Money Matters(4)

お金のことをどう子どもに伝えるか、というとても役に立つ英会話でした！

＜気になったWords&Phrases>
・Dear me. ・・・おやおや、やれやれ
・win the lottery　・・・宝くじに当たる
・withdraw　・・・（預金を）引き出す
・teller　・・・銀行の窓口係の人
・obsessive　・・・こだわりが強い、執拗な、とりつかれている
・get someone's attention　・・・（人の）注目を集める
・peel off　・・・1枚ずつめくりとる
・utilities　・・・電気・ガス・水道の公共料金、または公共事業
・mortgage payment　・・・住宅ローンの支払い
　　ex. monthly mortgage payment（毎月の住宅ローン）
・envy　・・・　うらやむ
　　cf. I envy you が、I'm jealous of you より良い響き
・sibling ・・・きょうだい（性別・順番に関係なく使える）
・blissfully ignorant of～  ・・・～を何も知らずにのほほんとして
・tricky ・・・　微妙な、難しい、注意がいる
・church tithe ・・・教会への献金
　　cf. titheは、かつての「10分の１税」（収穫・収入の10分の1）のこと。宗派により、今でも収入の10分の１を教会に収める人もいる
・the better part of ～　・・・～の大半、大部分
　　ex. the better part of a lifetime/the day/the students/the work/the year ・・・


＜テキスト＞
M: Dear me. Had he won a lottery or something?
L: Not quite. Dad thought it was important that we know more about the value of money. So he withdrew his whole monthly salary in cash. In one-dollar bills. It took the teller at his bank the better part of 24 hours to organize that many ones.

U: Hmm. It sounds like your father is a bit・・・
L: Obsessive? Yes, that's definitely part of his character. Anyway, he sure got our attention. He started peeling off bills as he explained how much money went for food, utilities, the monthly mortgage payment, our church tithe, etc., etc. By the end, there wasn't a whole lot left over.

C: That must have had a big impact on you.
L: It sure did. It helped me gain a healthy respect for money --- and how hard my dad worked for it. And as I grew older, he taught me skills that helped me to make good financial decisions.

M: I envy you. My mother and father kept my siblings and me blissfully ignorant of our family's finances.
U: What do you think is the best way of explaining the growing gap between rich and poor to children?

C: That's a tricky one.