Business articles for beginners

МИНИСТЕРСТВО ТРАНСПОРТА  

РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ 

 

ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЕ БЮДЖЕТНОЕ 

ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЕ ВЫСШЕГО 

ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ 

«РОССИЙСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ ТРАНСПОРТА 

(МИИТ)» 

 
 
 
 
 

Кафедра «Международный бизнес» 

 
 
 

 

 
 

А. А. Дорошенко 

 

Business articles for beginners 

 

 

 

Практикум 

 
 

 
 

 

Москва – 2018 

 

 

МИНИСТЕРСТВО ТРАНСПОРТА 

 РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ 

 

ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЕ БЮДЖЕТНОЕ 

ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЕ ВЫСШЕГО 

ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ 

«РОССИЙСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ ТРАНСПОРТА 

(МИИТ)» 

 
 

Кафедра «Международный бизнес» 

 
 
 
 
 

А. А. Дорошенко 

 

Business articles for beginners 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Практикум 

 для студентов направления 

«Менеджмент» профиль 38.03.02 (бакалавриат) 

 
 

Москва – 2018

 

 

УДК 658 
Д 69 
 
 

 
 
 

 
Дорошенко А.А. Business articles for beginners. – М.: РУТ 

(МИИТ), 2018. -  58 с. 

 
Практикум содержит ряд статей, освещающих различные 

сферы, что способствует более широкому погружению в язык. 
Также к статьям прилагается набор заданий, позволяющий 
закрепить и практиковать лексику, использованную в тексте. 

Рекомендовано для направления «Менеджмент» профиль 

38.03.02 (бакалавриат). 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

© РУТ (МИИТ), 2018 

 

 
 

ARTICLE 1 

European Central Bank Stops Printing 500-Euro 

Banknote 

The European Central Bank has announced that it will 

stop producing the 500-euro banknote. It has become popular 

among money launderers, drug traffickers and terrorists, who 

move large amounts of money in small bags or briefcases. The 

banknotes that are in circulation now can continue to be used, 

but they will slowly be exchanged for smaller bills. The 500-

euro banknote will be phased out completely by 2018. It can be 

exchanged at national central banks of EU states at any time 

after this date. 

Such large banknotes are not so popular in many 

countries. In the United States, the largest banknote is the $100 

bill. After World War II the US stopped producing $500 and 

$1000 bills. 

Money experts welcome the decision by the EU's main 

banking authority. They say that with smaller banknotes 

criminals will find it more difficult to handle large amounts of 

money without being noticed. 

500-euro banknotes are not used very much in everyday 

life. While many people are afraid of losing them, some shops 

do not even accept them. The 500-euro banknote accounts for 

30% of the value of all euro banknotes but only 3% of all paper 

euros in circulation. 

The discussion about large banknotes has been going on 

for a long time. Especially after the terrorist attacks in Paris 

and Brussels many experts have called for a ban of large bills 

because terrorists may use them to pay for their activities. 

While there are many illegal ways of hiding and transferring 

money, using cash is among the most popular. 

1) Explain the meaning of the following words and 

phrases: 

To announce 

To produce 

Money laundering 

To be in circulation  

To ban 

2) Define the following statements as true or false 

1. 
Large 
banknotes 
are 
very 
popular 
among 

shopkeepers and citizens. 

2. Decision that had been made by authorities was 

welcomed by experts. 

3. Large banknotes are widely used by criminals. 

 

3) Answer the questions.  

1. What was the topic of the article? 

2. What was decided upon the problem? 

 

ARTICLE 2 

About the Panama Papers 

More than 11 million secret documents of a law firm in 

Panama have been leaked to the German Süddeutsche Zeitung. 

The documents, nicknamed the Panama Papers, reveal how 

thousands of politicians, celebrities, athletes and other wealthy 

people around the world use tax havens to hide their money. 

2.6 terabytes of information were secretly given to 

journalists of the German newspaper last year. They then 

started investigations, working through the documents with 

journalists from other countries. The Panama Papers are the 

biggest leak in journalism in history, much larger than what 

was published by WikiLeaks some years ago. 

There are several world leaders who are suspected of 

being involved in the money scandal, including Russia's 

Vladimir Putin and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, 

who admitted that he profited from an offshore account set up 

by his father. A number of Chinese politicians are also 

supposedly involved in the scandal. 

Only a few days after the news was released Iceland's 

Prime Minster resigned from office after the public found out 

that his wife owned an offshore account. 

The Panamanian offshore law firm Mossack Fonseca is 

at the center of the scandal. Representatives from the company 

have announced that it has never done anything illegal. It is not 

known who gave the documents to the German newspaper. 

Many rich people around the world put their money into 

tax havens where there is little or no tax to pay.  These are 

mostly countries that do not share tax information with other 

countries. Banks help their customers hide their money in such 

secret offshore accounts. According to the journalists' 

investigations, over $2 billion have been secretly funneled 

through banks in the past 40 years. 

While setting up an offshore account is not against the 

law, some companies use it for illegal activities like laundering 

money, evading taxes or drug trafficking. 

1) Explain the meaning of the following words 

To leak 

Wealthy people 

Tax havens 

To put money into 

To funnel 

2) Define the following statements as true or false 

1. Lots of secret information has leaked to journalists. 

2. Several world leaders were suspected in growing 

eggplants abroad. 

3. There wasn’t any investigation. 

3) Answer the questions.  

1. What was the topic of the article? 

2. What was revealed? 

 

ARTICLE 3 

Robert Mugabe to nationalise Zimbabwe's diamond 

industry 

Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's 92-year old president, has 

announced that the African country will nationalise its diamond 

mining industry. Mugabe has accused foreign mining 

companies of stealing billions of dollars in revenue. A 

government-based department will now take control of the 

country's diamond mines because foreign companies cannot be 

trusted with giving Zimbabwe its fair share of profits. 

Zimbabwe is one of the world's largest diamond 

producers and the eighth largest exporter of diamonds. The 

country's largest mine, the Marange fields, produces about 10% 

of the world's diamonds. Mining diamonds, and other minerals, 

such as platinum and chrome is by far the largest source of 

income for the poor African country. 

In the last few years Zimbabwe has only received about 

$2 billion out of the industry's estimated profits of $15 billion. 

Now, the government has ordered foreign mining companies to 

stop their production and leave the mines immediately. 

Foreign mining companies that operate in Zimbabwe 

have gone to court to protest and fight against Mugabe's 

decision. Nationalising mines will especially hurt China, which 

has invested billions in the mining industry. Foreign mining 

companies cannot operate alone in Zimbabwe but together with 

local companies. 

Mining experts are not sure whether Zimbabwe can 

produce its diamonds without foreign help. They lack the 

capital and technology to do so effectively.  On the other side 

the country's economy has been struggling for many years. 

Foreign companies are not willing to invest any more because 

of Zimbabwe's unstable political situation. Robert Mugabe has 

ruled the country for three and a half decades and has left no 

doubt that he is still in control. 

 

 

 

1) Explain the meaning of the following words 

To nationalize 

Mining industry 

To produce 

To operate 

To be willing 

2) Define the following statements as true or false 

1. Zimbabwe is one of the eighth largest exporters of 

Vibranium. 

2. It was decided to nationalize mining industry 

3. Zimbabwe suffers lack of capital and technology to 

continue mining on their own 

3) Answer the questions.  

1. What was the topic of the article? 

2. What happened with Zimbabwe’s mining industry? 

 

ARTICLE 4 

Starbucks To Open First Store in Italy 

The American coffee shop chain Starbucks has 

announced that it will open its first store in Italy at the 

beginning of 2017. 

Starbucks has always been very careful about opening 

shops in Europe, where drinking coffee has a big tradition.