【英语趣味课堂】为未来攒钱-Saving for the Future

Sorie: So you do have some extra money that you can put away, you would say?

 

Mark: I think maybe everyone has extra money because you just use less. So you just decide in advance to put a little bit aside whether it’s 5 dollars or 50.

 

Sorie: So, like, change your priorities¹ and spend less money on other things and more towards your pension?

 

Mark: Exactly. Exactly.

 

Sorie: Right. So what would you cut? If you had something that you have to stop putting your money towards, what would it be?

 

Mark: I don’t know if there’s anything to cut because I’m not really buying much. I couldn’t cut food. That’s primary important. I don’t know. What would you cut?

 

Sorie: Clothing, maybe. You know, I’m a woman so I like to wear fashionable clothes so that would be one of them, and traveling. I love traveling, so maybe take one less holiday a year and put that towards my pension.

 

Mark: One less holiday than one.

 

Sorie: Yeah, that’s right.

 

Mark: Stop going on a holiday. How about have lots of kids? Go back to that idea.

 

Sorie: Yeah.

 

Mark: Yeah.

 

Sorie: Well, I actually come from a family with a lot of kids. At the moment, that's not working well for my parents because I’m not sending any money to them. But maybe in the future. So that’s the thing, you know. It works in a chain. I have to worry about my parents, so I cannot really be worrying about my own pension. So it’s like a continuous burden that you give to your children. And it never ends.

 

Mark: Well, yeah, we're really mixing up with other things. I don’t think we’re really getting an answer though as to what’s best.

 

Sorie: Well, there are other options as well, you know. You can live a simple life where you can grow food from your land and—

 

Mark: And then you wouldn’t need necessarily to save so much.

 

Sorie: Yeah, be a healthy person and you don’t have to—take really good care of your body and then you don’t have to go to a place where a nurse has to take care of you at an early age, you know.

 

Mark: I think that’s what I want to do. I think going for the simple life, trying to create the situation right now to enable like retirement² age to spend in such a simple place where everything is taken care of itself and the excess money isn’t necessarily needed. I think that’s what we should do.

 

Sorie: Awesome³.

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson!

put away

 

Do you have some extra money that you can put away?

 

When you put something away, you keep it for later. Notice the following:

 

I need to put some money away for college.

My parents put some money away for me for when I graduate.

priority⁴

 

You should change your priorities and spend less money.

 

A priority is something you feel is important. Notice the following:

 

This is a top priority. Please do it now.

She has her priorities all wrong. She parties too much.

cut

 

I couldn’t cut food.

 

When you cut something from your life, you do stop doing it or do it much less than before. Notice the following:

 

I need to cut my bills in half.

Could you cut the internet from your life?

chain

 

It works in a chain.

 

A chain is a sequence of similar parts or actions. Notice the following:

 

The Andes is a chain of mountains in South America.

We have a supply chain that we need to survive.

burden

 

So it’s like a continuous burden.

 

A burden is a responsibility that causes hardship. Notice the following:

 

Parenthood is a small burden but a great joy.

He is burdened with a huge house payment.

It never ends

 

It never ends.

 

We use the phrase - it never ends - to express that something never stops eventhough we want it to. Notice the following:

 

I thought the movie would never end.

My brother is always asking me for money. It never ends.

 

1 priorities   

n.先( priority的名词复数 )；优先；优先权；优先考虑的事

参考例句：

• The document provided a revealing insight into the government's priorities. 这份文件使人看出政府的轻重缓急是怎样安排的。
• We must work together to fund only our most important priorities. 我们必须共同努力，只为最重要的项目提供资金。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

2 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

3 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

4 priority   

n.优先处理的事，居先，优先（权）

参考例句：

• The development of the national economy is a top priority.发展国民经济是应予以最优先考虑的事。
• Things should be taken up in order of priority.办事应有个先后次序。