8. Before reading tasks:

a) Match the English words and expressions with their Russian equivalents:

1. adapt to	a. рыночная система
2. align oneself with	b. положение экономики
3. aspire to	c. переходить в гражданскую войну
4. be in tatters	d. действовать заодно
5. competing	e. экономическое могущество
6. descend into civil war	f. старающийся изо всех сил
7. destruction	g. стремиться, устремляться
8. dissolve	h. конкурирующий, состязательный
9. economic might	i. препятствовать экономическому росту
10. hamper economic growth	j. восстанавливать, взыскивать, получать возмещение (за убытки)
11. launch	k. приспосабливаться
12. market system	l. быть в разрушительном состоянии
13. recover	m. выбрасывать новые товары на рынок
14. state of economy	n. растворяться, исчезать, прекращать деятельность, разрушать
15. struggling	o. разрушение, уничтожение, разорение; крах

b) Find the Russian equivalents to the following English word combinations:

To reform the crumbling infrastructures, cope with doubling in size, cross-border trade, economic ties, geographical isolation, remain committed to, peacekeeping troops, retained free-markets

c) Read the text:

Text b Economic Development Of Europe

Prior to World War II, Europe's major financial and industrial states were the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy. The Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain, had spread rapidly across Europe, and before long the entire continent was at a high level of industry. World War I had briefly led to the industries of some European states stalling, but in the run-up to World War II Europe had recovered well, and was competing with the ever increasing economic might of the United States of America.

However, World War II caused the destruction of most of Europe's industrial centres, and much of the continent's infrastructure was laid to waste.

Following World War II, Europe's economy and infrastructure was in tatters. The vast majority of Eastern European states came under the control of the USSR in what became the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON), and therefore a communist market-system (Yugoslavia also adopted this type of market-system but it was not USSR-controlled). Those states that retained free-markets were given vast amounts of aid by the USA in order to help rebuild their state of economy.

Many Western European governments moved to link their economies, laying the foundation for what would become the European Union. This meant a huge increase in shared infrastructure and cross-border trade. Whilst these Western European states rapidly improved their economies, by the 1980s, the economy of the COMECON was struggling, mainly due to the massive cost of the Cold War. The GDP and living standard of Eastern European states were also behind those of their Western neighbours. Even free-market Greece, situated in South-Eastern Europe, struggled due to geographical isolation from Western Europe.

When communism collapsed in Eastern Europe and the USSR around 1991, these states struggled to adapt to free-market systems. There was, however, a huge variation in degrees of success, with Central European states such as Hungary, Slovenia, Romania and Poland adapting reasonably quickly, whilst post-Soviet states such as Russia and Ukraine struggled to reform their crumbling infrastructures.

Western Europe was quick to develop economic ties with the newly democratic East. While the former Soviet states dealt with change, Yugoslavia descended into civil war.

Europe's largest economy, Germany, struggled upon unification in 1991 with former communist East Germany. The Russian controlled Eastern part of the country had had much of its industrial infrastructure removed during the cold war, and for many years the West struggled to build the East up to an equal level.

Peace did not come to Yugoslavia for a decade, and by 2003, there were still many NATO and EU peacekeeping troops present in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Kosovo. War severely hampered economic growth, with only Slovenia making any real progress in the 1990s.

The economy of Europe was by this time dominated by the EU, a huge economic and political organization with 15 of Europe's states as full members. EU membership was seen as something to aspire to, and the EU gave significant support and aid to those Central and Eastern European states wishing to work towards achieving economies so as to pass the entry criteria. During this time, 12 of the 15 members of the EU became part of the Eurozone, a currency union launched in 1999, whereby each member uses a shared currency, the Euro, which replaced their former national currencies. Those three states to remain outside the Eurozone and continue with their own currency were Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

In early 2004, 10 mostly former communist states joined the EU in its biggest ever expansion, enlarging the union to 25 members, with another eight making associated trade agreements. The acceding countries are bound to join the Eurozone and adopt the common currency Euro in the future. The process includes the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, which some of these countries are already part of.

Most European economies are in very good shape, and the continental economy reflects this. Conflict and unrest in some of the former Yugoslavia states and in the Caucasus states are hampering economic growth in those states, however.

In response to the massive EU growth, in 2005 the Russian dominated Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) created a rival trade bloc to the EU, open to any previous USSR state, (including both the European and Asian states). 12 of the 15 signed up, with the three Baltic states deciding to align themselves with the EU. Despite this the three Caucasus states have in the past said they would one day consider applying for EU membership, particularly Georgia.

The EU remained committed to increasing membership to cover the Balkans. Romania and Bulgaria joined on 1 January 2007, whilst FYR Macedonia, Turkey and Croatia had all been accepted as candidate countries too, leaving only Serbia and Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia. However, Montenegro decided in a referendum on May 21, 2006 to dissolve the state union of 'Serbia and Montenegro' leaving both Montenegro and Serbia as independent states, and the UN indicated it would favour independence for Kosovo; a decision on the future of Kosovo is expected sometime in 2007.

However, following the accession of Romania and Bulgaria the EU pledged to "slow down" its enlargement, as it copes with almost doubling in size within three years.

Croatia hopes to join the EU in the next couple of years. FYR Macedonia also has candidate status, as does Turkey. The remaining former Yugoslavian states and Albania hope to join sometime before 2015, however Turkey is not likely to enter EU before 2018.

d) Summarise the article following the tips:

• Ask yourself why the article was written and who is the intended audience.

• Consider the author's background. Does he have a special bias or point of view?

• Compare the opening and closing paragraphs.

• Read the entire article more than once, if necessary.

• Underline key or repeated words and phrases.

• Distinguish the author's main idea from details which support that idea or are repetitions and variations on the same theme.

• Draft a several-sentence summary which defines the author's main idea broadly enough to account for most of the supporting material introduced.

Remember, your summary should

• read like a coherent, unified paragraph in its own right.

• account for most of what the author says in your own words.

• maintain a neutral, impartial tone.