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Задание 1. Try to fill in the chart below for each country, then read the text and check your ideas

Вrazil is currently undergoing impressive development. This has primarily been fuelled by China’s demand for the country’s raw materials. China is investing heavily to improve Brazil’s infrastructure to facilitate the export of metal ores, timber and food supplies. Currently 50 million Brazilians live in rural and urban poverty. As has happened in China millions of these people will be removed from poverty as the economy develops but just how many will be left behind? Could this disadvantaged section of society be a cause of future social conflict? Brazil is becoming an important global supplier of food, primarily soya beans. However, the Amazon rainforest is being destroyed at an alarming rate. In the future this may lead to drought in the south of the country which could threaten this food production.

Russia: supplies of gas and oil make Russia a formidable hydrocarbon power. Moscow may now be a consumer paradise but the rest of the country lags far behind in terms of economic growth. The country’s legal and political infrastructures need to develop and be reinforced. The country is too dependent on oil supplies and needs to diversify into other sectors, especially IT. Low levels of population growth and a poor healthcare infrastructure pose another threat to the country’s development.

India: last year Infosys, the successful Bangalore-based IT company, received 800 applications for 100 internships for non-Indian nationals. The company received a total of 1 million job applications from qualified Indian graduates. The Indian education system has prepared the country well for its growth in the IT sector. Graduates no longer need to leave India to develop a career. Faith and religion are important in India –will economic growth and increased wealth lead to a decline in religious belief as has happened in Western Europe? The rural poor are rapidly being left behind by urban growth, the government need to address this issue. Drought in the north of the country is an increasing problem that may threaten food supplies.

China: 70% of the clothes bought in the US are now made in China. Consumer electronics, the car industry, the car component industry all are developing rapidly. Multinationals are now opening research facilities in China. Millions of Chinese people have been pulled out of poverty over the last 10 years. The impact of the country’s recent economic growth on the environment has been very high. There is a risk of drought in the north of the country which may threaten supplies of wheat and other grains. The political situation remains uncertain. How will the Communist Party adapt to the demands of the growing affluent middle classes? 

Задание 2. Read the text and write what events these dates indicate. 

1995                           1998                               2000                             2002

 AMAZON – THE BIGGEST SUCCESS STORY IN E-COMMERCE

1 When the Amazon.com website went live on July 16th 1995, nobody could have predicted that the small, Seattle-based online bookseller would become the most successful Internet retailer in the world.

2 Founder Jeff Bezos had realized that an online bookshop could offer far more titles than the biggest brick-and-mortar shop, and launched Amazon, named after the river, with just a few employees and a tiny warehouse. The business took off immediately, and Bezos and his workers soon found themselves struggling to ship a growing volume of orders.

3 Bezos only ever intended to sell books, but when customers started emailing asking him to sell music and electronics in the same way, he decided to diversify.

4 Amazon began selling music and DVDs in 1998, and added electronics, toys, software and video games a year later. Today the online store sells a vast range of products, including food, beauty products and musical instruments. As well as the original US site, it has websites for Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and Japan.

5 When it was launched, Amazon’s business plan was highly unusual in that it did not expect to make a profit for five years. Throughout the late 1990s, when other Internet companies were growing at a blisteringly fast pace, Amazon grew at a very steady pace.

6 When the dot.com bubble burst in 2000 and many of its e-commerce contemporaries went out of business, Amazon was still unprofitable. Bezos persevered and the company made its first profit in 2002. Since then profits have grown steadily.

7 Why has Amazon survived when so many dotcoms have failed over the years? Customer loyalty plays a large part. Right from the start Amazon’s customers have tended to return over and over again. The personalized website, offering suggestions based on previous purchases, and features such as customer reviews, make the shopping experience easier and more personal than most online retailing.

8 International sales are another factor. Unlike many US and UK online retailers, Amazon will ship many of their products anywhere in the world. A reputation for reliability, and a clear policy on returning goods, has also helped Amazon achieve world dominance in the virtual marketplace.

9 Bezos vows to keep expanding, both by launching more country specific websites and by adding more product lines and services. Amazon looks set to remain the market leader for some time yet.