GE|Adults|Advanced|18. «Money talks»

Work out the meaning of the idioms

1. Money doesn’t grow on trees.

2. He’s really tight-fisted.

3. It must have cost an arm and a leg.

4. They can’t make ends meet at the moment.

5. We’re in the red. (opposite: in the black)

6. It’s daylight robbery!

7. We’re going to have to tighten our belts.

8. Those two are definitely living beyond their means!

Match the nouns to their definitions. Then listen and check the pronunciation

Listen to the sentences and agree or disagree with them explaining the words and phrases in bold

1. We live in a consumer society, which is dominated by spending money on material possessions.

2. The standard of living in many European countries is lower than it was ten years ago.

3. People’s income has gone up, but inflation is high, so the cost of living has also risen.

4. House prices are rising and people can’t afford to buy a home.

5. Online banking allows people to manage their accounts, e.g. check their balance and make transfers and payments.

6. People who have loans have to pay high interest rates.

7. A lot of people are in debt and have problems getting a mortgage to buy their first home.

8. Some people make money by buying and selling shares on the stock market.

9. Our currency is unstable and exchange rates fluctuate a lot.

10. A lot of small businesses went bankrupt during the recession.

Read the biographical information about Sarita Gupta and Muhammad Yunus and answer the question

What is the link between them?

Sarita Gupta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sarita Gupta is an executive with more than 25 years’ experience of promoting awareness and raising funds for international non-profit organizations. She’s worked for different initiatives that fight poverty around the world. From 2007 to 2010, she was the Vice-President of Development and Communications at Women’s World Banking. The mission of Women’s World Banking is to strengthen and expand its global network of microfinance institutions and banks, to help low-income women to have access to financial services and information.

Muhammad Yunus

Muhammad Yunus is a social entrepreneur, banker, economist, and civil society leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of microcredit and microfinance. These loans are given to entrepreneurs who are too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. In 2008, Yunus was rated №2 in Foreign Policy magazine’s list of the ‘Top 100 Global Thinkers’.

Listen to Sarita Gupta and complete the sentences

Glossary

aid [eıd] money, food, etc. that is sent to help countries in difficult situations

collateral [kə’lætərəl] noun property or something valuable that you promise to give to somebody if you cannot pay back money that you borrow

peer [pıə] noun a person who has the same social status as you

Read and listen to the dialogues and work out the meaning of the words in bold

Slang

Slang refers to very informal words and expressions that are more common in spoken language. Some slang words (though none of the ones below) can be offensive or taboo.

Lisa Lucas

L: Nice car! How much are you going to ask for it?

L: Five grand. What do you think?

Oliver Elizabeth

O: I need five bucks for the subway.

E: Sure, here you are.

Henry Sofia

H: Great hat! Was it expensive?

S: No, only five quid. I got it in a charity shop.

Mia Jacob

M: What’s the building work going to cost you?

J: About 50K. We’re redoing the kitchen as well.

Choose the right option

Discuss the questions with your teacher

Do you know anybody who

• was given a grant to study abroad?
• buys and sells shares on the stock market?
• charges very high fees for what they do?
• has difficulty making ends meet?
• often gives donations to charity?

Read the information in the box and listen to the extract from the interview

Distinguishing between US and UK pronunciation

Although people speaking US English will almost always be understood in the UK, and vice versa, there are several differences in pronunciation between Standard English and General American, apart from all the regional accents. Understanding these differences will help you to follow American English more easily.

«And the answer is obvious, they need money. And all of us, in order to get started, have had access to credit. So, the poor can’t get access to credit, they can’t go to relatives to borrow because generally the relatives are as poor as they themselves are.»

Listen to the audio. How does the pronunciation differ?

«And the answer is obvious, they need money. And all of us, in order to get started, have had access to credit. So, the poor can’t get access to credit, they can’t go to relatives to borrow because generally the relatives are as poor as they themselves are.»

Listen to the audio paying attention to the difference in pronunciation of the words

Listen to the words and choose the appropriate accent (UK or US)

Answer some of the questions below

1. Would you say you’re good at saving money? Why (not)?

2. Do you have any strategies for saving money, e.g. when you’re shopping?

3. Do you know anyone who has been a victim of credit card fraud?

4. Do you know anyone who found that money had been mistakenly paid into their bank account?

5. Did you have a Saturday job or summer job when you were younger? What kind of work did you have to do?

6. Do you have any skills that could bring you extra income if you needed it?

7. Do you prefer spending money on things (e.g. clothes, gadgets, etc.) or experiences (e.g. holidays, concerts, etc.)?

8. Where and when do you tend to give tips? What factors influence your decision to give a tip or not?

Complete the missing words

Order the letters to make synonyms of rich or poor

Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use an idiom with the words in the gaps

Can you tell the difference between US and UK accents? Listen and choose US (US accent) or UK (UK accent)

Read the text below and think of the word that best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap

Read the task and prepare your three-minute speech answering the questions on the topic «Money talks»

1. What would you be willing to spend a fortune on?

2. What is for you an example of throwing away money?

3. Do you think you ever waste your money?

4. Does managing your budget bother you?

5. How do you feel when you cannot stick to your planned budget?

Allow your browser access to your microphone, press the button «Record» and record the speech you have prepared