15 Flashcards

1
Q

What are the British known for and what do they say about work?

A

Their lack of enthusiasm for work

If you have to work, the less it looks like work the better

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2
Q

Explain arbitration

A

Both sides let an independent investigator settle the dispute for them

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3
Q

Collecting taxes

What government organization is responsible for collecting taxes in Britain?

A

The Inland Revenue

  • tax is deducted from employees‘ pay cheques, system known as PAYE (pay as you earn)
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4
Q

What institution is The old lady of Threadneedle Street and where is it located?

A

Nickname of the Bank of England (which controls the supply of money and decides on the official interest rate)

Located in the „square mile“

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5
Q

What are the high street banks?

A
-Banks which have a branch in almost every town of Britain are: 
Lloyds TSB, 
HSBC, 
Barclays Bank, 
The Royal Bank of Scotland
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6
Q

What is the currency of Britain?

A

Currency of Britain is the pound sterling, symbol always written before an amount

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7
Q

What weight system is used while shopping?

A

Kilos and grams, but most British people use pounds (written as „lbs“) and ounces (written as „oz“)

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8
Q

What is the concentration of local shops in a town called?

A

Area in town where the local shops are concentrated is known as the „high street“

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9
Q

What is the view on open shops on Sunday?

A

A debate if shops should be open on Sundays or not, large shops can be open for a maximum of six hours, small shops for as long as they want

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10
Q

Name a few well-known stores

A
  • Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose
  • clothes – MaS
  • Woolworths
  • chemists – Boots and Superdrug
  • newsagents – W.H. Smith
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11
Q

What is the normal retiring age?

A

Usually the age of 65

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12
Q

At what time does the working day start and how long are the holidays?

A

Working day starts rather late (8 for manual workers and 9 for non-manual workers)

Annual holidays are comparatively short

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13
Q

What are the shop opening hours?

A

9 a.m.

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14
Q

When do supermarkets close?

When do small shops close?

A

Large supermarkets are open until about 8 p.m. (some 24 hours)

5.30 p.m.

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15
Q

What is the “early closing day”

A

A tradition, when shops shut at midday and did not open again, it has disappeared by time.

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16
Q

What is a popular type of shop in residential areas?

A

„Corner shop“ (main business newspapers, magazines, sweets and tobacco) – nowadays largely taken over by Asians who stay open very late

17
Q

How else can we call a pound?

A

Pound is sometimes called a quid

18
Q

How many pence are there in a pound?

A

100 pence

19
Q

What is VAT?

A

Tax added to the price of something you buy

20
Q

Do citizens have to pay taxes by themselves?

A

No, tax is deducted from employees‘ pay cheques, system known as PAYE (pay as you earn)

21
Q

Forms of refusing to work

A

… work-to-rule – workers follow regulations and refuse to be flexible or cooperative

… go-slow

… strikes – official or unofficial,

22
Q

Who are pickets?

A

Strikers standing at the entrance to the worksite and dissuading fellow-workers who do not want to strike (blacklegs) from going into work