3) Such factors as [the system of fixed exchange rates; the lack of labor mobility; small foreign investments; small domestic investments; large volumes of cross-border trade; trade barriers and restrictions] are really holding globalization back nowadays.

4) It should be noted that globalization has its [pluses and minuses; advantages and disadvantages; advocates and opponents; positive and negative sides].

5) Antiglobalists declare that removing trade barriers can result in lowering wages of people working in [energy industries; heavy and light industries; labor-intensive industries; smokestack industries; high-tech industries].

6) In the last four years, the world’s 200 richest people have doubled their [capital; charitable donations; fortune; foreign investments; profit margins; wealth] to more than $1 trillion.

Ex.11. Задайте вопросы к подчёркнутым словам.

1) A global economy means complete freedom of moving goods and services, capital and labor.

2) The Economist has identified four factors contributing to the rise of globalization.

3) In the early 1970s, the system of fixed exchange rates stopped functioning.

4) Since that time, the value of currencies has been determined by the markets instead of individual governments.

5) In the developed countries, globalization is facing widespread resistance.

6) Getting benefits of globalization, international crime syndicates use worldwide markets for illegal selling drugs and arms.

5) According to Antiglobalists, unskilled workers in less developed countries are low-paid and exploited because of globalization.

Дата добавления: 2017-02-01