b1 · finance

B1 Finance Part 10: Finance

Lesson 90 of 10 in this unit.

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📖 Reading Passage

Native audio

In a small library room every Thursday, volunteers fix broken things for free. Retired electricians mend lamps, students patch laptop screens, and a tailor sews torn jackets. Visitors bring kettles, toys, and bicycles, then watch and learn while the repair happens. The founder, a former engineer, says the goal is to fight waste: half of discarded appliances need only a fuse or a loose wire. Last year the café saved over two tonnes of rubbish. Regulars say the best part is not the free repair but the coffee, conversation, and the skill they take home. The volunteers keep a ledger of every repair. It records the object, the fault, and the fix, so newcomers can look up a similar problem before opening a kettle. Many faults turn out to be the same handful of causes: a blown fuse, a worn cable, a blocked filter, a loose screw. Visitors who watch a repair once often return with tools and a plan to try the next one themselves. Schools now send design students to learn how products are built and why they fail. The organisers insist the cafe is not an anti-technology protest. Machines, they say, are worth keeping, and a society that can mend its possessions wastes less money and fewer materials.

📘 Vocabulary

20 words from this lesson

announce
To give public notice of, especially for the first time; to make known.
“They discussed announce during the lesson.”
autumn
Traditionally the third of the four seasons, when deciduous trees lose their leaves, and temperatures and daylight hours decrease; typically regarded as spanning the months of September, October, and November in the Northern Hemisphere, and the months of March, April and May in the Southern Hemisphere.
“They discussed autumn during the lesson.”
backed
Put on one's back; killed; rendered dead.
“They discussed backed during the lesson.”
barry
A field divided transversely into several equal parts, and consisting of two different tinctures interchangeably disposed.
“They discussed barry during the lesson.”
bold
; daring.
“They discussed bold during the lesson.”
breathe
To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
“They discussed breathe during the lesson.”
choosing
That chooses.
“They discussed choosing during the lesson.”
classical
Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art.
“They discussed classical during the lesson.”
classified
Sorted into classes or categories.
“They discussed classified during the lesson.”
clip
To grip tightly.
“They discussed clip during the lesson.”
conspiracy
An agreement or arrangement between multiple parties to do something harmful, immoral or subversive; an instance of collusion.
“They discussed conspiracy during the lesson.”
controversy
A debate or discussion of opposing opinions; strife.
“They discussed controversy during the lesson.”
convince
To make someone believe, or feel sure about something, especially by using logic, argument or evidence.
“They discussed convince during the lesson.”
cooper
A craftsman who makes and repairs barrels and similar wooden vessels such as casks, buckets and tubs.
“They discussed cooper during the lesson.”
adopt
To take (a child, heir, friend, citizen, etc.) by choice into a relationship.
“He tied the world record for the hundred-meter breast-stroke.”
eh
To use the interjection eh.
“I left behind something today.”
encounter
To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly.
“They discussed encounter during the lesson.”
equality
The fact of being equal.
“They discussed equality during the lesson.”
examination
The act of examining.
“They discussed examination during the lesson.”
federation
An act of joining together into a single .
“They discussed federation during the lesson.”

📐 Grammar Notes

This lesson practices clear paragraph structure: one main idea per paragraph, stated first, supported with two concrete details, and closed with a linking sentence. Prefer active verbs and precise nouns. Connect ideas with however for contrast, furthermore for addition, and therefore for consequence. Keep sentences under twenty-five words so each claim stays traceable to its evidence. Practice by labeling each sentence in the reading: underline the main verb, circle the time marker, and check that every they and it points to a named noun. Rewrite any three sentences in your own words while keeping tense and meaning intact. Theme: finance. Reading: The Repair Café.

Practice Exercises

Work through each exercise to complete this lesson.

1

I hope you b___aved well at school today.

2

What does 'announce' mean?

3

What does 'autumn' mean?

4

What does 'backed' mean?

5

What does 'barry' mean?

6

What does 'bold' mean?

7

What does 'breathe' mean?

8

What does 'choosing' mean?

9

Write a sentence using 'announce'.

10

Summarize the passage in two sentences.

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B1 Finance Part 9: Finance