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I. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):
1. By the 1880's the British economy was dominant in the world.
2. Both the US and Canada overtook Britain in economy by 1900.
3. By the end of World War II, Britain had gone heavily into debt in order to develop its manufacturing industry and borrowed large amounts from the US and France.
4. Another reason for British decline is the loss of its colonies, especially India, which gained its independence in 1947.
5. In the 1970s, with the soaring price of oil and high rates of inflation, Britain went through a bad period. In 1979, the Labour Party had to step down from the government.
6. The leader of the Conservatives, Margaret Thatcher started a series of reforms. An extensive programme of privatisation was carded out, and she was successful in an all-round way.
7. Tertiary industries include banking, insurance, tourism, agriculture and the selling of goods.
8. Britain has a large sector of agriculture producing 11. 6% of its national wealth.
9. According to the text, the tertiary industry produces approximately two-thirds of the national wealth.
10. The service industry in the UK employs 70% of the total work force.
II. Choose the answer that best completes the statement or answers the question:
1. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the UK economy?
A. Britain remains one of the Group of Seven large industrial economies.
B. Britain has experienced a relative economic decline since 1945.
C. There has been a period of steady decreasing of living standards.
D. Some smaller economies have overtaken the UK in terms of output per capita
2. Which of the following was NOT the reason for the relative economic decline since 1945?
A. Britain did not invest in modem equipment and new products.
B. Britain spent a high proportion of its national wealth on the military.
C. Britain had been heavily in debt to finance the war.
D. Britain had carried out the nationalisation of the businesses.
3. Which of the following livestock has the biggest number in the UK?
A. Beef cattle.
B. Dairy cattle.
C. Chicken.
D. Sheep.
4. Where is the best agricultural land in Britain?
A. In the southeast of England.
B. In the northeast of England.
C. In the southeast of Scotland.
D. In the northeast of Scotland.
5. Which of the following is NOT a company in the energy sector?
A. Shell.
B. IC1.
C. RTZ.
D. British Gas.
6. Which of the following used to be the last independent car company in the UK?
A. Ford.
B. Peugeot.
C. Rover.
D. BMW.
7. In the aerospace industry, which two countries are ahead of Britain?
A. The US and Germany.
B. The US and Russia
C. Germany and Russia
D. France and Russia
8. Which civil airline was started in 1924 after the First World War?
A. Imperial Airways.
B. British Airways.
C. Hawker-Siddeley Aviation.
D. The British Aircraft Corporation.
9. What did Frank Whittle do in 1937?
A. He invented the first jet plane.
B. He developed the first jet engine.
C. He made the first powered flight.
D. He made the trans-Atlantic flight.
10. Which company became an important aero-engine manufacturer after WWI?
A. Boeing.
B. Rolls Royce.
C. McDonnel-Douglas.
D. Hawker-Siddeley Aviation.
11. Which of the following two companies merged into British Aerospace?
A. The British Aircraft Corporation and Hawker-Siddeley Aviation.
B. The British Aircraft Corporation and Rolls Royce.
C. Hawker-Siddeley Aviation and GEC Avionics.
D. Hawker-Siddeley Aviation and Rolls Royce.
III. Fill in the blanks:
1. "The Jewel in the Crown" of the British Empire _____, which provided _____ and a big market for British goods, gained independence in 1947.
【答案】 India, raw materials
2. A low rate of _____ industrial investment coupled with a very high rate of _____ investment is a characteristic of the UK economy.
【答案】 domestic, overseas
3. Since 1945, the UK economy has experienced _____ decline rather than decline _____.
【答案】 relative, absolute
4. In the 1970s, the devaluation of the UK currency forced the Labour government to borrow money from _____.
【答案】 the International Monetary Fund
5. In 1979, the Conservative party under _____ came into power and carried out a programme of _____.
【答案】 Margaret Thatcher, reform
6. In recent years, Britain is second only to the US as a destination for investment.
【答案】 international direct
7. The UK economy can be divided into three main sectors: _____ industries, secondary industries and _____ industries.
【答案】 primary, tertiary
8. The beef industry was hit badly by _____ which caused a ban on beef exports in 1996.
【答案】 BSE
9. Since the discovery of oil and gas under the _____ Britain has gained a strong position in the offshore oil _____ industry.
【答案】 North Sea
10. Glaxo-Wellcome is the biggest drug company in the world while _____ is the second largest paint manufacturer in the world.
【答案】 ICI
11. _____ is one of the busiest share-dealing centres in the world.
【答案】 the London Stock Exchange
12. Englishman Frank Whittle developed the world's first _____ in 1937.
【答案】 jet engine
IV. Tell what you know about the following in your own words:
1. Relative decline of the UK economy
Key: The UK has experienced an economic decline since 1945. But this is a relative decline rather than an absolute one. Britain is wealthier and more productive than it was in 1945, but since other countries developed more rapidly, it has slid from being the second largest economy to being the sixth.
2. Privatisation in the 1980s
Key: The British economy went through a particularly bad period in the 1970s, with high rates of inflation and devaluation of the Pound. Therefore, in the 1980s, when the Conservative party under Margaret Thatcher was in power, an extensive programme of privatisation was carried out. Many state-owned businesses (such as steel, telecom, gas, aerospace) were turned into private companies. Privatisation was successful in controlling inflation but at the same time unemployment rate increased rapidly.
3. Main sectors of the UK economy
Key: The UK national economy can be divided into three main areas: primary industries, such as agriculture, fishing and mining; secondary industries which manufacture complex goods from those primary products; and tertiary (or service) industries such as banking, insurance, tourism and the retailing.
4. “The City”
Key: “The City” refers to the historic area at the centre of London. It is one of the biggest financial centres in the world with the greatest concentration of banks, insurance companies and businesses dealing in commodities. At the heart of the city is the London Stock Exchange.
5. The aerospace industry in the UK
Key: The UK's aerospace industry is the third-largest in the world, producing the full range of aerospace products from civil and military aircrafts to missiles, satellites and jet engines. It produces 2% of the UK national output, accounting for 8% of manufactured export goods.