节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2014-03-25
难易度:Medium
关键字:temptation, access, moreover, check-out, emergency fund
Hello, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And I'm Carolyn.
Thank you for joining us today.
Today we are continuing a lesson called Cash or Credit Card?
How do you feel about using a credit card to purchase things?
We ended yesterday's lesson in the middle of a conversation between two friends,
Amy and Joyce.
So let's continue and see what they have to say about this topic today.
Open your magazine and let's begin.
(Music).
Cash or Credit Card?
I'm glad you pay off your bill each month, but many people don't.
Credit cards present a huge temptation to spend.
It's easier to know how much you spend when using only cash.
Perhaps, but I also feel safer knowing I can use my card in an emergency.
I think it's better to save money in an emergency fund.
Then you don't go into debt.
Yeah, emergency funds are important, but credit cards can be accessed more
easily.
And you don't have to carry so much cash.
That means your money is less likely to get stolen.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
Thank you, Michelle.
Well, this is a good conversation, and both girls present good points.
If you miss yesterday's lesson, you can understand from our lesson so far today
that Amy prefers to pay with...
Cash.
Yes. And Joyce likes using...
Her credit card.
Well, at the end of yesterday's part of the conversation, Joyce said that she
usually pays off her entire bill each month.
The first line here is Amy's response.
I'm glad you pay off your bill each month, but many people don't.
And I just want to remind you to try to be like Joyce if you use a credit card.
Pay off your bills as soon as you can.
Yes. And if you are going to use a credit card, make sure that you are saving at
least the same amount that you use so that you can make the necessary payments.
You can pay down at the end of each month, but you want to be able to pay off
your bills completely if possible.
And Amy says here that many people don't do that.
She continues: Credit cards present a huge temptation to spend.
Is that true for you?
First let's take a look at that word: temptation.
It's a word from the Word Bank.
If something is a temptation for you, that means you might really want to do it
but you know it won't be good for you.
Right.
So let's say you really love chocolate, you love it so much that you cannot
resist eating chocolate when you see it.
Then chocolate is a temptation for you.
Well, what are some other kinds of temptations?
For some people, the temptation might be to cheat when you're taking a test.
Now if there is a temptation, but you do it, you could say that you give in to
temptation.
Of course most people like to think that they don't give in to all temptations.
Try not to give in to temptation.
It's good to have self-control when you are tempted to do something you
shouldn't.
Run away from temptations.
And you just said the verb form of this word: to tempt.
We're all tempted at different times to do things we shouldn't.
And back to our lesson, many people are often tempted to spend a lot of money
when they use credit cards.
Right. It's a huge temptation.
Amy says it's easier to know how much you spend when using only cash.
To which Joyce says: But I also feel safer knowing I can use my card in an
emergency.
She feels safer knowing something.
Let's talk about that phrase.
OK. It's a good phrase to know.
Maybe you are leaving for a long vacation.
You could leave your windows unlocked because you trust your neighbors.
But you feel safer knowing that your house is protected, so you lock all the
doors and windows.
I wish I had done that a few years ago.
I didn't lock a window above my front door when I went on vacation, so when I
came back, I found out I was robbed.
A theft had taken place at my house.
I feel much safer now knowing that everything is locked up.
I'll bet.
Well, you could use this phrase in other ways, too.
Maybe you know a young child who is planning on going home alone late at night
on the bus or subway.
You decide to go with him because you feel safer knowing that he is not
traveling alone.
Good example.
Well, Joyce here feels safer knowing she can use her card in an emergency, but
Amy says it's better to save in an emergency fund.
What is an emergency fund?
That is money you set aside in case of an emergency.
Emergencies, by definition, are unexpected.
So it's good to have money just in case.
And Amy says emergency funds are good for emergencies because then you won't go
into debt.
Now we talked about that phrase yesterday, but let's review it as it has a lot
to do with the topic of credit cards: going into debt.
You want to try to avoid going into debt.
I know a lot of people who are "in debt," another good phrase that we've been
using.
Right. Sometimes it's hard to get out of debt.
That means it's hard to pay back everything you owe.
People can be in debt; companies can be in debt.
In fact, entire countries are in debt to other countries.
Oh, man. You're right about that.
And the best way to get out of debt is to be responsible with your spending.
Speaking of being responsible, it's OK to use credit cards, but don't use a
credit card for everyday purchases.
Hmm, good point.
You don't need to use your credit card when buying simple items at a convenience
store or every time you fill up on gas for your car.
Then you will avoid going into more debt easily.
Now back to the conversation.
Joyce agrees that emergency funds are important, but she says credit cards can
be accessed more easily.
If you can access something easily, that means it's easy to get to.
You don't have to go through a long process to get it.
And it's true, credit cards make things easily accessible.
That is the adjective form of this word: accessible, A-C-C-E-S-S-I-B-L-E.
Do you remember learning about the Paralympics earlier this month?
Sochi, Russia, is working on making everything more easily accessible for
disabled people.
Right. It'll be easier for them to get to places that they need to.
If you have a Studio Classroom magazine, these key words and phrases are easily
accessible for review and for improving your English.
Yes. Well, back to the topic of cash or credit card, there are other pros and
cons to using credit cards.
Let's learn something about this with Steve and Ken in the Information Cloud
now.
Just as Amy and Joyce argue about the pros and cons of using cash or credit
card, when you go shopping in the U.S., you'll likely face the same dilemma.
When you're ready to pay for the goods, a store clerk will likely ask the
question: Cash or charge?
And my response is always: Do you take American Express?
So Ken, you choose to charge your purchases using a credit card, which is your
American Express card.
That's right.
Now more and more supermarkets and drugstores in the U.S. have devices where
customers swipe their credit cards themselves.
But still, in many places, they need to hand their card over to the cashier.
People just don't like to carry a lot of cash with them.
It's dangerous.
It could get lost or stolen.
Right. Credit cards are safer and more convenient.
Not only that, when you charge a purchase, most credit card companies will
ensure that purchase in case the product is defective.
Another reason people love to pay with plastic is because the credit companies
give points with each purchase,
points that can later be redeemed for free stuff or discounts.
"Pay with plastic" is an informal expression, and it comes from the fact that
credit cards are made of plastic.
That's why when we use one to buy something, we can say we're paying with
plastic or using plastic money.