一項報告稱在英國，大約有兩百萬對夫妻相互隱瞞個人的經濟狀況。另有44%的已婚人士不知道自己配偶的收入是多少。《隨身英語》和大家一起探討感情與金錢之間的關系。

課文內容

詞匯: Money 金錢

Do you usually go dutch when you take someone out to dinner? Do you expect your date to pay for the whole meal?

Many people say that as long as there's love, money doesn't matter much. But this might change when the relationship gets serious and it can involve mortgages, joint current accounts and debt.

A survey in the UK suggested that 44% of married couples don't know exactly what their spouse earns. The research, conducted by a UK credit report service also found that an astonishing 1.9 million married couples actively try to keep their finances secret from their partners.

British relationship therapist Arabella Russell says: "It’s very difficult to talk about money. Often there’s guilt, there’s shame. To start those conversations is complicated. Money can be about how we value ourselves, how we feel valued. It’s not just a simple case of talking about hard cash."

So if you are in a couple, it might be a good idea to check if you both are on the same page about money before bills pile up on the kitchen table and love flies out of the window. When moving in together, couples should not only talk about their personal habits but also about their financial ones.

Arabella Russell has a word of advice: "Accept the fact that in your relationship you might do money differently – there might be a spender there might be a saver. It’s very tempting if your partner does things differently to say they’re wrong. Do it differently but have a budget."

And now, back to that date… Would you be put off by someone who was attractive but expected you to pay the bill by yourself? There's food for thought…

詞匯表

to go dutch    AA制
date (noun)    約會對象
mortgage    房屋抵押貸款
joint current account    兩人共有的現金銀行賬戶
debt    債務
spouse    配偶
credit report service    信用報告服務
astonishing    令人吃驚的
relationship therapist    情感咨詢專家
hard cash    現金
to be on the same page    意見統一
bill    （煤氣水電服務等）賬單
spender    愛花錢的人
saver    省錢的人
budget    預算
put off    使反感
food for thought    引人思考的問題

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. How many people are very careful not to let their husband or wife know how much money they make?
2. True or false? Some people feel ashamed when they have to tell their partner they don't earn much money.
3. What should couples do before they decide to live in the same house?
4. According to relationship therapist Arabella Russell, what should people do – no matter if they are savers or spenders?
5.What does the author mean by the expression 'food for thought'?

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。從每個表格中選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. Let's get a bank loan to buy a house. That bank offers good deals for a __________.

joint current account     mortgage      debt         hard cash

2. I bought a leather jacket, a pair of jeans and a very expensive watch to go with my diamond ring. What can I do, I'm __________!

a big spender  a big saver      a spouse    Dutch 

3. John, a lawyer, is my __________ tonight. He is very attractive and we might end up getting married!

date       relationship therapist      saver   spouse  

4. Do you understand my explanation? Great! It's good to know we are __________.

food for thought     differently   on the same page     put off

5. I'm very careful with money. I don't want to get into __________.

hard cash     debt      shame      a budget

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. How many people are very careful not to let their husband or wife know how much money they make? According to a UK survey, 1.9 million married couples.

2. True or false? Some people feel ashamed when they have to tell their partner they don't earn much money.
True. British relationship therapist Arabella Russell says this is one of the reasons some couples avoid talking about money.

3. What should couples do before they decide to live in the same house?
They should discuss the way they deal with financial matters because one of them might be a saver and the other might be a spender.

4. According to relationship therapist Arabella Russell, what should people do – no matter if they are savers or spenders?
They should make a budget.

5.What does the author mean by the expression 'food for thought'?
He means the reader has a lot to think about when considering if they would start a relationship with someone who expects them to pay for everything.

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。從每個表格中選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。 

1. Let's get a bank loan to buy a house. That bank offers good deals for a mortgage.

2. I bought a leather jacket, a pair of jeans and a very expensive watch to go with my diamond ring. What can I do, I'm a big spender!

3. John, a lawyer, is my date tonight. He is very attractive and we might end up getting married!

4. Do you understand my explanation? Great! It's good to know we are on the same page.

5. I'm very careful with money. I don't want to get into debt.