..

SOCIETY
VOCABULARY

I. GENERAL VOCABULARY
average life expectancy
be insolvent -
be knee-deep in the red/be heavily (deeply) in debt/run up huge debts -
; , ;
birth/mortality rate /
breadwinner
communal housing services bill -
conscription/draft (conscript/draftee) - (, )
elite/upscale/luxury housing development
( .. )
(legitimate) excuses to escape serving in the army: going to university,
conscientious objection () ,
: ,
()
feel financially (in)secure - ()

generation gap ;
tells me that they had a discussion in school about the generation gap.
give a seat up to an elderly person on a bus

go bankrupt
hazing/bullying in the army -
house maintenance costs
live at a (minimum) subsistence level
 1) That is almost 500 below the minimum subsistence level for the poorest
people in our society.
2) When accompanied by minimum subsistence pensions, as in Britain,
retirement means economic dependency.
living standard/standard of living ,
Adrian probably knows lots of boys whose standard of living is lower than his
own.
material values
overdue cash payments/pensions -
utility bills
Does your rent include utilities?
wage arrears

II. THE STATE AND THE SOCIETY

be unfazed by sth/sb -./-.,

The Prime Minister appeared to be totally unfazed by the protesters.
cattle, sheep
census (to take a census)
census taker (, )
check identity papers and residence permits

child abuse -
civil society-
deferment of military service
disperse the rally
dual citizenship/nationality- ( -
to strip someone of citizenship. -to
renounce citizenship.)
1) She has (!) dual nationality; of Canada and Britain.
 2) McGuirk holds dual citizenship in Ireland and the US.
dysfunctional family -
employee of a government-financed organization -
human rights activist
generate jobs ,

labor market
local legislatures
minors -
nationwide
organizational snafu(s) - ,
public backlash
problem/unruly/troubled teenager -
social policy
struggling/problem/precarious neighborhood
unemployment/(full) employment - /()
violations of human rights
III. BENEFITS
birth and maternity benefits -
(. child benefit)
With child benefit included their income has been increased from 124.20 to
148.62 a week.
call for the restitution of benefits -
draw (take out, live on) a(n) old age/disability/invalidity pension/pension for loss
of breadwinner , , ,

in-kind benefits/benefits-in-kind - ,
(., )
issue subsidized travel passes
live/be on social security - ( )
 monetization of benefits (the replacement of benefits with cash payments) -
;
retire (I retired from teaching three years ago.)
retirement home/old people's home/nursing home
social benefits
social safeguards -
subsidies for medicine, housing/utilities and telephone costs -
,

IV. WHO IS ENTITLED TO A BENEFIT

be physically incapacitated - , c -

Chernobyl victims
developmentally challenged (. .)/mentally retarded
,
drug abuse -
drug addict -
optically challenged/visually inconvenienced (. .)

orally/vocally challenged (. .) ,

people eligible for social benefits - ,

person entitled to a benefit
retiree/pensioner - ,
seniors ,
socially vulnerable groups - /
() /
substance abuser (. .) - ,
sufferers from political repressions -
the disabled ()
 (the) underprivileged - /

1) Princess Anne has done much to help underprivileged children all over
the world.
2) Jane Addams was awarded the Nobel Prize for her inventive work with
underprivileged women and children.
unseeing/nonsighted (, .)

V. JOB, SALARY, ASSURANCE

(health) insurance premiums

(work) record
As an employee, his record is outstanding.
demote sb
dismiss/sack/fire - gross salary -
(. to earn $500 gross - 500 )
make sb redundant -.
maternity leave
I am working part-time, but my maternity leave begins next month.
monthly salary
part-time job - ;
1) had taken a part-time job selling a line of cosmetics the manufacturer
had labeled as all-natural products.
2) She wants to work part-time after she's had the baby.
fringe benefits/perks (= perquisites) - , , (
)
1) I only eat here because it's free - one of the perks of the job.
2) The professors regard foreign travel as a perk, and they go to all the
international conferences.
piecework
 1) The women were on straight piecework, the men on more complex
systems of payment.
2) This is piecework and it pays next to nothing.
quit (quit/quitted; quit/quitted) -
1) Four or five people have either quit or been fired.
2) Harkness quit as director of the Olympic Regional Development
Authority soon afterwards.
3) She quit her job and went traveling in South America.
resign
1) Nixon was the first US President to resign before the end of his term of
office.
2) The following years, he resigned as chairman of the committee.
3) The manager was forced to resign his post after allegations of corruption.
resignation
She handed in the resignation the other day.
seniority
1) I had fifteen years seniority, and they couldn't fire me.
2) Benuses are linked to productivity at Sofmap, and promotion is purely by
merit, not seniority.
3) Even if they return to work for the same firm when their children go to
school their seniority is lost.
sick leave /
I could take the afternoon off from work as sick leave.
sick pay /
Thus, one could consider such factors as hours, sick pay, pension schemes
and holiday entitlements.

1.
:
 perquisites - - to make sb redundant - - to demote
sb - - seniority - -(work) record -
, , ,
- nursing home - life expectancy
nonsighted - substance abuser -
- generation gap -
deferment of military service - - -
benefits-in-kind - ,
- to call for the restitution of benefits - -
wage arrears to quit sick leave

2. .

3. ,
.

4. :
1.
.
2.
.
3. .
4. .
5. 10000.
6. .
7. .
8. 15 .
9. ?
 10. , ,
,
-.
11. -
.
12. .
13. , .
, .
14. .
15.
.
16. ?
17. .
.
18. , .
19. , .
20. , .
21. . ,
.
22. , ,
.
, , .
23. - -
.

24. . ,
.
25. , .
26. .
 27. ,
.

ENGLISH TEXTS

RETURN MY BENEFITS
1. Unimpressed by assurances from president Vladimir Putin that the
replacement of Soviet-era benefits would be carried out painlessly, several
thousand pensioners staged new protests across central Russia and Siberia on
Tuesday, as, the Communist Party started collecting signatures to call a vote of no
confidence in Mikhail Fradkov's government.
Large rallies of pensioners in Kazan, Tver, Perm, Tomsk and Kaluga
demanded the return of free transport rides, subsidized medicines and other
benefits, which were supposed to have been replaced with cash allowances on Jan.
1.
Putin weighed in on the weeklong crisis Monday to urge the federal
government and regional authorities do more to soften the transition for socially
vulnerable groups.
The president also instructed the Cabinet to increase the basic monthly
pension by at least 200 rubies, instead of by 100 rabies as originally planned, and
to bring forward the raise by a month to March 1. (The Moscow Times, by
Francesco Mereu, 19.01.2005)

RUSSIA: ELDERLY IN STREET PROTESTS

2. Pensioners held scattered demonstrations for a third day to protest the
government's replacement of Soviet-era social benefits with cash payments.
Protests were reported in Barnaul in Siberia, Togliatti on the Volga River and in
other cities after similar ones on Sunday and Monday in an unusual expression of
public discontent with President Vladimir V. Putin's government. On Monday,
several hundred elderly demonstrate gathered at the outskirts of Moscow and
briefly blocked the main highway to St. Petersburg; 12 were arrested. On Jan. 1,
the government began replacing benefits like free transportation, prescriptions and
housing for pensioners and the disabled with cash payments of $20 to $120 a
month which critics argue are too meager to compensate for the lost (The New
York Times, by Steven Lee Myers, January 12, 2005)

CUT MY BENEFITS
3. I am 59 - and Congress should cut my future Social Security and
Medicare benefits. The same goes for people 58, 48 and even 68. Plenty of present
retirees could afford to have their benefits cut. The chances of this happening soon
are, of course, about nil. If President Bush and his critics agree on anything in the
Social Security debate, it is that existing retirees and "near retirees" shouldn't be
touched. This is all about politics. The moral and economic case for shielding these
people people like me - is nonexistent. Give Bush credit for broaching, however
indirectly, these sensitive issues. Criticize the Democrats for their limp "how dare
you" response. But recognize that Bush's chosen vehicle for overhauling Social
Security "personal" investment accounts distracts from what ought to be the
central question: How much should younger and poorer taxpayers be forced to pay
for older and richer beneficiaries? (The Washington by Robert J. Samuelson,
February 9, 2005)

MOSCOW BROUGHT TO HALT WITH CUTS PROTEST

4. Vladimir Putin came under additional, pressure to sack the ministers who
engineered his unpopular benefits reforms when Moscow was brought to a
standstill at the weekend by the largest demonstrations held during his presidency.
Throughout Russia 250,000 people took to the streets to voice their disdain
in some cases their support for the reforms, which are intended to replace
Soviet-era benefits with cash payments.
Though the benefits are known as "privileges", for the elderly and disabled
they cover such basics as free transport and discounted food and medicine.
 For weeks the discontent and political turmoil have been growing, and the
president has repeatedly carpeted his senior ministers for the poor
execution of the reforms, pushed by calls for him to sack his prime minister,
Mikhail Fradkov, and his entire cabinet.
Elsewhere in Russia the anti-Putin voice seemed to be much louder with the
Communist party claiming that, away from Moscow, it had gathered as many as
200,000 supporters.
The demonstrations were the biggest expression of discontent so far of Mr
Putin's five years in office, and cams two days after the Communist faction failed
to get a parliamentary majority for a motion of no-confidence in the government.
Mr Putin's opinion poll rating has sunk to an all-time low since the protests began.
(The Guardian, by Nick Paton Walsh, February 14, 2005)

CHARITY
5. Since Russian tax law offers few incentives for charitable giving, local
fundraisers have come up with some creative and savvy projects to entice expats
and Russians alike to give to charitable causes.
Read to Help, a collaboration between the Anglia bookstore and British-
registered charity Action for Russia's Children, or ARC1, is one such project. Read
to Help is a secondhand book sale, the proceeds of which are distributed among
several children's charities affiliated with ARC;
The first book sale of more than 400 donated, used books was held on Sept.
19 and brought in about $700. One hundred percent of the remittances from the
sale go to support ARs charitable activities, which aim to educate and empower
physically and mentally disabled and poverty-stricken Russian children.
ARC differs from other charities that assist orphanages or state-run
children's homes, which is where most of Russia's disabled children end up.
_____________________

1
. ARC-
 ARC works closely with prominent, family-focused charities such as Down-
side Up, a charity assisting children with Down syndrome, and the Taganka
Children's Fund, which provides support services to struggling single parents.
Smaller charities that ARC helps include Metis, a support organization and
ethnic cultural center for mixed race children; the Toy Library, a lending library of
educational toys; the Center for Curative Pedagogics, which provides therapy for
autistic and learning disabled children; the Preodoleniye-L, a center offering
therapeutic workshops for children with cerebral palsy and other physical
disabilities.
Susie Latta, one of six members of ARC's all-volunteer management
committee, said that ARC maintains very close contacts with the charities it aids.
To be eligible to receive financial support, the charity closely monitors each
organization and its activities to be certain that funds will be used responsively and
effectively. (The Moscow Times, by Kimberly 'Haver, October 27, 2004)

WITNESS AT THE WEDDING

6. I was skeptical when I headed to San Francisco's city hall on a drizzly
Friday afternoon just before Valentine's Day. Mayor Gavin Newsom, then only six
weeks on the job, had announced to the surprise of even the gay community
that same-sex couples would be granted marriage licenses, effective immediately. I
figured the decree was little more than a publicity stunt that would soon be shut
down by the courts.
I walked into the grand rotunda, half expecting to see the pride-parade
crowd, maybe some guys in leather or dressed as nuns. Instead, as far as the eye
could see, there were couples patiently waiting middle-aged moms with
strollers, dads chasing toddlers, a noticeable number of seniors, many perched on
those little canvas folding stools you see at sporting events. This was Main Street,
not Castro Street2.
____________________

2
Castro Street is the heart of San Francisco's Gay District
 After waiting in line for hours, couples climbed the grand staircase to recite
their vows before city marriage commissioners. Stripped of the pomp and excess
of the well-planned wedding, these ceremonies moved me with their simple
dignity: couples, some already together for decades, seeking recognition in this
vast public space that they were, in fact, "spouses for life". Some wept openly;
others rocked silently in each other's arms. (Newsweek, by Karen Breslau, Dec. 27,
2004 / Jan. 3, 2005)

FEELING WANTED
7. At the age of 44, childless and single after the death of her long term
partner, Sarah had given up hope of being a mother. But tomorrow, the part-time
teacher from south London will meet Louise - the one-year-old child she is about
to adopt.
Sarah has been encouraged to adopt as part of a pioneering drive by
Southwark3 council. The authority's campaign aims to raise adoption and fostering
rates by targeting those who assume wrongly that they are unsuitable to
adopt or foster.
Louise has been in foster care since her young, single mother gave her up for
adoption at birth. Her right foot is slightly malformed and will need minor
corrective surgery and physiotherapy over the next two years, but she is expected
to develop into a healthy child. For her, adoption will give her the stable and
permanent home she desperately needs. For Sarah, it will mean she is finally able
to realise her desire to care for a child.
"I'd always wanted to have children, but it never happened," says Sarah.
"After my partner died I wondered if there was something I could give and
something that I wanted and didn't have. I looked into adoption, but thought I'd
only be considered for very hard-to-place children. I was bowled over when I
heard about Louise I didn't think I would be a first-choice adopter."
__________________________

3
Southwark, the principal borough in South London
 Southwark launched its three-month campaign, entitled Never Thought I
Gould, at the end of March. The drive - the first actively to recruit people falling
outside the stereotypical family unitwas a response to government plans for the
biggest shake-up in adoption law in a quarter of a century. The Queen's Speech last
week outlined details of the adoption and children bill, designed primarily to speed
up the process and, aiming to increase adoption rates by 40 %.
Southwards campaign included advertisements on billboards and buses
emblazoned with messages such as: "Valued, wanted, needed whether you're
over or under 45, you could be eligible to adopt," The posters were tailored to
appeal to couples or single people over 45, those who work full-time, or are
unemployed, and gays and lesbians.
The Labour-run council says the response has been huge: the adoption and
fostering team has received calls from 204 people wanting to adopt or foster long-
term, and another 40 want to foster short-term. The majority of inquiries have been
from those who would otherwise have ruled themselves out of being adoptive
parents because of their sexuality or age. (The Guardian, by Saba Salman, June
27, 2001)

RUSSIA'S RICH HOUSEWIVES GET DESPERATE

8. THEY live in lavishly furnished mansions, spend thousands of pounds a
month on clothes and are the envy of ordinary Muscovites. But the glamorous
wives of the novi Russki, Russia's fabulously wealthy business elite, are haunted by
a fear of losing their husbands.
A new book that provides startling insights into the lives of Moscow's rich
claims that many of the city's most affluent women spend their time desperately
trying to hold on to their millionaire spouses.
Paying expensive fortune-tellers to find out about their husbands' affairs and
drowning their insecurities in alcohol are part of their everyday life, it seems.
Some are reduced to seeking solace in the arms of male strippers and toy boys.
 The book, Casual, was written by Oksana Robsky, a new Russian who has
been married three times. She describes it as a semi-autobiographical novel, with
many characters based on her friends and acquaintances.
The novel is set in Rublyovo-Uspenskoye Shosse, a long tree-lined road in
the western outskirts of the capital. It is known as a "billionaires' reserve" and is
home to members of both the business and political elites, chief among them
President Vladimir Putin. More billionaires are said to live in the area than in New
York city and during the rush hour the two-lane highway is jammed with luxurious
cars tailed by armed bodyguards in four-wheel drives.
Casual is the story of a woman whose rich husband is gunned down. She
hires a contract killer to murder the prime suspect, only to learn that he was
innocent. Robsky's second husband was the victim of a contract killing, but she
will not be drawn on whether her heroine's act of revenge is pure fiction.
Robsky's female characters lead largely frivolous lives of almost
unimaginable opulence. Reflecting a real-life Russian trend, one of them has her
poodle dyed to match the colour of her dress. They dine in Moscow's most
expensive restaurants, drive the latest sports cars, undergo plastic surgery, take
drags and get drunk on vintage wines. (The Moscow Times, by Mark Franchetti,
February 20, 2005)

THE RULE OF LAWLESSNESS

9. In his inauguration speech, Bush sweepingly declared that the United
States would champion liberty and challenge repression in every corner of the
globe. The speech placed Bush at loggerheads with Putin, who has dismantled
many of Russia's democratic institutions and threatened private property rights.
The U.S. and Russian leaders' differing approaches toward democracy reveal a
profound values gap.
When they met in Santiago, Chile, last November, Putin lectured Bush about
how Russia's history dictates that it adopt a limited form of democracy. In
Bratislava, however, rather than debating various styles of democracy, Bush
emphasized universal principles, including a free press, protection of minority
rights, political opposition and, most importantly, the rule of law, which is a crucial
guarantee of private property and individual liberty. In turn, Putin changed his tune
and acknowledged that democracy should indeed follow certain fundamental
principles.
Private ownership and property rights, two of the fundamental elements of
democracy, have a short history in Russia. Without longstanding traditions to
counterbalance it, Putin's authoritarian model enables officials to easily manipulate
state institutions and laws, diminishing individual freedom from government
interference. As a result, Russian citizens reportedly pay more than $30 billion per
year in bribes to secure business licenses, avoid taxes, win court cases and gain
access to medical treatment, education, housing and transportation. Official
corruption has become a socially accepted norm that inhibits the growth of civil
society.
To establish the rule of law in Russia would require the government to
completely change its course. Yet it seems intent on doing just the opposite. The
Kremlin used purportedly independent legal institutions to renationalize Russia's
largest private oil company, Yukos. But Yukos is not an isolated incident. Nor is it
the most important. From the beginning of Putin's presidency, the Kremlin has
used government institutions in the name of vaguely defined state interests to take
private property from Russian small businesses and foreign investors who are
adding value to the economy. To disguise this creeping expropriation, the Putin
administration has created a dependent judiciary. As a result, Russia lacks several
fundamental building blocks of a market economy, the freedom to engage in
commerce based on an enforceable contract and guarantees of private property.
(The Moscow Times, by Matthew H. Murray, February 28, 2005)
 RUSSIAN TEXTS

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