UNIT7

 

II. Listening Skills

1.       W: How much money is the rent for an apartment in this neighborhood?

 M: Your rent should be about a quarter of that.

Q: How much should be the woman’s rent be?

 

2.       M: I paid $3,500 for this digital camera. It was on sale at a 30$ discount.

W: It’s a real bargain.

Q: How much did the camera cost originally?

 

3.       M: What’s the rate for an economy car?

W: The daily rate is $32, unlimited mileage.

Q: How much will the man pay if he rents the car for a week?

 

4.       M: I’ll take these sweaters. How much do they cost?

W: They are $180 each and four makes a total of $720. But today we are offering a 20% discount.

Q: How much does the man have to pay?

 

5.       W: What an old car you’ve got!

M: Well, it had run 12,000 miles when I bought it second hand. And it’s covered 3,080 miles since then.

Q: How many miles has the car run?

1.B 2.A 3.A 4.D 5.B

 

III. Listening In

Task 1: It’s time to buy.

Mike: Hey, Robert, where are you off to?

Robert: I’m going to talk to a banker about a loan.

Mike: You are short of money? I thought you were the saving type.

Robert: There’s a time to save and a time to spend.

Mike: I know all about spending.

What’s the loan for? I have a few bucks I could… 

Robert: I’m considering getting a mortgage to buy some property.

Mike: Do you think property is a good investment? I mean, it’s a lot of money.

Robert: Well, Mike, as you know, property values have been going through the roof. If I had   bought an apartment two years ago, its value would have gone up by 30 percent today.

Mike: And from what I know, interest rates are low now.

Robert: Exactly. Sounds like a good time to buy.

 

Task 2: Can I have my change please?

Tom was down on his luck and felt he needed a few drinks. He went to a bar and had several drinks. When he was done, he stood up and walked toward the door. The barman shouted after him, “Hey mister, are you going to pay for those drinks?” Tom turned around and replied, “I have already paid you,” and then walked out of the bar. Almost immediately he saw one of his friends Richard and told him about the barman, “Just go in there and drink all you want, then get up and leave. When the barman asks you to pay the bill, just tell him you have already paid.” This sounded easy enough, so Richard went in and has several drinks. The barman went to him and said, “Before you came in, another man was here. When I asked him to pay his bill, he told me he’d paid, but I don’t remember him paying me.” Richard said, “I would love to stay and hear your story, but I don’t have time. Can I havemy change please?”

 

1.       A 2.B 3.D 4.C 5.C

 

Task 3: Why not just print money?

What’s the solution to a recession, a time of little economic activity? Just print money! Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? Let’s see if this will work by using an example. Let’s pretend that all the students in your class make up the ENTER population of the country, and the teacher represents the government. Let’s also pretend each student has exactly $1.00. Since we are in a recession, let’s have the teacher, who represents the government, print money. He prints $1.00 more for everyone. Now everyone has $1.00 more to spend. More money to spend sounds like a great way to get us out of recession, since more money to spend means demand for goods and services. Then if that works, why don’t we give MORE money away? How about $100? Now we have lots of money to spend. So no more recession, right? Not really, because we have only looked at one side of the problem. As more and more people receive more and more money, what’ll happen? Since everyone has more money, the students all go shopping to spend that extra money. This causes the demand for goods and services to rise, and people who sell goods and services raise price. For example, if you could buy a new music CD at $10 in the past, now the price could be $1,000! This is called inflation.  - 39 -

 So, the original reason for printing all this money was to help get us of recession, but we have only replaced one problem with another. 1.T 2.T 3.F 4.F 5.F

 

V. Let’s Talk

Story of a Miser

There was a miser who loved money more than anything else. Just before he died, he said to his wife, “Now, listen. When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the afterlife with me.”

 

He made her promise with all her heart that when he dies, she would pit all the money in the casket with him. Then he died. He was laid in the casket, his wife was sitting there wearing black, and her friend was sitting next to her.

 

When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got already to close the casket, the wife said, “Wait a minute!” She had a box with her. She came over with the box and put it in the casket.

 

Then the undertakers locked the casket down, and they rolled it away. He friend said, “Girl, I know you weren’t fool enough to put all that money in there with your husband!”

 

She said, “Look. I can’t go back on my word. I promise him that I would put all the money in the casket with him.”

 

“You mean you really put that money in the casket with him!?”

 

“I surely did,” said the wife. “I wrote him a check.”

 

VI. Furthering Listening and Speaking

Task 1: Giving Money to a Beggar

Susan: Hey, Robert, you gave that beggar some of your hard-earned cash?

Robert: I know. He looked as if he needed help.

Susan: Buy you’re always so careful with your money.

Robert: Yeah, I guess so, but I like to help when someone’s in need.

Susan: I just wonder why the guy doesn’t get a job and make his own living.

Robert: It’s just not that simple, Susan. Some people have a hard time of it in life.

Susan: Maybe they waste all their money. If you give them money, they will just go on wasting it. Robert: Life has been good to me, Susan, and I’d like to share some of my luck.

 

 

 

Task 2: An Introduction to Credit Cards

Credit cards are plastic cards issued by a bank or other financial institutions allowing the holder to buy goods and service without using cash. Many American don’t like to carry much cash. For them the cards are convenient and safe to use. Credit cards are gaining popularity, even for buying small items. They are accepted almost everywhere, though not at fast food restaurants. Credit cards allow you to purchase things that you may not currently have the money to buy. When you use a credit card, the credit card company that issued the credit card pays the store. Later, a bill will be mailed to you by your credit card company for the amount you purchased. At that time, you can either pay the bill in full, or only pay a minimum amount, and wait till later to finish paying. If you wait till later, you will owe the credit card company interest.

 

Task 3: Buying a Machine

An American manufacturer is showing his machine factory to a potential customer. At noon, when the lunch bell rings, two thousand men and women immediately stop working and leave the building. “Your workers, they’re escaping!” cries the visitor. “You’ve got to stop them.” “Don’t worry, they’ll be back,” says the American. And indeed, an exactly one 0’clock the bell rings again, and all the workers return from their break. When the tour is over, the manufacturer turn s to his guest and says, “Well, now, which of these machines would you like to order?” “Forget the machines,” says the visitor. “How much do you want for that bell?”

 

 

Speaking

Can you change a twenty-dollar bill?

Cashier: How can I help you, Miss?

Jill: Could you change a 20 for me?

Cashier: Well. How do you want it? Jill: Could I have two fives, but not enough ones. Are quarters all right with you?

Jill: Oh, that’s even better! In that case, I won’t have to worry about the small change for the laundry. Cashier: Here you are! Jill: Thanks a million!