蒙大英語國家-英國概況課件03 British economy

1、Lecture ThreeThe British EconomyContentsWarm-Up 1Language Study2Detailed Study 3Extension4Warm-Up Discuss the Following Questions1. Do you know any major industry in Britain? 2. why do you think British economy lagged behind gradually compared with other developed countries?Recession n.經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退期Language

2、 Studyconservative party n. 保守黨Jute n. 黃麻纖維 by-product n. 副產(chǎn)品 blast furnace n. 高爐microprocessor n. 微型處理器deficit n. 赤字Inflation n.通貨膨脹 surplus n. 盈余Language Studytelecommunication n. 電信civil aviation n. 民用航空Detailed StudyThe Evolution of the British Economy since the War Resources and Industries Agri

3、culture TextTextTextDetailed StudyForeign Trade Add Your subtitleAdd Your subtitleTextTextTextI. The Evolution of the British Economy since the War 1.Steady Development in the 50s and the 60s The Second World War devastated the Europe. The British economy suffered a great deal from the war, but it s

4、uffered less direct war damage than other European countries and Japan. With the help from the United States the British economy quickly recovered. The British economy in this period is characterized by slow but steady growth, low employment and great material prosperity with rising standard of cons

5、umption. Detailed Study2. Economic recession in the 70s Towards the end of 1960s the rate of inflation began to rise. This further eroded business confidence and competitiveness. The end of 1973 witnessed the first oil shock. As a result the cost of oil imports skyrocketed. The inflation rate rose t

6、o 9.1% in 1973 and to 16.0% in 1974. The second oil shock in the 1977 caused inflation to rise still further. It reached a rate of 22% in 1980. Detailed Study2.Economic recovery in the 80s In March 1979 the Conservative Party under the leadership of Mrs Thatcher won the election. The new government

7、adopted an economic program known as Medium-term Financial Strategy. The new economic policy was based on the theory of the new classical school of thought. It turned “Keynesianism” on its head. Privatization, deregulation and market liberalization replaced prices and incomes control and state inter

8、ventionism. The immediate effect of this approach was a deep recession in 1980-81, with GPD falling by a total of 2.6% in two years. However, by 1982, the downswing in the world commodity prices together with the governments anti-inflationary polices led to the dramatic falls in the rate of inflatio

9、n to 8.6% in 1982 and 5% in 1983 Detailed StudyFeatures of the recovery:An outstanding feature of the economic recovery in the 1980s was its length. By 1988 the recovery had lasted seven years.Another feature was the improved financial position of the government, with stronger current account of the

10、 balance of payment. Another important factor in the recovery was the surge in labour productivity. Detailed StudyThe British economy in the 1980s developed quite significantly. The Thatcher program was successful to some extent. Mrs. Thatcher tried to cure the “British disease” by applying monetari

11、sm and encouraging the market-directed economy but she failed. By 1989 inflation caused by over-heated economy had risen to 8.3%. in April, 1990 it reached 9.4%. The balance of payments worsened again. In 1989, the visible trade deficit was 23.1 billion. The new economic problems finally brought dow

12、n the Conservative government headed by Mrs. Thatcher.Detailed StudyII. Resources and Industries 1. coal, oil and natural gas Compared with many other countries, Britain has considerable reserves of coal. Important coal areas can be found in Central Lowlands of Scotland, North-East England, Central

13、England and South Wales around such big cities as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester, Birmingham, and Swansea. Almost all the industrial areas in Britain except London and Belfast are based on coalfields. Detailed StudyToday British coal mining is called a “sick” indust

14、ry. The output of coal reached its peak just before the First World War when 286 million tons were mined, and since then the number of miners, collieries and the total output have fallen. The exhaustion of old mines, costly extraction, poor old equipment, little money being invested, fall in demand

15、due to imports of cleaner, cheaper and more efficient fuels are all the reasons for the decline. Detailed Study2. Iron and Steel Britain was the first nation to build a large iron and steel industry. Rich deposits of iron ore were found in central England. This area known as the Midland, had deposit

16、s of coal and iron location near each other. But today the original advantages of the locations of many steelworks in the Britain have gone. Local supplies have become exhausted and the new supplies are largely in low grade. Today supplies of iron ore are mostly foreign. Detailed StudyCompared with

17、newer plants in the world, Britains steelworks are not efficient. Their oil-fashioned ovens for making coke are not able to recover valuable by-products and the blast furnaces, steel works, and rolling mills are often separated from each other. As with the coal industry, Britains steel industry is d

18、eclining.Detailed StudyThe British iron and steel industry ws nationalized again in 1967 with the establishment of the government-owned British Steel Corporation, and was denationalized again under the Thatcher government. Detailed Study3. Textile The textile industry is one of Britains oldest. Text

19、iles were one of the countrys most valuable exports. Woolens, cottons and synthetic fabrics are among the many kinds of cloth produced in Britain. The main textile producing regions of Britain are now the East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside, and Northern Ireland. Detailed StudyBritains textile i

20、ndustry has declined markedly especially in the cotton, jute and linen production. Factories have closed down and by 1980 the workforce had been reduced to one third of the number employed in the early 1960s. The reasons behind the decline can be summarized generally as the follows: Detailed StudyEx

21、ports of textiles have not competed well with those of other foreign producers who have managed to produce cheaper goods. There has been a rise in cheaper imports of textiles to Britain from foreign countries. Poor and outdated management decisions have caused problems. In particular, new markets ha

22、ve not been found and new techniques have not been used. Substitutions of human-made fibers have been made for natural fibres such as wool, cotton, jute and linen. An improvement of output per workers has been achieved, due to mechanization. Detailed Study4. Shipbuilding Britain became a world leade

23、r in shipbuilding during the middle of the 19th century. At that time, iron and steel replaced wood as a material for building merchant ships. The success of British shipbuilding can be attributed to the following reasons. Its coal, iron and steel industries were well established. It also had many s

24、afe harbours and a good supply of labour. The two main centers for shipbuilding were on the River Tyne near Newcastle, England and on the Clyde near Glasgow in Scotland. Detailed StudyToday due to increased overseas competition, outdated equipment, a decline in demand and order for ships and lack of

25、 investment in the industry, many of the building and repair yards have had to close. Detailed Study5. Motor vehicle In the early 20th century the motor vehicles industry in Britain was developed in the West Midlands and South-East of England. After the Second World War, demand for cars dramatically

26、 increased and more car factories were set up in the Liverpool and Merseyside region, in South Wales and central Scotland. The British motor industry is now dominated by four firms (Ford, the Rover Group ,GM-Vauxhall, and Peugeot), but each of these has suffered problems. Detailed Study6. New Indust

27、ries New industries include microprocessors and computers, biotechnology and other high-tech industries. There are three areas in Britain which have seen some high-tech industrial growth: the area between London and South Wales, the Cambridge area of East Anglia and the area between Glasgow and Edin

28、burgh in Scotland. It is hoped that the Britain will expand rapidly in the new industries. Detailed StudyIII. Agriculture The British were pioneers in modern agriculture and were among the first to bring science and machinery to farming. Farming is one of Britains most important industries. The feat

29、ures of British agriculture are: Detailed StudyIt is highly mechanized. In Britain only 3% of the population are farmers but they managed70% of the land area. The size of farms varies from under 100 hectares to over 800 hectares. It is quite scientific. Very modern farmers use computers today. They

30、talk about technological framing. The new farming has been called “agribusiness”. in some areas factory farming methods are used, particularly for rearing poultry or pigs. British farming is made to be as efficient as possible with so many people living in a small area. As a result, certain areas ha

31、ve specialized in one particular type of farming Detailed Study There are mainly six farming types in Britain:they are farming, dairy farming, stock farming, mixed farming, hill farming and market gardening. a) Arable farming emphasizes crop production and occurs on the more fertile soils. The chief

32、 areas are in the East and Southeast. The land here is lower and flatter. There are bid fields for machinery. The chief crops are wheat, barley, oats, sugar beet and potatoes with wheat and barley as the two most important crops. b)Dairy farming rears cattle primarily for milk production. It can be

33、found in areas where grass grows well, so western regions with moderate rainfall, mild winters and cool summers are often important dairying areas. c)Stock farming rears livestock primarily for meat (e.g. beef, lamb). It is the chief kind of farming in the North and West of Britain where the climate

34、 and physical features are not fit for crops. In these areas the fields and mountain sides are covered with grass all the time and the animals live there all the year round. Beef cattle farming is famous in the East of Scotland and also in the South of Britain where pastures are good and the land is

35、 not so steep. Chief sheep farming areas in Britain are the uplands in southern Scotland and Wales. Detailed Studyd) Mixed farming has elements of cattle rearing and crop-growing. It is in most areas of rural Britain, where local physical conditions are suitable for it. e) Hill farming with sheep an

36、d cattle is found in area with poorer soils and rougher pastures. It is usually an area of rocky mountain crags, steep slopes, little flat land and deep valleys cut by rivers. f)Market gardening is the growing of vegetables and fruit which can be rapidly transported to market while fresh. It is ofte

37、n found near large urban areas which provide the market for such goods as lettuce, tomatoes and strawberries. The Channel Islands, Cornwall and Scilly Isle are the greatest providers of early vegetables and flowers. In South-East London there are many fruits. g)The fishing industry is an additional

38、source of food. The North Sea has very good fishing grounds, the fishing boats fish all over the North Sea and far into the Atlantic. Today the problem of pollution and overfishing is becoming more and more serious. And most fishing is done by fishing companies, and small fishermen can find little work to do and many fishing villages are dying. Detailed StudyIV. Foreign Trade British is the fifth largest trading nation in the world. It has been a major trading power since the 17th century, with the Engli