Level II
Chapter 6
Reading
English | Vietnamese
IC3, IT, TOEFL, Best Answer
English | Vietnamese
Assessment
Domestic Economics
Introductory Motivation and Focus: Reading and/or activity for motivation
In this chapter we will be reading about foreign and domestic investment in Vietnam. As an opening activity to the chapter, divide the class into four groups. The groups will be labeled thus:
- Group A will be Foreign Investors
- Group B will be the Vietnamese Government
- Group C will be the Vietnamese Citizens
- Group D will be Global Human Rights Groups
Read the following article in either English or Vietnamese.
In English, follow the tasks and answer the questions below:
1, Look at the English and Vietnamese versions of the reading and find the meanings of the words in bold print in the English version. Check if it is a literal translation (exactly what the English says) or expressive translation (conveying the idea but in Vietnamese terms). You may choose to add some of these words to your personal vocabulary list (see University I Listening Speaking Chapter 6).
2. From your group’s point of view—as foreign investors, government, Vietnamese citizens and Human Rights advocates—discuss these questions:
- Are foreign investors necessary to the renovation of Vietnam? Why or why not?
- Explain why foreign investment is or is not a priority for Vietnam.
- What are the obstacles for foreign investment?
- What are the risks?
- What are the advantages?
3. Present your group’s answers to these questions in a class discussion.
In the mid 1990s, NIKE was riding high, it’s signature “swoosh” the epitome of cool. Then, reports emerged that its subcontractors in Asia, particularly in Vietnam, were underpaying and mistreating workers. The outcry turned into a public relations disaster for NIKE, one from which it still has not fully recovered. Human rights groups, not reporters, were the first to uncover the abuse in Vietnam. Yet reporters and NIKE itself should have seen trouble coming. The case is a textbook example of how one country’s history and culture helped create a hostile environment for a company like NIKE.
When NIKE arrived in Vietnam in 1995, the country was just emerging from two decades of post-war isolation. Vietnam ranked as one of the world’s poorest and most overpopulated countries. But it had a semi-literate work force that was already earning praise from pioneering foreign investors for diligence. Freedom of association was illegal, meaning workers could not form their own unions or strike at will. And the authoritarian, communist government was eager to manufacture for export. NIKE and Vietnam looked like a perfect match. The company quickly became the largest foreign-invested employer in Vietnam with 10 subcontracted factories and 35,000 to 40,000 jobs.
What went wrong? NIKE made several missteps that helped turn later issues inside factories into full-blown international incidents. For starters, all of NIKE’s subcontractors in Vietnam were South Korean and Taiwanese. Yet, there are few people more hated by the Vietnamese than the Koreans (who fought with the U.S. in the Vietnam War and were guilty of numerous atrocities in southern Vietnam) and ethnic Chinese (who made up the majority of boat people driven out of Vietnam in the 1970s and 80s). The Korean and Taiwanese factory managers quickly gained reputations as harsh managers - an oil-and-water match with young, reticent Vietnamese women from the countryside. Nor did NIKE understand the venerated status of blue collar “workers” in a communist country like Vietnam, where nearly every propaganda poster features a young male or female member of the proletariat. At the local level, the workers represent the backbone of the Communist Party. When NIKE’s subcontractors abused some workers - one was hit with a sneaker, others were made to stand in the noon day sun or run laps around the plant - Vietnamese viewed the abuses as an attack on the very heart of their nation.
NIKE expected that the lack of a free press - common in many developing countries - would keep the problems inside the factories out of the newspapers. But it badly underestimated the survival instinct of the Vietnamese government. The Party, under pressure from its population to loosen political and economic control and accelerate reforms, instead found foreign invested companies like NIKE a perfect distraction from its own internal issues. The government instructed Vietnam’s two most influential labor papers to investigate and attack NIKE. The editors, both government appointees, followed through with a vengeance. NIKE found itself featured almost daily in the newspapers, stirring further antipathy among the Vietnamese. One labor reporter admitted that his editor was telling him what to write and when to write it. Some of the coverage was, at best, exaggerated, at worst, false. At one point, workers en masse complained to a reporter about the lunch food and demanded the contract go to the government-controlled labor union - a deal worth tens of thousands of dollars. But many foreign reporters picked up the stories without noting the controls on the Vietnamese press.
NIKE finally got fed up. Its representatives told the Vietnamese government it wanted the attacks ended or it would take the jobs elsewhere. Almost overnight, the critical coverage stopped. Labor reporters said they had been ordered to write only positive stories about NIKE. They then turned their attention to the company manufacturing toys for McDonald’s. The problems inside NIKE factories continued for another year. But you did not read about them in the Vietnamese press.
In the case of NIKE and Vietnam, the country’s historical and political heritage clearly had a significant role in how the story played out.
NIKE và Việt nam: bài nghiên cứu điển hình về vấn đề lao động
Kristin Huckshorn
Vào giữa những năm 90, NIKE đang ở đỉnh cao, nhãn hiệu “rất kêu” của công ty trở thành hình ảnh của mốt. Sau đó, bắt đầu xuất hiện các báo cáo rằng các thầu phụ của công ty ở Châu á, cụ thể là Việt nam, trả lương rất ít ỏi và đối xử tệ mạt với công nhân. Những tiếng nói chống lại công đã trở thành một tai hoạ về công tác quần chúng cho NIKE, một trong số đó hiện vẫn chưa được giải quyết ổn thoả. Các nhóm hoạt động nhân quyền, chứ không phải phóng viên, là những người đầu tiên phát hiện ra những sai phạm tại Việt nam. Tuy nhiên các phóng viên và bản thân NIKE cũng thấy được là rắc rối sắp xảy ra. Đây là trường hợp có thể đưa vào sách giáo khoa khi trả lời câu hỏi làm sao mà lịch sử và văn hoá của một nước lại có thể tạo nên một môi trường thù nghịch cho một công ty như NIKE.
Khi NIKE vào Việt nam năm 1995, nước này mới bắt đầu nổi lên sau 2 thập kỷ trong tình thế cô lập sau chiến tranh. Việt nam bị liệt vào hàng các nước nghèo nhất và đông dân nhất thế giới. Tuy nhiên, đội ngũ công nhân ở đây lại tương đối có học và đã được nhiều nhà đầu tư nước ngoài tiên phong vào Việt nam khen là siêng năng. Tự do thành lập các đoàn thể là việc làm trái luật pháp, có nghĩa là công nhân không được thành lập tổ chức công đoàn của họ hoặc được phép đình công khi họ muốn. Và chính quyền cộng sản chuyên chính đang rất khuyến khích sản xuất theo định hướng xuất khẩu. NIKE và Việt nam trở thành một đôi tuyệt đẹp. Công ty này nhanh chóng trở thành nhà đầu tư nước ngoài tạo nhiều công ăn việc làm nhất ở Việt nam với 10 nhà máy thầu phụ với khoảng 35.000 đến 40.000 công nhân.
Rắc rối bắt đầu từ đâu? NIKE đã có một vài bước đi sai dẫn đến việc các vấn đề trong nội bộ nhà máy của họ phát triển thành những rắc rối có tính chất quốc tế. Đầu tiên là tất cả các nhà thầu phụ của NIKE ở Việt nam là các công ty Hàn quốc và Đài loan. Tuy nhiên ít có người nước ngoài nào bị dân Việt nam ghét bằng Hàn quốc (nước đã đứng về bên quân đội Mỹ trong chiến tranh Việt nam và đã gây nhiều cuộc tàn sát ở miền nam Việt nam) và người Hoa (chiếm phần đông số thuyền nhân phải rời khỏi Việt nam vào những năm 70 và 80). Các giám đốc người Hàn quốc và Đài loan nhanh chóng trở nên nổi tiếng là khắc nghiệt – một cặp đối nghịch với những phụ nữ Việt nam trẻ, dè dặt từ nông thôn lên. NIKE cũng không hiểu được vị thế cao của giai cấp công nhân ở một nước theo chủ nghĩa cộng sản như Việt nam, nơi hầu như tất cả các áp phích tuyên truyền đều có vẽ một cô hay một anh công nhân trẻ là thành viên của tầng lớp vô sản. Ở cấp độ địa phương, các công nhân là trụ cột của Đảng Cộng sản. Khi các nhà thầu phụ của NIKE đối xử tàn tệ với một số công nhân – một người bị đánh vào mặt bằng giày, những người khác bị phơi nắng hay chạy quanh nhà máy – thì người Việt nam coi đó là đòn tấn công vào trái tim của đất nước họ.
NIKE nghĩ rằng việc thiếu tự do báo chí – một trong những nét chung của nhiều nước đang phát triển – sẽ giúp họ giữ vấn đề này trong khuôn khổ nội bộ nhà máy mà không xuất hiện trên mặt báo. Tuy nhiên công ty đã đánh giá quá thấp bản năng tồn tại của nhà nước Việt nam. Tronh khi phải chịu đựng sức ép của dân chúng đòi hỏi nới rộng kiểm soát về chính trị và kinh tế và thúc đẩy cải cách, Đảng Cộng sản đã tìm được các công ty đầu tư nước ngoài như NIKE để lái sự chú ý của công chúng ra khỏi các vấn đề nội bộ của đảng. Chính phủ đã chỉ đạo hai tờ báo về lao động có ảnh hưởng mạnh nhất ở Việt nam điều tra và tấn công NIKE. Hai tổng biên tập, đều là những người được chính phủ bổ nhiệm, dốc sức làm theo sự chỉ đạo. Tên NIKE được nhắc đến gần như hàng ngày trên các số báo, và việc này càng gây thêm ác cảm của người Việt nam. Một phóng viên viết về lao động thừa nhận rằng biên tập viên đã hướng dẫn anh ta viết như thế nào và khi nào thì viết bài. Một vài bài báo hoặc phóng đại hoặc đưa những điều không đúng sự thật. Vào một thời điểm, tất cả các công nhân đồng loạt phàn nàn với một phóng viên về bữa ăn trưa và yêu cầu hợp đồng phải được thông qua công đoàn lao động trực thuộc chính phủ – một hợp đồng trị giá hàng chục nghìn đô la. Tuy nhiên các phóng viên nước ngoài thường đưa lại những bài viết này mà không để ý đến việc báo chí Việt nam được đặt dưới sự kiểm soát.
NIKE cuối cùng cũng phát chán. Đại diện của công ty nói với chính phủ Việt nam rằng hoặc các mũi tấn công được ngưng lại, hoặc họ sẽ chuyển nhà máy sang nước khác. Gần như qua một đêm, tất cả các bài chỉ trích đều ngưng lại. Các phóng viên viết về vấn đề lao động nói rằng họ được lệnh chỉ viết các bài báo tốt về NIKE. Sau đó họ bắt đầu chuyển sự chú ý sang một công ty sản xuất đồ chơi cho McDonald. Các vấn đề nội bộ trong các nhà máy của NIKE kéo dài thêm khoảng một năm nữa. Tuy nhiên anh/chị không thấy báo chí Việt nam đưa tin về việc này.
Trong trường hợp NIKE và Việt nam, rõ ràng là yếu tố chính trị và lịch sử đóng một vai trò quan trọng trong việc đưa tin trên báo chí.
Reading 1: Vocabulary
Look at the list of words and expressions of the reading selection below “Kien Giang's Opportunities for Investment”. You can learn them later.
Nouns agriculture aquaculture product facets zones cultivation expansion inhabitants infrastructure yield target |
Verbs to concentrate (on) to elevate to produce to breed |
Phrases developing resources raising shrimp food processing export industry ethnic minorities areas standard of living land use water conservation communication facilities strains of shrimp development plan agro-forestry products foreign and domestic tax exemption eco-tourism |
Explanation of Reading Study Skill A (Academic Reading Skill):
Part 1
SKIMMING FOR MAIN IDEAS
What is a topic sentence?
Throughout this curriculum, it has been understood that a topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph because it tells the main idea of the paragraph. The topic sentence may be the first or last sentence in the paragraph. The other sentences in the paragraph are examples or supporting ideas to illustrate the main idea.
Example:
Many family-like relationships exist that do not begin with a legal marriage ceremony. For example, some couples cohabit without legally marrying. They live together in an intimate relationship and share resources. A division of labor with rights and responsibilities is established and some bear and raise children. Recent court cases in the United States illustrate how cohabitation is becoming a social and legal relationship much like marriage. (Source: Adam, W Royce, & Brody, Jane, 1995, Reading Beyond Words. Fifth Edition Harcourt Brace College Publishers, p. 47)
In this example, the first sentence is the topic sentence of the paragraph. It gives the main idea that many family-like relationships exist without marriage. Then the words “For example” let you know that supporting details are coming to further develop and support the topic sentence.
Knowing that topic sentences (main ideas) are usually the first or last sentence of the paragraph, it makes sense that when looking quickly at a reading, one should read the first and last sentence of each paragraph to get an idea about the main ideas of the reading.
To skim a piece of reading material do the following:
- Read the title and subheadings*. Make some educated guesses about where the reading material is going or what questions it is going to answer.
- Read the first paragraph paying special attention to the first and last sentence.
- Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.
- Read the last or concluding paragraph paying special attention to the concluding remarks.
- Identify the main ideas and then go back and read more closely those things that you think are important or are curious about.
*subheadings are headings or titles within the article. Look ahead to Reading 1. Opportunities for Investment is the title. Agricultural and Aquaculture Development is the first subtitle.
There are two more subtitles after that.
Why Skim?
To skim reading material serves many purposes. Skimming allows you to go through a lot of material quickly and discern what is useful to you and serves your purpose for reading. If your purpose for reading is pleasure, then obviously, you do not skim. But if you are a student doing a research paper and you wonder if an essay or a portion of a book is relevant to your topic, it makes sense to skim.
Skimming academic reading material is a good pre-reading task that takes you through a piece quickly and helps you with predictions and questions. If you have a sense for what direction a reading piece will take, then when you actually read it, it can be read more quickly and you can be more careful and mindful of details in order to get the most out of the reading. For example, if you are reading an editorial or something that may have bias, look ahead by skimming and then when you read carefully, you may be more aware of how the opinion is being formed and be able to judge the logic or flaws.
To skim is different than Scanning.
Part 2
SCANNING
When you read you sometimes don’t need to understand everything. You just focus on what you want to look for. Therefore scanning (reading quickly to look for specific information) is a good technique for you.
For example:
In the following paragraph, what does “10,000” mean?
MPT Minister Do Trung Ta said his ministry is working with MOET, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and the Ministry of Finance to equip schools with broad, high-speed Internet bands, aiming for 10,000 new subscribers this year. The Data Transmission Company, under the MPT, will provide 180 free on-line accounts for universities, colleges and vocational training schools.
To scan for “10,000” do the following:
- Keep the number in your mind.
- Look at the paragraph and search for the number.
- Read the phrase surrounding “10,000” to determine what it means.
To answer the question, what does “10,000” mean? We realize that 10,000 refers to the number of “new subscribers.”
Scanning is a good skill to learn for test-taking. If you can first read questions for reading passages on a test, look for numbers or key words in the questions, scan the reading for those numbers/words and find the answers to the questions without having to read the entire piece.
Exercises and Activities for Skill A:
Activity 1:
Scan the reading passage below to answer the following questions:
1, How many people in this article say that it’s time to invest in Vietnam?
2. Match these people with their agencies:
- Temasek Holdings of Singapore
- The Asian-Pacific Soft Drinks Company's Indochina Branch
- The Ernst and Young Company
3. How much does a person earn in Ho Chi Minh City?
4, Where is Nigel Russel working now?
5. What happened at the Melia Hotel in Ha Noi?
6. Explain the following numbers:
- 55
- 100
- 28
- 5
- 10
- 60
It's time to think about investing in Viet Nam
08/19/2004 -- 19:40(GMT+7
1
15
|
Foreign investors said it is time to think about investing in Viet Nam. Although the way to triumph is difficult, successes are worthy. The same view was shared among foreign investors attending the two-day forum "Investing in Viet Nam: Insights, Strategies and Prospects," which closed at the Melia Hotel in Ha Noi. Nigel Russel, a member of the Executive Board of the Phillips Fox, an Australian Law Firm in Viet Nam, said that the Vietnamese Government is building a common investment code for all economic sectors operating in the country. Furthermore, the government has applied many reforms such as the eradication of a two-price mechanism, using the investment registration mechanism instead of license granting mechanism and the exemption of tax for profit transfer overseas. Lai Chun Loong, a consultant to Temasek Holdings of Singapore, announced the results of foreign companies' surveys. Intel thinks Viet Nam is a target of trans-national companies while PNC, a Hong Kong investigation company, said that Viet Nam's market has great potential for both domestic consumption and for exports of goods to other regional countries. In addition, Viet Nam's political stability is another advantage for investment. The number of people of working age accounts for 60 percent of the population, most of whom have finished senior high school education. Meanwhile, labor cost is low and their average monthly per-capita wage is around 55 USD, while in Ha Noi and HCM City, the average wage is about 120-136 USD. Lai Chun Loong said that another attractive point is that the country has not yet set a minimum investment capital level for each project. Enterprises can invest from around 5 million USD to hundreds of millions of USD and they do not have to pay any fees for their investment licenses. Tax regulations have changed with special priorities given to investors with 100 percent of products for export. As a tax expert with 10 years' experience, Nguyen Khac Thanh from the Ernst and Young company in Viet Nam said the maximal enterprise income tax rate of 28 percent was competitive in the region. The only outstanding issue is to determine what level of incomes will be subject to the tax policy, he said. Thanh, however, complained of the tool that is used to levy enterprise income taxes, which he said remained a big gap with other regional countries. Hesaid although foreign-invested businesses are granted income tax exemption in the first three years of operation, they have to pay taxes based on their net incomes immediately in the fourth year. Net profits could not make up for the losses they have suffered in the previous years. Josep Lim, Executive General Director of the Asian-Pacific Soft Drinks Company's Indochina Branch, said the investment climate in Viet Nam has been considerably improved such as local administration authorized to grant licenses of investment for projects with registered capital less than 10 million USD. He also said Vietnamese workers are able to get familiar with high technology fairly quickly. Lim recommended that further investment be poured into infrastructural facilities in rural areas to attract foreign investment into these areas. He also pointed to the necessity to improve Vietnamese workers' foreign languages for better communication with foreign executives. Gannon-Viet Nam Executive General Manager Walter Blocker, who has worked in Viet Nam for 10 years, spoke highly of investment and business conditions in industrial zones, including good infrastructural facilities, no waste of time for ground-clearing, and low land rent. (adapted from ) |
(Source: http://www.vnagency.com.vn/newsA.asp?LANGUAGE_ID=2&CATEGORY_ID=30&NEWS_ID=114352)
Activity 2:
Scan for Vocabulary.
Look back at the Vocabulary for Reading 1. Scan the reading below for the words and guess the meaning in context. If you cannot guess the meaning use other resources like a dictionary to find out. Because of the current nature of many words, you may not be able to find them in a dictionary and you may have to guess at the meaning using the roots of the words. For example, “eco-tourism” may not be found in a dictionary but we can guess the meaning: most likely the meaning of “tourism” is known. “Eco-“ may be the same root for “ecology” so therefore the word may mean tourism of natural habitats.
Activity 3:
Skim Reading 1.
First Read the title and subheadings. Then locate the topic sentence for each paragraph and underline it.
Reading:
Reading 1:
Read the following selection quickly. Then underline the topic sentence in each paragraph. The first has been done for you as an example.
Opportunities for Investment in Kien Giang Province
Agricultural and Aquaculture Development
In the period 2004-2010, agriculture will be the main product of Kien Giang province. As a result, the province must concentrate its efforts on developing its resources to support all facets of agricultural development. One of the province’s biggest goals is to encourage the development of agricultural exports. In particular, there are plans to set up agricultural zones for the cultivation of food products. For example, 100, 000 hectares would be set aside for rice planting, 6,000 hectares for sugarcane, 10,000 hectares for pineapple and 128,000 hectares for raising shrimp. These products would be used to supply the food processing export industry. As the expansion of agricultural exports grows, Kien Giang must also pay attention to other areas of provincial life in order to elevate the standard of living for all its inhabitants, including those living in remote parts of the countryside, on islands and in traditionally ethnic minority areas. Therefore, attention must also be paid to improving the province’s infrastructure, water conservation, communication facilities, and its electricity and water supplies for home use.
About four years ago, the People’s Committee of Kien Giang approved an economic plan that altered land use patterns to dramatically increase the amount of land used for aquaculture. In particular, it set out to develop 128,000 hectares for shrimp cultivation by 2010 with the goal of raising 40,000 tons of shrimp annually. By the end of 2003, Kien Giang had developed 51,000 hectares with a yield of 12,000 tons of shrimp. In order to reach its target by 2010, the province needs to provide intensive training and support in a variety of areas, including the breeding of improved strains of shrimp, the acquisition and development of aqua-farms, the training of farmers who maintain the shrimp farms, and the identification of aquaculture investors. In 2003, five investors were identified who were willing to support large-scale shrimp production (a minimum of 1,200 hectares per investor). The People’s Committee of Kien Giang will continue to seek such investors to successfully carry out its development plan. In addition to shrimp farming, Kien Giang will seek investors for other purposes. For example, Phu Quoc Island has favorable conditions for the development of sea-fish farming and tourism.
Development of Industrial Parks and Trade Centers
Another part of Kien Giang’s development plan for 2004-2010 focuses on infrastructure development. In particular, the province will invest in the development of industrial parks to promote economic development. In Rach Gia town, the Vinh Hiep Industrial Park is being planned on 93 hectares of land for the production of construction materials, consumer goods, food processing and industrial engineering. Tac Cau industrial park in Chau Thanh district will cover 107 hectares and be used for seafood processing, the fishing industry, and shipbuilding. Another park is to be built in Ha Tien town. It will be called the Dong Ho Industrial Park and will cover 75 hectares housing agricultural, forestry and fishery processing plants as well as construction units and consumer goods production. In An Bien district, the 50-hectare U Minh Industrial Park will be home to the processing and production of agro-forestry products. These are just a few of the projects that Kien Giang will undertake to promote infrastructure development in the form of industrial zones.
In addition to industrial parks, Kien Giang plans to improve its infrastructure by investing in trade centers in every district of the province. They are Rach Soi, Ha Tien, Hon Dat, Go Quao, Ba Hon and An Minh. These projects are encouraged to be carried out in the form of BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer).
Investment Tax Incentives
Foreign and domestic investors, Vietnamese people living in foreign countries enjoy priorities in terms of tax exemption or reduction. First, the tax rate for enterprise income tax will be 10 percent in 15 years if investing in Duong Dong town; 10 percent in 12 years if investing outside Duong Dong town. Second, if investing in Duong Dong town from 7 to 9 years consecutively, the investors are able to be exempted and reduced 50 percent of the tax rate. Finally, If investing in the economic border pass of Duong Dong town or investing in developing eco-tourism in the island, investors only pay 50 percent for the surface of the water, the surface of the sea rent.
(Source: http://www.kiengiang.gov.vn/index3E.jsp?menuld=153&articled=90)
Exercises and Activities for Skill A:
Now Read It:
You have skimmed Reading 1 and have an idea about what the reading thesis and topics are. Now you may read the article and see if you can read it faster than your normal rate of speed. In later chapters we will actually be timing how fast we can read. But for now, we practice the skill of skimming first and then reading.
Explanation of Reading Study Skill B:
Summarizing for Understanding: Taking Notes
In earlier chapters, we learned that summarizing the reading helps a student to understand the reading. To summarize means that you put the main ideas into your own words. A summary is shorter than the original and takes a broad (general) overview of the original. Writing the summary is a good note-taking skill. Rather than reading an entire chapter or article when preparing for a test, refer to your notes and the summaries you have written about the reading materials.
Exercises and Activities for Reading Study Skill B (comprehension):
Summarize Reading 1. That is, take notes on the reading in such a way that you put the main ideas into your own words. A summary of the first paragraph is done for you.
From now to 2010 , Kien Giang Province will center on agriculture/aquaculture as its main product. Agricultural zones, products for export, and raising the living standards/developing infrastructure will be maintained in order to support agriculture/aquaculture.
Share the workload by forming small groups. Assign different paragraphs to each member of the group or work in pairs. Then share your summaries with each other.
Discuss the Reading
In small groups, discuss the following questions:
- Do you agree with such priorities discussed by the local authorizes in Kien Giang?
- What would you do if you were the head of Kien Giang province?
During and after the discussion, write down some notes about the discussion. Write down the important points other students made. Write down your own opinions and ideas. Connect these notes with your summary notes. If you were to take a test that included this reading material, the summary and notes about the discussion could be helpful in your study for the test.
Exercises and Practice of Past Reading Skills:
Understanding a text sometimes requires your awareness of pronouns. In the article, “It's time to think about investing in Viet Nam,” their (in line 19) refers to people of working age.
The number of people of working age accounts for 60 percent of the population, most of whom have finished senior high school education. Meanwhile, labor cost is low and their average monthly per-capita wage is around 55 USD, while in Ha Noi and HCM City, the average wage is about 120-136 USD.
Exercises:
Read the article again and find out what the following pronouns refer to:
- their (line 25)
Enterprises can invest from around 5 million USD to hundreds of millions of USD and they do not have to pay any fees for their investment licenses. - He (line 32)
Thanh, however, complained of the tool that is used to levy enterprise income taxes, which he said remained a big gap with other regional countries. - they (line 34)
He said although foreign-invested businesses are granted income tax exemption in the first three years of operation, they have to pay taxes based on their net incomes immediately in the fourth year. - their (line 33)
He said although foreign-invested businesses are granted income tax exemption in the first three years of operation, they have to pay taxes based on their net incomes immediately in the fourth year. - they (line 35)
Net profits could not make up for the losses they have suffered in the previous ears. - He (line 44)
Lim recommended that further investment be poured into infrastructural facilities in rural areas to attract foreign investment into these areas. He also pointed to the necessity to improve Vietnamese workers' foreign languages for better communication with foreign executives.
Explanation of Reading Skill C
Building Vocabulary: Learning Word Families.
One of the good ways to improve your vocabulary is to learn word families. In other words, they are groups of related words that have the same stem or main part. They appear in the same word entry in some dictionaries but in others in separate entries. Below are examples of words families taken from Dictionary of Contemporary English.
Nouns
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Verbs |
Adjectives |
Adverbs |
beauty beautification
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beautify |
beautiful |
beautifully |
success |
succeed
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successful |
successfully
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Economic adj [ A no com.] connected with trade industry and the management with money; of economics: The country is in a bad economic state.2. Profitable. The airline says that route is not economic, so they are going to discontinue it. -Opposite uneconomic Economical/adj using money, time, and goods etc, carefully and without waste. It’s not a very economical method of heating. If you’ve got a large family, it’s more economical to travel by car than by train- opposite uneconomical. Economically adv1. Not wastefully. Mary dresses very economically because she makes all her clothes herself.2 in a way connected to economics. Economically (speaking) the country is in a very healthy state. Economics n the scientific study of the way in which wealth is produced and used: she’s studying economics at college.2 [p] the way in which something, such as a plan or course of action, is influenced by economic considerations: the economic of the scheme needs t be looked at very carefully.
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Economist n a person who studies and skills in economics.
Economize also mise BrE v 19on0 to avoid waste we have to economize on water during the dry season.
Economy n1 [c;u]( an example of) the careful use of money, time, and effort, etc., in order to avoid waste: to practice economy/we’re trying to make a few economies. /economy of effort/ We had an economy drive( we all try to spend less) in order to save money for our holidays../ They are able to keep their costs low because of economies of scale (= the advantages of producing something in very large quantities)/ buying cheap tires is a false economy- they may cost a bit less but they will wear out much more quickly.2[c] the system by which a country’s wealth is produced and used: the new oil that we have found will improve the economy/ our economy./ Most of the countries in the regions have unstable economies. Economy adj [A no comp] cheap: An economy class air ticket costs much less. / buy the large economy-sixed packet and you’ll save money. |
Exercises and Activities for Reading Skill C
Exercise 1
Work on your own or in groups of three or four to fill in the following chart. Before looking in a dictionary write down all the related words you already know. Use your dictionary entries to complete the rest of the chart.
Nouns
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Verbs |
Adjectives |
Adverbs |
economy
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beauty
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education
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priority
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success
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exacter
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increase
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poverty
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reduction
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enthusiasm
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Exercise 2
Use the given words below to complete each following short stories about “real persons, real actions.” A word is used only once.
music musical musically musician
My American friend, Andrew, seemed very ______________ when a child. His parents thought that he might become a______________ when grown up. At age seven he was sent to a______________. Not beyond his parents’ expectation, he is now a very good violinist and was in a Messiah at Bluffton College last year. He also writes music. ______________ his songs are very good but I am not certain if I like the lyrics(words).
enthuse enthusiasm enthusiast
enthusiastic enthusiastically
Daniel Wessner is a full name of a very______________ professor in EMU ( Eastern Mennonite University) Virginia USA. Dan, an excellent professor who is always able to______________ students, has taught History, Humanity, and International Relations. As a pacifist and peace- loving ______________, he ______________ supports nonviolent ways of solving problems. A person who shows boundless ______________ for his work and his online cross- culture curriculum project for Vietnam is Dan.
Interest interest interesting interested interestingly
Huyen is an______________ person who has an ______________ in TESOL and do hope to take it when in the US. Things seldom happen to her as planned. She completed her MA in education and Information Technology. Being in the Learning Circle with some “tech people”, she became ______________ in Information Technology. ______________ . She decided to stay some more months in the US to get her “ unplanned program” done .Now she is knowledgeable about establishing websites, which never ______________ her before. She did help to improve the site Bendingbamboo. org- a website about English lessons and Film forum- for anyone who is interested in improving English online.
artistic artist artistically art
I am much honored to talk about a woman who is gentle in her behavior and devoted to her work. This nice and kind woman named Elizabeth Holdeman was very ______________ when very young. Her ability was shown through some of her paintings, which interest many people and her family. She was encouraged to major in -fine______________ in the hope of becoming an _____________ . As an art -based teacher, she is very successful in teaching EFL classes. Interestingly, her adopted daughter, Annie, is very ______________ inclined. She may be as good as her Mom if she wants to.
Exercise 3
Think of ten more nouns and find their related words in a dictionary or from memory. Put them in the appropriate box. You may want to glance through previous chapters for some word ideas. The first on is done for you.
Nouns
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Verbs |
Adjectives |
Adverbs |
peace |
to pacify |
peaceful |
Peacefully
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Exercise 4
Using new words for speaking and writing.
A Chinese proverb says:
“Tell me, I will forget.
Show me, I may remember.
Involve me, and I will understand.”
One way to remember new words is to use them in speaking and writing. Write a short story just like the stories in Exercise 2 by using the words in the chart in Exercise 3 above.
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