Английский. Учебник МЭО 1 курс. Учебное пособие по английскому языку. Мировая экономика. Часть 1 Москва 2012 удк 81(075. 8)111 ббк 81 Англ. 7365. 5
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Part 2 Why learn languages? Read the passage below and match each numbered paragraph with the appropriate heading.
10 good reasons why you should be learning a foreign language Everyone speaks English, right? Well, certainly not everyone speaks English. According to the CIA World Fact Book, only 5.6 % of the world's total population speaks English as a primary language. That number doubles when people who speak English as a second or third language are counted. By conservative estimates, that means that well over four-fifths of the world's population do not speak English. It's true that English has become a global lingua franca over the past several decades. This fact, however, really should have little effect on your decision to learn only one foreign language. The attitude that English alone is enough in fact creates self-imposed limitations. To remain monolingual is to stunt your educational development, to restrict your communication and thinking abilities, and to deny yourself the ability to fully appreciate and understand the world in which you live. Learning another language opens up new opportunities and gives you perspectives that you might never have encountered otherwise. Personal, professional, social, and economic considerations all point to the advantages of learning foreign languages. Still not convinced? Here are 10 very good reasons why you should be learning a foreign language: 1. ______ "A different language is a different vision of life." - Federico Fellini, Italian film director "No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive." - Mohandas K. Gandhi, Indian nationalist and spiritual leader Learning another language gives the learner the ability to step inside the mind and context of that other culture. Without the ability to communicate and understand a culture on its own terms, true access to that culture is barred. Why is this important? In a world where nations and peoples are ever more dependent upon on another to supply goods and services, solve political disputes, and ensure international security, understanding other cultures is paramount. Lack of intercultural sensitivity can lead to mistrust and misunderstandings, to an inability to cooperate, negotiate, and compromise, and perhaps even to military confrontation. Intercultural understanding begins with individuals who have language abilities and who can thereby provide one's own nation or community with an insider's view into foreign cultures, who can understand foreign news sources, and give insights into other perspectives on international situations and current events. For survival in the global community, every nation needs such individuals. A person competent in other languages can bridge the gap between cultures, contribute to international diplomacy, promote national security and world peace, and successfully engage in international trade. As globalization and mobility and communications bring the world ever closer together, ever more urgent is the need for global citizens to be competent in other languages. The United States is the only industrialized country that routinely graduates students from high school who lack knowledge of a foreign language. Whereas 52.7% of Europeans are fluent in both their native tongue and at least one other language, only 9.3% of Americans are fluent in both their native tongue and another language. This statistic does not bode well for the future of America in a global society. The upward trend in language learning must accelerate if the U.S. is to continue to be a major participant on the international stage. 2.______ If businesses are to effectively compete in a global economy, they must learn to deal with other cultures on their own terms. Companies that plan to do business abroad therefore have a dire need for bilingual or multilingual employees. Businesses that intend to compete internationally need employees who can competently communicate in the locales where they do business. Employees who speak one language can communicate only with people who speak that same language. Business is not the only area of employment where language competencies are needed, however. Multiple government agencies, the travel industry, engineering, communications, the field of education, international law, economics, public policy, publishing, advertising, entertainment, scientific research, and an broad array of service sectors all have needs for people with foreign language skills. Whatever your career goals, knowing a language certainly won't hurt your employability. Chances are that knowing languages will open up employment opportunities that you would not have had otherwise. And you will be able to command a greater salary in the workplace. All else being equal, knowing languages gives you an edge over monolingual applicants competing for the same jobs. 3. ______ "Those who know nothing of foreign languages, knows nothing of their own." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Research shows that knowledge of other languages boosts students' understanding of languages in general and enables students to use their native language more effectively. This applies to specific language skills as well as overall linguistic abilities. Foreign language learners have stronger vocabulary skills in their mother language, a better understanding of the language, and improved literacy in general. Higher reading achievement in the native language as well as enhanced listening skills and memory have been shown to correlate with extended foreign language study. 4. ______ As learning a language involves a variety of learning skills, studying a foreign language can enhance one's ability to learn and function in several other areas. Children who have studied a language at the elementary level score higher on tests in reading, language arts, and math. People who have learned foreign languages show greater cognitive development in areas such as mental flexibility, creativity, and higher order thinking skills, such as problem-solving, conceptualizing, and reasoning. In addition to cognitive benefits, the study of foreign languages leads to the acquisition of some important life skills. Because language learners learn to deal with unfamiliar cultural ideas, they are much better equipped to adapt and cope in a fast-changing world. They also learn to effectively handle new situations. In addition, the encounter with cultures different from one's own leads to tolerance of diverse lifestyles and customs. And it improves the learner's ability to understand and communicate with people from different walks of life. 5. ______ Today, most colleges and universities require a minimum of two years of high school foreign language instruction for admission. And once enrolled in an undergraduate program, students are likely to find that their college or university prescribes foreign language courses as requirement for the degree. The majority of universities rightly consider knowledge of a foreign language and culture part of what every educated person should know. Many majors in the arts and humanities, in natural sciences and behavioral and social sciences, and in professional fields, also require the study of one or more languages to ensure success in the given field. For those planning to continue on to graduate study in most any field, knowledge of a second and sometimes even a third language is often a prerequisite for admission. From mathematics to anthropology, from biology to art history, you will find that many if not most graduate programs require some kind of foreign language knowledge of their applicants. In some programs, graduate students are required to gain a reading knowledge of other languages as a degree requirement, especially in doctoral programs. Even when an undergraduate or graduate institution doesn't require foreign language study, it's often recommended by programs. Knowing a language can't hurt your application, and is highly likely to make you a more competitive candidate in the admissions process. 6. ______ "The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don't want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don't have a soul." - Thomas Moore, Irish poet, satirist, and composer Most of the world's literary and artistic works have been written in different languages. A translation of a text can never be fully true to the intent, beauty, style, and uniqueness of its original. A translation is always to a large degree subject to the interpretation of the translator, not least because some elements of languages simply don't have translations in other languages. Word plays, metaphors, innuendoes, cultural references and culturally loaded vocabulary words, and formulations unique to the original language often get lost in translation. To be able to fully appreciate literature, theater, music, and film in other languages, one must be able to access them in their original form. 7. ______ "Here speeching American." - A sign in a Mallorcan shop entrance. "Cold shredded children and sea blubber in spicy sauce." - From a menu in China "Refund!" - On a "Caution! Wet floor!" sign in a McDonald's restaurant in Italy Though it's possible to travel to foreign countries without speaking the native language, your experience will be largely shaped by your ability or inability to see beyond the surface of the culture. When you lack the ability to communicate in the native language, you can not fully participate in day-to-day life, understand the culture, or communicate with the people. The language barrier can be anywhere from frustrating to downright dangerous. When you know the language, you have the comfort of being able to successfully navigate all sorts of situations, like order meals in restaurants, ask for and understand directions, find accommodations and perhaps negotiate cheaper prices, and meet and talk with natives, to name only a few. In most countries, people will appreciate attempts to use their language. You will be able to communicate more completely and have a deeper, more satisfying travel experience. 8. ______ "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost, American poet Unfortunately, students often shy away from studying in foreign countries for all the wrong reasons. They mistakenly believe that their grades will suffer, that their language proficiency isn't adequate, or that they won't be able to fit in or understand the culture. Simply your willingness to learn a language can make you an apt candidate for many study abroad programs. Whatever program you choose, continued language study while in the foreign country is typical. The benefit is that students can leave the language classroom and immediately put into practice what they have learned in class. Because students can focus on their language development while learning about the culture, their daily experiences and courses complement one another, leading to comparable or even better grades than at the home institution, where students often take a myriad of courses that have little or no connection. 9. ______ "The individual's whole experience is built upon the plan of his language." - Henri Delacroix, French painter and filmmaker; "As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own." - Margaret Mead, American anthropologist. Knowing another language and culture affords you the unique opportunity of seeing yourself and your own culture from an outside perspective. There are aspects of your language, yourself, your life, and your own culture that you accept as absolute and universal or that you have never even considered until you encounter a culture and people who do things in a much different way than you're used to. Contact with other languages and cultures gives you the unique opportunity to step outside your familiar scope of existence and view your culture's customs, traditions, and norms as well as your own value system through the eyes of others. Conversely, a monolingual, monocultural view of the world severely limits your perspective. Intercultural experiences have a monumental influence on shaping your identity, heightening your self-awareness, and giving you a full appreciation of your life situation. These things can happen only with knowledge of cultures and languages other than your own. 10. _______ "The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway." - Henry Boye, author Knowing other languages effectively increases the number of people on the globe with whom you can communicate. And people who speak other languages fully appreciate the effort and desire learners expend to get to know their culture and to communicate with them. Whether through meeting foreign exchange students on your campus or local immigrants in your community, whether getting to know natives or international students while studying abroad, or whether establishing a connection with a pen pal in another country, your ability to speak other languages and your interest in other cultures can connect you deeply with people around the globe. Anyone who has told you that learning another language is impractical, unrewarding, or simply a waste of your precious time is doing you a great disservice. Take advantage and enhance your life ... learn a language! Ex 1. Answer the following questions.
Ex 2. Work in pairs. Make up dialogues and discuss the importance of learning languages for your future life and career. Use the words and word combinations from the list below:
Ex 3. Read an extracts from the speech of the German Ambassador in London. Fill in the gaps with the words and word combinations from the table. decline, competent, skills, conclusions, face, employment, globalised, curriculum, major, value Text A British educational and foreign language policy "English is not enough"; "Young people from the UK are at a growing disadvantage in the recruitment market", "The UK desperately needs more language teachers". Those, Ladies and Gentlemen, are not my own statements. They are in fact the (1)……… of the Nuffield Languages Inquiry of the year 2000. It is a regrettable fact that for many years, after a strong period in the 1980s, the (2)……… foreign languages, French and German, have been in continuous and sometimes dramatic (3)………. in British schools and universities. Britain (4)……… the great task of changing this trend. It is absolutely in this country's interest that British young people, now and in the future, should be (5)………. in foreign languages. In January 2002 the House of Lords debated the (6)………. of foreign language learning. All the speakers agreed that in a (7)……… world characterized by international links and intercultural connections, linguistic (8)………. and international experience are crucial for (9)………. and career. International skills should have a major part in every young person's school (10)……….. torecognize, on a voluntary basis, significant, vitally, criticism, an approach, promising developments, compulsory, difference, society, serious Text B However, recently the Government's own interim report noted a further (1)……… decline in foreign language teaching. Probably the main reason at this moment is that the ending of (2)………. language learning between ages 14 and 16 is already having (3)……… effects. This issue - whether language teaching should be compulsory teaching - is actually probably the greatest cultural (4)……… between foreign language teaching here and in Germany. In Germany, foreign languages are compulsory from the first school year. In Britain, language learning seems to be more (5)……… and priority is given to other curricular requirements. But that's (6)……… which comes in for a lot of criticism, including in Britain itself. However, there are also a great many (7)………: for example, the requirement for primary schools to offer foreign languages from 2012 and the creation of Specialist Language Colleges. But at the broadest and deepest level, it's probably also necessary for (8)……… as a whole (9)……… the value of foreign languages and to create an atmosphere and an environment in which language learning is seen as (10)……… important. Ex 4. What can you say about the foreign language policy in Russia? Use additional sources of information and make a short report on the issue in class. Give examples of foreign languages politics in other countries. Ex 5. Hold a discussion in class with your group mates on the importance of learning foreign languages. Unit X Part 1 The European Union economic and monetary union (EMU), the European Economic Community (EEC), single market, single currency, European Central Bank (ECB), legal tender, convergence criteria Text European Integration The idea of establishing an economic and monetary union in Europe goes back more than half a century. It was a vision of the political leaders who, in 1952, founded the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which consisted of six countries – Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
Further steps were taken towards European integration in the 1950s and thereafter. The same six countries established the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) in 1958. This network of relationships strengthened and deepened over the years, becoming the European Communities (EC) and then, with the adoption of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, the European Union (EU).The number of member countries increased too. Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joined in 1973, followed by Greece eight years later. Portugal and Spain became members in 1986; Austria, Finland and Sweden joined in 1995.This expansion continued on 1 May 2004, when the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia acceded to the European Union. Bulgaria and Romania are the latest members, having joined on 1 January 2007.
The conditions to be fulfilled before entering the EU are the Copenhagen criteria. These require the prospective members to have stable institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and the respect for and protection of minorities, and to have a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure, in order to be able to take on the obligations of membership, including the aims of political, economic and monetary union.
The first attempt to create an economic and monetary union was described in the Werner Report of 1970, which envisaged three stages to be completed by 1980. However, these first plans for an economic and monetary union were never realized amid the considerable international currency unrest after the collapse of the Bretton Woods system in the early 1970s, and the international recession in the wake of the first oil crisis in 1973. To counter this instability, the then nine Member States of the EEC created the European Monetary System (EMS) in 1979. Its main feature was the exchange rate mechanism (ERM) , which introduced fixed but adjustable exchange rates among the currencies of the nine countries. In the second half of the 1980s the idea of an economic and monetary union was revived in the Single European Act of 1986, which created a single market. But it was realized that the full benefits of a single market could only be reaped with the introduction of a single currency for the participating countries. In 1988 the European Council instructed the Delors Committee to examine ways of realizing Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) . The 1989 Delors Report led to the negotiations for the Treaty on European Union, which established the European Union (EU) and amended the Treaty establishing the European Community. It was signed in Maastricht in February 1992 (so it is sometimes called the Maastricht Treaty) and entered into force on 1 November 1993. Three stages towards EMU: I. Single European Market II. European Monetary Institute III. ECB and the euro Progress towards EMU in Europe took place in three stages. Stage One (1990–1993) was characterized mainly by the full achievement of a single European market through the dismantling of all internal barriers to the free movement of persons, goods, capital and services within Europe. Stage Two (1994–1998) started with the creation of the European Monetary Institute , and was dedicated to the technical preparations for the single currency, the avoidance of excessive deficits, and enhanced convergence of the economic and monetary policies of the Member States (to ensure stability of prices and sound public finances). Stage Three began on 1 January 1999 with the irrevocable fixing of exchange rates, the transfer of monetary policy competence to the ECB and the introduction of the euro as the single currency. On 1 January 2002 euro banknotes and coins became legal tender in the participating countries and by the end of February 2002 national banknotes and coins ceased to be legal tender.
Countries wishing to adopt the euro as their currency must achieve a high degree of “sustainable convergence”. The degree of convergence is assessed on the basis of several criteria in the Maastricht Treaty, which require a country to have: • a high degree of price stability • sound public finances • a stable exchange rate • low and stable long-term interest rates. The criteria are designed to ensure that only countries with stability oriented economic policies and a track record in price stability are admitted to Stage Three of EMU. The Treaty also requires the central bank of the respective country to be independent. In May 1998 an EU summit meeting in Brussels confirmed that 11 of the then 15 EU Member States – Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland – had met the criteria for the adoption of the single currency. On 1 January 1999 these countries adopted the euro as their common currency. Greece joined this group of countries on 1 January 2001 after fulfilling the criteria. Other Member States have since complied with the convergence criteria and also joined the euro area – Slovenia on 1 January 2007, Cyprus and Malta on 1 January 2008 and Slovakia on 1 January 2009. One Member State, Sweden, did not fulfill all the conditions. Moreover, Denmark and the United Kingdom are “Member States with a special status”. In protocols annexed to the Treaty establishing the European Community, the two countries were granted the right to choose whether or not to participate in Stage Three of EMU, i.e. to adopt the euro. They both made use of this so-called “opt-out clause” by notifying the EU Council that they do not intend for the time being to move to Stage Three, i.e. they do not yet wish to become part of the euro area. Sweden, as well as 8 of the 12 countries that have joined since 2004, count as members with a “derogation” since they have not yet met all the requirements to adopt the euro. Having a derogation means that a Member State is exempt from some, but not all, of the provisions which normally apply from the beginning of Stage Three of EMU. It includes all provisions which transfer responsibility for monetary policy to the Governing Council of the ECB. Like Sweden, the other Member States of the EU which have not yet adopted the euro have no “opt-out” clauses, such as those negotiated by the United Kingdom and Denmark. This implies that, by joining the EU, the new Member States commit themselves to ultimately adopting the euro when they fulfill the convergence criteria .The ECB and the European Commission prepare reports every other year – or at the request of a Member State with a derogation – on progress made towards fulfilling the convergence criteria. These convergence reports also take account of other factors that might influence the integration of the country into the euro area economy. The reports provide the basis for the EU Council’s decision on whether to allow a new country to become part of the euro area.
The individual countries that now comprise the euro area were relatively open economies before they joined the euro area. However, they are now part of a larger, much more self-contained economy. The size of the euro area makes it comparable with major economies such as the United States and Japan. The euro area is one of the largest economies in the world, with a population of 318 million in 2006.The European Union as a whole has 27 Member States and a population of 493 million. By comparison, the United States and Japan have 299 and 128 million inhabitants respectively. In terms of gross domestic product (GDP) expressed in purchasing power parities , the United States was the largest economy in 2006, with 19.7% of world GDP, followed by the euro area with 14.3%. Japan’s share was 6.3%.The shares of the individual euro area countries are significantly smaller: the largest accounted for 3.9% of world GDP in 2006. Although the euro area can be significantly affected by developments in the global economy, the fact that the euro area has a less open economy means that movements in prices of foreign goods have only a limited impact on domestic prices. However, it is more open than either the United States or Japan. Euro area exports of goods and services as a share of GDP were significantly higher in 2006 (21.6%) than the corresponding figures for the United States (11%) and Japan (16.8%).
With the establishment of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), the EU has made an important step towards completing the internal market. Consumers and firms can now easily compare prices and find the most competitive suppliers in the euro area. Moreover, EMU is providing an environment of economic and monetary stability all over Europe which is favorable to sustainable growth and job creation, and the single currency has done away with disruptions caused by sharp movements in the exchange rates of the former national currencies. The introduction of euro banknotes and coins on 1 January 2002 has made travelling simpler within the euro area. Prices for goods and services can be compared at a glance and payments can be made with the same money in all the countries. With the birth of the euro, foreign exchange transaction costs and foreign exchange risks were eliminated within the euro area. In the past, these costs and risks hindered competition across borders. Increased competition makes it more likely that available resources will be used in the most efficient way. With a single currency, investment decisions are much easier, as fluctuations in the exchange rate can no longer influence the return on investment across national borders within the euro area. Before the introduction of the euro, financial markets were, as a rule, national in character. Financial instruments, such as government bonds and shares were denominated in national currencies. The launch of the euro was a major step towards the integration of the financial markets in the euro area. It will continue to influence the structure of the euro area economy. Evidence of integration can be found, to varying degrees, in all parts of the financial structure: • The euro area’s interbank money market is fully integrated. • The euro-denominated bond market is well integrated, deep and liquid, and provides a wide choice of investments and funding. • The euro area equity market is increasingly viewed as a single market. • Domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions have increased among banks in the euro area. The depth and quality of an integrated financial market facilitate the financing of economic growth and thereby the creation of jobs. People have a broader range of choices for their decisions on savings and investments. Companies can tap a very large capital market to finance their business and use new financial instruments to protect themselves against various financial risks and to enhance the management of their investments. Vocabulary List
v. to adopt
pl. criteria
v. to access
adj. beneficial v. to benefit from
syn. domestic
public finances – государственныефинансы v. to finance
Notes
Ex 1.Suggest the Russian equivalents. European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), network of relationships, prospective members, the rule of law, the respect for and protection of minorities, a functioning market economy, international currency unrest, in the wake of the oil crisis, the dismantling of internal barriers, the avoidance of excessive deficits, sound public finances, the transfer of monetary policy competence, sustainable convergence, stability-oriented economic policies, domestic prices. Ex 2. Fill in the gaps with the words & expression from the text.
Ex 3. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following: усилиться и углубиться, принятие соглашения, взять на себя обязательства, установленные законом правила, права человека, идея была возрождена, вступить в силу, свободное движение людей, товаров, капитала и услуг, избежание чрезмерного дефицита, присоединение к еврозоне, сравнимый с, резкие колебания обменных курсов, экономить время и деньги. Ex 4.Match the term with the appropriate explanation. GDP, exchange rate, price, convergence, purchasing power, monetary policy
Ex 5. Answer the questions and do the assignments.
Ex 6. Find in the text the words and expressions that characterize or mean:
Ex 7. Comment on the following:
Ex 8. Increase your vocabulary.
Other adjectives: cautious, firm, flexible, prudent, sound, wise, wait-and-see. Verbs: to adopt, establish, formulate, form, adhere to, follow, pursue, carry out, implement, conduct.
Writing Task I. Write a Summary and a GIST of the text. Task II Fill in the table: “Three Stages towards EMU”
Comment on the table. Speaking Task I. Use the external sources and broaden the information about the EU formation. Present it in class. Task II. Work in pairs. Speak on strong and weak points of the single European currency. Task III. Prepare a report on the current economic development of the euro area. Has it been a success or failure? Give reasons. Task IV. Act as an interpreter for parts A and B.
Part 2 Defining a 21st Century Education: At a Glance The last few years have brought much talk of “21st century skills” but little certainty about why and how skill demands are actually changing. Will students really need better or different skills to succeed in life and work in the 21st century? If so what trends are behind such changes? And what specific kinds of knowledge and skills will be most important? Broadly speaking, five major lessons emerge from the expert research and opinion on what kinds of knowledge and skills will most benefit students in the future:
A number of major forces are reshaping skill demands. Those forces include: Automation. Because computers are good at following rules and recognizing simple patterns, they are increasingly being used to substitute for human labor in “routine” jobs. Therefore, any job that mostly entails following directions is vulnerable to automation, including so-called “white collar” jobs like accounting. As a result, there are fewer jobs that call for routine thinking work and routine manual work; between 1969 and 1999, the share of Americans in blue collar and administrative support jobs plummeted from 56 to 39 percent. At the same time, there is increasing demand for skills that computers cannot mimic, such as the ability to solve unpredictable problems and the ability to engage in “complex communications” with other humans, along with foundational skills in math, reading, and writing. Globalization. Advances in digital technology and telecommunications now enable companies to carve up work and send tasks to be done wherever they can be completed best and cheapest. At the same time, political and economic changes in places like Russia, Eastern Europe, China, and India have freed up many more workers who can potentially perform such jobs. As a result, many people are competing for jobs with a huge number of foreigners in an increasingly global labor market and—just as significantly—collaborating with workers in other countries when they do land a job. Corporate change. Because of technology, globalization, and other competitive forces, companies have radically restructured how work gets done. Workers experience greater autonomy and personal responsibility for the work they do. Work also has become much more collaborative, with self-managing work teams increasingly responsible for tackling major projects. Increasingly, such work teams are global in nature, which much of the interaction taking place electronically. Jobs have become less predictable and stable. From project to project and from year to year, employees must adapt to new challenges and demands. Demographics. The population is rapidly becoming both older and more diverse. That creates a two-fold challenge for schools: First, they will need to be able to teach a more diverse group of students. Second, they will need to prepare those students to collaborate in diverse job settings and function in a diverse society. Risk and responsibility. Individuals increasingly shoulder a greater burden of risk and responsibility for their personal well-being. Three intersecting spheres that illustrate the trend are job security, health care, and financial planning. As a result of these forces, three kinds of learning are becoming increasingly important if not essential for students to succeed in work and life: 1) Traditional academic knowledge and skills. The belief that students will no longer need to learn the academic content traditionally taught in the school curriculum is false. Students will need strong math and English skills to succeed in work and life, for example. A strong academic foundation also is essential for success in postsecondary education and training, which itself is increasingly necessary for anyone who wants to earn a middle class wage. 2) Real world application, or “applied literacies." Students will need not just knowledge but also “literacy”—the ability to apply their learning to meet real-world challenges. That applies to all subjects, including English, math, science, and social studies. 3) Broader competencies. Students who develop an even broader set of competencies will be at an increasing advantage in work and life. Based on employer surveys and other evidence, the most important seem to be:
Ex 1. Answer the following questions.
Ex 2. Fill in the gaps with the words and word combinations from the table. ability, impact, develop, “must have”, interact, activities, manage, teamwork, develop, cooperate, orally. Employers consistently rank collaboration very high on their list of ___1___ competencies, which is not surprising given changes in the workplace. This broad competency is best understood as a cluster of related “interpersonal skills” that give one the power to ___2___ effectively with others, including the ___3___ to communicate effectively both ___4___ and in writing, to relate well to others and ___5___ with them, to negotiate and ___6___ conflicts, and to lead through persuasion. When asked about these separate interpersonal skills, employers rate graduates worst in oral and written communications. But classroom teachers should bear the only responsibility: Research shows that athletics and other student ___7___ (yearbook, student government, etc.) can help students ___8___ skills related to leadership and ___9___ and have a positive ___10___ on later earnings. Ex 3. Make up dialogues on the major trends in the 21st century education. Use as many words from the text (in bold type) as possible. Ex 4. Comment on the broader competencies necessary for students to succeed in work and life. Which of them are the most important, in your opinion? Which ones do you personally possess or try to develop? Discuss the issue in class. Appendix I Communication Skills
Introductions – Social Language There are a number of phrases that are commonly used to introduce strangers: (name), I don't think you've met (name). I don't think you know (name) May I introduce you to (name) (name), do you know (name)? (name), I'd like you to meet (name) When you meet someone the first time, it is common to greet the person with "How do you do?" the correct response is "How do you do." Here is a short introductory conversation: Ken: Peter, I'd like you to meet Mary. Peter: How do you do? Mary: How do you do. Ken: Mary works for ... A variation is also "It's a pleasure to meet you." or "Pleased to meet you." Ken: Peter, I'd like you to meet Mary. Peter: It's a pleasure to meet you. Mary: How do you do. Ken: Mary works for ... Ken: Peter, I'd like you to meet Mary. Peter: How do you do? Mary: Pleased to meet you. Ken: Mary works for ... In informal situations, especially in North America, introductions are also made simply saying: "This is (name)." It is also common to just say "Hi" or "Hello" as a response in this informal setting. It is also quite common to shake hands when you are introduced. After the initial introduction, hand shaking generally takes place in more formal, business situations. Otherwise, people just say "Hi." Once you have been introduced to someone, the next time you see that person it is important to greet them. We also greet people as we leave people. In English (as in all languages), there are different ways to greet people in formal and informal situations. Formal Greetings: Arriving Good morning / afternoon / evening. Hello (name), how are you? Good day Sir / Madam (very formal) Informal Greetings: Arriving Hi / Hello How are you? What's up? (very informal) How are you doing? (very informal) It's important to note that the question "How are you?" or "What's up?" doesn't necessary need a response. If you do respond, these phrases are generally expected: Very well, thank you. And you? (formal) Fine / Great (informal) Formal Greetings: Departing Good morning / afternoon / evening. It was a pleasure seeing you. Goodbye. Note: After 8 p.m. - Good night. Informal Greetings: Departing Goodbye / Bye. See you (later). Later (very informal ) |