12. Why do they want to borrow money from a bank?
13. Do a young couple usually buy a big flat?
14. What is a ‘starter home’?
15. How many rooms does a starter flat have?
16. Are there at least two bedrooms in a starter flat?
17. What do a young couple buy?
18. How many bedrooms do small houses usually have?
19. What is there downstairs in the house?
20. What is there upstairs in the house?
Training 1
In cities a lot of people live in high-rise flats. These can be anything from ten to twenty storeys high. These are usually for families who can’t afford to buy a house or a substantial flat. In England they are not usually very nice. They are old buildings. Some of them are rather dirty. It’s very difficult for families with young children to live there. There are a lot of problems with these types of houses.
Training 2
Young couples buy small flats or very small houses. They are called ‘starter homes’ in England. Most people don’t have enough money to buy one immediately, so they have to borrow money from a bank. A small starter flat will probably have a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and just one bedroom. Houses usually have at least two bedrooms.
It is easy to open a bank account. There are lots of high street banks. These are the banks which people use in everyday life. You can open a current account. That is an account that you use from day-to-day. You can put money in it or take money out. If you want to open one, you simply go to your local bank and say that you want to open a personal account. You will have to show a passport and, of course, you will have to give your permanent address. If you want to pay money into your account you simply fill in a very short form and pay in the money. If you want to take money out of your account, it is the same procedure. You usually get a statement once a month from the bank. It shows how much money you have in your account. Most banks also take a monthly sum for services. Of course, if you spend more money than you have in your account, this is a serious situation. And the bank will certainly ask you to repay the money as soon as possible. And the bank will take interest. But if you need money, you can always ask the bank to lend you a sum of money. This is called a loan. Of course, you have to repay this loan month by month. And you will have to pay interest as well. And, of course, if you need money for shopping you don’t have to go into the bank. You can use ‘the hole in the wall’. This is the cash machine. You simply enter your personal identification number, say how much money you want and the machine will give it to you. The other type of account is a savings account. You use it to save money. I think everybody has a credit card. But you need to be very careful with credit cards. So, if you always remember that the bank is not there to help you – the bank is there to make money out of you – then you will be OK.