泛听练习5： 保险

Bad things happen. And when they do, recovering can take time andmoney. Thankfully, we have help.

This isInsurance in Plain English.
Let's say you're on a boat when a wave comes out of nowhere and knocks you intoshark-infested waters. Events like this are difficult to predict, so the bestthing you can do is have a way to recover quickly. Now falling off of a boat isjust an example. In real life, events like your home burning down can bedevastating. Recovering from these events requires a lot of money. Money that mostpeople don't have. Thankfully, we have a way to recover from these big expenses.It's called insurance.
Let's say your car gets caught in a storm. Suddenly you don't have a car or themoney to fix it. Without insurance, you might have to borrow a bike to get towork. But with insurance, you'll have a way to get your car fixed or replaced.It sounds too good to be true, right? Well, insurance comes with costs. Tobe protected, you buy it from an insurance company. When bad things happen,the company will help you recover by paying some of the expenses.
Here's how it works.

Toget insurance, you talk with an insurance company about the things thatare important to you. These are usually things like your health, your car,your home and your family. You’ll set up a plan or policy with the companythat outlines how the insurance will help when something bad happens. Forinstance, a policy might outline when and how much the insurance company willpay when your car is wrecked, your home is flooded, or you can't work for a periodof time. There are even policies that outline how your family will be protectedif something happens to you.
Insurance policies are very specific. It's important to understand exactly whata policy covers. To have this kind of protection, you'll pay the insurancecompany over time. Even if you're healthy and your property is safe, you'llstill pay on a regular basis. These payments are how insurance companies canafford to cover people like you.
Here's what I mean.

You are oneof thousands who are paying the insurance company on a regular basis.The company takes this money and pools it together. When bad things happento policy holders, the company has enough money to help them recover asout lined in the policy. Of course, this means you may pay for insurance your wholelife and never use it. Before you question the value, remember that insurancecovers the big expenses caused by things that are out of your control.Without insurance, these things can come along and take away your hard-earnedmoney.
Insurance is an important part of being responsible with your money andproperty. Talk with a company you trust about what's important to you. Take thetime to ask questions, read the fine print and compare policies. Insurance won'tkeep you from falling in, but it will help you recover more easily when badthings happen.