Families!

BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
Families
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Yvonne: Hello, I'm Yvonne…
Rob: And I'm Rob.…
Yvonne: And this is 6 Minute English! Now lots of people have been getting together
with their relatives for Christmas and the New Year, so we thought we’d talk
about families today.
Rob: Now BBC radio in the UK has had a family week. They surveyed their
listeners and web users to find out how they feel about their families.
Yvonne: And - they got some really interesting results! Before we hear them, I have a
question for you Rob. Are you ready?
Rob: Of course.
Yvonne: People in the UK were asked, at what age should their children be able to go to
school on their own. Can you guess what most people thought was an
acceptable age, Rob? 5, 8 or 11 years old?
Rob: Hmm – I know people are quite cautious these days so I'd say, 11 years old.
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Yvonne: Umm - as usual I won’t tell you the answer now, but we'll find out what the
answer is at the end of the programme. Now recently, there's been a lot of
attention given to the break-down of traditional British families.
Rob: The break-down of families – that's when parents get divorced or separate.
Yvonne: And lots of children are brought up by single parents
Rob: Single parents – just one parent, either a mother or a father
Yvonne: There’s also been a lot of talk about people needing to be better parents – or
even attending parenting classes. But despite the negative view of families we
might read about in the newspapers, most people said that their families made
them happy.
Rob: People were asked which of the following things made them most happy –
family, friends, job or hobbies.
Yvonne: Now families came in at almost 80%, friends just over 60%, next came hobbies
and last on the list of the things that make people happy were their jobs. Only
about 25% of the people surveyed said their jobs make them happy!
Rob: Umm - interesting!
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Yvonne: Hmmm. One of the most surprising things was reading about how people felt
about staying together if they were unhappy in their marriage but they had
children. Would they stay together for the sake of the kids?
Rob: For the sake of the kids – if you do something for the sake of something –
you’re not doing it for yourself, you’re putting other people's needs and
feelings first, even if you're suffering.
Yvonne: Here’s Radio 5 Live’s Chris Warburton:
Chris Warburton/Quiz contestant
How many people say they would stay together for the sake of the children?
Woman:
40%
Nearly two thirds of you think it’s better not to stay together for the sake of the kids.
Yvonne: So Chris Warburton says two thirds of people from the survey think they
shouldn't stay in unhappy relationships just for the sake of the children.
Rob: Perhaps that's because there are many happy single parent families. It is not
unusual for children to grow up in single parent families. It's socially
acceptable in modern Britain.
Yvonne: Now here's an interesting statistic: a large majority of people said they'd report
a relative to the police if they found out their relative had committed a crime.
Here’s more from Radio 5 Live’s Chris Warburton:
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Chris Warburton
A big majority of people said that they would report to the police if they thought they had
committed a serious crime. 84 per cent of people are prepared to do that even if the
consequences were pretty tough.
Yvonne: 84 percent of people said they were prepared to tell the police if they found out
their relative had committed a crime – even if the consequences were pretty
tough.
Rob: Pretty tough – that's relatively severe, like having a large fine or going to
prison
Yvonne: People were also asked about their family secrets. You may have heard the
phrase: ‘skeletons in the closet’.
Rob: Those are uncomfortable secrets which people try their very best to hide.
Yvonne: Ha ha – and most families have a few skeletons in the closet. The BBC’s
Stephen Chittendon found out about some of the secrets people knew about
their family, but, would rather others didn’t know. Rob, you may have to help
us out here with some of the words and phrases we hear.
Stephen Chittendon
1. My brothers and sisters don't know I'm adopted.
2. My brother in-law pawned his Mum's engagement ring.
3. My Nan – this not all from the same person (woman: that's a relief to hear) – My nan votes
Tory.
Yvonne: So, we heard: 'my brothers and sisters don’t know I’m adopted'
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Rob: OK, well if you’re adopted, you don’t live with your biological parents – other
people become your new parents.
Yvonne: And – 'my brother-in-law pawned his Mum’s engagement ring'
Rob: The sister's husband – my brother-in-law - gave his mother’s precious
engagement ring to a pawn shop in return for money
Yvonne: And this one was odd: 'My nan votes Tory'
Rob: (Ha ha) That person’s grandmother voted for the Conservative Party! Of course,
that wouldn't be a secret for all families.
Yvonne: OK, thanks very much, Rob. Now, do you have any skeletons in your closet?
Rob: Nothing at all. I'm very honest and upfront. No secrets at all.
Yvonne: Umm, I don't know if I believe you Rob!
Rob: I wouldn't tell you anyway; it's a secret!
Yvonne: (Ha, ha). And the answer to our question - what age do most people think it’s
appropriate for children to go to school on their own?
Rob: And I said 11 years old.
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Yvonne: And you're right, Rob! The largest number of people from the survey think that
children are ready to walk to school on their own when they're 10 or 11. Thank
you, Rob. We hope you’ve had fun with us today on "6 Minute English" - and
that you’ll join us again next time.
Both: Goodbye!
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Vocabulary and definitions
cautious careful, wary
single parents people who are the only parent to their child or children
hobbies things that people do in their spare time for enjoyment
consequences things that happen as a result or effect of something you do
skeletons in the closet secrets, information that people do not want others to
know about
adopted someone who is adopted was taken into the home of
another family and legally became their child
pawned temporarily exchanged for money
upfront open, honest, truthful
More on this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/5live/2010/12/5-live-family-week-survey-resu.shtml
Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/12/101230_6min_english_families.shtml