Passage 2 Listen to a short passage three times and fill in the blanks with the exact words you hear. In a perfect world, we would all avoid too much credit card debt and would never have to deal with the trouble of being unable to meet our credit card payment obligations. But this is not a perfect world, and unfortunately, these 1)________ situations are the norm for many people. If you find yourself in this position, or heading there, you should cut your spending now. don’t wait until your situation is so 2)____________ that you have few options available to you. Facing the factors that give you the 3) __________ to spend money carelessly can be uncomfortable, but if you don’t face them, how will you control your debt and 4)_________ the things you truly want? One negative aspect of using credit cards instead of cash is that you 5)__________________ the fact that you’re spending real money. The pleasant feelings you experience when you purchase the item 6)________________________ the unpleasant feelings of making the payment when you get the credit card statement. Studies 7)________________ that most people are much less likely to buy when paying with cash as opposed to credit cards. So, try leaving your credit cards at home, and pay with cash or check. To really control your spending and your credit card debt, you need to examine what money means to you. Make an effort to notice how you 8)_______________ money and what beliefs and attitudes you have about money. Studies also show that people with low self-esteem engage themselves in more 9)_____________ spending and buying thins they don’t need. Remind yourself daily that your worth as a person has nothing to do with how much money you have. Once you 10)___________________ this, you will break the psychological barriers that were keeping you from handling your money wisely.