Kitabı oxu: «Бизнес-гении. Увлекательные истории для изучения английского языка», səhifə 3
Exercises
Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:
1) Who was Estée Lauder?
2) What was the most awkward situation Lauder had been in as a young girl?
3) What impact did this situation have on Lauder?
4) Who had the greatest influence on her career choice?
5) When was her entrepreneurial spirit ignited?
6) Was Estée married or single? Did she have any children?
7) What was the reason for her divorce in 1939?
8) Did Estée and her husband find a way to be together?
9) What year did Lauder found her company?
10) What were the key factors that contributed to Lauder’s success?
11) What is happening with the company today?
Exercise 2. Find the equivalents of the following phrases in the text:
дядя по материнской линии; кто сегодня упал, завтра может подняться; едва сводить концы с концами; собрать волю в кулак / стиснуть зубы; сменить род деятельности; ценить красоту и изящество; дух предпринимательства; посвятить себя любимому делу; это событие кардинально изменило ее жизнь; изменить свое мышление; новаторский подход; результат превзошел все ожидания
Exercise 3. Give the Russian equivalents of the following phrases:
to prove one’s worth; one of the most successful and wealthiest self-made women; shortly after the outbreak of World War I; let’s not beat around the bush; a skincare routine; that event was a real game changer; to succeed in life; to conquer new heights; personalized consultations; to give away gifts with every purchase
Creative task No. 2
“From success to failure is one step; from failure to success is a long road.” Discuss what this proverb means. State your opinion on the topic.
Walt Disney
Here is my favorite quotation by Alexander Graham Bell: “When one door closes, another one opens.” It teaches us to never give up and always keep pursuing our goals. I am absolutely sure there is no problem that cannot be solved. I always say that if one door closes and another one does not open, look for a window. What I am trying to say is that no matter how difficult things appear to be, it is always possible to find a solution. If great people had given up when faced with a challenge, they would have never achieved success in life. Those who are persistent always overcome obstacles and keep going despite setbacks. This is how the world works.
One of the best examples of persistence is the real story of Walt Disney, an American business tycoon, animator, and film producer. What associations do you have when you hear Walt Disney’s name? I guess the first thing you think of is Disneyland or Disney cartoons. Unfortunately, few people know the true story behind Walt Disney. If you think he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, you are grossly mistaken. His path to success was full of challenges and failures. Here is what this amazing person once said:
All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all the troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.
Are you ready to step into the world of Walt Disney?
Walt Disney was born on December 5, 1901, to a poor family in Chicago, Illinois. Besides him, his parents had four other children. His father, Elias, worked as a farmer, contractor, and entrepreneur, and his mother, Flora, was a housewife and took care of the kids. When Walt was about 6 years old, his family moved to Marceline, Missouri, where his father bought a farm. As a child, Disney enjoyed being around animals and became interested in drawing. Little Walt had a vivid imagination, and his drawings were wholly admirable. He practiced drawing by copying works of a famous cartoonist Ryan Walker. One day, Walt drew a cow on the wall of his parents’ house. The picture was so impressive and unusual that their neighbor Dr. Sherwood approached him with a request to draw a sketch of his horse. That is how Walt earned his first money. I think that circumstance played a significant role in shaping Walt Disney’s future as an artist and animator. Curiously, despite his relatively short time in Marceline, Walt thought of that place as his hometown and talked about his time on the farm with passion and great warmth.
In 1911, the Disneys moved to Kansas City, Missouri, for better opportunities, and Walt completely fell in love with trains. Everything turned out the way that it was supposed to. If Walt’s family hadn’t moved to Kansas City, the world might not have seen Disneyland. The point is that Walt lived not far from Electric Park, one of the amusement and leisure parks in Kansas City. Believe it or not, it was a marvel of its time. It boasted a great deal of entertainment: band concerts, a roller-coaster, a carousel, fountains, and, of course, a steam train that moved around the park. At night, it was beautifully illuminated with electric lights. There is no doubt that the imaginative boy was delighted with this innovation and went there whenever possible.
Unfortunately, Walt’s childhood was not like a fairy tale, but that did not stop him from achieving great success. According to many sources, his father, Elias, was a harsh man with his own parenting style that did not involve any playtime, games, or toys for his children. Instead, he encouraged his kids to work at an early age. So, Walt and his brother Roy, who was his best ally and friend, worked at a railroad selling snacks, candy, and soda to passengers. Apart from that, the boys delivered newspapers before and after school. Since Walt’s father kept all of the money the boy earned, he had to do some odd jobs but kept it a secret. It was so exhausting that Walt would often fall asleep in class and receive poor grades. Despite the challenges he had to face as a young boy, he did not give up and always made time for art. In high school, Walt attended Saturday courses at the Kansas City Art Institute and took a correspondence course in drawing cartoons. When Walt was 16, his family moved to Chicago. While in Chicago, Walt took night classes at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts (today it is called the Art Institute of Chicago). His talent was soon discovered at school, and Walt became the cartoonist for the school newspaper. Tired of living under one roof with his stern father, he followed the example of his three older brother, who moved out of their parents’ house at their first opportunity. He dropped out of school to join the army, but he was rejected for being underage (Walt was 16 then). The would-be entrepreneur did not give up and tried again. He cheated a bit and forged his birth date. It all turned out well for him. He was sent to France as an ambulance driver for the Red Cross. At the age of 18, Walt returned to Kansas City with the goal of becoming a newspaper artist. His brother Roy helped him get a job at an art studio where he created ads for newspapers and magazines. There, he met his lifelong friend named Ub Iwerks. Unfortunately, the company’s business was not booming, and both artists were dismissed. However, everything was for the best. The two friends decided to start their own studio. They were both excited and determined to succeed, but their business was short-lived and doomed to fail. So, they soon had to seek work elsewhere.
I think it is essential to emphasize that each entrepreneur has their highs and lows at some point. Many business owners say that experiencing failure and rejection can be really useful. Strangely enough, the more rejections you have, the more experienced you become. Walt thought of his numerous failures as stepping stones to success and personal growth. This may come as a surprise to you, but Walt Disney was fired because his newspaper editor thought that he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” It sounds like a joke, right?
All the while, Walt struggled to make ends meet, had to live with his friends, and often went without food. Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher, famously said: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” And that is absolutely true. Walt turned all his failures into opportunities. He learned from his own mistakes, drew conclusions, and moved on.
In 1921, Walt Disney set up his first animation studio called Laugh-O-Gram, which produced short cartoons based on popular fairy tales and children’s stories. Though the shorts were popular with audiences, they did not provide enough income as the costs exceeded the returns. So, the company eventually went bankrupt in 1923, and Walt had to start from scratch again. He left Kansas City for Hollywood with 40 dollars in his pocket. His brother Roy had already moved to California. On October 16, 1923, Walt and his brother founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio (later known as the Walt Disney Company). Finally, fortune smiled upon him. Soon enough, Walt invited his friend Ub Iwerks to join them and offered him a job. The next life-changing event was meeting the ink artist Lillian Bounds. They married in 1925.
In 1927, Disney and Iwerks created an animated cartoon character named Oswald the Lucky Rabbit for Universal Studios. The project was a success, and Oswald captured the hearts of audiences around the world. But guess what? Walt Disney lost the rights to the character in a dispute with his business partner over a contract. However, there has been much speculation around that story. Some say that Oswald could not be stolen from Walt because he didn’t own the character. All rights belonged to Universal Pictures. All in all, Walt made a decision to create another character to replace Oswald. So, the world learned about Mickey Mouse. Surely, perseverance can pay off.
Walt Disney’s life was not easy. He was fired, went bankrupt, was rejected more than 300 times, but he always believed in his dream and kept on going. Walt Disney is an example of persistence and perseverance. He died on December 15, 1966, but he will always be remembered as a winner. And that is Walt Disney’s real-life story of success and overcoming great obstacles, to put it in a nutshell.
Vocabulary
pursue one’s goal [pərˈsuː wʌnz ɡəʊl] – стремиться к цели, преследовать цель
persistent [pərˈsɪstənt] – упорный, настойчивый
setback [ˈsetbæk] – неудача
tycoon [taɪˈkuːn] – магнат
be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth [bi: bɔːrn wɪð ə ˈsɪlvər spuːn ɪn wʌnz maʊθ] – родиться с серебряной ложкой во рту, родиться в богатой семье
admirable [ˈædmərəbl] – замечательный, восхитительный, очаровательный
amusement park [əˈmjuːzmənt ˌpɑːrk] – парк развлечений
harsh [hɑːrʃ] – суровый, жесткий, строгий
underage [ˈʌndəreɪdʒ] – несовершеннолетний
dismiss [dɪˈsmɪs] – увольнять
short-lived [ˌʃɔːrt ˈlɪvd] – недолговечный, мимолетный
rejection [rɪˈdʒekʃn] – отказ, неприятие
stepping stone [ˈstepɪŋ stəʊn] – трамплин, ступенька на пути
draw a conclusion [drɔː ə kənˈkluːʒn] – сделать вывод
perseverance [ˌpɜːrsəˈvɪrəns] – настойчивость, упорство
in a nutshell [ɪn ə ˈnʌtʃel] – кратко, в двух словах
Exercises
Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:
1) Who was Walt Disney?
2) What associations do you have when you hear Walt Disney’s name?
3) What kind of relationship did Walt have with his father?
4) How would you characterize Walt Disney?
5) Who was Walt’s best friend and ally?
6) Why was Walt Disney fired from his first job as a newspaper artist?
7) How did Walt treat his failures?
8) Why did his first animation studio called Laugh-O-Gram go bankrupt?
9) When was the Walt Disney Company founded?
Exercise 2. Find the equivalents of the following phrases in the text:
не бывает неразрешимых проблем; всегда можно найти решение; это обстоятельство сыграло важную роль в формировании будущего; все сложилось так, как и должно было сложиться; мальчик с богатым воображением; его не приняли, поскольку он был несовершеннолетним; он считал свои многочисленные неудачи ступенями на пути к успеху и личностному росту
Exercise 3. Give the Russian equivalents of the following phrases:
his business wasn’t booming; his business was doomed to fail; highs and lows; the costs exceeded the returns; the company went bankrupt; to start from scratch; a life-changing event; to make ends meet; fortune smiled upon him; an example of persistence and perseverance; you are grossly mistaken
