The cost of living - 6 Minute English

BBC Learning English


http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/144_6minute/page27.shtml


thought (THINKING) noun [C or U] the act of thinking about or considering something, an idea or opinion, or a set of ideas about a particular subject:

Ask me again tomorrow. I'll have to give it some thought.
She doesn't give any thought to her appearance.
Let me have your thoughts on that report by Friday.
Spare a thought for (= Think about) all those without shelter on a cold night like this.
He's the author of a book on the history of European thought.
You sent her a card? That was a kind thought.



carry sth out phrasal verb [M]
to do or complete something, especially that you have said you would do or that you have been told to do: - menjalankan - melaksanakan - melakukan ------ melaksanakan rancangan seserang------- melaksanakan arahan--------menjalankan ujian.

........Nigel is carrying out research on early Christian art.
........The hospital is carrying out tests to find out what's wrong with her.
..........Our soldiers carried out a successful attack last night.
.........It is hoped that the kidnappers will not carry out their threat to kill the hostages.
..........Don't blame me, I'm only carrying out my orders/instructions





cost of living index noun [C usually singular]
US FOR retail price index
retail price index noun [S] (ABBREVIATION RPI) UK
a measurement of the changes in the cost of basic goods and services
Compare consumer price index.
consumer price index noun [C usually singular] (ABBREVIATION CPI)


necessity noun

1- [U] the need for something: ------- keperluan - perlunya - perlunya lindungi hidupan liar------- keperluan asas- senaman adalah keperluan asas-

.....You can come early if you want to, but there's no necessity for it.
......[+ to infinitive] Is there any necessity to reply to her letter?
........The report stresses the necessity of eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
.........With a personal fortune of six million pounds, she certainly doesn't work out of necessity (= because she needs to).
.......We'll employ extra staff to help out as and when the necessity arises (= when we need to).

2 [C] something that you need, especially in order to live:

......We brought only the bare necessities with us.
........He regarded music as one of life's necessities.
cost verb [T]
cost, cost If something costs an amount of money, you must pay that amount to buy or do it: ------ berharga - telor ini berharga sepuluh sen sebiji.------- menentukan kos- menentukan kos simpanan baru--------- mengeluarkan wang - dia mengeluarkan wang 70 000 pound utk rumah itu- mahal------ dibeli dgb harga- rumah itu dibelinya dgn harga 100 000 pound----- berlian itu berharga juta2 pound-


....."How much does this book cost (= What is the price of this book)?" "It costs £25.
......."It costs a lot to buy a house in this part of London.
........[+ two objects] The trip will cost you $1000.

think long and hard (ALSO think twice)
to think very carefully about something: - fikir masak2-

......I should think long and hard before you make any important decisions.
........I thought long and hard before deciding to leave my husband.
........He thought long and hard about how to tell the children. [often + about]


whatsoever adverb (ALSO whatever)
used after a negative phrase to add emphasis to the idea that is being expressed: - apa sahaja - apa sahaja pertolongan yg diberikan,telah dilupakan - dia menerima apa sahaja jawatan - apa pun - tidak ada apa pun keraguan ttgnya - walau apa saja - walau apa sahaja alasan, kerja itu mesti disiapkan hari ini - apa2 pun - samaada dia bohong atau tidak, apa2 pun saya terpaksa terima - - walau apa pun - dia tetap bersiar2 walau apa pun cuaca - ambil apa sahaja yg kamu mahu ---- apa - apa yg dikatakan yg menjengkelkan kamu ---- ikut suka - boleh saya datang lepas zuhur, ikut suka.

.....He has no respect for authority whatsoever.
......I can honestly say that I have no interest whatsoever in the royal family.
.......There is no evidence whatever to show that this is in fact the case.
......"Had you any idea what was happening at the time?" "None whatsoever."


whatever (SURPRISE) pronounused instead of the word what to add emphasis to a phrase, usually expressing surprise:

.....Whatever is he doing with that rod?
.....Whatever's that yellow thing on your plate?
......Whatever did you say that for?
......Whatever does she see in him - he's revolting!
.......Whatever made him buy that jacket?


afford (BE ABLE)
verb can afford to be able to buy or do something because you have enough money or time: - mampu - kami tidak mampu membayar sewa - boleh - saya boleh menunggu - saya tidak boleh ketinggalan kereta api - ---- memberikan - pekerjaan itu memberikan saya kepuasan - pokok2 itu memberikan naungan[shelter] ---- mampi membeli- mampukah kamu membeli kereta seperti itu-


.....I don't know how he can afford a new car on his salary.
......Few people are able to afford cars like that.
.......She couldn't afford the time off work to see him.
........[+ to infinitive] I can't afford to buy a house.

affordable
adjective
not expensive:.....nice clothes at affordable prices



afford (GIVE)
verb [T] FORMAL to allow someone to have something pleasant or necessary:
.............The hut afforded little protection from the elements.
.........[+ two objects] Her seat afforded her an uninterrupted view of the stage.



cannot afford (FORMAL can ill afford)
If you cannot afford to do something, you must not do it because it would cause serious problems for you: - tidak boleh sama sekali

.......We can't afford to make any mistakes at this stage in the project.
........He can ill afford to fail any of his exams.



wide (AMOUNT) adjective
describes something that includes a large amount or many different types of thing, or that covers a large range or area: - berbagai2 - sekolah itu menawarkan pelbagai mata pelajaran ---- beraneka - beraneka jenis kek dan biskut - berbagai2 jenis buku di perpustakaan -


........They sell a wide range of skin-care products.
........She has a wide experience of teaching, in many different schools.
.......The Green Party no longer enjoys wide support (= the support of many people).


household -
group noun [C] a group of people, often a family, who live together: ---- keluarga- sesisi keluarga akan dijanga hadir - -----rumah - hanya 10% rumah mempunyai tv - ketua rumah - keluarga besar------ rumahtangga - mengurus [run] rumah tangga - hal2 rumah tangga -


.......By the 1960s, most households had a TV.
.......household chores
.......household expenses


householder
noun [C]the person who owns or is in charge of a house - penyewa -tenant


hand sth over (GIVE SOMETHING) phrasal verb [M]
to give something to someone else: - serahkan - dokumen2 ini hendaklah diserahkan kpd pihak berkuasa

......We were ordered to hand over our passports.
See also handover


hand sth/sb over (GIVE RESPONSIBILITY) phrasal verb [M]
to give another person control of someone or something, or responsibility for dealing with them:

......The hijacker was handed over to the French police.
......If you'll hold the line a moment I'll hand you over to someone who might be able to help.
......See also handover.



handover noun [U]the giving of control of or responsibility for something to someone else:

.......The United Nations is to supervise the handover of the prisoners of war.


expenditure
noun

1 - [C or U] the total amount of money that a government or person spends: ------penggunaan [money]- pembelanjaan- penggunaan masa dan tenaga - kerajaan sedang mencuba mengurangkan perbelanjaan -

......It's part of a drive to cut government expenditure.
.........The government's annual expenditure on arms has been reduced.


2 - [U] the act of using or spending energy, time or money:
........The expenditure of effort on this project has been enormous.



earn verb [I or T]

1- to receive money as payment for work that you do: - memperolehi pendapatan- sejak januari dia tidak mmperolehi sebarang pendapatan - ----- mendapat-memperolehi----- saya mendapat gaji 2000 ringgit sebulan ------ mendapat bayaran 500 ringgit ----- menhasilkan - saham2 ini dijangkan menhasilkan 300 pound sebulan ----- - selayaknya,sepatutnya,sewajarnya mendapat - tidak sewajrnya dia mendapat kenaikan pangkat itu -

......I earn $30 000 a year.
......How much do you earn, if you don't mind me asking?
.......You can't expect to earn a living (= be paid enough money to live on) from your painting. - mencari nafkah-
.......[+ two objects] Coffee exports earn (= give) Brazil many millions of pounds a year./Brazil earns many millions of pounds a year from coffee exports


2 -bto get something that you deserve:
..........It's been a tough six months and I feel I've earned a few weeks off.
..........See also well-earned


well-earned - adjective UK
deserved because of what you have done or experienced:

..........Liz won't be at work next week - she's having a well-earned break/rest/holiday.



set out (ACTIVITY)
set out (JOURNEY)
set sth out (DETAILS)
set sth out (ARRANGEMENT)
---bertolak - elok kita bertolak sebelum hari menjadi panas ----- mula- polis mula mengejar pencuri itu ----- meninggalkan- budak meninggalkan tempat itu utk cari pengalaman yg lebih bahaya ----- bermaksud- dari mula parti itu bermaksud utk menang 2/3----- sengaja-dia sengaja menakut2kan saya ------- menjelaskan, menyatakan sesuatu - dalam surat dia menjelaskan alasan kenapa dia berhenti - ------- menyusun, mengatur- terbitan majalah baru itu disusun dgn rapi-



set out (ACTIVITY) phrasal verb
to start an activity with a particular aim:

.......She set out with the aim of becoming the youngest ever winner of the championship.
........[+ to infinitive] They set out to discover a cure for cancer



set sth aside (PURPOSE)
set sth aside (LEGAL DECISION)
set sth aside (IGNORE)
--- mengasingkan sesuatu- sebarang baju koyak perlu diasingkan utk dijahit------- menyimpan[masa],mmperuntukkan- dia menyimpan sedikit wang tiap2 bulan------ membatalkan- keputusan y asal dibatalkan mahkamah------- mengenepikan,mengesampingkan- pesaing2 lama perlu diketepikan jika mahu parti ini kekal,bertahan.


set sth aside (PURPOSE) phrasal verb [M]
to save something, usually money or time, for a special purpose:

......He had some money in an account that he'd set aside for his kids.
.......[+ to infinitive] I set aside half an hour every evening to hear Erik read.


budget verb
[I or T] to plan how much money you will spend on something:

......An extra £20 million has been budgeted for schools this year.


budget (FINANCIAL PLAN) noun

1- [C or U] a plan to show how much money a person or organization will earn and how much they will need or be able to spend:

......The firm has drawn up a budget for the coming financial year.Libraries are finding it increasingly difficult to remain within (their) budget.


BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
The cost of living


Callum: Hello I’m Callum Robertson and with me today for 6 Minute English is Jackie Dalton – hello Jackie.

Jackie: Hello Callum.

Callum: Today we’re going to be looking at the topic of the cost of living. What do we mean by that expression, the cost of living?


Jackie: We use it to talk about our everyday expenditure, so what it costs us to live our day to day lives, the cost of food, accommodation, fuel and so on.

Callum: Do you have any idea what you spend on these things do you know how much it costs to live Jackie Dalton’s life?

Jackie: I have no idea whatsoever actually! I just shut my eyes and hand over my credit card and hope for the best. How about you Callum?

Callum: Well yes, I figure out my monthly expenses and when I get paid I put that money into a bank account and that’s only used for those regular bills. Any money I have left over goes towards savings or the occasional luxury.


Jackie: Well that sounds very organised, Callum!

Callum: I suppose it is really. But if I didn’t budget like that I think I’d end up spending all my money each month. Now you’ll notice I used the verb to budget there – could you tell us a bit more about this word Jackie?


Jackie: Yes, ‘to budget’ means to plan your finances in the way you described, so that you know you can afford the necessities. There is also a noun, ‘a budget’, you can talk about your weekly or monthly budget, which is the amount of money you set aside to spend on particular things.

Callum: So, for example, I have a monthly food budget. How about you Jackie? Now we’re talking about this today because there was a recent report which set out how much, in terms of money, was the minimum that someone needed to earn each year to have an acceptable standard of living.
And that’s my question for you today Jackie. According to this report, which we’ll hear more of in a minute, how much do you think was suggested as being the minimum amount a single man needs for an acceptable standard of life in Great Britain?

a) £11,200 (about US$22,400)
b) £13,400 (about US$26,800), or
c) £15,600 (about US$31,200)


Jackie: Well I think life in the UK has got quite expensive so I’m going to go for the highest figure, £15,600.

Callum: OK, we’ll see if you’re right at the end of the programme.
This research was carried out by an organisation called the Joseph Roundtree Foundation. Here’s their policy advisor, Donald Hirsch describing the project.



Donald Hirsch

This was very detailed research in which a number of groups of ordinary people had long discussions about what really needs to go into a household budget to achieve a minimum acceptable standard of living and they thought long and hard about what things are sort of luxuries, what things we might want and what things people really would need to have and
this includes not just basics like food and shelter but also things which allow people to participate in society.

Callum: So they wanted to find out not how much was the absolute minimum you could live on, but how much you needed to be able to afford to live and also be involved in a social life.



Jackie: They examined a wide range of possible expenditures in everyday life and decided whether each item or service was essential or a luxury.

Callum: It was done by groups of ordinary people who thought “long and hard” about household budgets. Jackie, to think long and hard about something …

Jackie: Yes, this is a good expression and it’s fairly simple to understand, to think long and hard about something means to think very carefully about it. What’s important to remember with this phrase is that it is a fixed expression, so you think long and hard about something. You can’t say ‘to think hard and long’ about something, that sounds funny.

Callum: Now we’ve just got time to have a look at some of the
items they discussed, these groups, about whether they were essential or not essential for everyday life. How about, what do you think they though about mobile phones?


Jackie: I would like to think they’re not essential for everyday life.

Callum: Could you live without yours?

Jackie: No!

Callum: Yes, it was, mobiles phones were regarded as being something that was essential for everyday life. Television and a DVD player?


Jackie: I would say ‘yes’ if you want to in tune with what’s going on in your culture. They are useful to have.

Callum: Absolutely, yes, that was a thought, that everybody, you know, needed to have a television and a DVD player these days. Access to the internet?

Jackie: Yes, I would say so, that’s as important as having a television.

Callum: Well they said no, this survey, they said no at home, because people can still access the internet if they want to an internet café or at a library for free, in many cases. And what about a holiday, having a holiday?

Jackie: Oh, they’re essential, but it’s probably a luxury isn’t it.

Callum: Well it was regarded as being essential, one week budget holiday in the United Kingdom each year was something that was regarded as being essential. Well that is just about all the time we have for today. Before we go, the answer to the question. How much money is needed to pay for all these essential things
and it was £13,400

c: 15,600

Now you said £15,600 Jackie, not as much as that, so but unfortunately you go the answer wrong – again! Well never mind about that. Join us again for more 6 Minute English soon. Goodbye

Jackie: Goodbye