HEAAADERLOGORIGHT

GENERAL ENGLISH · C2 PROFICIENCY COURSE · PROFICIENCY (C2)

FINANCE AND
INVESTMENT

QrrkoD Scan to review worksheet

Expemo code:
1B8S-I7JB-ZMUU

1 Warm up

Discuss the following questions.

1. Is it morally questionable to invest money in companies that are not environmentally friendly?
2. Is it acceptable for companies to prioritise shareholder value over the welfare of employees?
3. What difficulties do you think the financial sector will face in the future?

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 1/11

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Тамара School's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PROFICIENCY (C2)

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

2 Language point: derivatives

Part A: Fill in the gaps in the table below. For some gaps, there is more than one possible answer.

verb noun adjectives

1
richness rich

2
soften soft

3
love love

4
strength strong

5
clear clear

6
safety safe

7
darken dark

8
laze laziness

Part B: Complete the sentences below with words from Part A.

1. is essential when discussing finances with clients to ensure they

fully understand their options.

2. To save money, some people their rooms to reduce their electricity

bills.

3. of money can lead to unethical behaviour and poor decision-making

in the financial world.

4. It’s important to your assets and invest wisely to ensure long-term

financial stability.

5. If you are and don’t work hard, you will probably run into financial
problems.

6. The art of investing involves finding ways to your portfolio while

mitigating risk.

7. If you your financial knowledge, you can make informed decisions

and achieve greater financial security.

8. In an effort to the impact of economic downturns, governments

may implement fiscal policies such as stimulus programs.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 2/11

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Тамара School's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PROFICIENCY (C2)

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

3 Reading and Use of English: part 3

Part 3 of the C2 Proficiency Exam involves word transformation. Look at the extract below about
investing in environmentally-friendly companies. Use the words in capitals to form a new word that
fits in the space in the same line.

Tips

• You are not allowed to use contractions or compound nouns, and you need to change
the given root word.
• It is important to read the entire text first to understand the context and the type of word
that will be needed.
• If a noun is required, determine whether the singular or plural form is needed.
• Think about possible prefixes and suffixes and how they would affect the word’s meaning.
• Don’t spend too much time on each answer. If you’re unsure, move on to the next one
and come back to it later. You won’t lose marks for wrong answers.
• If you have time, you can write down different possible derivatives for words you’re stuck
on, but keep in mind that in the exam, this exercise should take less than ten minutes.

Navigating the complex world of green investing

1
People who want to see (TURN) on their investments, while also
2
helping out the environment, are (SPOIL) for choice these days.
It’s been decades now since the first stocks in ‘green’ companies became available and funding and
3
capital (CONTRIBUTE) have played an important part in the
efforts to slow climate change.

4
However, there are certain (IMPEDE). While it’s nice to think of a
5
world where everyone makes the right choices (PURE) out of the
6
kindness of their hearts, the (REAL) isn’t as warm and fuzzy as you
might imagine. The truth is that investors need to see a return on their money in order to be
7
(INCENTIVE) to do so. Buying shares in green companies is a
8
noble idea and there are many ways to do it. (INVEST) first
however need to know what they hope to achieve and what company their values best align with.

Source: World News Era

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 3/11

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Тамара School's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PROFICIENCY (C2)

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

4 Focus on keywords

Match the vocabulary with the correct definition.

1. bang for (one’s) buck (idiom) a. the main thing or person needed to support something
or to make it work or happen
2. fulcrum (n) b. difficult or needing a lot of thought or effort

3. paramount (adj.) c. the way in which a doctor treats people who are ill,
especially showing kind, friendly, and understanding
behaviour
4. make ends meet (idiom) d. value for money

5. perk (n) e. a constant or persistent cause of annoyance,

frustration, or trouble
6. thorn in (one’s) side (idiom) f. more important than anything else

7. taxing (adj.) g. used to say that something is very difficult and

frustrating
8. bedside manner (n) h. something extra you get, in addition to a salary, in
exchange for working
9. like pulling teeth (idiom) i. have just enough money to pay for the things that you
need

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 4/11

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Тамара School's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PROFICIENCY (C2)

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

5 Listening: part 4

In this section, you will hear five short extracts in which five people who work in finance discuss their
jobs. While you listen, you must complete both tasks.

Tips

• Part 4 is the most challenging section of the listening exam, as it requires you to answer
two questions at the same time.
• You will listen to five speakers talking about five topics related to a common theme for
about 30 seconds, and you need to match each speaker with two options from two
groups of eight possibilities.
• Before the recording starts, you will have time to read the questions and prepare for
what you need to listen for. You should take notes of keywords and phrases and possible
synonyms.
• During the first listening, you should try to connect what each speaker says to the
keywords. This part of the exam is about listening for the overall meaning, but be aware
that speakers may overlap, and some options may be designed to distract you.
• The questions may cover various topics, including science, technology, culture, and
society, and you should be ready to listen to different accents and levels of formality.
• To excel in this section, you should practise your listening skills by listening to authentic
materials, such as podcasts, news reports, and interviews.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 5/11

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Тамара School's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PROFICIENCY (C2)

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

Task 1: Choose from the options (1-8) what each speaker says they find difficult about their job.

Task 2: Choose from the options (9-16) what each speaker says about an area of their work they find
rewarding.

1) Making sense of large volumes of data 9) Locating fair-trade companies

2) Letting go of financially-limited clients 10) Finding order in masses of information

3) Making an impact beyond finance 11) Communicating with clients

4) Setting realistic goals 12) Educating young people

5) People demanding diminishing returns 13) Offering innovative guidance

6) Assisting people who are struggling 14) Developing data projects

7) Shutting down emerging markets 15) Finding new areas for investment

8) Keeping up with changes 16) Helping clients get out of financial burdens

i. Speaker A: Task 1: ; Task 2:

ii. Speaker B: Task 1: ; Task 2:

iii. Speaker C:Task 1: ; Task 2:

iv. Speaker D: Task 1: ; Task 2:

v. Speaker E: Task 1: ; Task 2:

6 Focus on vocabulary: business idioms

Part A: The previous section focused on listening. Now you will look at a variety of different idioms
related to finance. Match the following idioms with the correct definition

Group 1:

1. a whip-round a. Offer a bribe or an incentive.

2. grease sb’s palm b. Spend all your money

3. fool’s gold c. An impromptu collection of money from a group, often for an

informal purpose like a birthday gift.
4. break the bank d. Give an opinion or advice that usually is deemed unwelcome
or excessive.
5. give your two cents e. Something that seems more promising than it really is.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 6/11

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Тамара School's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PROFICIENCY (C2)

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

Group 2:

1. feel the pinch a. A situation where a lot of money can be made with minimal
effort
2. on the gravy train b. Someone born into a life of privilege or who has a great
amount of inherited wealth
3. money for old rope c. Gaining money for almost nothing; being rewarded for very
little effort
4. nest egg d. A large amount of money saved for the future

5. born with a silver spoon e. Be under financial hardship

in your mouth

Part B: Complete the sentences using the idioms from Part A. You may need to change the form of
the words.

Group 1:

1. The company’s ambitious expansion plans could if they don’t secure

enough funding.

2. Bitcoin turned out to be , as it promised big returns to people but

actually resulted in massive losses.

3. The politician of all the bureaucrats in the ministry so that he could

have his way.

4. Some people have a habit of on every topic, no matter how insensitive

it might be.

5. The team leader organised to get a farewell present for the outgoing
boss.

Group 2:

1. If you want to build a solid , you need to invest long-term in mutual

funds and fixed deposits.

2. Many rich kids who go into certain high-earning sectors are .

3. Since landing that high-paying job she’s been .

4. It’s – they are paying me just to stay in their house and watch the
cat.

5. Lots of people after the 2008 crash.

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 7/11

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Тамара School's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PROFICIENCY (C2)

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

7 Reading and Use of English: part 4

This section is designed to replicate part 4 of the Reading and Use of English exam. Complete the
second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence using the word in bold, which
cannot be altered. You must use between three and eight words, including the word in bold.

If Tony hadn’t interfered, there would have been no problems at the bank. SMOOTHLY
1
Without Tony’s at the bank.

He didn’t want to get into a position where he might lose all his money. POSSIBILITY
2
He didn’t want to expose all his money.

The bank received an enormous number of calls responding to its credit card promotion. DELUGED
3
The response to its credit card promotion.

Her work didn’t meet the standards that were considered acceptable. CONFORM
4
Her work standards.

His behaviour at the conference gave him the bad reputation he now has. CONDUCTED
5
The way resulted in the bad reputation he now has.

If you hadn’t changed our original agreement, everything would have been fine. STUCK
6
Had agreed, everything would have been fine.

8 Scanning for vocabulary

This section features an article about using cryptocurrency to teach children about finance (page
nine). Find expressions or phrases which mean the same as the following.

1. (adj., para. 2): being an extremely important and basic characteristic of a

person or thing
2. (adj., para. 2): omnipresent; felt everywhere

3. (n, para. 2): great fear or apprehension

4. (n, para. 2): a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc.

5. (v, para. 3): give support, strength, or a basic structure to something

6. (n, para. 5): the existing state of affairs, especially regarding social or political
issues
7. (phr. v, para. 6): immediately like someone or something

8. (adj., para. 7): extremely large

9. (n, para. 8): the action or process of integrating a new employee into an
organisation or familiarising a new customer with one’s products or services

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 8/11

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Тамара School's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PROFICIENCY (C2)

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

Cryptocurrency is the key to financial responsibility

The importance of digital ownership and financial literacy in a decentralised world

1. When done right, crypto can be used to show children how to be responsible with their money while helping
them discover the value of hard work. Cryptocurrencies are often dismissed as vehicles for speculation; an asset
class that lacks intrinsic value. But this is a naive and misinformed argument, especially when you consider how
digital commodities are already being used in some places as a modern tool for financial education - Jay-Z and
Jack Dorsey recently teamed up to launch "The Bitcoin Academy", with classes for children aged 5 to 17.

2. However, many educators are just getting to grips with implementing Web2 technology into their day-to-day
classes, let alone digital assets. Dread and confusion are huge barriers, and the pervading perception of crypto
as gambling or a high-risk investment will take time to eradicate. Concerns about safety also mean schools are
unlikely to devote curriculum time to it. Current education models are not suitably preparing children for the world
they are entering. Eight and nine-year-olds don’t need to understand what a blockchain is or master the nuances
between Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake. However, practical lessons that focus on the concepts they already
understand, building up the principles they need to navigate the 21st-century economy are lacking.

3. Anyone who has children of this age already understands that pocket money now is on a bank card. Cash just
doesn’t cut it. Children are using their online money to buy both digital and real-life assets. This spending occurs in
worlds where children live outside the classroom - just look at games like Roblox. And even though the migration to
metaverse-like experiences has already happened for the newest generation of kids, education on how to manage
the financial tools, safety mechanisms, and digital identity that underpin all of this is almost non-existent.

4. There are no structured educational models on digital ownership or transferring of digital assets, even though
many children own digital assets and are making revenue already. Currently, inside classrooms, one of the most
popular platforms is Class Dojo, a virtual reward system used by 50 million students around the world. Children
are used to being rewarded virtually and are already living hybrid online/offline lives.

5. There are efforts being made to change the status quo. Blockchain-based initiatives are allowing courses created
by teachers to be co-published in NFT form. Revenues can then be used to create even more resources. Child-
safe crypto wallets are also being launched that parents can actively monitor, allowing youngsters to navigate the
sector safely, yet independently. The value of real-life situations being replicated in the classroom is paramount.

6. The concept of digital ownership is vital for the oncoming world of decentralised economies, especially as future
generations will be more likely to manage their wealth instead of giving this control to banks. They have the right
to know how to be smart with their money early. And, if the concept of blockchain clicks with them at an early
age, they’ll have the time and the opportunity to prepare themselves for a prosperous career.

7. You may be wondering why cryptocurrencies are needed for all of this. You might want to argue that schools
already have financial education boxed off. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Just look at this research
from the United Kingdom. On average, young people owe £2,000 ($2,171) across credit cards and overdrafts.
Why? Because a whopping 89% say that they didn’t know how to use them responsibly. This is a damning
indictment of the educational system in its current form, it’s a picture that’s replicated in many countries.

8. A lack of financial literacy can have an impact on mental health. And understanding how investments work, as
well as how to grow savings, are skills that every single person on the planet deserves. Cryptocurrencies have
helped democratise and demystify the world of wealth, with onboarding across minority sectors at an all-time
high, but the message needs to get through to billions of people so we can work together towards a financially
literate world.

Sources: Coin Telegraph, World Bank

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 9/11

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Тамара School's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PROFICIENCY (C2)

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

9 Reading and Use of English: part 5

Read the extract about using cryptocurrencies to teach children about finance again in more detail
(page nine). Choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

1. Why are some people dismissive of cryptocurrency?

a. They believe it is overrated.

b. They see it as a fad.

c. They are unsure about its origin.

d. They feel it lacks an inherent worth.

2. Which of the following is not a barrier to schools using cryptocurrency to teach children about
finance?
a. fear of the unknown

b. alack of understanding

c. regulations promoting traditional methods

d. worries about safety

3. What is the purpose of blockchain-based educational initiatives?

a. To dissuade children from crypto-trading.

b. To teach students to be fiscally astute.

c. To provide child-safe crypto wallets.

d. To create digital assets for students to sell.

4. What does the author believe is the future of finance?

a. Hedge funds will become increasingly diversified.

b. Portfolios will become more homogenous.

c. Financial analysts will have more power.

d. Future generations will be more autonomous.

5. What can be inferred about young people in regard to finance?

a. They have a limited understanding of it.

b. They are concerned about its impact on their mental health.

c. They have a burning desire to have classes about it.

d. They bemoan the decentralisation process currently underway.

FOOOOTERLEFT Learn without forgetting! 10/11

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Тамара School's lessons.
 HEAAADERLOGORIGHT
PROFICIENCY (C2)

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

10 Optional extension/homework: debate

Below are some quotes about finance. Half of the class should argue in favour of what is stated and
the other half of the class should argue against it.

If you are reading this as an individual student, you can still benefit from the finance-related quotes
by reading them and reflecting on your own thoughts and opinions about them. You can also try to
come up with arguments both in favour of and against each quote and practice presenting them to
improve your speaking and critical thinking skills.

• "Students should be taught financial literacy in schools."

• "Governments should regulate cryptocurrency."
• "Banks charging high fees and interest rates on loans is unethical."
• "People should be responsible for their own retirement savings, not the government."
• "Wealthy individuals using tax loopholes to reduce their tax should not be allowed."
• "There should be a cap on executive pay in corporations."
• "Banks should be held accountable for the 2008 financial crisis instead of bailed out."
• "It isn’t worth taking on debt to pursue higher education."

FOOOOTERRIGHT Learn without forgetting! 11/11

Scan the QR at the top of Page 1 to review the lesson flashcards with Expemo.
© Linguahouse.com. Photocopiable and licensed for use in Тамара School's lessons.