问答题Practice 3　　The new assault on NAFTA rests on a single premise: ex- ports arc good, imports are bad. In economic terms, that’s non- sense: exporting doesn’t benefit Americans at all unless it allows them to consume more, which is what most imports arc

Which of the following is not true of the European Union?（）

Passage 5　　● Look at these sentences and the five passages chosen from a booklet entitled “How Do I Get Into Export”. The book explains steps to successful exporting.　　● Which clip does each sentence refer to?　　● For each sentence, mark one letter A, B, C, D or E.　　● You will need to use some of these letters more than once.　　Example　　He has developed his own company to promote his work.　　Answer: A　　1. A long-term approach has to be taken in projecting how to crack the world market.　　2. You can’t rush through this because the choice of the right agency can be crucial for most firms.　　3. You are advised to spot a couple of target markets.　　4. A self-assessment is required in this phase.　　5. At this stage at least one on-the-spot survey has to be conducted in person to assess the local situation and establish distribution.　　6. Bankers, accountants, and various agents are chief participants in your planning.　　7. You have to get to know generally accepted customs and trade practices in international business.　　8. This step requires a good market research concerning the various aspects of the prospective markets.　　A　　Commitment: Developing export markets can be costly in terms of time, money have the commitment required to make a success of export? Entering new markets and developing them usually takes considerable time and effort. You must take a long-term view. Consider how many resources and how long it takes to break into a new regional market in Australia. The time and cost can be multiplied several times when you are looking at an overseas market.　　B　　Finance: Breaking into any new markets requites considerable funds (airfares, accommodation, advertising, sales promotion, new brochures, training of overseas sales agent, etc.). Does your company have the financial strength to commit say $ 30,000 or more for the year or two it may take to develop a new overseas market?　　Discusses your plans with the International Department of your bank to ensure that all the financial aspects are covered and viable. Gain an understanding of international trade finance. Discuss costing-for-export with your accountant, and transport/packaging requirements with a customs agent or forwarding agent.　　C　　Become familiar with common terms used in international trade. The Australian Trade Com, mission (AUSTRADE) and the major trading banks have reference booklets. The Australian Institute of Export provides courses.　　D　　Select one or two likely markets and undertake desk research to identify their characteristics. Most first-time exporters start with New Zealand. Many are also interested in the USA, but that is an enormous and complex market.　　In making a detailed market study the following should be considered:　　● whether the country selected already imports the product (import statistics will show how much and from where)　　● what import duties the product would attract　　● other barriers to imports, such as import licensing　　● frequency and cost of shipping or airfreight between Australia and the market　　● regulations, such as quarantine and labeling standards, consumer protection rules, and product standards　　● whether cultural differences need to be taken into account. Read economic and social literature on the target market to understand its fundamental characteristics.　　E　　The desk research should have indicated the market with the most potential and you should now be in a good position to visit the target market. The main purpose of the visit will be to study its special characteristics, the opportunities/competition at first hand, seek a suitable agent or distributor, and jointly draw up an appropriate marketing plan to introduce and expand the sale of your product. These are all very important considerations, and more than one visit will probably be necessary. Choosing the right agent, for most Companies, is probably the single most important step. Do not rush this step.

Which of the following is not true of Britain.s foreign trade?（）

Practice 3　　● Your manager is considering whether to purchase or to rent a new company premise. He has asked you to write a report concerning this.　　● Write a report for your manager, including the following information:　　● what you know about the premise,　　● why it is good for you to take the relevant action,　　● how your company would benefit from it.　　● Write 200-250 words.

Practice 1　　● You work for a large company. You are going to be transferred to another department within your company.　　● Write an email to all staff:　　● telling them which department you are moving to　　● saying when you will be moving department　　● explaining what your new responsibility will be.　　● Write 40-50 words.

Practice 2　　The news couldn’t be worse. Three years of recession or anemic economic growth, Argentina’s debt default and collapse and—more recently—Bolivia’s president run out of office by indigenous people fed up with his pro-business, pro-Washington agenda. Taken together, these trials have seemingly erased the promise of prosperity that wafted across the region a decade ago. Now there’s the specter of a return to the dark days of the 1970s and 80s when economic and political chaos were the norm. Social eruptions have prompted a wide-ranging and contentious reappraisal of the economic orthodoxy—the neoliberal model that has shaped policy in Latin America for the past 15 years. Market-oriented structural reforms have succeeded in a few crucial ways: they ended the ruinous era of hyperinflation, and inculcated a sense of fiscal responsibility among profligate governments. But belt-tightening has not led to the robust economic performance promised when reforms began. After enjoying encouraging GDP expansion in the early and mid-1990s, Latin America has stumbled through about five years of economic stagnation that have left the region’s have-nots in a surly mood. Latin America desperately wants increased access to markets in the United States and Europe, but the region doesn’t want to pursue trade deals on what it perceives to be unfair terms. (Newsweek)

Practice 3　　Energy-saving vehicles were part of the Green Transportation Festival in the US in 2003. The vehicles shown were designed to reduce America’s dependence on oil and help the environment.　　There are exhibits of cars and buses at the festivals. Most of them use little gas or use another kind of fuel such as natural gas. People are also urged to consider simpler ways of getting around, such as walking, biking and using public transportation systems.　　The United States has less than five per cent of the world’s population, but uses about twenty-five per cent of the world’s oil. More than half of the nation’s oil is imported. Most of it goes to transportation.　　Festival organizers said progress in technology was making it possible for Americans to reduce their dependence on oil. That is because the kinds of energy-saving vehicles are increasing. Efforts to reduce oil imports in the United States would also have important environmental benefits. The burning of oil as fuel is responsible for gases blamed for climate change. When gasoline is burned in cars, it also pollutes the air. This leads to many health problems.

Practice 4　　The answer is, in a sense, all in our minds. For the last century, our society’s basic drive has been toward more—toward a bigger national economy, toward more stuff for each of us. And it’ s worked. Our economy is enormous; our houses are enormous. We are living large. All that more is created by using cheap energy and hence built on carbon dioxide (CO2)—which makes up 72% of all greenhouse gases.　　Some pollutants decrease as we get richer.  But carbon dioxide consistency tracks economic growth. As Harvard economist Friedman concluded last year, CO2 is “the one major environmental contaminant for which no study has ever found any indication of improvement as living standards rise.” This means that if we’re going to cope with global warming, we may also have to cope with the end of infinite economic expansion.　　That sounds gloomy, but maybe not. New data suggest that we’ve been overstating the issue for many decades. We made an assumption that more was better. It seemed a reasonable thinking. But in recent years, economists, sociologists and other researchers have begun to question that link. Indeed, they’re finding that at least since the 1950’s, more material prosperity has yielded little increase in humans’ satisfaction.

Practice 7　　● A new designer, Mary Watts, has just joined your company.　　● Write a memo to all staff:　　● Telling them who the new employee is;　　● Saying what her responsibilities will be;　　● Explaining where her office is located.　　● Write about 30—40 words.