Please record the audio with clear pronunciation at a medium pace. Please do your best to add good intonation to boost up the interest of the listeners and making them feel, and visualize the story. Please do not skip any word and do take the name of the author.
A Hobby That Made Money
Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon
Some children like to have a cat; others want a dog. Every child has his own likes and dislikes. Raheel was fond of birds, especially hens and roosters. He would buy little chickens and feed them. When they grew and started laying eggs, he would keep those hens which laid eggs and sell the others. In doing so, Raheel made a lot of money. His hobby turned out to be his small business.
Raheel never let his hobby disturb his studies. He went to school regularly and punctually, and he also did his homework on time. Feeding and looking after the birds was a time-consuming task, so his mother helped him. People came to Raheel to buy the birds and eggs. These were his customers! “Mom, did any customers come?” he asked his mother one day after coming back from school.
“Yes, son. I have sold all the eggs,” she replied. Raheel would buy his clothes with the profit. After using the money for his basic expenses, he also put a little amount aside. Raheel was in the fifth year of school when he had collected a good sum of money, and he used the money to buy a bicycle. With his elder brother's help, Raheel found a bicycle he liked very much.
When Raheel finished primary school and entered high school, his grades were just satisfactory. His father had expected an A+ in English and computer from him, but unfortunately he secured B in both. His father and mother began to notice that it was his hobby which was disturbing his studies. His father advised him to sell the birds saying, “Raheel, you think too much about selling the eggs and finances than you do for your studies. And when you sit for doing homework, chickens fly in your room. Above all, you spend so much time caring for the chickens that there is no time left for studying.”
“Not really! I do have time for studying,” Raheel replied.
“Your father is right, Raheel,” added his mother. “You need to sell all the birds. You don’t want to be like your brother and graze the cattle, do you?”
“He doesn’t even know what Facebook is,” said Raheel.
“Indeed, he doesn’t. I gave him freedom to do anything he wanted. Because of that, he quit his studies. I don’t want you to waste your time and end up being uneducated like me and your brother,” his father instructed him.
They convinced Raheel to sell all the birds. He remained very sad for some days. After a month, he developed a strong passion for English and computers, so he devoted all his time to his studies. Raheel bought his first computer with the money he got from selling his birds and his bicycle.
Ten years have passed since that time. Raheel has become a good speaker and teacher of the English language, and he has a university degree in Computer Science. He believes that if he had not sold his birds, he would never have become a computer scientist today. In order to get something, we have to leave something, and we must leave something good for something better.
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Respond to the story:
What was Raheel’s hobby?
How did he manage to provide time for his studies and hobby?
Why did he sell all of his birds?
What did he buy with the money he got when he sold his birds and bicycle?
Do you agree if Raheel hadn't sold his birds, he wouldn't have been able to study properly?
What are some of the hobbies that disturb you in your studies?
Apart from hobbies, what would you sacrifice for your studies?
How seriously do you take your studies? Share some of your achievements at school?
Do you obey your parents and act upon their instructions?
What is the moral of this story?
How does this story impact your life?
