Different Worlds Adam

Michael Lee Cohen

Pre-reading

  2. Success.

a.  With which of the following statements do you agree (A)/disagree (D)?

Write your own statement in the last box.

A / D
”We can’t take any credit for our talents. It’s how we use them that counts.”
M. L´Engle, writer
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
Maya Angelou, poet
“I am a strong believer in Western philosophy, the philosophy of success, of progress, of getting rich.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger
“There is only one success…to be able to spend your life in your own way…”
C. Morley, author
“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: Try to please everybody.”
H.B.Swope, journalist
“First say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do.”
Epictetus, Greek philosopher
“God doesn’t require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.”
Mother Teresa
“ For me, success is about knowing who you are, and then using who you are and what you do to serve yourself, your family, your community, our world.”
Oprah Winfrey

b.  Individually: Which statement would you choose as your motto?

c.  In groups: Try and reach agreement.


While-reading

  1. Are the following statements true?

If not, change them into correct statements:

·  Adam is 25 but gives the impression of being 40.

·  His childhood was unstable.

·  He was an only child.

·  He decided not to become a scientist because he wasn’t really interested in chemistry.

·  When considering which job to get, Adam believes that interest is more important than income and respect.

·  Adam believes that it is possible for anyone, no matter what your background is, to become tremendously rich in America.

·  Adam’s American dream is to have a good job, a nice house, and a nice car.

·  Adam believes you can buy happiness.

·  For Adam, Bill Gates is a good example of what he wants to do.

·  Adam has a romantic view of marriage.

·  Adam believes in personal responsibility.

·  Adam believes in capital punishment.


Post-reading

1. 

a.  If your were to give Adam a piece of advice, what would you tell him?

b.  If you could ask him a question, what would you ask him?

2.  Read the LeAlan Jones´ text Our America (pp.134-135) and compare LeAlan´s and Adam´s views of America and the American Dream.

3.  Vocabulary to do with money

If you want to expand your financial vocabulary, consult tricky tasks below:

a.  Use the ALD to find the English equivalents of these Danish expressions:

·  tjene penge

·  komme til penge

·  have masser af penge

·  vel(for)tjente penge

·  ofre flere penge på et tvivlsomt foretagende

·  være styrtende rig

·  have så mange penge, at man bliver uforsigtig med dem

·  få noget for pengene

·  penge er ikke noget problem

·  investere penge (i projekt eller forretning)

b.  Translate the following sentences into English.

Jeg har mange penge. - Hvor er pengene? - De ligger i min lomme. - Har du nogle penge? –

Nej, jeg har brugt dem.

c.  Rich/poor: which of the following adjectives describe wealth and which describe poverty?

affluent - wealthy - destitute - impoverished - moneyed - penniless - indigent - prosperous - needy - well-off - loaded - hard up - comfortable – broke
Wealth / Poverty


Post-reading

d.  Match verb with phrase:

What you can do if you have MONEY? You can…

put - spend - lend - pay - lose - waste - give - save - invest - leave … money

to a beggar - on food - in a will - at the casino - by walking to work - in a new business -

into the bank - to a friend - for your holiday - on silly things

e.  Translate the following words into English.

·  måneds- eller årsløn:

·  ugeløn:

·  pension:

·  lommepenge:

·  uddannelsesstøtte:

·  indtægt:

·  renter:

·  honorar:

·  underholdsbidrag:

·  social understøttelse:

f.  Use owe, own, lend, and borrow when you translate the following sentences:

Kan jeg låne £5 i et par dage? - Jeg skal altid låne dig penge. - Du skylder mig stadig de £10, du lånte i sidste uge. - Ja, men jeg ejer altså ikke en øre. - Kan du ikke låne mig en femmer? - Jeg har lånt dig så meget, som du ikke har betalt tilbage. - Jeg skal snart ud at tigge.

g.  Definitions: Match the words in the box with the definitions underneath.

inheritance - fine - mortgage - refund - discount - interest - revenue - VAT - asset - liability - overdraft - income - expenditure - customs

·  money you earn or get

·  a tax that is added to the price of goods and services

·  money which is given back to you

·  the extra money that you pay back when you borrow money or get when you invest money

·  the amount of money which a person or company owes

·  payment as a form of punishment for breaking the law

·  a tax paid on things you import to a country

·  a reduction in the price of something you are buying

·  the money or property you get from someone when they die

·  money you lend in a bank or building society to buy a house and which you pay back over a particular number of years

·  the amount of money which a person or company owns

·  the money that a government receives from taxes

·  the act of spending or using money; the amount of money spent

·  the amount of money which you owe your bank when you have spent more money than is on your account

Post-reading

h.  And then match the English with the Danish.

Dansk / Engelsk / Dansk / Engelsk
indtægter / moms
udgifter / rente
overtræk / afslag i pris
bøde / told
arv / tilbagebetaling
prioritet, pant i fast ejendom / (stats)indtægter, særlige skatter
passiv, tab / aktiv, værdier

i.  Place the words below in the boxes.

purse - note - check - cheque - bill - handbag - wallet – billfold
British English / Danish / American English
pung
håndtaske
pengeseddel
regning (på restaurant)
check (som udskrives)
tegnebog

Check Appendix 3 in ALD and work out these sums:

·  1 quarter + 2 dimes + 7 nickels + 17 pennies = ______$

·  How many pence to a quid? ______

Check in a dictionary to find out the British system used until 1971 (penny, shilling, pound):

How many pence to a shilling? ______

How many shillings to a pound? ______

How many pence to a pound? ______

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© 2004 Gyldendalske Boghandel, Nordisk Forlag, København CONTEXTS