Unit 4 The Journal
Lead-in
Identify the pictures below.Match them with the words in the box.
Section A
Dialogue 1
It is John’s first time to work in a company as an intern.His colleague, Mary, is teaching him how to record the transaction in a journal.
J=John M=Mary
J: Good morning, Mary.
M: Good morning, John.
J: Mary, this is my first job as an intern.I was wondering if you could tell me where I should start?
M: Sure.First, you need to learn to record the transaction in a journal.
J: To record the transaction in a journal? I have never written any transaction in my diary.
M: John, when I say journal, I mean the journal in accounting instead of your diary keeping your daily chores.
J: Then what do you mean “journal”?
M: The journal is the accounting record in which transactions are first recorded.And sometimes it is called the book of original entry.
J: Thank you.I got it.But could you please tell me more about the journal?
M: Certainly.To record a transaction in a journal in terms of debit and credit is referred to as making a journal entry or journalizing.
J: Thanks for your explanation, Mary.I am extremely happy to work with you.And I think I’d better start my work now.
M: Take it easy.You can make it.John.
New Words
Phrases and Expressions
debit and credit 借贷
record the transaction 记录经济业务
making a journal 记日记账
journal entry 日记账分录
Dialogue 2
After John came home from work, his classmate, Mia, called to ask how John felt about the job.
J=John M=Mia
J: This is John speaking.
M: John, this is Mia.I heard that you are working in the Alibaba.com as an intern.How’s your job?
J: It’s challenging but interesting.You know what? A journal is not a diary.
M: What?
J: Yeah, I was also shocked when my colleague told me what journal is.
M: Then, what is it? Tell me quickly, John.
J: A journal is used to record all accounting information about a transaction in one place.Besides date, account title, debit and credit are needed in a journal.The journal usually includes a brief explanation for the entry.
M: Wow, if so, the journal can help prevent an error in transaction.
J: You’re right.The transactions are recorded in the chronological order.Thus, it is easy to avoid mistakes.Besides, the journal is classified into general journal and special journal.
M: How do I know which journal I should choose?
J: It depends on the scale of business.A general journal may be enough for small business.But if transactions frequently occur, you should use special journal.
M: I see.It is really challenging.But I think you can make it, John.
J: Thanks for your encouragement.I will work harder.
New Words
Phrases and Expressions
special journal 特种日记账
general journal 普通日记账
Exercise 1
Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to the dialogues.
□ 1.A journal is like the diary which is used to record the daily chores.
□ 2.Mia is the intern in the Alibaba.com.
□ 3.There is no difference between the special journal and the general journal.
□ 4.The transactions recorded in the journal are out of order.
□ 5.Only debit and credit are needed in the journal.
Exercise 2
Oral practice.
Directions: Pair work.Use the questions below to interview your partner.Then change roles.
1.Can you tell me what journal is?
2.How many kinds of journal are there?
3.What should be included in the journal?
4.Why do we need journal in the transaction record?
5.Which is better, the general journal or the special journal?
Exercise 3
Practical activity: Work in pairs and make a conversation.
Suppose you are an intern working in a company and you are required to journalize the transaction for your manager, Kate Smith, in your first day at work.(https://www.daowen.com)
Section B
T he Journal
In practice, the business transactions are first recorded in a record, after which the debit and credit changes in the individual accounts are posted to the ledger.The journal, also called the book of original entry, is chronological (day-by-day), each business transaction in order of date.To record the entire effects of a business transaction in a journal in terms of debit and credit, the process is referred as to making a journal entry or journalizing.
Many businesses maintain several types of journals.The simplest type of journal is called a “General Journal”.A general journal is a document in which are recorded the date of transaction, the account to be debited and credited, the amounts of the debit and credit entries and an explanation of each transaction.A general journal can be used to record all types of transaction.In contrast to the general journal, a special journal is designed to record a special type of frequently occurring business transaction.For instance, one special journal is the cash receipts journal used to record all receipts of cash.In addition to cash receipts journal, the special journals usually include payments journal, sales journal, and purchase journal.The form of general journal can be seen in Table 4-1.
Table 4-1 The Form of General Journal
New Words
Phrases and Expressions
individual account 个人账户
original entry 原始分录簿
cash journal 现金收入日记账
sales journal 销售日记账
purchase journal 购货日记账
Exercise 1
Choose the best answer to each of the following questions.
1.What is NOT mentioned in the text?
A.The definition of journal.
B.The form of general journal.
C.The classification of journal.
D.The example of special journal.
2.How many kinds of special journal are mentioned in the text?
A.One. B.Two.
C.Three. D.Four.
3.The journal is recorded in order of ?
A.Size. B.Date.
C.Type. D.Usage.
4.According to the text, the word “chronological” (Para.1, line 3) means?
A.Function. B.Finance.
C.Time. D.Business.
5.Which of the following is NOT recorded in the general journal?
A.An explanation of each transaction.
B.The amounts of the debit and credit entries.
C.The date of transaction.
D.The amount of transaction.
Exercise 2
Fill in the blanks with the words given below.Change the form where necessary.
1.The money will be_______from your account each month.
2.If you borrow money from John, then John is your_______.
3.The more_______you can deal with, the more prosperous you are.
4._______speaking, we have annual meeting on Dec.28th.
5.The debit and credit should be_______in the journal.
6.In order to avoid mistake, we record every entry in the journal_______.
7.To present the journal clearly, we need to give a brief_______of each entry.
8.There is no need to carry cash every time, because we can_______what we need with Alipay.
9.By_______, it is convenient for us to review all the transactions.
10.Dissatisfied customers can get full refund from the store.But the customer must show the_______.
Exercise 3
Translate the following sentences into Chinese.
1.The journal, also called the book of original entry, is chronological (day-by-day), each business transaction in order of date.
2.In addition to cash receipts journal, the special journals usually include payments journal, sales journal, and purchase journal.
3.A general journal is a document in which are recorded the date of transaction, the account to be debited and credited, the amounts of the debit and credit entries and an explanation of each transaction.
4.In contrast to the general journal, a special journal is designed to record a special type of frequently occurring business transaction.
5.In practice, the business transactions are first recorded in a record, after which the debit and credit changes in the individual accounts are posted to the ledger.
课文译文
日记账
在实务中，经济业务首先被记录在日记账中，之后单个账户所记录的借贷变化情况被过账到分类账中。日记账，也被称为原始记录账，其所有经济业务是按时间顺序（一天一天地）记录的。为了在日记账中按照借方和贷方完整地记录经济业务，记账的过程被称为编制日记账或编制分录。
很多公司都设立了好几种不同类型的日记账。最简单的日记账叫作“普通日记账”。普通日记账记录了业务发生的时间、借方和贷方的账户名称、借贷方的金额以及每笔业务的摘要说明。普通日记账可以被用来记录所有类型的业务。与普通日记账相比，特种日记账被用来记录某类经常发生的经济业务。例如，现金收入特种日记账被用来记录所有现金的收入情况。除了现金收入日记账外，特种日记账还包括现金支出日记账、销售日记账和购货日记账。普通日记账的格式见表4-1。
表4-1 普通日记账的格式
Reference
袁晓玲，周俊强.实用会计英语[M].武汉：武汉大学出版社，2013.
