Activity 2 Reading
Read the following article and finish the following mini tasks.
Signing a Contract
A contract is a legally binding, written agreement signed by two or more parties, which spells out their obligations to each other. Whether it is formal and official looking or handwritten on a plain sheet of paper, once it is in force, it generally cannot be changed or broken unless both parties agree. Therefore, before you sign a contract, be sure you really need,want and can afford the product or service for which you are signing. Be sure you understand every word it contains. If you do not, get a lawyer to explain it to you.
Regardless of what the contract is for, follow these rules:
(1) Make sure you get a copy.
(2) Deal with only reputable individuals or companies. If you have any doubts, do not sign.
(3) Find out if there are any provisions for canceling the contract, and what the provisions are.
(4) Be sure you understand exactly what the seller is to do for you, if anything, in terms of guaranteeing the product or service. The term “guaranteed” when used alone, means little or nothing. Be sure the terms and conditions are spelled out clearly.
(5) Be sure that all promises made by the seller are written into the contract in addition to all the terms and conditions of the sales. These should include the price, type and model number of every item, the quality and condition of the materials to be used, service obligations and the time of delivery or completion, if applicable.
(6) Be sure that all goods, services or obligations, which you do not want to sign for, are stricken from all copies of the contract and initialed by both parties.
(7) Be sure all blank spaces are filled in.
(8) Be prepared to live up to all provisions in the contract, regardless of what the salesperson says.
Never let yourself be pressured into signing. Take your time. Above all, make sure to deal only with reputable business. If you have not already done so, be sure to check with the Better Business Bureau for a reliability report.
Mini Task 1 Questions
(1) What is a contract and what rules should be followed?
(2) How do you understand all the promises made by the seller are written into the contract in addition to all the terms and conditions of the sales?
(3) How do you understand the 6th rule?
(4) What’s the meaning of the phrase “live up to” in the 8th rule?
Mini Task 2 Try to match the English expressions in column A with the Chinese equivalents in column B.
A B
（1） bilateral agreement A. 仲裁法庭
（2） sole license contract B. 代理律师
（3） contract of indemnity C. 转让方(https://www.daowen.com)
（4） arbitration court D. 双边协议
（5） transferor/assignor E. 承运人
（6） insured F. 受益人
（7） carrier G. 投保人
（8） attorney H. 股东
（9） beneficiary I. 仲裁人
（10） arbitrator/referee J. 索赔合同
（11） share holder K. 独家许可合同
Mini Task 3 Fill in the following blanks with suitable prepositions.
(1) We shall not be held responsible for any delay in shipment or non-delivery of the goods due ______ force majeure.
(2) An arbitration award can be enforced in China ______ legal procedures.
(3) If the distributing parties don’t agree to use arbitration, either party may submit the matter ______ a court.
(4) International arbitration is a method for settling legal disputes ______ parties from different countries.
(5) The arbitrators will review all the facts ______ the case.
(6) We have covered insurance ______ the goods for 110% of the invoice value.
(7) Many customers of both China and other countries like to have their goods covered______ the People’s Insurance Company.
(8) Do you cover risks other than WAP and War Risk, for instance, Risk ______ TPND,Rust Risk, Breakage Risk?
Mini Task 4 Translate the following sentences from English into Chinese.
(1) Be sure you understand exactly what the seller is to do for you, if anything, in terms of guaranteeing the product or service.
(2) Therefore, before you sign a contract, be sure you really need, want and can afford the product or service for which you are signing. Be sure you understand every word it contains.
