英語(yǔ)播客 A Cup of English Do it yourself and win $5000.

Do-it-yourself is more than a hobby in this town. It is more like a craze. When a job needs to be done around the house, a lot of people will do it themselves, instead of hiring someone else. You don't always need to be an expert to fix a pipe, to paint a wall, to hang a door, or to replace a window. You just need to know how to do it, and you also need the right tools. There are a couple of stores where I live that supply those two things. They have employees who are very knowledgeable about all 'fix it' possibilities. And they have aisle after aisle of tools and equipment which will help you get the job done. As you might have guessed, these stores are huge. They are the biggest shops in the whole town, and they are always busy. They have a gardening section, a lawn care area, a lighting area, a lumber yard (which is where different kinds of wood sheets are available), doors, bathroom and kitchen appliances, floor coverings, paint, and tools. Phew! You could be in there for weeks without seeing everything. People keep coming back out of a desire to improve their homes, to save money, and to take pride in something they have done with their own hands. But now, something else brings them back, the chance to win $5000. Every time you buy something and receive your receipt, you will see on it an invitation to do a survey and enter the code that is on the receipt for a chance to win some big bucks. I have a few receipts at home that I haven't used yet. I should do. A $5000 card to the hardware store would be extremely useful. The list of things I could buy is very long: light bulbs, batteries, fertilizer for the lawn, cleaning fluids, paint, plants, picture hooks, garden tools.....well, I could go on. Apparently, one person each week wins the shopping card. That means that there is probably someone who comes to the store near me, who has already won, and who is buying 'freebies' for his projects.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: a freebie, a survey, to take pride in, knowledgeable.

1. A freebie is something that is free to buy, or a gift from a store.

2. After staying at the hotel, we were asked to do a survey about our stay.

3. That gardener really takes pride in his work, and, as a result, his garden is spectacular.

4. My father is knowledgeable about the world wars; he is always reading the war history books.