Pocket money paying for good manners and help around home

Good manners cost nothing according to the old saying. However, the latest research from The Children’s Mutual has found that this is not strictly true, because 44 per cent of children are now financially rewarded for good behaviour.

The research reveals that, as well as good behaviour, parents are also offering an ‘honest wage’ for a hard day’s work. 37 per cent of children ‘earn’ their pocket money by helping out with chores around the home and 19 per cent fill their piggy banks by helping out with the family pet.

According to research, the rate for pocket money has increased by a whopping 83 per cent in just a generation from when parents received pocket money until today. Parents are already giving an average of £2.85 a week to their child and with many parents expecting to increase this amount by £1 each year.

However, despite the rise in pocket money, the research showed that parents are often unsure of how much to ‘pay’ their children and can feel pressurised to compete with how much other parents give. Nearly one in five said there was pressure to conform to a ‘market rate’ and 16 per cent said they feel they pay too much but ‘have to go with what everyone gets’.

The Children's Mutual has launched a new micro site which has been created to help parents teach their children about pocket money and saving. Parents can put a value against each chore to help their kids to learn the value of money. Children also have their own user-friendly guide which helps them to understand where money comes from, how to budget, keeping money safe, and ways of saving for the items they want.

Question 1 Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text:

a) Walking the dog is the most common way to get money from parents.
b) Parents used to get further less pocket money than their children.
c) Parents feel confident about the money they give their children.
d) Some parents feel obliged to pay a minimum to their children.

Question 2 Answer these questions in your own words with information from the text:

a) What can children do to “earn” money?
b) What can parents and children learn about money?

Question 3 Find a word or phrase in the text that means the same as:

a) Housekeeping task (par.2)
b) To adjust (par.4)
c) To start (par. 5)

Question 4 Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning

a) Parents are also offering an ‘honest wage’ for a hard day’s work.
An honest...
b) Children earn their pocket money by helping out with chores around the home.
If children...
c)Good manners cost nothing. However, research has found that this is not strictly true.
Although...

Question 5 Write a short essay (120 to 150 words) on the following topic:

“Good manners cost nothing”. Do you agree with this saying?

Pocket money paying for good manners and help around home

Good manners cost nothing according to the old saying. However, the latest research from The Children’s Mutual has found that this is not strictly true, because 44 per cent of children are now financially rewarded for good behaviour.

The research reveals that, as well as good behaviour, parents are also offering an ‘honest wage’ for a hard day’s work. 37 per cent of children ‘earn’ their pocket money by helping out with chores around the home and 19 per cent fill their piggy banks by helping out with the family pet.

According to research, the rate for pocket money has increased by a whopping 83 per cent in just a generation from when parents received pocket money until today. Parents are already giving an average of £2.85 a week to their child and with many parents expecting to increase this amount by £1 each year.

However, despite the rise in pocket money, the research showed that parents are often unsure of how much to ‘pay’ their children and can feel pressurised to compete with how much other parents give. Nearly one in five said there was pressure to conform to a ‘market rate’ and 16 per cent said they feel they pay too much but ‘have to go with what everyone gets’.

The Children's Mutual has launched a new micro site which has been created to help parents teach their children about pocket money and saving. Parents can put a value against each chore to help their kids to learn the value of money. Children also have their own user-friendly guide which helps them to understand where money comes from, how to budget, keeping money safe, and ways of saving for the items they want.

Question 1 Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text:

a) Walking the dog is the most common way to get money from parents.
b) Parents used to get further less pocket money than their children.
c) Parents feel confident about the money they give their children.
d) Some parents feel obliged to pay a minimum to their children.

Question 2 Answer these questions in your own words with information from the text:

a) What can children do to “earn” money?
b) What can parents and children learn about money?

Question 3 Find a word or phrase in the text that means the same as:

a) Housekeeping task (par.2)
b) To adjust (par.4)
c) To start (par. 5)

Question 4 Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning

a) Parents are also offering an ‘honest wage’ for a hard day’s work.
An honest...
b) Children earn their pocket money by helping out with chores around the home.
If children...
c)Good manners cost nothing. However, research has found that this is not strictly true.
Although...

Question 5 Write a short essay (120 to 150 words) on the following topic:

“Good manners cost nothing”. Do you agree with this saying?

Pocket money paying for good manners and help around home

KEY


Question 1

a) False. 37 per cent of children ‘earn’ their pocket money by helping out with chores around the home and 19 per cent fill their piggy banks by helping out with the family pet.
b) True. the rate for pocket money has increased by a whopping 83 per cent in just a generation from when parents received pocket money until today
c)False. parents are often unsure of how much to ‘pay’ their children
d) True. Nearly one in five said there was pressure to conform to a ‘market rate’ or they feel they pay too much but ‘have to go with what everyone gets’

Question 2

a) If children want to earn pocket money they can either behave well and have good manners or help their parents with housework. They can also help by taking care of their pets.
b) Parents can be taught about the amount of money they can give their children for certain tasks. Children can learn about different ways to save money and be able to work out the value of things. Furthermore, they can find out how to keep money safe.
Question 3

a) chores
b) conform
c) launched / to launch

Question 4

a) An honest wage is also being offered for a hard day’s work by parents.
b) If children didn’t help out with chores around the house, they wouldn’t earn their pocket money.
c) Although good manners cost nothing, research has found that this is not strictly true.

Pocket money paying for good manners and help around home

KEY


Question 1

a) False. 37 per cent of children ‘earn’ their pocket money by helping out with chores around the home and 19 per cent fill their piggy banks by helping out with the family pet.
b) True. the rate for pocket money has increased by a whopping 83 per cent in just a generation from when parents received pocket money until today
c)False. parents are often unsure of how much to ‘pay’ their children
d) True. Nearly one in five said there was pressure to conform to a ‘market rate’ or they feel they pay too much but ‘have to go with what everyone gets’

Question 2

a) If children want to earn pocket money they can either behave well and have good manners or help their parents with housework. They can also help by taking care of their pets.
b) Parents can be taught about the amount of money they can give their children for certain tasks. Children can learn about different ways to save money and be able to work out the value of things. Furthermore, they can find out how to keep money safe.
Question 3

a) chores
b) conform
c) launched / to launch

Question 4

a) An honest wage is also being offered for a hard day’s work by parents.
b) If children didn’t help out with chores around the house, they wouldn’t earn their pocket money.
c) Although good manners cost nothing, research has found that this is not strictly true.

Witch's hat halts London Underground on Halloween

A witch's hat brought part of London's Underground to a standstill on Halloween when it was thrown on to a track.

Tube passengers had to walk through tunnels in the early hours of Sunday morning after the hat, which contained metal, was thrown on to the line at Chalk Farm, in North London. A passenger is thought to have thrown the hat which cut out the power, halting four trains.
Hundreds of passengers were stuck on the trains for more than an hour before they were allowed to walk along tunnels to the nearest stations, London Underground said.
The four trains, three heading north between Camden and Belsize Park, and one northbound between Camden and Kentish Town, were stopped at 0040 BST. London Underground estimated that there were up to 90 passengers on each train.
"We apologise to passengers who were inconvenienced as a result of this incident, and would urge customers to take care and not to discard items on the railway," a spokesman for the company said. "The metal part of a hat thrown on to the rails at Chalk Farm caused power interruption," London Underground said.

1 Look at the following words in the text. They are all in italics. Put each word next to the correct definition/synonym.

a) Tube is another, informal way of naming the ……………………………… .

b) People who travel in a vehicle (but are not the driver), are ………….…………………

c) There are four ways of referring to the metal strips where the train runs. What are they?

2 Find words in the text that mean:

a) To stop (paragraph 1) ……………………………..….

b) Trapped (paragraph 2) ……………………………..….

c) Travelling northwards (paragraph 2) …...……………………………….. or ....……………………………..

d) To say sorry (paragraph 3) ……………………………..….

e) Someone who represents a company in an interview ……………………………..….



Links to materials of interest:

Worksheet on vocabulary and some listening activities.click here




Key
1 a) London Underground
b) passengers
c) track, line, railway, rails
2 a) halt
b) stuck
c) heading north / northbound
d) apologise
e) spokesman

Witch's hat halts London Underground on Halloween

A witch's hat brought part of London's Underground to a standstill on Halloween when it was thrown on to a track.

Tube passengers had to walk through tunnels in the early hours of Sunday morning after the hat, which contained metal, was thrown on to the line at Chalk Farm, in North London. A passenger is thought to have thrown the hat which cut out the power, halting four trains.
Hundreds of passengers were stuck on the trains for more than an hour before they were allowed to walk along tunnels to the nearest stations, London Underground said.
The four trains, three heading north between Camden and Belsize Park, and one northbound between Camden and Kentish Town, were stopped at 0040 BST. London Underground estimated that there were up to 90 passengers on each train.
"We apologise to passengers who were inconvenienced as a result of this incident, and would urge customers to take care and not to discard items on the railway," a spokesman for the company said. "The metal part of a hat thrown on to the rails at Chalk Farm caused power interruption," London Underground said.

1 Look at the following words in the text. They are all in italics. Put each word next to the correct definition/synonym.

a) Tube is another, informal way of naming the ……………………………… .

b) People who travel in a vehicle (but are not the driver), are ………….…………………

c) There are four ways of referring to the metal strips where the train runs. What are they?

2 Find words in the text that mean:

a) To stop (paragraph 1) ……………………………..….

b) Trapped (paragraph 2) ……………………………..….

c) Travelling northwards (paragraph 2) …...……………………………….. or ....……………………………..

d) To say sorry (paragraph 3) ……………………………..….

e) Someone who represents a company in an interview ……………………………..….



Links to materials of interest:

Worksheet on vocabulary and some listening activities.click here




Key
1 a) London Underground
b) passengers
c) track, line, railway, rails
2 a) halt
b) stuck
c) heading north / northbound
d) apologise
e) spokesman

Jessica Biel Wallpaper