116
English Vocabulary in Use Advanced
Industries: from manufacturing to service
55
Industries and industrial practices
expression
explanation
opposite expression
explanation
heavy industry
e.g. steel works,
shipbuilding
light industry
e.g.
manufacturing car
parts, TV sets
manufacturing industry
making things, e.g.
consumer goods
service industry
serving people, e.g.
tourism, banking
high-technology (high-
tech;
informal
)
involving computers,
e.g. software industry
low-technology (low-
tech;
informal
)
involving little or no
computer
technology
cutting-edge
technology
involving new and
innovative technology
conventional
technology
using standard,
proven technology
privatisation
e.g. selling off state
railways to private
companies
nationalisation /
state
ownership
when
industry
is owned by the
government
Many big industries are run as
public-private partnerships.
[partly state-owned, partly owned by private
industries or businesses]
The nuclear industry receives a huge
subsidy from the government.
[money/grants
which enable it to
stay in profit]
The government tries to encourage
inward investment.
[investment from foreign companies]
Industrial practices
example
explanation
Most of the factory workers are
on piecework.
they are only paid for the amount they produce
Many people now work on
zero hours contracts,
which means they have no job security.
they
are employed by a company, but the number
of hours they work each week may vary, and some
weeks there may be no work for them, so they
receive no pay
Child labour is
a serious problem in some
countries.
the employment of children to do adult jobs
In many countries, the right to
trade union
representation has only come after long struggles.
a union that negotiates wages and conditions for
the people it represents
Many cheap electrical goods are produced in
sweatshops in poorer countries.
factories where people
work very long hours for
low wages
Retraining and
reskilling are necessary when an
economy is modernised.
training people for new jobs and teaching them
new skills
The big
multinationals
1
often close factories as a
cost-cutting exercise
2
and
relocate
3
and
switch
production
4
to countries where labour and costs are cheaper.
In many cases,
components
5
for
cars are imported and then
assembled
6
, rather than manufactured
in the country.
1
big companies with operations in many different
countries
2
effort to reduce their costs
3
move the company’s offices (or, less commonly,
production) to a different place
4
move the centre of manufacturing to a different place
5
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