TEXT 1. THE ROLE OF AIR TRANSPORT IN GENERAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTUNIT 1. AIR TRANSPORT AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OF CIVIL AVIATION PRE-TEXT ASSIGNMENT Say a few words about the role of air transport in economic and social development as you see it. Use the following verbs: contribute, facilitate, promote, provide, connect, foster, increase, widen. Use the following nouns: advantage, service, transportation, research, development, contacts, benefits, convenience, travel, tourism, trade, business. TEXT 1. THE ROLE OF AIR TRANSPORT IN GENERAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Civil aviation, through a complex interaction with other economic sectors, benefits from and contributes to the economic development of nations. As incomes and production levels increase, the demand for aviation services expands; at the same time by fostering tourism, trade and employment, aviation is an important instrument in economic development. Air transport also provides intangible benefits by facilitating increased international contacts and understanding. As economic activity increases, so does the extent of business travel, and with it the need for the speed and convenience of air transport services. Also as personal income and available leisure time increase, air tourism becomes increasingly popular. Freight transport by all modes increases as interregional trade expands, and since the more dynamic sectors of industry often rely heavily on air transport for distribution of their products, the demand for air freight services tends to grow faster than the demand for surface transport. Air transport widens the markets for many types of products and promotes the interchange among nations of ideas, professional experience and skill. Because of the increasingly important role of air transport in the economic development of countries and regions, it is important to take due account of the economic and social benefits which an efficient air transport system can offer, and to ensure that future air transport needs are properly assessed together with the associated financial and human resources that need to be provided. (From ICAO Manual On Air Traffic Forecasting)
VOCABULARY CHECK Make sure that you know the words: production level, convenience, extent, personal income, freight transport, _distribution, surface transport, market, interchange, benefit, demands, needs.
GRAMMAR CHECK. Put 3-4 key questions on the text.
UNDERSTANDING CHECK. Convey the gist of text 1 in 3-4 simple sentences.
DIALOGUE 1 A. It seems obvious that in our time air transport becomes more and more popular. I would like to discuss the following: what are the reasons of the increasing role of air transport in modern life? B. The answer seems to be very clear. It is expressed in the motto of many airlines: Speed, comfort and time economy. A. Right you are. But from the point of view of the economist what causes the growth of air traffic now? B. The economic activity leads to the necessity of the expansion of trade relations which concern, as a rule, different regions or even different countries, situated at long distances. A. But passenger and freight services may be carried out by surface transport. B. And it is so partly but in many cases the surface transport is not convenient or available (practicable) due to reasons of time and distances. Sometimes it is cheaper to carry by air than to build roads or railways. A. And what about passenger carriages? B. They also grow, both scheduled and non-scheduled, domestic and international. Air transport provides benefits by facilitating increased international contacts and understanding. A. How does the air transport meet the demands of; increased air transportations? B. The air transport expands the network of its routes, offers different types of aircraft: wide-body, narrow-body, jet and prop planes, small and large ones, proposes different kinds of services, different fares and charges, a number of additional services related to air transportations. And their number and quality tend to grow. A. And what could you tell me about the role of air transport for the development of social contacts, mutual understanding and peace? B. I am sure that air transport being international by its nature, promotes the interchange of ideas among nations, professional skill and experience, it fosters tourism and economic contacts. UNDERSTANDING CHECK Say what this conversation is about (very briefly).
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