Episode 36 B

EPISODE 36
LEVEL B2

 

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

EARNING AND SPENDING

 

There will always be people who have money to burn (= very rich) as well as those who can’t make ends meet (= poor). The more money people have, the more they tend to spend – in some cases people’s expenditure (= money they spend) is greater than their earnings (= money people earn). Particularly, if they are addicted to spending money, so they are shopaholics. However, if more money is earned than spent, you may put aside (= save) money regularly and save it for a rainy day (= save money for difficult times). This means you are a good money manager.

 

More contexts for the new words:

• Let us leave this issue aside and come back to the main topic.
  (= deliberately not talk about something)
• The company will pay all your conference expenses.
  (= money you spend as part of your job that your employer later gives back to you)

 

 

EXERCISE 1

Complete the table with expressions with opposite meanings, using the words from today’s lesson.

 

have little money	1. have m………………… to b………………….
2. can’t m……………. e……………. m………………	be very rich
earnings	3. e………………….
people who hate shopping	4. s………………….
spend everything	5. p…………………. money a………………….
don’t save money	6. save for a r…………………. d………………….

 

 

EXERCISE 2

Use the pictures to complete the questions. Then answer them.

1. Do you save for a day? Why/ Why not?
2. What would you do if you had money to ?
3. What should the government do to help people who can’t make ends ?

 

ENGLISH IN USE 

 

’… if more money is earned than spent…’

This phrase from the lesson includes an example of passive. Do you know why passive is used in English?
We often use the passive when we are more interested in the person or thing affected by an action, and not the person or thing responsible for the action, e.g.

The books are delivered every month. – We are more interested in the books than who delivers them.
A man was arrested outside the cinema. – We are interested in the man, and not the person who arrested him.

From these examples you can see the person or thing responsible for the action is often not given. This is because in these cases we are probably not interested in them, and sometimes we don’t know who or what they are.

It is also possible to mention the person who did the action (doer) at the end of the clause introducing it with BY:

All these painting were done by children.
The room is cleaned by Mrs Grey every week.

 

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

A/ Is Christine a shopaholic?

B/ She might be. She definitely SPENDS LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW.

 

If you spend (or do anything else) like there’s no tomorrow, you do something a lot without thinking about what effects your action might have in the future.

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

 

1. When you SPLASH OUT, you spend a lot of money on something you don’t need, but is very pleasant.

 

She has money to burn, so she splashes out on new clothes every week.

He’s just splashed out on a brand new car.

 

2. When you COUGH UP money for something, you provide money for something you do not want to.

 

We have to cough up for the electricity bill.

Come on, cough up, it’s your turn to pay.

 

 

EXERCISE 3

Complete the mini-story with the missing words.

Susan was a typical shopaholic – she spent money like there was no (1) ………………………….. . Every week she splashed (2) ………………………….. on a new dress. This had a terrible effect on her family, and her husband decided to divorce her. He got full custody of their daughter, and now Susan has to cough (3) ………………………….. monthly for the alimonies. No more shopping sprees for her!

 

 

NEWS

ARE YOU A SHOPAHOLIC?

 

We all make fun of shopaholics, but has it ever occurred to you that you might be one of them? Do the quiz below to find out. Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for each question.

1. Do you sometimes buy clothes which in the wrong size, in case they might fit when you’re fatter or slimmer?
2. Do you often spend more than an hour window-shopping?
3. Do you envy your friends who have just bought new clothes?
4. Do you find it difficult to resist the temptation to buy the fifth black mini skirt?
5. Have your friends ever dragged you out from a shop in order to prevent you from buying too much?

 

If you have three or more ‘yes’ answers, then you definitely are a shopaholic. You might want to find a good shrink! However, if you have fewer ‘yes’ answers, you’re still not safe from the threat of shopaholism, so beware!

 

GLOSSARY

– fit – be the right size

– window-shopping – looking at shop windows without buying anything

– envy – be jealous

– resist the temptation – manage not to do something, although you’d like to do it

– drag  – pull by force

– a shrink – a psychiatrist (slightly offensive)

– beware – be careful

 

 

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