We asked three students: What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought? This is what they said…
Mark: I bought a laptop a few months ago. I can’t remember the exact price, but it was pretty expensive. I could afford it because I’d earned some money – last summer, I worked as a shop assistant. I already had a laptop, but it was quite old. I’ve given that laptop to my little sister. She’s eight, and she uses it for playing games.
My new laptop is really useful. I write a blog about student life, and I often use the new laptop to upload photos. My little sister isn’t allowed to touch it!
Julia: I’ve never bought anything very expensive. I’ve got a nice smartphone, but I didn’t buy it myself – my parents gave it to me for my birthday. I don’t know how much they paid, but it’s an expensive brand, so I’m sure it wasn’t cheap!
I love my smartphone. I use it all the time, and I get a lot out of it. We can’t use phones in class, of course – but when we have a break, the first thing I do is check my phone! According to my grandpa, they didn’t use to have mobile phones when he was young. How did people stay in touch?!
Stevie: I hate spending money! Sometimes I get money for my birthday, but I don’t usually spend it – I prefer to save it for the future. If I really need something, I like to take my time and look online for bargains. I’m not really interested in luxury brands.
The last thing I bought was a games console. I got it at a local store. It was brand new, but it was damaged, so the shop assistant agreed to reduce the price by 50%!
7 Read the article. Choose the correct words.
(10 marks)
1 Mark / Mark’s parents bought a new laptop recently.
2 Last summer, Mark earned some money by writing a blog / working in a shop.
3 Mark’s sister mustn’t use Mark’s old / new laptop.
4 Julia / Julia’s parents bought a smartphone recently.
5 The phone was probably quite cheap / expensive.
6 Julia always checks her phone / gets in touch
7 Julia’s grandpa loved his mobile phone / didn’t have a mobile phone when he was young.
8 Stevie avoids spending / saving money.
9 Stevie bought his games console online / in a shop.
10 The games console was quite cheap because it was damaged / old.
Communication
8 Complete the words. (5 marks)