Hello, to all our followers. We are Ana Catarina Cesário, Ana Rita Batalha and Beatriz Ramalho and we will write this blog about the matters topics disamed in English class, but giving it an economic taste.
We will start by writing a review of the film "Elizabeth, The Golden Age" and the economic sphere of the 16th century.
This week at English class we saw the presentation of some projects and the one we enjoyed the most was the one from Hugo Santos, João Santos, Nuno Simões and Hugo Cardoso during which they talked about the evolution of the English languages and the different parts in the world they are used.
The part of the work that we enjoyed the most was the part concerning the flag and the explanaition of the symbols in side it and the person that we thought that had the best performance was Nuno because he looked very comfortable with the subject and he spoke very well and with a good presence.
Like we saw in their apresentation English have a lot of influence in the world and it is present in every continent and 1\7 Asia population speaks English fluently.
So we can conclude that English is one of the most important languages in the world and that without English people in the different continents couldn´t understand each other.
In this graphic we can see that mainly the US produce natural gas (68% of the production) and nuclear resources (20% of the production).
Agriculture is a major industry in the United States and the country is a net exporter of food. With vast tracts of temperate arable land, technologically advanced agribusiness, and agricultural subsidies, the United States controls almost half of world grain exports.
Products include wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; forest products; fish.
When it comes to the sectors of the USA we can say that the one whith more importance is wholesale trade (22%) and whith less importance is educational services (0.3%).
Now talking about international trades, the USA is the largest trading nation. Since it is the world's leading importer, there are many U.S. dollars in circulation all around the planet. The dollar is also used as the standard unit of currency in international markets for commodities such as gold and petroleum.
By the time of the WWII, the US had turned into a superpower economy. Not only had it endured two world wars and a global depression in the first half of the 20th century, but it had surmounted challenges ranging from a 40-year Cold War with the Soviet Union to extended bouts of sharp inflation, high unemployment, and enormous government budget deficits in the second half of the century. By the time US started rising it had two other contenders: French and German.The US finally enjoyed a period of economic calm in the 1990s: prices were stable, unemployment dropped to its lowest level in almost 30 years, the government posted a budget surplus, and the stock market experienced an unprecedented boom.
As a result, the English language has been increasingly widespread. Thus it is known for its influence worldwide, the fluent knowledge of this language is an open doors, especially economically speaking.
With that, the United States have overcome their former British colony when it comes to exportation, obtaining a higher economic development after World War II.
Concluding, the widespread of English were caused by the rise of the US economy after World War II.
Some magazines regarding economy predicted Ethiopia’s economy to grow by more than 7% and that it will be the 4th country with the fastest economic grown.
This year in Ethiopia the new government started reforming the economy doing privatizations of state enterprises and rationalisation of government regulation. Although these reforms started, the state still has a major power in the economy and so far these reforms attracted new kinds of investment.
The Ethiopian economy is based on agriculture, which contributes 42% to GDP and more than 80% of exports, and employs 80% of the population. Ethiopia's agriculture is plagued by periodic drought, soil degradation caused by inappropriate agricultural practices and overgrazing, deforestation, high population density, undeveloped water resources, and poor transport infrastructure, making it difficult and expensive to get goods to market. Yet agriculture is the country's most promising resource. Potential exists for self-sufficiency in grains and for export development in livestock, flowers, grains, oilseeds, sugar, vegetables, and fruits..
The fact that most of the Ethiopian population speaks English is a booster of the economy because it contributes to a better contact with the outside world and it propels the knowledge of the people about other countries. This fact is importantforpeoplebecause it opensmany doorsin relationto othercountries that withouttheknowledge of Englishwould not be possibleand, therefore,the population ofEthiopiawillgo to other countriestostudy or workandhave a better futureas well astheir children.
Here are some information about Ethiopia's economy, defence and international relations;ant
ECONOMY: Currency:birr. GDP: U.S. $ 6.5billion (1998). AgriculturalGDP: 50% (1998). IndustryGDP: 7% (1998). GDPservices:43% (1998). GDP growth:4.8% per year(1990-1998). Income percapita:$ 100(1998). Labor force:26million (1998). Agriculture:coffee, sugar,cereals. Livestock: cattle, sheep,goats, poultry. Fishing: 10 400t(1997). Mining:gold, kaolin, soda ash, stonesand precious metals. Industry: beverages, textiles, tobacco, non-metallicmineral products. Exports: U.S. $ 540million (1998). Imports:$ 1.4 billion(1998). Business partners: Saudi Arabia, Germany, USA, Italy, Japan, India, UK, Djibouti.
The English language has a great influence on the Ethiopian economy. In this country most of the population speak English as a second language and see it as an opportunity to know the world. This is explained by the fact that Ethiopia is facing the replacement of Amharic, their native language, into English. English is nowadays transforming into a global language by the influence of the USA. Thisway,Ethiopiawill be able toeasilycontact the outsideworld,making iteasier to developthe country.
Here is some information about ethopia population and ethiopia politics:
POPULATION: Total:62.6 million(2000),
Density:55.39inhabitants/km2. Urban population: 17% (1998). Rural population:83% (1998). Population growth rate:2.5% per year(1995-2000). Fertility: 6.3children per woman(1995-2000). Life expectancyM/F:42/44years(1995-2000). Infant mortality:116 per thousandbirths(1995-2000). Illiteracy:61.3% (2000). HDI(0-1): 0.309(1998).
POLITICS: Form of government: ParliamentaryRepublic. Administrative divisions: 9states andtwometropolitan areas (Addis Ababa andDireDawa). Mainpolitical parties: Front coalitionEthiopianPeople'sRevolutionaryDemocratic(EPRDF) (Amhara National DemocraticMovement, andm, People'sDemocraticOrganizationOromo, ODPO; People's LiberationFrontof the Tigris,TPLF) Organisation ofPeople ofAllAmhara(Aapo ). Legislative branch:bicameral-the Federation Council,with 117members chosen bystate legislatures; Councilof People's Representativeswith548members elected bydirect vote. Constitution inforce:1995.
William I (c.1028 – 1087), also known as William the Conqueror, was the first Norman King of England from 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from1035 until his death, under the name of William II. Before his conquest of England, he was known as William the Bastard because of the illegitimacy of his birth.
To press his claim to the English crown, William invaded England in 1066, leading an army of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, and Frenchmen which led into victory over the English forces of King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest.
William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating king Harold II of England.
The first years of William's reign were spent crushing resistance and securing his borders, which he did with ruthless efficiency.
William's reign was mostly constituted by battles to improve Norman territory. Population of England, Wales and Scotland were forced to obey to a new type of regency and to go through a lot of changes.
Specifically in England, the population struggled a lot and resist the new laws that were imposed.
Theseis changes caused the retraction of economy on that age. Production failed, human resources fails and also the education fails. In these years, England economy was on the verge of underdevelopment. From a powerful economy, England became over Norman Islands.
Victoriareigned for64 years (1837-1901), the longest reign in British history and it was the reign of Britain’s great age of Industrial Expansion, Economic progress and, especially, empire conquest. It also was the great period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence.
In the 19th century the empire included India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, large parts of Africa, and many smaller territories.
Victoria Empire Britain detained the uncontested position of world economic and political leadership and was in the Victorian Age that the Industrial Revolution succeeded. The Industrial Revolution changed all the spheres in the country but specially the economic sphere since it developed the production means and it introduced new ways of production and trade such as train, phones, railways, etc. It began in England because England was the strongest nation of the time with a strong and developed economy and it was in the transition from an agricultural to a modern industrial society which was facing a rural exodus, population leftthe field to goto town in order to find better life and work conditions.
Alfred “The Great” reigned for 28 years (871-899) and he was called “The Great” because of his valiant defense of his kingdom against a stronger enemy, for securing peace with the Vikings and for his farsighted reforms in the reconstruction of Wessex and beyond. His resistance was shown when he defeated the “Danes” (Vikings) as they invaded the northwest portion of England. He also pushed for a better education and helped make learning important in the lives of the people of his land. Education declined due to the fact that the Danes were invading the monasteries and churches which were the center of education. Alfred believed that learning "makes life more rewarding and enjoyable; he worst thing of all is ignorance" (Alfred). He also kept the Anglo-Saxon Chronicleand established a code of law based on the teachings of the Bible. This helped maintain social order. With this improvement of education also the economy evolved due to the formation of the human resources which start having better life conditions, better work conditions and better economic conditions. All of this made England have a bigger and better Economic growth and also a Development growth. So we can say that it was in the reign of Alfred that England started its journey to become one of the most powerful economies in the World.
Like other West Saxon kings, Alfred established a legal code; he assembled the laws of Offa and other predecessors, and of the kingdoms of Mercia and Kent, adding his own administrative regulations to form a definitive body of Anglo-Saxon law.
The part of the work that we enjoyed the most was the part concerning the flag and the explanaition of the symbols in side it and the person that we thought that had the best performance was Nuno because he looked very comfortable with the subject and he spoke very well and with a good presence.
