Comprehension Ex.1 Are the following sentences true or false? Correct the false ones.

1. William Johnstone knew how to buy things over the Internet.

2. The person who was selling the aeroplane sent it to William’s home.

3. Bill Davies thought he was going to win a lot of money.

4. Many other people had chosen the same winning numbers as Davies.

5. Ridley Toowomba spent all of his money in two months.

6. Toowomba is sad because he is not rich now.

7. Mr and Mrs Brown lost £18,000.

Discussion Ex.1 Answer the following questions.

1. Do you know any ways in which governments, big companies or famous people waste money?

2. Are you a money-waster or a money-saver?

3. Do you need money to be happy?

4. Do you think about saving for your retirement?

5. Why are savings important for an economy?

6. Why is it necessary for people to save?

7. Do you think we live in a society obsessed with money?

8. Do you think credit cards are dangerous?

What a waste!

The Millennium Bug

Around the world, over $600 billion was spent on updating computer system to prepare for the new millennium. Everyone thought that the new date would cause computers to crash. No major problems were reported.

Man on the moon

It cost the US approximately $2.2 billion (which is around $40-50 billion in today’s money) to send a man to the moon.

Film

The most expensive film ever made was Titanic. It cost $200 million (£118.9 million).

Painting

The Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh was sold for $39.9 million (£22.7 million) at Christie’s, in London, in March 1987.

Cars

The Meitec Corporation of Japan paid $15 million for a 1931 Bugatti Type 41 ‘Royale’ Sports Coupe in 1990.

SETI

Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, donated $11.5 million to SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) for a new, powerful telescope to look for aliens. In the 1980s the US government spent around $2 million a year to fund SETI.

Advertising

Actress Nicole Kidman was paid 43.71 million (£2 million) for a 4-minute Chanel No. 5 advertisement in 2004.

Phone number

The phone number 8888 8888 was bought by Sichuan Airlines Co. Ltd (China) for $280,723 (£177,209). Why? The number eight is a lucky number in China.

Course

The Ivor Spencer International Finishing School for Young Ladies and Gentlemen, London. A one-month finishing course cost £77,500 ($126,000) in 1998.

Students stay at a top London hotel, and have lessons in how to appreciate ballet, opera, food, wine and style.

Restaurants

The biggest restaurant bill ever recorded in London cost £44,007 ($80,000) for six people. The diners, who were bankers at Barclays, drank Chateau Petrus wine, which costs up to £12,300 ($22,000) a bottle.

Notes

to crash	рушиться, разбиться
major	главный, основной
approximately	приблизительно
co-founder	соучредитель
Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence	поиск внеземных цивилизаций
alien	инопланетянин
to appreciate	ценить, оценивать
bill	счет

Comprehension

Ex.1 What do these figures refer to?

1. $39.9 million

2. $3.71 million

3. $15 million

4. $2.2 billion

Discussion

Ex.1 Work in groups.

Group A: Choose three facts from the text. Explain why you think these are a terrible waste of money. How do you think this money should be spent? Explain your choice.

Group B: Choose three facts from the text. Think of reasons why it is /was a good idea to spend this money. Explain your choice.

Ex.2 Read these quotes about money. Do you agree with them? Comment on them.

‘Money never made a man happy’

‘Happiness comes from spiritual wealth, not material wealth’

‘Time is money’

Men motivated by co-worker salaries

New research shows that men are not just motivated by money, but also by how much more or less they earn than their colleagues. Traditional thinking was that men were only interested in the size of their pay packets. New findings from a study at the University of Bonn reveal that men are also concerned about how much their peers are getting. The research is published in this month’s edition of the journal Science. Researchers put 38 male volunteers under the microscope. The men had to perform simple tasks so that scientists could analyse the activity in the 'reward centre' in their brain. They played a game in which they received payments depending on how well they did. They were also told how much money the other men were getting. The researchers discovered a lot more brain activity with the men who knew they were beating their rivals.

Lead scientist Dr Bernd Weber said he now wants to conduct a similar study on women. He wants to gauge whether they too are motivated by their peers’ earnings and not just individual success. It is not yet clear how the new findings will affect the workplace. There is a possibility that worker productivity could increase with the introduction of a system that created competition. Sales staff has long been in competition with each other to win bonuses. Human resource officers may now look at this research to find ways of bringing a sense of competitiveness to offices and perhaps schools. However, this may have a negative impact in the workplace if rivals turn sour with jealousy. One company CEO, Jackie Baxter said: 'It’s a balancing act between keeping harmony in the office and encouraging workers to be more efficient.'

Notes

to reveal	показывать, обнаруживать, выявлять
peer	коллега
to reward	вознаграждать, награждать
rival	соперник, конкурент
to gauge	измерять, оценивать
competition	соревнование, конкурс
staff	сотрудники
rivalry	соперничество, конкуренция
to turn sour	состроить «кислую мину», недовольное лицо
jealousy	ревность
to encourage	ободрять, воодушевлять