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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Unit 4 Loans for the Dream
Part Ⅰ Getting ready
A. The following words will appear in this unit. Listen carefully and study the definitions.
1. depreciation1:
2. overdraft2;
3. proposition:
4. bearing:
5. collateral3:
6. retailer4:
7. sue;
8. mint:
9. hoard5:
10. crunch6:
B. Listen to the following dialogues. Complete the exercises.
Dialogue one: Tick the expenditure7 items mentioned by the speaker.
A. You asked me where all the money goes. It's difficult to say exactly, but obviously we spend a lot of money on groceries. I enjoy cooking, and as we have a large family — four children — our food bill is quite big. We also like eating out — my wife and I probably go out to a restaurant about once a week. Unfortunately, there are no theatres round here, so we don't go to the theatre as much as we'd like. But we do spend money on our hobbies. I like doing jobs around the house — I'm one of the local DIY center's best customers — and I'm very keen on sailing — that's a very expensive hobby. I'm also very interested in antiques, especially clocks. You must let me show you my collection one day ...
B. I'd like that. I wanted to ask you about holidays. Do you usually go abroad or stay in this coutry?
A. We usually stay here. In fact, we spend very little on holidays. We have a small house near the sea and we usually go there. That's where I do my sailing. We did go away for a week last year, but that was exceptional.
Dialogue two: Complete the chart. Use ticks to indicate whether the expenditures8 on those items are up, down or the same as last year. Supply the figures mentioned.
A: So how much did we spend on entertainment this year?
B: 2566.
A: That's down a little on last year. And what's the figure for depreciation?
B: 300, the same as last year.
A: Hm, expenditure on secretarial expenses is up.
B: Yes, there's a big increase there.
A: What's the figure of 2612 for?
B: Where's that?
A: Six figures down.
B: That's motor expenses.
A: And what does this figure represent?
B: Audit9 and accountancy costs.
A: They're both up a lot.
B: Yes, but expenditure on telephone and postage is down.It's half as much as last year.
Part Ⅱ Raising money for buying a car
A. Listen to the dialogue. Take notes. Then complete the summary.
B: Well, good afternoon, Mr. Jackson.
J: Good afternoon. I've come to see you to see whether it's possible to ... get an overdraft. I'm ... I want some money. [Yes] I'll tell you quite frankly10 what it is. I'm wanting to buy a new car. [Yes] I don't know whether it's possible to raise any money from the bank in this way.
B: Er, I see no reason why not.
J: I've got an old car ...
B: What's your proposition?
J: Well, I've got this old car which is an eight-year-old Morris 1000, and I don't think there's any point in having it repaired any more because it just isn't worth it. I feel that I could probably get about a hundred pounds for it and then that means that I would need about another four hundred-odd, three hundred and fifty ... [Mhm] er, on top of that, to buy a, a, not a new car exactly, but a newer one. [Mhm] Um, ...
B: Do you use the car for your business, for your work?
J: Er; yes I do, up to a point. That is to say, sometimes I take it to work and sometimes I don't, because I'm almost within walking distance of the College. [Mhm] Does this have some bearing on the, on the question of whether I can get an overdraft?
B: No, I don't think so. I, er, it was just a matter of interest that I asked you, really. You think three hundred and fifty?
J: I would say about three hundred and fifty to four hundred. With the other, with the other [Yes] hundred pounds then it would be about, er, five hundred pounds; well, one can get quite a decent car for five hundred pounds [Quite] — second hand, of course.
B: Quite. And what sort of period of time could you repay us?
J: Well, erm, this rather depends on you. Um, I would like to ... I, er, what is the normal procedure for such a sum of money?
B: Well, for such a sum of money we could expect repayment11 within twenty-four months.
J: Two years.
B: Two years.
J: I see.
B: We are lenders in the short term, remember, not long term.
J: Yes. Er, is there ... Do you, do I pay interest on this?
B: You will pay interest on — well, the type of loan I have in mind is a Personal Loan, as I assume you've got no form of collateral to offer.
J: What is — what is collateral?
B: Well, have you any shares in any companies or life policies, deeds of houses, or anything like that?
J: I have some Government Securities, is ... would this be ... sufficient?
B: You have some Government Securities, and what is their value?
J: Er, it's about ...
B: Have you got the certificates?
J: ... eight hundred pounds or so.
B: About eight hundred pounds?
J: Yes, but I don't want to ...
B: You don't want ...
J: ... cash them.
B: No. No, well you wouldn't ... that wouldn't involve you in cashing them. I could grant you an Ordinary Loan where the interest to you would be less than on a Personal Loan, if you were willing to charge that Share Certificate to us.
J: Yes. I see, um, er, is it, is it possible to er ... what's ... that, that would be the only security which you would need, in fact?
B: I shouldn't need any other security, other than that ... [I see] not on a loan, not on a loan of that size. Or if you would agree to do it on a Personal Loan basis which [cough] I would not require any security whatever, as on a Personal Loan we have death cover and you are in regular employment, er, in, er, good-salaried employment, with a with a good, with a good salary, therefore I would not ask you for erm, any security. [Yes. Yes.] But the interest rate would be higher than on an Ordinary Loan. [Yes] I should charge you seven percent on a Personal Loan and that's on the original amount taken, whereas on an Ordinary Loan it would be at one and a half percent over Bank Rate, minimum six percent, and that would be calculated on a, on a day-to-day basis, so it does in fact work out cheaper.
J: I see. Yes.
B. Now try this: listen to a more authentic12 version of the dialogue. First complete the chart to show the differences between the two loans. Then try to find the English equivalents of the Chinese expressions listed.
Part Ⅲ Housing in the U.S.A
. Listen to the material. Complete the outline. Then give the right words according to the explanations.
In the U.S. today, the cost of housing is very high. It is common to pay one fourth to one third of a family's income on the place to live. The price of a house depends on its size and location. Big houses are more expensive than smaller ones. And houses closer to the center of big cities are more expensive than ones in the suburbs or in small towns.
Regardless of the cost, it's usual for people to buy their houses over a period of time. When a family buys a house, it is necessary to borrow money from a bank to pay for it. Then they repay the bank in regular payments. This kind of bank loan is called a mortgage. Families can take 30 years to pay off the mortgage. Without a mortgage, it would be impossible for most people to own their houses.
Many Americans don't own their own homes. They pay landlords to live in their homes. The money they pay for this is called rent. Usually it is cheaper to rent than it is to buy and to pay a mortgage. Also when something needs to be repaired, it is easy for the renter to ask the landlord to fix it.
Some people rent houses, but most renters live in apartments. Apartment buildings are located in cities where it is too costly13 to build houses. Recently, it has become common for renters to buy their apartments. When this happens, the cost usually increases, but the money goes to pay off the mortgage. Apartments bought this way are called condominiums.
Part Ⅳ More about the topic: Consumer Rights
A. Listen to an interview about consumer rights under English law. While listening for the first time, add more key words in the left-hand column. After the second listening, use key words to answer the questions.
P - Presenter14 D - Dave Watts15
P: Many consumers are unaware16 of their rights in buying goods from shops and stores. Dave Watts of the Office of Fair Trading is here to explain exactly what your rights are under English law. Dave, first of all, what are the Acts that give the buyer rights?
D: Well, Sandy, there are two Acts: there's the Sale of Goods Act and the Trades Descriptions Act and both cover the rights of a buyer in contracts that he or she enters into with traders.
P: And ... um ... who are the "traders" exactly?
D: Well, "traders" means any shop, doorstep salesman, street market stall or mail order firm.
P: And so what is a "contract" then in ... in this respect?
D: Well, if you buy anything from a trader, you have in fact entered into a contract with him.
P: And do traders have obligations?
D: Yes, they have three main obligations. The first one is that the goods are "of merchantable quality" ...
P: Er ... hang on, what does "merchantable" mean?
D: Well, that means "fit for the purpose", bearing in mind the price that you've paid for it, the nature of the goods and how they're described. For example, a pair of shoes which fall apart after two weeks' normal wear are not of merchantable quality. Very cheap or secondhand goods needn't be top quality but they must still fulfill17 this obligation. And the second obligation is that the goods are "fit for any particular purpose made known to the seller". And the third one is that the goods are "as described".
P: "As described"?
D: Yes, on the package or as illustrated18 or described on a display sign, or verbally by the seller himself.
P: And ... um ... if you think you have cause for complaint, what should you do?
D: Well, you must take the item back to the shop, unless it's too large or fragile to move, in which case the trader must collect it from you. And you'll be entitled to all or part of your money back, a cash refund19, plus compensation for any loss or personal injury.
P: Instead of taking it back to the shop, would it be a good idea to send it to the manufacturer?
D: No, definitely not. It's the retailer's responsibility. But you could sue the manufacturer if you've suffered personal injury, say.
P: Oh, and what about receipts — should you keep them or doesn't it matter if you throw them away?
D: Well, the purpose of keeping receipts is so that you have some evidence of your purchase and also of the date of the purchase, which sometimes is very important. But the retailer's not within his rights to say "No refunds20 without a receipt".
P: Suppose a retailer refuses to give a refund for faulty goods, even when he legally has to?
D: Well, in that case you should go to your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or to the Trading Standards Office, sometimes called the "Consumer Advice Center".
P: Oh, I see. And if the worst comes to the worst?
D: Well, you may have to go to court and sue the seller for your money or for compensation. But that's very rare, I'm glad to say, as it's more costly for the retailer to defend themselves in court than it is to give you your money back.
P: Dave, thank you very much.
D: Thank you.
B. Now listen again. Decide whether the statements after the interview are true or false. Put "T" or "F" in the brackets.
Part Ⅴ Do you know ...?
A Before you listen, answer the following questions.
1. Do you like collecting coins?
2. Do you think that collecting too many coins will cause a problem?
B Now listen to the news report. Complete the chart. Then answer the questions with key words.
A penny saved is a penny earned, but too many pennies saved is a big problem for the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia.
Some area stores have been asking customers to dig for exact change as their cash drawers have run short of pennies in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, stores and banks have sharply increased their orders for pennies, though no one can point to a reason for a shortage except the accumulations that pile up on dressers, in jars and in piggy banks, Federal Reserve Bank spokesman Bob McCarthy said.
"People do not take time to put pennies back in their pockets," McCarthy said last Wednesday. "Everyone hoards21."
As area merchants feel the crunch, some have posted notes at cash registers asking customers for exact change.
Chris McDowell, manager of a downtown Wawa Food Market, said he has run short of pennies several times in the last two weeks, but customers have helped the cashiers cope.
Sometimes a cashier will return a little extra money to make the change come out even. At other times a customer will hand over a dollar for a 98-cent item and wave away the change, he said.
McDowell said he understood the tendency to pile up pennies.
"I have a five-gallon (18.93-litre) jug22 at home that I would say is three-fourths full of pennies. I just don't want to wrap them," he said.
McCarthy said a national shortage would be unlikely, since the two U.S. mints in Philadelphia and Denver use most of their capacity producing pennies. He said the Philadelphia mint produces 40 million pennies a day, and the US$500 billion worth of U.S. currency in circulation worldwide includes 200 billion pennies.
收听单词发音 |
1
depreciation
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| n.价值低落，贬值，蔑视，贬低 | |
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overdraft
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| n.透支，透支额 | |
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3
collateral
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| adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品 | |
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4
retailer
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| n.零售商(人) | |
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hoard
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| n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积 | |
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crunch
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| n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声 | |
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7
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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8
expenditures
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| n.花费( expenditure的名词复数 )；使用；（尤指金钱的）支出额；（精力、时间、材料等的）耗费 | |
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9
audit
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| v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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11
repayment
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| n.偿还，偿还款；报酬 | |
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12
authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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13
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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14
presenter
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| n.（电视、广播的）主持人，赠与者 | |
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15
watts
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| （电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 ) | |
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16
unaware
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| a.不知道的，未意识到的 | |
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17
fulfill
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| vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意 | |
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18
illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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19
refund
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| v.退还，偿还；n.归还，偿还额，退款 | |
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20
refunds
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| n.归还，偿还额，退款( refund的名词复数 )v.归还，退还( refund的第三人称单数 ) | |
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21
hoards
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| n.（钱财、食物或其他珍贵物品的）储藏，积存( hoard的名词复数 )v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的第三人称单数 ) | |
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22
jug
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| n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂 | |
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