Thomas Robert Malthus
Prophet of the “Dismal Science”
Standards of living in many developing nations continue to decline because the growth in population is greater than the economic growth. If world economic growth continues to average about two per cent annually nearly half the world’s people will live in countries where population growth exceeds economic growth.
This was foretold by an 18th century English economist, Thomas Malthus. In his “Essay on population” (1798) he warned of the dire consequences of uncontrolled population growth.
Given the difference between the rate of population growth and that of food production, Malthus concluded that a large portion of humanity was doomed to a life of misery. Worse yet malnutrition and disease would take their toll until the rising death rate restored the balance between food and population.
The British writer Thomas Carlyle called economics the “dismal science” for such predictions.
Since Malthus’s day several factors have prevented the fulfillment of his prophecies. The most visible of these has been the enormous increase in food production on the one hand, and declining birthrates in the industrialized nations on the other.
Critics of Malthusian theory argue that the focus on population misses the main causes of hunger and starvation. The fact is that agricultural nations grow enough to feed the world. But poor nations do not have the international currency with which to purchase it from world suppliers. Thomas Malthus is a controversial figure up to nowadays. To some he was a great prophet whose theories are still relevant. To others, his opinions are as shortsighted and inappropriate today as they were nearly two hundred years ago.
Пояснения к тексту:
Given the difference … - получив разницу …
on the one hand - с одной стороны
on the other hand - с другой стороны
I . Перепишите текст и переведите его на русский язык.
II . Ответьте (письменно) на вопросы к тексту.
1. Why do the standards of living in many developing nations continue to decline?
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2. Who foretold the decline of standards of living?
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3. What factors prevented the fulfillment of Malthus’ prophecies?
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4. Why can’t poor nations purchase food from world suppliers?
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5. What is the attitude to Malthus as an economist?
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III . Перепишите следующие предложения, определите в них видовременные формы глаголов и укажите их инфинитив. Переведите на русский язык.
1. For such predictions Tomas Carlyle called economics “the dismal science”.
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2. Several factors have prevented the fulfillment of Malthus’ prophecies.
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3. Standards of living in many developing nations will be very low because the growth of population is greater than the economic growth.
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IV . Перепишите следующие предложения; подчеркните в каждом из них модальный глагол или его эквивалент. Переведите предложения на русский язык.
1. The owners of land and capital are allowed to use these resources as they see fit.
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2. A society may attempt to deal with the basic economic problems by allowing free pay to market forces.
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3. Government regulations should be in the interests of society.
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4. Six essential features of capitalist system can be pointed out.
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I II . Перепишите следующие предложения и переведите их на русский язык, обращая внимание на разные значения слов that , it , one .
1. It is the corporation that is the most common form of business in the USA.
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2. Business is a commercial enterprise performing all those functions that govern the production, distribution and sale.
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3. One should know that each partner is liable for the debts of the business.
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I V . Перепишите предложения и переведите их на русский язык, обращая внимание на разные значения глаголов to be , to have , to do .
1. Any member of the public may buy shares in a public limited company and when he does so he becomes a “part owner”.
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2. The object of almost all private business is to make profits and distribute them to the owners.
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3. A partnership cannot sue or be sued in its own name.
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4. The shareholders are to pay taxes on the income they receive as dividends.
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ВАРИАНТ 5