UNIT 6: MONEY

READING 1: AN INSPIRATION STORY

Activity 1: Discussion
Do you know this man? What is special about him?
Yes, I do. He is Nick Vujicic - an Australian preacher and motivational speaker. Nicholas James
Vujicic was born on 4th December 1982 with Tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder
characterized by the absence of all four limbs. As a child, he struggled mentally and emotionally,
as well as physically, but eventually came to terms with his disability and, at the age of
seventeen, started his own non-profit organization, Life Without Limbs. Because Vujicic does
not let his disability overtake his life, he has learned how drive, beat a drum, write, pen an
autobiography, use the computer, play tennis, and even surf. Vujicic presents motivational
speeches worldwide, on life with a disability, hope, and finding meaning in life.

Activity 2: Useful Vocabulary

Word / Part
Phrase of
Definition and Example
Speec
h

involving a lot of excited movement or activity

Frenetic
Adj Ex: After weeks of frenetic activity, the job was finally finished.
/frəˈnet.ɪk/
điên cuồng

Impair to spoil something or make it weaker so that it is less effective

/ɪmˈpeər/ Verb Ex: A recurring knee injury may have impaired
 his chances of winning the tournament.
Làm suy yếu

Nhờ vào
thrive on st
Verb Ex: The great cities thrive on uncertainty and informality, although
/θraɪv/ /ɒn/ they may appear quite formal in their plans.

Noun an area of land used for a particular purpose or activity

Ground
Ex: The lake has become a dumping ground for toxic chemicals.
 /ɡraʊnd/
Khu đất

(of machines) very powerful
high-
Adj Ex: a high-powered motorbike
powered
(of people) very successful or having a very important job
/ˌhaɪˈpaʊəd/
Ex: a high-powered attorney

hurly-burly Noun noisy activity

 /ˈhɜː.li Ex: We got tired of the hurly-burly of city life, so we moved to
ˌbɜː.li/ the country.

Noun a request to the public for money, information, or help yêu cầu khẩn

khoản
Appeal a request made to a court of law or to someone
/əˈpiːl/ in authority to change a previous decision Sự kháng cáo
the quality in someone or something that makes him, her, or
it attractive or interesting Sự hấp dẫn

agreements to buy and sell particular shares, goods, etc. on
Futures a particular date in the future at a fixed price. Futures can
Noun
be traded on financial markets Hợp đồng về hàng hóa bán gia sau
 /ˈfjuːtʃəz/
Ex: Oil futures topped $88 a barrel for the first time.

likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly, especially by
Volatility getting worse Không ổn định
 Adj
/ˈvɒl.ə.taɪl/ Ex: Food and fuel prices are very volatile in a war situation.
 

Activity 3:
Find idiomatic expressions in the article heading which mean:
1. Someone who does a lot of complicated business transactions wheeler-dealer
2. A young person who is very skilled or successful at something whizz-kid

Activity 4:
Read the following article:

Kieran Prior: Goldman Sachs’s whizz-kid

wheeler dealer
From the Sunday Times
Working on the noisy, frenetic trading desk at Goldman Sachs's London offices on Fleet Street
earlier this decade, Kieran Prior and John Yeatts, two bright and ambitions twenty somethings
from very different worlds, became close friends.

Although Prior, then 23, was just a year older than Yeatts when they met, he enjoyed giving
practical advice, teasing the American about his Saturday-night dates. Yeatts returned the favour.
When traders ordered lunch delivered to their desks,Yeatts cut up Prior's food and fed him one
small bite at a time. Prior was born with a rare condition that affects his movement and impairs
his speech. He cannot get out of his wheelchair unaided, and has never been able to walk.

Yet despite these physical limitations, Prior is thriving on Goldman's trading desk - possibly the
most demanding and competitive testing ground in finance - winning the admiration of
colleagues while gaining experience, confidence and responsibility.

It's not easy managing investments of any size for the high-powered trading machine that
supplies much of the earnings of Wall Street’s most profitable firm. It is extraordinary that Prior
is able to do so with such physical limitations.

Gary Williams, the former head of European equity trading, who hired Prior nearly eight years
ago, has enormous respect for his determination. ‘He is an exceptionally smart, perceptive guy
who has purposefully risen to - and overcome - so many challenges.’ said Williams. ‘The noise
and hurly-burly of the trading floor make trading more difficult for someone in Kieran's position,
but the challenge actually appeals to him.’
Intellectually, Prior, now 29, has few limits. Since joining Goldman as a financial analyst in the
equity division in 2000, Prior - whose IQ score of 238 puts him in the top 1% of the world's
population - has risen from performing basic research analysis and trading Euro Stoxx futures
to running a $50m (£25m) group of European equities and derivatives.

Prior joined Goldman just four days after he graduated from university. Early on, he caught the
attention of John Thornton, Goldman’s then- president, as Thornton was walking across the
trading floor. Thornton stopped for a brief chat - and was amazed.

‘I couldn’t help but be impressed,’ said Thornton. ‘First of all, Kieran’s sheer, raw talent is
impressive, and when you add to that the determination he shows getting through the day in a
place like Goldman Sachs, which is so demanding, it is just breathtaking.’

Prior is free to invest in almost any business sector, but recently narrowed his focus to just 20
companies because of the extreme volatility in the markets. ‘I joined Goldman in a bear market;
he said, ‘but these markets are the most difficult I‘ve ever seen, so I'm just using this period of
volatility to learn as much as I can.’
Activity 5:
Complete the profile

Name Kieran Prior

Age 29

Job Financial Analyst

Duties Running a group of European equities and derivatives

Company Goldman Sachs

Work location London

IQ 238

Personality/ Strengths Determined, smart, perceptive, likes challenges

Current area of
Focusing on 20 companies
specialization

Activity 6:
What is your reaction to Kieran’s story?
His brilliance and vigor impress me. He was unfortunate to be born with a disability, yet he
never gave up hope and never stopped striving. He performed better than the average person.

Activity 7:
Find words in bold in the text that mean the following.
1. a financial market in which prices are falling bear market
2. people who deal in shares and bonds traders
3. someone who carefully examines the financial state of a company financial analyst
4. sudden and quick change volatility
5. the area of a financial market where a particular company does business trading desk
6. the capital that a company has from shares rather than from loans equities
7. the careful examination of the performance of companies and stocks research analysis
8. the part of the economy made up by companies business sector
9. the profit that a company makes in a particular period of time earnings
10. things such as options or futures based on underlying assets such as shares, bonds and
currencies derivatives

Activity 8: Read and decide whether the following statements are true (T), false (F) or not
given (NG).
1. Kieran Prior and John Yeatts are both from London. T
2. Although Prior was physically challenged, he won the admiration of his colleagues and boss
by his talent. T
3. According to Gary Williams, Prior is a man who loves the challenge of the trading floor. T
4. Prior can only work in some fields of business despite his gift. NG
5. Prior is well-known for his IQ score. T
6. Prior said that he got a lot of experience from the bear markets. F

Activity 9: Comprehension Questions

1. How old are Kieran Prior and John Yeatts?
Kieran Prior is 23 and John Yeatts 22 years old
2. What is Goldman’s trading desk like?
It’s noisy and frenetic.
3. Why does Goldman’s trading desk attract him?
Because the noise and hurly-burly of the trading floor make trading more difficult for someone
in Kieran's position and the challenge actually appeals to him.
4. In what field of the market can he work?
He can work in almost any business sector.
5. What did Mr. Thorn think of him when they first met?
He was amazed and he said ‘I couldn’t help but be impressed. First of all, Kieran’s sheer, raw
talent is impressive, and when you add to that the determination he shows getting through the
day in a place like Goldman Sachs, which is so demanding, it is just breathtaking.’
6. Why did he narrow his scope of specialisation?
Because these markets were the most difficult he had ever seen and he was just using this period
of volatility to learn as much as he could.
Activity 10: Pronoun Reference
What does the underlined pronoun refer to?
1. Prior was born with a rare condition that affects his movement…”
A rare condition.
2. “ but these markets are the most difficult I’ve ever seen…”
Bear market.
Activity 11: Word Form
Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the word.
1. ambition
Luke is ambitious and does not want to be a sales assistant in his life. In fact, he hopes to get a
promotion and become Assistant Manager very soon.
2. amazement
The Board of Directors was amazed at the candidate’s knowledge of South American cultures
3. analyze
The CEO gave a brief analysis of the present economic situation that influenced the company
performance.
4. limit
There was a limitation imposed on the volume of goods we were able to ship as the tax situation
was burdensome.
5. profit
When you are running a business at the end of the day, the main thing that matters is how much 
profit you were able to make.

Activity 12: Words in Phrases

Find words in the article to complete the following phrases and write them in the blanks.
Paragraph 1
1. Working on the noisy, frenetic trading desk
Paragraph 2
2. Prior was born with a rare condition
Paragraph 3
3. Prior is thriving on Goldman’s trading desk
Paragraph 4
4. It’s not easy managing investments of any sizes
Paragraph 5
5. Gary Williams has enormous respect for his determination

Activity 13: Focusing on Words

Fill in each blank in the paragraphs below with ONE suitable word. When you finish, turn
back to the article and check your answers.

Yet despite these physical limitations, Prior is thriving on Goldman's (1) trading desk possibly
the most demanding and competitive testing ground in finance - winning the admiration of
colleagues while (2) gaining experience, confidence and responsibility.

It's not easy managing investments of any size for the (3) high-powered trading machine that
supplies much of the earnings of Wall Street's most profitable firm. It is extraordinary that Prior
is able to do so with such physical (4) limitations

Gary Williams, the former head of European (5) equity trading, who hired Prior nearly eight
years ago, has enormous respect for his determination .'He is an exceptionally smart, perceptive
guy who has purposefully risen to - and overcome - so many challenges.' said Williams. 'The
noise and (6) hurly-burly of the trading floor make trading more difficult for someone in Kieran's
position, but the challenge actually (7) appeals to him.'

Intellectually, Prior, now 29, has few limits. Since joining Goldman as a financial analyst in the
equity (8) division in 2000, Prior - whose IQ score of 238 puts him in the top I % of the world's
population - has risen from performing basic research analysis and trading Euro Stoxx (9)
futures to running a $50m (£25m) group of European equities and (10) derivatives.
Activity 14: Discussion
Talk about a person who has affected your life. List his/her characteristics that you like.
One person who has influenced my life is my brother. When he was in school, his grades were
always low and even nearly dropped out of college. But when he went to work, with his
intelligence and acumen, he applied to a good company and increasingly advanced in his career.
He also often teaches me many new things that help me expand my knowledge. I really
appreciate his progress and also try to train to become better.