3. Conversation ♫

– Hi, Kate, how are you getting on?

– Hey, what are you doing here? I didn’t expect you until later.

– Well, I’ve already finished everything I had to do at work so I thought I’d come back and help you. I know you’ve had a busy day.

– I’ve had an extremely busy day. And it hasn’t finished yet.

– Did you remember we’ve got Paul and Hannah for dinner tonight?

– Yes, I did.

– Have you got everything you need?

– Well, I’ve already done the shopping but I haven’t bought the wine yet.

– Oh, I’ll do that.

– Have you picked up the children yet?

– No, I haven’t done that yet. They are still at school.

– Ok, well, I’ll get them when I buy the wine.

– No, they’ve got their sports club, so they’ll be there until about six. You’re more important here. Have you collected the car from the garage yet? It should be ready by now.

– No … no, I haven’t. I’ll go to the garage later. Now, what’s next?

– Well, the kitchen is clean but you could check the bathroom for me.

– Ok. Have you thrown away the pile of newspapers in the front room?

– No, they are still lying on the table.

– I’ll take out the rubbish as well.

– I’ve already done that. Now … I haven’t started cooking yet and it’s getting late. When you’ve got the wine can you lay the table? Here’s the tablecloth and knives and forks … and mend the television?

– All right.

– It still doesn’t work. Oh and wrap up your mother’s birthday present.

– It still needs wrapping paper. And turn on the heating. It’s getting quite cold here.

– Oh, dear. It’s one of those days.

4. The Suspect ♫

Policeman: Good evening, sir. I’d like to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.

Suspect: By all means, officer – only too glad to help if I can. But I know nothing about it.

Policeman: About what?

Suspect: About the murder that someone committed next door two nights ago, of course.

Policeman: Hm! Did you hear anything unusual that night?

Suspect: Oh, no! I heard nothing at all.

Policeman: Did you see anything out of the ordinary?

Suspect: No, I saw nothing, officer.

Policeman: Did you speak to anybody that evening?

Suspect: No, nobody. I was sitting here watching television. I was minding my own business.

Policeman: So murder isn’t your business, sir? Someone fired six shots with a revolver, but you heard nothing... A man ran through that door five minutes after the crime, but you saw nothing and spoke to no one... Yet you say that you sat in that chair the whole evening and went nowhere... It all sounds very suspicious to me, sir. Have you anything to add?

Suspect: Nothing at all.

Policeman: Then I have no more questions to ask... but you won’t get away with it.

Suspect: What was that?

Policeman: We shall proceed with our enquiries, sir.

5. Allowance Helps Children Learn About Money ♫

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report. Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. The purpose is to let children learn from experience at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly.

The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly allowance. In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money.

At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this, they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance.

The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving. Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs, like clothing or electronics.

Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.

Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it.

Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice: you have to cut costs and plan for the future. Requiring children to save part of their allowance can also open the door to future saving and investing. Many banks offer services to help children and teenagers learn about personal finance.

A savings account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest. Compounding works by paying interest on interest. So, for example, one dollar invested at two percent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year. The second year, the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents, and so on. That may not seem like a lot. But over time it adds up. And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter.