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  • Unit 6: Money: Reading 1: An Inspiration Story Activity 1: Discussion

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    Kieran Prior is a trader at Goldman Sachs in London who was born with a rare condition that impairs his movement and speech, requiring him to use a wheelchair. Despite his physical limitations, he has risen through the ranks at Goldman Sachs to now run a $50 million portfolio, admired for his talent, determination, and intellect. He has an IQ of 238, putting him in the top 1% of the world's population. Though the trading floor environment presents challenges, Prior thrives on the demanding nature of the work.

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    Kieran Prior is a trader at Goldman Sachs in London who was born with a rare condition that impairs his movement and speech, requiring him to use a wheelchair. Despite his physical limitations, he has risen through the ranks at Goldman Sachs to now run a $50 million portfolio, admired for his talent, determination, and intellect. He has an IQ of 238, putting him in the top 1% of the world's population. Though the trading floor environment presents challenges, Prior thrives on the demanding nature of the work.

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    981 views8 pages

    Unit 6: Money: Reading 1: An Inspiration Story Activity 1: Discussion

    Uploaded by

    Trúc Đoàn
    Kieran Prior is a trader at Goldman Sachs in London who was born with a rare condition that impairs his movement and speech, requiring him to use a wheelchair. Despite his physical limitations, he has risen through the ranks at Goldman Sachs to now run a $50 million portfolio, admired for his talent, determination, and intellect. He has an IQ of 238, putting him in the top 1% of the world's population. Though the trading floor environment presents challenges, Prior thrives on the demanding nature of the work.

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    of 8

    UNIT 6: MONEY

    READING 1: AN INSPIRATION STORY


    Activity 1: Discussion
    Do you know this man? What is special about him?

    Activity 2: Useful Vocabulary

    Word / Part of
    Definition and Example
    Phrase Speech

    frenetic

    impair

    thrive on st

    ground
    high-
    powered

    hurly-burly

    appeal

    futures

    Volatility

    Activity 3:
    Find idiomatic expressions in the article heading which mean:
    1. Someone who does a lot of complicated business transactions
    2. A young person who is very skilled or successful at something

    Activity 4:
    Read the following article:

    Kieran Prior: Goldman Sachs’s whizz-kid


    wheeler dealer
    From the Sunday Times
    Working on the noisy, frenetic trading desk at Goldman Sachs's London offices on Fleet Street
    earlier this decade, Kieran Prior and John Yeatts, two bright and ambitions twenty somethings
    from very different worlds, became close friends.

    Although Prior, then 23, was just a year older than Yeatts when they met, he enjoyed giving
    practical advice, teasing the American about his Saturday-night dates. Yeatts returned the favour.
    When traders ordered lunch delivered to their desks,Yeatts cut up Prior's food and fed him one
    small bite at a time. Prior was born with a rare condition that affects his movement and impairs
    his speech. He cannot get out of his wheelchair unaided, and has never been able to walk.

    Yet despite these physical limitations, Prior is thriving on Goldman's trading desk - possibly the
    most demanding and competitive testing ground in finance - winning the admiration of
    colleagues while gaining experience, confidence and responsibility.

    It's not easy managing investments of any size for the high-powered trading machine that
    supplies much of the earnings of Wall Street’s most profitable firm. It is extraordinary that Prior
    is able to do so with such physical limitations.

    Gary Williams, the former head of European equity trading, who hired Prior nearly eight years
    ago, has enormous respect for his determination. ‘He is an exceptionally smart, perceptive guy
    who has purposefully risen to - and overcome - so many challenges.’ said Williams. ‘The noise
    and hurly-burly of the trading floor make trading more difficult for someone in Kieran's position,
    but the challenge actually appeals to him.’

    Intellectually, Prior, now 29, has few limits. Since joining Goldman as a financial analyst in the
    equity division in 2000, Prior - whose IQ score of 238 puts him in the top 1% of the world's
    population - has risen from performing basic research analysis and trading Euro Stoxx futures
    to running a $50m (£25m) group of European equities and derivatives.

    Prior joined Goldman just four days after he graduated from university. Early on, he caught the
    attention of John Thornton, Goldman’s then- president, as Thornton was walking across the
    trading floor. Thornton stopped for a brief chat - and was amazed.
    ‘I couldn’t help but be impressed,’ said Thornton. ‘First of all, Kieran’s sheer, raw talent is
    impressive, and when you add to that the determination he shows getting through the day in a
    place like Goldman Sachs, which is so demanding, it is just breathtaking.’

    Prior is free to invest in almost any business sector, but recently narrowed his focus to just 20
    companies because of the extreme volatility in the markets. ‘I joined Goldman in a bear market;
    he said, ‘but these markets are the most difficult I‘ve ever seen, so I'm just using this period of
    volatility to learn as much as I can.’
    Activity 5:
    Complete the profile

    Name Kieran Prior

    Age

    Job

    Duties

    Company

    Work location

    IQ

    Personality/ Strengths

    Current area of
    specialization

    Activity 6:
    What is your reaction to Kieran’s story?

    Activity 7:
    Find words in bold in the text that mean the following.
    1. a financial market in which prices are falling
    2. people who deal in shares and bonds
    3. someone who carefully examines the financial state of a company
    4. sudden and quick change
    5. the area of a financial market where a particular company does business
    6. the capital that a company has from shares rather than from loans
    7. the careful examination of the performance of companies and stocks
    8. the part of the economy made up by companies
    9. the profit that a company makes in a particular period of time
    10. things such as options or futures based on underlying assets such as shares, bonds and
    currencies

    Activity 8: Read and decide whether the following statements are true (T), false (F) or not
    given (NG).
    1. Kieran Prior and John Yeatts are both from London.
    2. Although Prior was physically challenged, he won the admiration of his colleagues and boss
    by his talent.
    3. According to Gary Williams, Prior is a man who loves the challenge of the trading floor.
    4. Prior can only work in some fields of business despite his gift.
    5. Prior is well-known for his IQ score.
    6. Prior said that he got a lot of experience from the bear markets.

    Activity 9: Comprehension Questions


    1. How old are Kieran Prior and John Yeatts?
    2. What is Goldman’s trading desk like?
    3. Why does Goldman’s trading desk attract him?
    4. In what field of the market can he work?
    5. What did Mr. Thorn think of him when they first met?
    6. Why did he narrow his scope of specialisation?

    Activity 10: Pronoun Reference


    What does the underlined pronoun refer to?
    1. Prior was born with a rare condition that affects his movement…”
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
    2. “ but these markets are the most difficult I’ve ever seen…”
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………………...

    Activity 11: Word Form


    Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the word.
    1. ambition
    Luke is ………….. and does not want to be a sales assistant in his life. In fact, he hopes to get a
    promotion and become Assistant Manager very soon.
    2. amazement
    The Board of Directors was ………….. at the candidate’s knowledge of South American
    cultures
    3. analyze
    The CEO gave a brief …………… of the present economic situation that influenced the
    company performance.
    4. limit
    There was a …………… imposed on the volume of goods we were able to ship as the tax
    situation was burdensome.
    5. profit
    When you are running a business at the end of the day, the main thing that matters is how much 
    …………… you were able to make.

    Activity 12: Words in Phrases


    Find words in the article to complete the following phrases and write them in the blanks.
    Paragraph 1
    1. Working ……….. the noisy, frenetic trading desk
    Paragraph 2
    2. Prior was born ………….. a rare condition
    Paragraph 3
    3. Prior is thriving …………. Goldman’s trading desk
    Paragraph 4
    4. It’s not easy managing investments ………… any sizes
    Paragraph 5
    5. Gary Williams has enormous respect …………… his determination

    Activity 13: Focusing on Words


    Fill in each blank in the paragraphs below with ONE suitable word. When you finish, turn
    back to the article and check your answers.

    Yet despite these physical limitations, Prior is thriving on Goldman's (1) …………… desk
    possibly the most demanding and competitive testing ground in finance - winning the admiration
    of colleagues while (2) …………… experience, confidence and responsibility.

    It's not easy managing investments of any size for the (3) …………… trading machine that
    supplies much of the earnings of Wall Street's most profitable firm. It is extraordinary that Prior
    is able to do so with such physical (4) ……………

    Gary Williams, the former head of European (5) …………… trading, who hired Prior nearly
    eight years ago, has enormous respect for his determination .'He is an exceptionally smart,
    perceptive guy who has purposefully risen to - and overcome - so many challenges.' said
    Williams. 'The noise and (6) …………… of the trading floor make trading more difficult for
    someone in Kieran's position, but the challenge actually (7) …………… to him.'

    Intellectually, Prior, now 29, has few limits. Since joining Goldman as a financial analyst in the
    equity (8) …………… in 2000, Prior - whose IQ score of 238 puts him in the top I % of the
    world's population - has risen from performing basic research analysis and trading Euro Stoxx
    (9) …………… to running a $50m (£25m) group of European equities and (10) …………….

    Activity 14: Discussion


    Talk about a person who has affected your life. List his/her characteristics that you like.

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