课文听力文本Unit4LoansfortheDream

1、Unit 4 Loa ns for the DreamPart I Gett ing readyExercise B.Keys:Dialogue one:ItemsItemsCharitiesTheatre and other arts eventsEati ng out7Stocks and sharesHobbies (DIY, saili ng, etc.)VAn tiquesVFood and groceries7CarsTapescript:A. You asked me where all the money goes. It's difficult to say exac

2、tly, but obviously we spe nd alot of money on groceries. I enjoy cook ing, and as we have a large family four childre n our food bill is quite big. We also like eating out my wife and I probably go out to a restaura nt about once a week. Unfortun ately, there are no theatres round here, so we don

3、9;t go to the theatre as much as we'd like. But we do spe nd money on our hobbies. I like doing jobs around the house rm one of the local DIY cen ter's best customers and rm very kee n on sailing that's a very expensive hobby. I'm also very interested in antiques, especially clocks.

4、You must let me show you my collect ion one day .B. rd like that. I wan ted to ask you about holidays. Do you usually go abroad or stay in this coun try?A. We usually stay here .In fact, we spe nd very little on holidays. We have a small house n ear the sea and we usually go there. That's where

5、I do my sailing. We did go away for a week last year, but that was excepti on al.Dialogue two:ItemsSameUpDow nFiguresEn terta inmentV2566Depreciati onV300Secretarial expe nsesVMotor expe nsesV2612Audit & acco untancy costsVTeleph one & postageVHalf as much as last yearTapescript:A: So how mu

6、ch 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, expe nditure on secretarial expe nses is up.B: Yes, there's a big in crease there.A: What's the figure of 2612 for?B: W

7、here's that?A: Six figures dow n.B: That's motor expe nses.A: And what does this figure represe nt?B: Audit and acco untancy costs.A: They're both up a lot.B: Yes, but expe nditure on teleph one and postage is dow n.l t's half as much as last year.Part IIRais ing money for buying a c

8、arExercise A.Keys:1. college 2. repairi ng3. a hun dred pounds 4. three hun dred fifty to four hun dred5. i nterest rates 6. an Ordi nary Loa n7. 24 mon ths1. overdraft5. collateral2. repay6. life policy3. lenders in the short term7. deeds of the house4. pay in terest on8. Government SecuritiesExerc

9、ise B.Keys:Security charge to the bankIn terest rate chargedInterest rate calculated onPers onal Loa nX7%Ordinary Loa nVA day-to-day basis9. certificate10. on a day-to-day basisTapescript :JMr. JacksonB -Bank ManagerB: Well, good after noon, Mr. Jacks on.J: Good after noon. I've come to see you

10、to see whether it's possible to . get an overdraft. I'm . I want some money. Yes I'll tell you quite frankly 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 reas on why not.J: rve go

11、t an old car .B: What's your propositi on?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 havi ng 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

12、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 n ewer 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 i

13、t 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

14、 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 per

15、iod 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 procedurefor such a sum of money?B: Well, for such a sum of money we could expect repayment within twenty-four months.J: Two years.B: Two years.J: I see.B: We are lenders in the s

16、hort 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 an

17、y 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

18、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 cha

19、rge 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

20、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

21、. 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 calcul

22、ated 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 authentic 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.

23、Part III Housing in the U.S.A.Exercise A.Keys:OutlineI. A. cost of housing1. 1/4-1/32. size and locationB. mortgageII. B. easy to get things repairedIII.1. mortgage2. condominiumTapescript: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

24、9;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 bu

25、y 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

26、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 e

27、asy 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 costly to build houses. Recently, it has become common for renters to buy their apartments. When this happens, the cost usually inc

28、reases, but the money goes to pay off the mortgage. Apartments bought this way are called condominiums.Exercise B.Keys:1. borrows, mortgages, shares, mortgage-based securities2. They control about half the home loans in America.3. Hiding the changes in the value; Poor supervision; Not carefully repo

29、rting its finances.4. The price of Fannie Mae has dropped.Tapescript:Americans say owning a home is part of the American dream. But many people may not recognize the part that a company called Fannie Mae plays in the home loan industry. Now government financial investigators have found serious probl

30、ems at the company.Fannie Mae began as the Federal National Mortgage Association. Congress established it in nineteen thirty-eight. It became a private corporation in nineteen seventy, and later changed its name to Fannie Mae.A mortgage is a loan secured by property. A person goes to a lender, usual

31、ly a bank, to borrow money for a home. The person pays the loan back, with interest, over a period of long as thirty years. The bank must wait a long time to get its money back. So Fannie Mae buys mortgages from lenders. This supplies them with money to use for other loans.Investors buy shares in Fa

32、nnie Mae so the company has money to pay for mortgages. Fannie Mae also sells and trades what are called mortgage-backed securities. Bonds based on mortgages are considered low-risk investments. However, these are not guaranteed by the government.Fannie Mae and a similar company, Freddie Mac, contro

33、l about half the home loans in America. Experts say the market is worth almost eight million million dollars.Last year, investigators found problems with financial record-keeping at Freddie Mac. But they say the problems at Fannie Mae are a lot more serious.An agency called the Office of Federal Hou

34、sing Enterprise Oversight accused Fannie Mae of hiding changes in its value. The agency criticized the company for poor supervision and not carefully reporting its finances. Congress, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department are also investigating Fannie Mae.Franklin Raines,

35、 the chief executive officer, defends the actions of the company. Mister Raines says Fannie Mae did not falsely represent its financial condition.Industry experts say the work of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac helps keep mortgage rates lower, so more Americans can own homes. But the price of Fannie Mae

36、stock has dropped after news of the investigations.Experts say the company could have to pay more when it needs to borrow money. They say the situation could also lead to higher mortgage rates for home buyers in the future.Part IV More about the topic: Consumer Rights Exercise A.Keys:1. a. merchanta

37、ble qualityb. fitting for particular purpose /sellerc. as described2. no/ retaile r ' s responsibility/take to shop3. item/ too large/ fragile4. evidence of purchase/ date of purchase5. go to court/ sue the sellerExercise B.Keys:1-4: F T F FTapescript:P - Presenter D - Dave WattsP: Many consumer

38、s are unaware 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 o

39、f 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

40、 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"

41、 .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

42、 are not of merchantable quality. Very cheap or secondhand goods needn't be top quality but they must still fulfill 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 "

43、as described".P: "As described"?D: Yes, on the package or as illustrated 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

44、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 refund, 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

45、?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 y

46、ou 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 refunds without a receipt".P: Suppose a retailer refuses to give a refund for faulty goods, even when he legally has to?D:

47、 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 comp

48、ensation. But that's very rare, I'm glad to say, as it's more costly for the retailer to defe nd themselves in court tha n it is to give you your money back.P: Dave, tha nk you very much.D: Thank you.Stateme nts:1. Secon dha nd goods should also be of mercha ntable and top quality.2. If

49、you have suffered personal injury because of the item you've bought, you can sue the manu facturer.3. The retailer has the right to say No refunds without a receipt ”.4. Going to court is not very com mon because as a con sumer, it is very costly for you to get themoney back.Part V Do you know ？

50、Exercise B.Keys:Chart 1Time / NumberEven tsApril 15 thany federal tax1791tax on whiskey and other alcoholic drink, farmers refused1794George Washi ngt on, 13000 troops, defeated the Whiskey Rebellionthe late 1800sPeople's pay, rejected1913The 16th Ame ndme nt, i ncomeMore than $312000taxed at 35

51、%, highest rateLess than $7000no in come taxChart 27% in come tax on bus in essover 40%pers onal in come taxbelow 18% customs35% retireme nt programsTapescript:April 15 th is a special date for America ns, but it is no holidays, it is tax day. It is the last day to pay any federal taxes owed on earnings from the year before.The Construction gives Congress the power to establish federal taxes. State and local gover nments can also tax. But the idea of n ati onal taxes took time to develop. Not every one l