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Reading and Listening Comprehnsion Activity

Teenagers are spending large amounts of money averaging $5,000 per year due to parents showering them with financial support. Experts recommend teens earn some money through chores to develop savings skills and understand that money doesn't come easily. Young consumers mostly spend their weekly $96 on clothes, electronics, and fast food, getting money from parents, jobs, gifts, and allowances. Some parents give kids a lot of money to avoid conflicts, but this does not teach budgeting skills. Boys tend to spend more than girls on tech toys and games.

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Natalia Montealegre
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131 views3 pages

Reading and Listening Comprehnsion Activity

Teenagers are spending large amounts of money averaging $5,000 per year due to parents showering them with financial support. Experts recommend teens earn some money through chores to develop savings skills and understand that money doesn't come easily. Young consumers mostly spend their weekly $96 on clothes, electronics, and fast food, getting money from parents, jobs, gifts, and allowances. Some parents give kids a lot of money to avoid conflicts, but this does not teach budgeting skills. Boys tend to spend more than girls on tech toys and games.

Uploaded by

Natalia Montealegre
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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READING AND LISTENING COMPREHNSION ACTIVITY

Read the following text carefully.

Cashed-up teenagers are letting loose on


spending sprees averaging $5000 a year
Well-meaning mums and dads are showering kids with
money and financial freedom so they don't go without, A. Match the words from the text with
experts say. But parents have been warned to ensure teens their corresponding meaning. (16p)
earn some of their keep through household chores such as 1. cashed-up 2. well-meaning
mowing lawns and cleaning, or encourage part-time 3. showering … with 4. shelling out
employment, to keep greed at bay. 5. swallow 6. enabling
"There should be a small base allowance of about $10 7. reluctant 8. haphazardly
a week. Anything after that should be earned so they can
develop a sense of saving and learn that money doesn't a) giving a lot b) allowing
grow on trees," psychologist Sally-Anne McCormack said. c) consume / use up d) without care
Market Research Company TNS's True Study found e) having plenty of money f) spending
that young consumers have become a spending force in g) unwilling h) having good
their own right, shelling out on average $96 a week. intentions
Clothes, electronics and fast-food swallow the most cash.
Parents, part-time jobs, gifts and allowances are their main B. Answer the following questions in your
income source. own words as far as possible. (32p)
The report also revealed children are being introduced
to the seductive power of plastic from a tender age, with 1. What are parents advised to do in the first
one in 10 saying they regularly used credit to make paragraph?
purchases. 2. Why is it important for teens to earn some
"Teenagers are receiving money from their parents of their own money?
regularly, enabling them to have constant buying power," 3. Where do young consumers mostly get
the report states further. Average weekly spending ranged their money from?
from $56 for 12 and 13-year-olds to $192 for 18 and 19-year- 4. Why do some parents give their children so
olds. One in four aged 16-plus combined study with a part- much money?
time job. Boys with a love of expensive techno toys and
video games had a bigger budget than girls, outlaying an C. Reread paragraphs 3 – 5 and complete
average $54 a week more. the following accordingly. (35p)
Ms McCormack said many adults who had tightened 1. Young people spend their money mostly
their belts because of cost-of-living pressures were on…
reluctant to deprive their children. Some gave money to 2. Only a small percentage of teens claim to…
avoid conflict at the expense of teaching valuable 3. Teens are able to spend continuously due to
budgeting skills. "We give a very poor message to children if …
we haphazardly give them money for immediate 4. Young consumers spend up to…
gratification," Ms McCormack said. 5. Some teens work while…
Karen Collier, Sunday Herald Sun, October28, 2012
6. Boys can afford to … than girls because…

D. Look at the idioms below and match them with their corresponding meaning. (12p)

1. Cashed-up teenagers are letting loose on spending sprees. a) preventing something from causing
2. Teens should try to keep greed at bay. problems
3. Many adults had to tighten their belts because of rising costs. b) not having any money
4. Most families have to live from hand to mouth. c) having just enough for the basic needs
5. Young people today tend to go Dutch when they go out d) sharing the cost of something
together. e) doing something in a way that is not
6. Her salary is so low that she finds it hard to make ends meet. controlled
f) reducing expenditure
E. TENSES – Use an appropriate present tense of the verbs in brackets. (15p)

1. Every morning Linda (drive) _____________ her children to the shopping centre.
2. (you/be) ____________ to the new clothes shop yet?
3. I (spend) ________________ way too much on clothes these days.
4. Since the Industrial Revolution, the world (consume) ________at a higher rate than ever before.
5. I (not buy) ____________ anything lately.

F. CLAUSES OF CONTRAST – Match the beginnings of the sentences to their endings. (20p)

1. It is difficult to quantify how much children are a) they can’t live without them anymore.
affected by their parents' attitudes towards b) however, they never seem to have
spending, enough.
2. Rich teens own everything they want; c) many teens still don’t know how to
manage their money.
3. Some people usually pay cash
d) whereas others prefer to use a credit card.
4. Although many people dislike credit cards, e) nonetheless they allow people to buy
5. Despite having learnt about debt from their things that they wouldn’t otherwise be able
parents, to afford.
6. Credit cards may cause irresponsible spending f) but it must have an impact on them for
patterns; sure.
H. LISTENING (20p) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5lDQffNKaE&ab_channel=Howcast

Listen to the text and complete the gaps.

HOW TO TELL IF YOU ARE A SHOPAHOLIC

are one of the __________. million people who have never met an item you didn’t want
to buy? You might be a __________. You will need self _____________ and honesty.

Step 1 – Evaluate why you shop. Valid reason – you need food and clothes. Bad reasons –
you are bored, _________, depressed or just got your ____________.

Step 2 – think about how shopping makes you feel. If buying something new is an
incredible rush followed by a _____________ – you might have a problem.

Step 3 – Look around your home – are most of the items in it things you needed or
___________ you wanted?

Step 4 – check out you closets. A shopaholic ___________ is fill with clothes that still have
their tags and shoes that have never seen the light of day. If your on a first name basis
with all the UPS guys, or can name every ________ person on the shopping network, you
may have some ___________ issues.

Step 5 – Examine your ___________. Do you find yourself trying to justify purchases to
yourself and others? Do you ever hide packages? Lie on how much you spent? Have you
ever snuck a new ____________ into the house in a dry cleaner bag to ________ you’d
bought something new?

Step 6 – Assess your ________. Shopaholics find themselves unable to resist buying
things – even when they know their credit cards are ____________.

Step 7 – Get help if you failed our little test. Cut up the credit cards, find fun ways to fill
your time that don’t involve buying anything, join __________________, or get therapy to
discover the deeper issues behind your ___________ spending.

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