| Level: | Topic: | Speakers: | Length: |
| difficult | money | man and woman | 02:39 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
What are common monthly expenses for a student living on their own, including student or car loans? How about a family of four? Write a list of your expenses, figure out how much money you spend on each area, and what percentage of your income pays for each.
Idioms
“lie through one’s teeth” = lie so you don’t get in trouble
“The man lied through his teeth even though he was guilty of the crime.”
“rip someone off” = cheat someone
“I decided to hire a lawyer because the salesman ripped me off.”
Listening Exercise
A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.
Vocabulary Practice
Do the vocabulary quizzes with the words from the conversation for more practice:
Post-Listening Exercise
Why would keeping a budget be important in managing your money? Do you know of a family member or friend who got into debt? Use the vocabulary and idioms in this conversation to discuss your own financial situation, with suggestions on how to avoid debt. Search for the top five ways to manage your money better.
Online Investigation
Complete these tasks:
- Getting a loan can be a complex process in trying to figure out the terms of the agreement. Imagine that you need a loan to pay for a car or college tuition. Find a Web site that offers the type of loan you need and analyze the information. What does the actual cost of the loan include?
- Search for an online budget planner tool to plan out your monthly expenses. How much does this service cost? What are its features?