节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-05-06
难易度:Medium
关键字:currency, traveler's check, insure, purchase, Euro, ATM
If you're just joining us, we have a lesson called Cash, Check or Credit Card.
And we're joining Jo's story as she talks about how she paid when she went
traveling in different countries.
And of course, one thing that she used was American Express traveler's checks.
She thought they were the safest bet, the safest thing because they were
insured.
We're going to be learning a little more about this and her other experiences
traveling abroad.
So let's get started with the second reading of today.
Cash, Check or Credit Card?
I cashed them into Euros at a bank in Freiburg and happily lived off those funds
during my first month.
Later I opened a bank account.
I used the bank's ATM to withdraw cash throughout the rest of the semester.
In Freiburg I found credit cards unhelpful; most of my purchases were small and
from small stores.
Cash was easiest.
And because Freiburg is a small, quiet city, I didn't feel any danger when I was
carrying cash.
This was not always the case in other countries where I traveled.
We do have very different experiences depending on where we travel.
Well, before we were talking about traveler's checks and Jo's experience with
them, she says:
I cashed them into Euros at a bank in Freiburg and happily lived off those funds
during my first month.
Well, so she took her traveler's checks and cashed them at a bank.
Then she lived off of those funds for a month.
That's right.
She lived off of this money.
So when you live off of something, that means you basically just use that for
your life or how you're going to pay.
You could use this in other ways, not just talking about money.
You could say: I lived off of noodles and rice for a week because I didn't have
anything else.
You live off of these things.
That's right.
But here we see that Jo was able to live off of the traveler's checks that she
cashed at the bank.
Continuing: Later I opened a bank account.
So she started her own account at this bank and no longer used traveler's
checks.
That's right.
Now of course, if you are using checks of any kind, you can cash them.
Use the verb, to "cash" something.
That means you trade your check for the appropriate amount of cash.
And of course, if you have a bank account, that will help.
Jo's story continues.
I used the bank's ATM to withdraw cash throughout the rest of the trip... or the
rest of the semester.
So she's talking about her ATM now.
Now I think you know what an ATM is.
Maybe you even have an ATM card, and you can withdraw money whenever you need
it.
But it is connected to a bank account, so you need to have an account with money
already in it before you can use your card.
It's a little bit different from a credit card where you pay the money back
later.
That's right.
I don't know which is better.
Actually it's probably good to have both a credit card and an ATM.
But remember to pay off your credit card.
Well, we continue with Jo's story.
In Freiburg I found credit cards unhelpful; most of my purchases were small and
from small stores.
Interesting.
Some people find credit cards very helpful, but she found them unhelpful.
Let's take a look at that phrase: to find something helpful.
Of course, in our lesson you see it's "I found something unhelpful." But I think
you can use this in a positive way.
How can you use that phrase, to find something helpful, Carolyn?
Well, maybe you ask someone for their opinion about something, and you might
say:
Oh, I found his advice very helpful.
It was great advice.
OK. So you could find someone's advice helpful.
Or maybe someone really helped you, moving something from one place to another:
I found that very helpful.
Thank you very much.
So Jo found something unhelpful.
She found credit cards unhelpful.
They didn't really help her that much.
But Carolyn, what's the Word Bank word we have here?
Well, we see the word "purchases" here because she is talking about buying
things.
And so the word "purchase" here is not a verb.
It's not to buy something.
It is the thing that you buy.
It is a noun.
That's right.
And you can use this to talk about anything that you buy.
That is a purchase.
Of course, you know that purchase can also be a verb.
You can purchase many things.
And here it's an noun.
So you can purchase a purchase.
That's right.
Well, Jo thought that credit cards were unhelpful when she was buying her
purchases.
She says that cash was easiest.
And I think that Steve and Ken have something they'd like to share with us about
that in the Information Cloud.
If you ever go shopping in the U.S., you'll likely encounter a store clerk
asking you the question: Cash or charge?
And my response is almost always: Do you take American Express?
Ah, Ken, so you charge your purchase using a credit card, which in your case, is
American Express.
Right.
Now more and more supermarkets and drugstores in the U.S. have devices where
customers slide their credit card themselves.
But still, in many places they need to hand their card over to the cashier.
Well, people just don't like to carry a lot of cash with them.
For one, it's dangerous; and 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 insure 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.
Now "pay with plastic" is an informal expression.
And it comes from the fact that credit cards are made of plastic, so.
When we use one to buy something, we can say we are paying with plastic or using
plastic money.
(Chinese).
Thank you, guys.
Well, we continue with Jo's story.
She writes: And because Freiburg is a small, quiet city, I didn't feel any
danger when I was carrying cash.
So she says cash is easiest to pay with, and she didn't feel any danger when she
was carrying cash.
What does that mean to feel danger, Carolyn?
Well, it means that you think perhaps the area around you isn't safe.
You think it's dangerous, and so you can feel as if there is danger around you.
But she says that this was a nice small town, so she really wasn't worried when
she was carrying cash.
That's right.
You know, I could also say I didn't feel like I was in danger when I was
carrying cash.
There are a couple ways to say that.
But Jo ends: This was not always the case in other countries where I traveled.
It sounds like she has more to share with us in the next part of her lesson.
It wasn't always the case that there was no danger.
So maybe it was dangerous in other areas where she traveled.
That's what it sounds like.
And we see that phrase: not always the case.
So she's talking about a situation that is different.
Well, right now it's time for us to learn some more with Michelle in the
Language Lab.
(Chinese).
And let's get back to our teachers.
Well, we've been hearing a lot from Jo about her experiences traveling abroad
and what she used to pay for things in other countries.
I wonder, do you have any special tips or tricks for people when they travel
abroad?
Is there something special that you do to keep your money safe?
Gabe, what... what do you do when you travel?
Well, I try not to have too much cash on me at one time.
Of course, if someone steals my credit card, then I can cancel the card.
But I might lose the cash if someone steals it.
So don't carry too much cash on you at one time.
What about you, Carolyn?
Well, that is some pretty good advice.
I would also make sure to not put all of my money or my important documents in
one place.
Spread them out.
Have a little bit of cash here, a little bit of cash there.
And always carry a copy of your passport in a place that is not where your
passport is kept.
Well, we have some more to learn from Jo tomorrow.
And we will see you then right here on Studio Classroom.
See you next time.