Vanuatu
Yemen
31
TASKS
for A STUDENTS' VISIT TO THE WTO
(27 minutes)
(from www.wto.org > Resources > Video/webcasting)
This video follows a pair of students on an introductory tour of the
WTO building, as they question officials from the organization and
from governments about how the WTO works.
Task 1. Pronounce the following words correctly:
Organization, negotiation, criticism, licensing, consensus, access,
privileges, legitimizing.
Task 2. Match the words with their definitions:
1.
2.
3.
NGO
Import
Voting
a. poll
b. something one is bound to do
c. permission, especially by formal license
4.
Environmentalist d. a person whose business is buying and
selling or barter
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Obligations
Licensing
Trader
Benefits
Privileges
e. a payment or service provided for under an
annuity, pension plan, or insurance policy
f. goods to bring (as merchandise) into a place
or country from another country
g. a right or immunity granted as a peculiar
benefit, advantage, or favor
h. Non-Government Organization
i. one concerned about environmental quality
especially of the human environment with
respect to the control of pollution
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Task 3. Translate into Russian:
To set up
To sign on
On daily basis
To deal with trade
policy
Rules and obligations
Predictability and
stability
Issues
Range of
Import licensing
On the consensus
basis
To smoothen the
process
To vote in favor
Majority voting
To go through
To open up the
meeting
To set some moves
Current coverage
To follow rules and
obligations
International trader
Embedded
To subscribe
Legitimizing
To put a stamp on sth
A balance in power
relations
Non-discriminatory
To apply to each
member
To bound
To console every
power imbalance
To facilitate
Multitrade
To take measures
Equal footing
Dispute settlement
cases
To apply different
standards
Partiality, neutrality
To make argument
To be solved
successfully
To be solved through
consultations
Establishment of the
Panel
To implement
To appeal the
decision
Accessible
Due to
Lack of knowledge
and expertise
To provide services
To prepare a case
To defend a case
At very low costs
Regardless the size of
the country
Privileges
Comparative
advantage
To gain from trading
Protectionism
To benefit
To the extent of
To apply for
scholarship
To acquire wider
knowledge
To rely upon
Task 4. Make up sentences in the Passive voice (Present, Past,
Future) with the verbs:
to set up
to sign on
to rely upon
to go through
to open up
to apply for
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Task 5. After watching the movie suggest your answers to the given
questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
What did students want to know about the WTO?
Who deals with all the business in the WTO?
What is the major work of the WTO?
What is the highest decision making body of the WTO?
Why is “General council” known as the heart of the WTO?
What issues are usually discussed during the meeting of
General council?
Do they vote in the meeting or is everything decided by
consensus?
How do other civil groups get their views in the WTO? Do
they have the direct access to the WTO?
Is the WTO universal?
Why do many countries want to be a member of the WTO?
What’s the WTO attitude to the criticism, mass
demonstrations, protests?
What is the main rule of the WTO?
Does the WTO care about the environment?
Is the trade the main business of the WTO?
What is one of the most important functions of the WTO?
How does the Panel work? What does the Panel work on?
How many cases are solved successfully by the WTO?
What are the stages of dispute settlement?
Is the process of dispute settlement accessible to all the
members?
Why did many courtiers decide to establish the Fund and
Independent Advisory center on the WTO Law?
Is the dispute settlement the main reason for the least
developed countries to enter the WTO?
Is it true that International trade is beneficial to all countries?
What does the comparative advantage mean?
What does “protectionism” mean from the WTO point of
view?
What difficulties can appear dealing with small delegations?
Why was the Training program established? What courses are
available? Are these courses efficient?
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Task 6. Make up a monologue according to the plan:
General info (functions, aim)
General Council
Access to the WTO (civil groups)
Membership
Criticism
The Panel, dispute settlement
Economy and international trade
Training programs
Task 7. The panel. Dispute settlement:
Russia vs The Ukraine. GAS problem
Discuss the following issues:
Ukraine owed a debt of $2.4 billion to Gazprom for consumed
gas, and Gazprom asked this amount be repaid before the
commencement of a new supply contract.
On 5 January 2009 Prime Minister Putin instructed the head of
Gazprom Alexei Miller to reduce supplies via Ukraine to Europe
by the amount of gas Ukraine had allegedly taken since
deliveries ended on 1 January 2009.
Several countries reported a major fall in supplies of Russian gas
starting from 7 January 2009; the worst affected were Bulgaria,
Moldova and Slovakia.
Ukraine agreed to guarantee the unimpeded transit of natural gas
on the condition that Gazprom would guarantee and supply
technical gas for Ukraine's gas transit system to function; this
was denied by Russia.
There were also accusations of illegally taking gas by Ukraine;
Others suggested that Ukraine's actions were being orchestrated
by the United States.
Based on www.en.wikipedia.org
(article: Russia–Ukraine gas disputes, author: Beagel)
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SUPPLEMENTARY READING