英語聽力練習(xí)高級訓(xùn)練05：財務(wù)問題

　　英語聽力練習(xí)題目：ABCs of Money Matters: Debt Consolidation

　　1. To whom is the man speaking?

　　A. his friend

　　B. his sister

　　C. his mom

　　2. Which sentence would identify the man's current situation?

　　A. He has a lot of expenses including student loans.

　　B. He has a decent job, but he's looking for a new one.

　　C. He's in debt and is trying to borrow money.

　　3. How would you describe the man's apartment?

　　A. a small place with a nice view of the city

　　B. a spacious apartment that includes cable TV

　　C. an apartment downtown with free parking

　　4. Which sentence best describes the man's dining practices?

　　A. He tries to go out to eat every night.

　　B. He doesn't know how to cook very well.

　　C. He prefers to eat alone.

　　5. What does the woman suggest the man do at the end of the conversation?

　　A. He should be careful when using his credit cards.

　　B. He ought to get rid of his car to save money.

　　C. He should stop spending money on entertainment.

　　答案：

　　1. his sister

　　2. He`s in debt and is trying to borrow money.

　　3. a small place with a nice view of the city

　　4. He doesn`t know how to cook very well.

　　5. He ought to get rid of his car to save money.

　　英語聽力原文：

　　Ron: Uh, could I borrow a few bucks until payday? I'm a little strapped for cash.

　　Nancy: Uh, yeah, I guess, but I'm pinching pennies myself, and you still owe me $20 from last week. And mom and your friend Ron said you borrowed money from them this past week. [Oh, yeah.] How ARE things going anyway?

　　Ron: Well, not very well. To be honest, I'm really in the hole, and I can't seem to make ends meet these days.

　　Nancy: What do you mean? I thought you landed a great job recently, so you must be loaded.

　　Ron: Well, I do have a job, but I've used my credit cards to pay off a lot of things recently, but now, I can't seem to pay the money off.

　　Nancy: Uh, do you have a budget? I mean, how do you keep track of your income and expenses?

　　Ron: Well, when my money runs out, I come to you. Of course. [Great!] No, but I guess I should have some financial plan.

　　Nancy: Well, let me see if I can help you. How much money do you spend on your apartment?

　　Ron: Uh, I pay $890 on rent for the studio apartment downtown . . . not including utilities and cable TV. But the place has an awesome view of the city.

　　Nancy: Uh, $890! Why are you paying through the nose for such a small place when you could find a cheaper one somewhere outside of the downtown area?

　　Ron: Yeah, I guess.

　　Nancy: Okay. How much money do you spend on food a month?

　　Ron: Hmmm. I'm not really sure. I think I spend around $600. [$600?!] Well, I go out to eat at least four times a week, so those expenses add up. I just don't enjoy eating alone, and I don't have a knack for cooking like you do.

　　Nancy: Well, I can understand that, but perhaps you ought to buy some microwaveable meals you could prepare at home.

　　Ron: Well, I guess I could.

　　Nancy: And entertainment?

　　Ron: Well, I spend a few dollars here and there on basketball and movie tickets, a concert or two, and ballroom dance lessons.

　　Nancy: Uh, exactly how much do you spend on all of these? Just a "few" dollars?

　　Ron: Well, oh . . . about $400 or so.

　　Nancy: Or so? No wonder you're having money problems. You can't just blow your money on things like that! And what about transportation?

　　Ron: Oh, I commute to work everyday in my new sports car, but I got a great deal, and my monthly payments are only $450. Come outside and take a look. We can go for a spin!

　　Nancy: No, I've heard enough. You've got to curb your spending, or you'll end up broke. I suggest you get rid of your credit cards, cut back on your entertainment expenses, and sell your car. Take public transportation from now on.

　　Ron: Sell my car?! I can't date without a car. What am I going to say? "Uh, could you meet me downtown at the bus stop at 7:00?" Come on!

　　Nancy: And you need to create a budget for yourself and stick to it, and start with paying off your bills, starting with me. You owe me $50 dollars.

　　Ron: Fifty dollars! Wait, I only borrowed $20 from you last week. How did you come up with $50?

　　Nancy: Financial consulting fees. My advice is at least worth $30!

　　英語單詞短語：

　　buck n. (美)錢，元;雄鹿;紈绔子弟;年輕的印第安人或黑人(noun): dollar

　　- Could you load me a buck or two until tomorrow?

　　be strapped for cash 缺乏金錢 (idiom): have no money available

　　- He has really been strapped for cash because he lost his job two weeks ago.

　　pinch pennies 精打細(xì)算 (idiom): be careful with money

　　- That young couple had to pinch pennies so they can live.

　　in the hole 負(fù)債，虧空;遇到經(jīng)濟(jì)困難(idiom): in debt

　　- My brother has charged so some many purchases to his credit cards that he's is the hole.

　　make ends meet 收支相抵;量入為出 (idiom): make enough money to live

　　- When I was a student, I had to work three part-time jobs to make ends meet.

　　land vi. 登陸;到達(dá) (verb): find

　　- I need to land a good job where I can earn a lot of money.

　　be loaded 有錢 (adjective): having a lot of money

　　- Don't let him borrow money off you because, in reality, he's loaded. His rich parents give him $2,500 in spending money a month!

　　budget n. 預(yù)算，預(yù)算費(fèi) (noun): a financial plan of expenses and income

　　- You should create a budget of your expenses.

　　keep track of 記錄;與…保持聯(lián)系 (idiom): keep a record of

　　- Any business should keep track of its earnings.

　　run out 用完;耗盡;跑出;到期;伸向 (phrasal verb): use up or exhaust

　　- If you don't keep a budget, you might run out of money before your next paycheck.

　　utilities n. 公用事業(yè);實(shí)用工具，[計] 實(shí)用程序;公共事業(yè)設(shè)備;公用程式(utility的復(fù)數(shù)) (noun): services provided by gas, power, and water companies

　　- The rent for this apartment includes the cost of utilities.

　　pay through the nose 被勒索;被敲竹杠 (idiom): pay an excessive amount of money

　　- Car insurance is so expensive that you have to pay through the nose to get any type of coverage these days.

　　knack n. 訣竅;本領(lǐng);熟練技術(shù);巧妙手法 (noun): a special way or ability of doing something

　　- My mother has a real knack for saving money on her low salary.

　　blow vt. 風(fēng)吹 (verb): spend thoughtlessly or wastefully; throw away

　　- People sometimes blow money on things that have no lasting value.

　　commute vi. 通勤;代償 (verb): travel back and forth between work and home

　　- I commute by bus everyday.

　　curb vt. 控制;勒住 (verb): lessen or reduce

　　- Unless you curb your spending, you're going to run out of money before the week is over.