Advanced Audio script Unit 3

UNIT 3 RECORDING 1

The answer, strangely, is priceless. The idea is that it’s so valuable that you cannot put a price

on it. Pricey means ‘rather expensive for what it’s really worth’ and worthless means ‘it’s worth

nothing’. Worthwhile is not related to money – it means ‘worth spending your time on’.

Tight – or tight-fisted – penny-pinching and stingy are colloquial phrases used to describe

someone who doesn’t like spending money. Flashy – or flash – means more or less the

opposite: it describes someone or something that is expensive but vulgar, in bad taste.

If you give someone in authority some money to do you a favour, this is called a bribe – and

is, of course, illegal! An advance is when you get given some of your salary money before

payday. It is also used in publishing – authors often receive advances before their books are

published. A deposit is money you pay to someone to reserve or set aside for you something

you want to buy, before you pay the final amount – for example, you might pay a deposit when

you book your holiday, then pay the final amount a few weeks before you go. A fee is the

money that you pay to any professional person for their services – to a doctor, lawyer, etc.

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 Advanced Audio script Unit 3
The words that describe someone who has little or no money are skint, broke and hard up. If

you are loaded, it means that you are rich or have a lot of money at the moment. All these

words are colloquial.

The correct order from most to least positive is: 1 make a large profit, 2 be in the black, 3

break even, 4 be in the red and 5 go bankrupt, which means that your business has to shut

down.

A waiter, hairdresser, taxi driver, etc. receives a tip from a satisfied customer. People who

have retired receive a pension, either from their company or from the government. Children

receive pocket money, usually from their parents. A kidnapper asks for or receives a ransom,

normally from the family of their victim, and an ex-spouse receives alimony or maintenance –

typically an ex-wife from her ex-husband.

High unemployment, a large government deficit, businesses going bust and government

spending cuts are normally associated with an economic recession. High share prices, high

property prices, high salaries, an increase in GDP – Gross Domestic Product – and economic

expansion are all associated with an economic boom.

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 Advanced Audio script Unit 3

UNIT 3 RECORDING 2

The story of Stella Liebeck is often quoted as a symbol of what has come to be known as

‘compensation culture’ in the USA today. Listen to the facts and make up your own mind.

One morning in February 1992, Stella Liebeck, a 79-year-old woman from Santa Fe, New

Mexico, drove 60 miles with her son, Jim, and her grandson, Chris, to Albuquerque airport in

order for Jim to catch an early flight. After she dropped Jim off, she and her grandson stopped

at a burger restaurant for breakfast. Her grandson, who was driving the car, parked so that

Stella could add cream and sugar to her coffee. She put the cup between her knees and tried

to pull the lid off. As she tugged at the lid, the cup tipped over and scalding coffee poured onto

her lap. She screamed and a horrified Chris rushed to help her.

Stella received burns over 16 percent of her body and was hospitalised for eight days. Her

daughter stayed home for three weeks to look after Stella following her release from hospital.

Treatment for her burns, including skin grafts, lasted for more than two years. Eventually, Mrs

Liebeck wrote to the burger company asking if they would consider selling their coffee at a

lower temperature and to refund her medical expenses – about $2,000 – plus the lost wages

of her daughter who stayed home to care for her. The company offered her just $800.

Only then did Stella consult a lawyer, who advised her to sue the company. The jury awarded

her $160,000 in actual damages and an extra $2.7 million in punitive damages against the fast

food restaurant in question. The sum was eventually reduced to $640,000, but not before

there was a huge outcry in the US media, and Stella Liebeck had unwillingly become a

national celebrity.

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 Advanced Audio script Unit 3

UNIT 3 RECORDING 3

Da = David, Be = Becky

Da: OK, so what’s your, what’s your take on this Stella Liebeck thing?

Be: Well, I think she was entitled to some compensation.

Da: What do you mean ‘some compensation’? What do you mean by ‘some

compensation’?

Be: Well, I mean, lets, let’s be blunt about this: she burned herself, she had to

undergo medical treatment, her family member had to take time off work ...

Da: What I find really interesting is when you just said that she burned herself. Now,

not once did she admit that it was her fault. You’ve just said she burned herself,

and that’s exactly what I think: she burned herself, so she shouldn’t get any

compensation from them.

Be: Yeah, but David, the coffee was absolutely ridiculously hot. It’s one thing for a

company to serve hot coffee, but it was 180 to 190 degrees.

Da: Companies would not serve coffee that hot if the public didn’t demand in the

first place that they got really hot coffee. You do it the other way round, you’d

probably get people suing them for having cold coffee and their tooth fell out or,

I mean, you know, ridiculous!

Be: But the coffee that you have at home isn’t that hot and people say, ‘Oh, coffee’s

great!’ and that’s the temperature they want it – it’s 135 to 140. I mean, that’s a

significant difference ...

Da: You have to ask yourself ...

Be: ... in temperature ...

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 Advanced Audio script Unit 3

Da: You do have to ask yourself why they have it that kind of temperature. I mean,

presumably, they have it that kind of temperature because people want it that

kind of temperature.

Be: Well, OK. I think people want it hot, but I, you do have to realise as well that

there’ve been approximately 700 cases of people being burned by scalded –

scalding coffee, so ...

Da: Well, ...

Be: ... I mean, obviously, restaurants and, and take-out food places have got to

take this on board ...

Da: There ...

Be: ... they just can’t sell it that hot.

Da: There may well have been 700 cases of people being burned by scalding

coffee, but, but they didn’t all sue, did they? I mean, she’s the only one, the only

one who’s sued – as far as I know, anyway.

Be: No, she’s, she’s the most famous one because she got most money out of it.

Da: I’m sorry, I’m sorry, no way should she have give-, been given that money. No

way!

Be: Look, the fast food chain makes 1.3 million dollars a day selling coffee. They

could afford this.

Da: It is ridiculous, it is ridiculous to claim that just because a company makes a lot

of money and they can afford to pay people compensation, they good, they,

they, they should! It’s, the thing is, nowadays what happens is that we, we have

to blame someone and the person to blame is never yourself, never yourself;

it’s always somebody else’s fault; always!

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 Advanced Audio script Unit 3

UNIT 3 RECORDING 4

1 Only then did Stella consult a lawyer.

2 Not once did she admit that it was her fault.

3 No way should she have been given all that money.

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 Advanced Audio script Unit 3

UNIT 3 RECORDING 5

That’s it, I’ve had enough of Vijay! Not only does he never clean up, but he also expects me to

make him food when he’s hungry!

That’s easy – it was the day I graduated from university. Never before had I felt so proud. All

my family were there to cheer me on.

It’s funny how everything changes when you have children. I’ve always loved my parents, but

only now can I really appreciate what they did for me.

No way will I have finished my research degree by the end of the year. I’ve still got so much

data to analyse before I can do anything useful with it.

Under no circumstances should you go into that part of town on your own, especially at night.

It’s just too dangerous.

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 Advanced Audio script Unit 3

UNIT 3 RECORDING 6

1 Write down the name of something you own that is worth quite a lot.

2 Write down the name of something you own that is probably worthless.

3 Write down something difficult you have done that wasn’t worth the effort.

4 Write down the name of a job that you consider to be really worthwhile.

5 Write down the name of a tourist attraction in your area that is worth a visit.

6 Write down the name of a tourist attraction in your area that isn’t really worth seeing.

7 Write down approximately how much an hour’s worth of parking costs in your city centre.

8 Write down the name of a gadget you own that has proved its worth.

9 Write down the name of a celebrity you know who is worthy of the public attention they have

received.

10 Write down the name of something from your childhood that is worth keeping.

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