Economic reforms in Russia

Text I

■ Skimming

Ex. 1.

5) 4) 2) 3) 1)

■ Scanning

Ex. 2.

1) Russia’s economic power lies in its key natural resources − oil and gas because oil and gas dominate Russian exports.

2) The energy giant Gazprom is called by critics an economic andpolitical tool of the Kremlin.

3) Russia has tried to develop a market economy since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

4) The term "shock therapy" refers to the sudden release of price and currency controls, withdrawal of state subsidies, and immediate trade liberalization within a country.

5) Shock therapy usually includes large scale privatization of previously public owned assets.

6) The reforms resulted in economic collapse, with millions being plunged into poverty and corruption and crime spreading rapidly.

7) Outrageous financial manipulations enriched the narrow group of individuals at key positions of the business and government mafia. Many took billions in cash and assets outside of the country in an enormous capital flight.

8) A lot of TV channels in Russia are either run directly by the state or owned by companies with close links to the Kremlin. Independent reporting has suffered as a result.

9) The protection of property rights is still weak and the private sector remains subject to heavy state interference.

Ex. 3.

1) nominal value, purchasing power parity

2) Russian exports

3) economic, political tool

4) consistent, growth

5) proceed with, the lines

6) economic collapse, plunged into, rapidly

7) cash, assets, capital flight

8) severe recession

■ Vocabulary Study

Ex. 5.

1) – e); 2) – f); 3) – c); 4) – b); 5) – h); 6) – i); 7) – d); 8) – a); 9) – g)

Ex. 6.

1) withdrawal

2) collapse

3) flight

4) interference

5) subsidy

6) dominance

7) growth

8) release

9) achievement

10) export

Ex. 7.

1) proceed with

2) dependent on

3) refer to

4) result in

Ex. 8.

1) – f); 2) – d); 3) – e); 4) – a); 5) – c); 6) – b)

Text II

■ Skimming

Ex. 1.

alcoholism, economic weakness, weak property rights, bureaucracy, corruption, weakness of the technical intelligentsia, declining population, crumbling infrastructure, deteriorating education

■ Scanning

Ex. 2.

1) The ultimate goal is to make Russia a world leader.

2) Critics argue that a country with weak property rights and a corrupt bureaucracy can invent new ways of extracting bribes and robbing businesses, but not of creating intellectual wealth.

3) The experience of Mr. Gorbachev’s perestroika − which started with talk of technological renewal but ended in the collapse of the Soviet system − has persuaded the Kremlin to define modernization strictly within technological boundaries.

4) In Russian history, it is Peter the Great and Stalin who are considered the great modernizers.

5) They created an educated class capable of generating, or at least replicating, the best Western innovation.

6) In the 1930s leading Soviet engineers arrested by Stalin labored in special prison laboratories within the gulag.

7) According to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, what is needed is “a whole social stratum − a fully fledged modernizing class...”

8) The business elite is increasingly discontent with the present political system.

9) Learning to live according to its means, rather than its ambitions, and learning to show more care for human life and dignity, are more important to Russia’s renewal than winning a geopolitical race.

Ex. 3.

1) array, alcoholism, nuclear-powered

2) rights, bureaucracy, bribes, businesses, wealth

3) renewal, collapse, define, boundaries

4) warning, rush

5) bureaus, institutes, set up

6) manifesto, vital, modernization, carry out

7) destined, resources, modernize

8) declining, rate, crumbling, deteriorating, taxpayers

■ Vocabulary Study

Ex. 5.

1) – g); 2) – b); 3) – f); 4) – a); 5) – c); 6) – e); 7) – d)

Ex. 6.

1) – d); 2) – c); 3) – a); 4) – b)

Ex. 7.

to compete, survival, decision, to define, fulfillment, to bribe, revelation, renewal, deterioration

Ex. 8.

1) a large increase or change

2) a short phrase that is easy to remember and is used in advertisements, or by politicians, organizations, etc

3) a group of people or things, especially one that is large or impressive

4) favourable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs

5) money or a gift that you illegally give someone to persuade them to do something for you

6) occurring or coming later or after

7) the limit of what is acceptable or thought to be possible

8) extremely important and necessary for something to succeed or exist

9) ideas and activities relating to the way that a country’s position, population etc affect its political development and its relationship with other countries, or the study of this

10) the basic systems and structures that a country or organization needs in order to work properly, for example roads, railways, banks etc

Ex. 9.

1) – f); 2) – e); 3) – d); 4) – b); 5) – a); 6) – c)

Unit V

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