World In Brief · Listening Comprehension
Listening Exercises
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🎯 Instructions:

  1. Listen to the audio track(s) below.
  2. Complete the interactive exercises on this page.

🎧 Junior Listening

"Living with debt"

7 min · british · standard

🎯 Gist Check Listen and choose the best answer.

1. What is the main topic of the audio?

2. According to the audio, how did many people in Woldham feel about debt?

3. What does 'making ends meet' mean?

✍️ Fill the Gap Listen again and fill in the missing word.

1. Debt refers to money a person has borrowed to buy something and which they have to back, usually to a bank, a credit card company, or another person.

2. For many people in Woldham, Jason included, debt was an feature of daily life.

3. To make ends meet means having just enough money to pay for basic living like food, bills and rent.

4. Jason was living on the never-never, an informal phrase for buying the things you need by making regular small over a long time.

5. Jason experienced financial emotional stress caused by a lack of money to meet his basic needs or to repay his debt.

📖 New Words Learn these words from the audio.
  • debt — money that a person has borrowed and must pay back (债务)
  • making ends meet — having just enough money to pay for basic needs like food and rent (收支相抵，勉强维持生计)
  • in arrears — owing money that should have been paid already (拖欠，逾期未付)
  • financial strain — emotional stress caused by not having enough money (财务压力，经济紧张)