Advanced English Conversations (2) - Robert Allans, Matt Edie, A. Mustafaoglu 2020

Set 73 - Take the sting out of our adversities

Jim: I do have difficulty managing the money. I feel I’m always running short of it. In fact, the thought of it is a pain in the neck. Do you consider yourself good with money?

Edward: Well; on the whole I do actually. I never go overdrawn, I pay off my credit card . I never run out of cash. I think I’m well-organized, money-wise.

Jim; Lucky you! I wonder why some people link their happiness with money? I mean what difference does it make if you have tons of money and you’re sick. If you win the lottery today, how long can that glow last? A month?

Edward: I guess so far none could have unraveled the mystery of happiness. Obviously it doesn’t make any sense to be truly happy if you live in poverty. But suppose your car breaks down, and you don’t have enough money to fix it, that’s stressful. So having a dependable and disposable amount of money helps take the sting out of our adversities.

Jim: I suppose!

Vocabulary

have difficulty (doing): unable to do something as a result of lack of knowledge or ability.

run short of: to have too little of something.

pain in the neck:

go overdrawn: to spend more money than you have in your account, and so you are in debt to the bank.

money-wise: concerning money.

glow: (noun) the state of happiness, positivity and attractiveness.

unravel the mystery: to resolve the intricacy, complexity, or obscurity of; to clear up.

dependable: (adjective) trustworthy and reliable.

disposable: (adjective) (chiefly of financial assets) readily available for the owner's use as required.

take the sting out of: to makes a bad situation less unpleasant.

Exercise;

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate phrases or words;

1. Ted was a sturdy and .......... full-back who could be relied upon to play on either flank.

2. It’ll be easier money-.......... if you save a good portion of your income.

3. A young mother has flown to Iceland to .......... the mystery of her husband's disappearance.

4. She felt a warm .......... of satisfaction after winning the race.

5. In view of the high local .......... income, the potential for an evening dining-out market is clearly high.

6. The new policy of shorter working hours will serve to take the .......... out of the pay cut.

7. You'll pay some hefty bank charges if you go .......... without permission.

8. Jim is an eccentric and abnormal person. It's a pain in the .......... sharing a room with him.

9. The city was under siege and began to run .......... of food.

10. If you have .......... sleeping at night, avoid taking catnaps during the day.

1. dependable 2. wise 3. unravel 4. glow 5. disposable 6. sting 7. overdrawn 8. neck 9. short 10. difficulty