Life's essentials

What do you need to survive? The internet, a cup of tea and chocolate rank among the top twenty things that British people could not live without, according to a new survey.

Reporter

Martin Vennard

Report

<link type="page"><caption> Listen to the report</caption><url href="http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2013/06/130614_witn_bare_necessities_report_130614_witn_bare_necessities_report_au_bb.mp3" platform="highweb"/></link>

For Baloo the bear in The Jungle Book, it was honey, ants, paw paws and prickly pears. But when it comes to the Great British public, the top four things people couldn't live without were an internet connection, a television, a cuddle and a trustworthy best friend.

And while women placed cuddles as their number one 'bare necessity', men were more into the television. For women, chocolate, central heating and a cup of tea all ranked highly. But for men, a cooked breakfast and a pint of beer were up there. I asked people on the streets of London what their bare necessities were:

Vox pops of people in London:

My girlfriend. X-box. Cigarettes. Money's the main thing - makes the world go round! Phone. My family and kids. Freedom, democracy, independence, votes, women's rights. My kids. Water. My wife I think, that's about the best. Very diplomatic!

Eighty-six per cent of those polled admitted that they overlooked love and friendship in favour of materialistic things - which could explain why the iPhone helps so many British people rest at ease when it comes to the bare necessities of life.

Vocabulary

<link type="page"><caption> Listen to the words</caption><url href="http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2013/06/130614_witn_vocab_with_intro_new_130614_witn_bare_necessities_words1_au_bb.mp3" platform="highweb"/></link>

trustworthy: dapat dipercaya

bare necessity: kebutuhan pokok

ranked highly:dianggap paling penting

up there: menempati posisi atas dalam daftar

polled: ikut dalam jajak pendapat

overlooked: mengabaikkan, tidak memperhatikan

rest at ease: tenang