Good news

Do we need more good news stories?

Have you ever wondered why the news is full of death and destruction?

Kaz and Finn decide to take a look at some good news in this week's 6 Minute English

This week's question:

According to the BBC, three of the top ten most followed stories of 2012 were about the weather in the UK.But what kind of weather? Was it:

a) snow storms

 b) flooding

 c) heat waves

Vocabulary:

the seedier side of life - aspects of life that are morally degraded, for example, sex scandals and corruption

mankind - the human race

impact - have an effect on or influence

exposure -  coverage

breakthroughs - sudden, dramatic, and important discoveries or developments, especially in science and medicine

tabloids -  newspapers of small format giving the news in condensed form, usually with lots of pictures and often providing sensational material

broadsheets - serious newspapers with a larger page format

crass - crude and rough

don't do it justice - don't give it the credit it deserves

a grimace - a twisted facial expression that shows distaste or disgust

Listen

here

Kaz: Hello I’m Kaz and this is 6 Minute English. With me today is Finn. Hello Finn.

Finn: Hello Kaz.

Kaz: So, what news Finn?

Finn: Oh nothing new from me. Just the same old stuff, Kaz.

Kaz: Oh well, you know the saying: 'no news is good news'.

Finn: That's certainly true, Kaz

Kaz: It's also relevant to today's programme.

Finn: How so?

Kaz: Well, have you ever wondered why there's so little good news around?

Finn: You're right, Kaz. It's usually bad news that makes the headlines: wars, scandals, murders, financial troubles, disasters…

Kaz: OK, so on the subject of bad news; let me try this quiz question on you.

According to the BBC, three of the top ten most followed stories of 2012 were about the weather in the UK. But what kind of weather, though? Was it a) snow storms, b) flooding or c) heat waves?

Finn: Mmm. I don't think it could be heat waves because we've had a pretty awful summer. I'll try a) snow storms.

Kaz: Is that your final answer Finn?

Finn: Yup. 'Snow storms' is my final answer.

Kaz: OK. We’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. But now, let’s hear from designer Wayne Hemingway. Now, he was invited into the BBC newsroom and his message to broadcasters was that they should look for more good news, rather than the disasters and grim events that lead most news stories. What kind of stories would he like to get more exposure?

Wayne Hemingway:

Perhaps it's time to reflect a little bit about why the main news channels seem to help us concentrate on bad news stories and the seedier side of life. What bothers me is that on the whole, stories that could move mankind forward and positively impact on our lives don't get the exposure they deserve.

Kaz: Finn, what kind of stories would designer Wayne Hemingway like to see getting more exposure?

Finn: Now he says that stories that deserve more exposure are ones about moving mankind forward and positively impacting on our lives – in short, stories about improving our lives.

Kaz: Yes, stories that 'move mankind forward'.

Finn: That sounds quite grand Kaz – almost idealistic. I wonder what kind of stories do that?

Kaz: Well, let's find out. Here’s Wayne again, talking about just that. What two stories does he mention?

Wayne Hemingway:

In Japan scientists managed to create eggs from mice stem cells raising the hope of a cure for human infertility. The US Journal, Science, said it was one of the most important breakthroughs of the year but you've probably never heard of it. And in Israel, Izhar Gafni has developed a bicycle from recycled cardboard, which could bring cheap, clean transport to some of the world's poorest and most polluted and congested cities.

Kaz: So what are the two good news stories he mentions?

Finn: The first is a breakthrough, a significant development, in stem cell research that might lead to a cure for human infertility.

Kaz: OK and the second?

Finn: A story about a bicycle made from recycled cardboard.

Kaz: Yes, it's a neat idea.

Finn: He says these cardboard bicycles could bring cheap, clean transport to some of the world's poorest, most polluted and congested cities.

Kaz: Wayne Hemingway is passionate about getting his message across to broadcasters. He thinks that if we are constantly fed a diet of bad news, it's what we'll end up wanting. What word does he use to describe this situation?

Wayne Hemingway:

It's like saying that tabloids sell more than broadsheets. If that's fed to the people all of the time that's what they want but, you know, surely we've got to look at things that make us happy sometimes rather than think 'Oh I'm glad I'm inside in the warmth', or you know 'I'm glad I'm not in that country, I'd hate to be there'. It all seems to be a little bit crass at the moment and to me it seems to be getting worse.

Kaz: Did you catch that word he used Finn to describe our appetite for bad news?

Finn: It was 'crass'. He said the situation was 'a little bit crass' at the moment – 'crass'

- showing no intelligence or sensitivity.

Kaz: And it's a situation that he thinks is getting worse.

Finn: So what can we do about it?

Kaz: Let's find out. Here's Wayne Hemingway again:

Wayne Hemingway:

If you search the internet for good news stories there are various websites that address this but they don't do it justice. Perhaps we need fewer crime and more design correspondents, more science reporters and fewer war reporters and that way we might just encourage people to go out and achieve more and put a smile rather than a grimace on the face of the people at the bus stop.

Kaz: Finn, what do we need to redress this situation?

Finn: He says that perhaps we need fewer crime correspondents and more design correspondents.

Kaz: OK, as a designer himself that makes sense.

Finn: Yes, but don't forget that design is an important contributor to the British economy – so more of those stories would improve things.

Kaz: OK. And what else?

Finn: More science reporters and fewer war reporters.

Kaz: Yes, he says that this would encourage people to go out and achieve more.

Finn: He says it would put a smile on people's faces, rather than a grimace.

Kaz: Well, that’s all we have time for today. But before we go though, the answer to this week’s question. According to the BBC, three of the top ten most followed stories of 2012 were about the weather in the UK. What kind of weather was covered? Was it a) snow storms, b) flooding or c) heat waves? Now Finn, you said?

Finn: Well, I said a) snow storms because of the snowy weather we've been having recently. Was I right?

Kaz: I'm afraid not, Finn. The correct answer was … b) flooding. Thanks very much

Finn, goodbye.

Finn: Goodbye.

What next for the royal baby boy?

23 July 2013

The Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a baby boy. For the first time in British history, it made no difference if the royal child was a boy or a girl - the baby would be third in line to the throne regardless. But the new law, which was changed especially for this baby, will not be put to the test.

Reporter:

Luisa Baldini

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge present their son to the world

·                                  

Report

It was a pregnancy in the public eye. There was no hiding away from the cameras. And royal duties continued for the Duchess of Cambridge until the final weeks. Wherever she went, the gifts, the questions, the chat, had been of the baby. She gave little away.

With his great-grandmother in her 61st year on the throne, and his grandfather and father ahead of him in the line of succession, it will be some time before the Duke and Duchess's son is King.

Suzannah Lipscomb, Historian:

It is in the nature of these next few years, in his upbringing, in his childhood, in the character and values that are instilled in him at this stage, that will determine how the British people view their monarch.

In the past, there was a formality to the royal birth announcements. Much has changed. After Prince William was born at St. Mary's hospital, his father spoke to the media.

Reporter: How is Lady Di?

Prince Charles: She's very well, marvellous.

Reporter: Was it a very painful experience?

Prince Charles: Have you ever had a baby?

Reporter: No I haven't.

Prince Charles: I should wait and see!

And from the moment the new Prince appeared on the hospital steps, it was clear his upbringing would be different, less formal. William will now be fiercely protective of his wife and child, but controlling the level of interest from the public and the media is increasingly problematic.

The Duchess of Cambridge's childhood memories are of a strong family unit in rural Berkshire. Royal life appears not to have diminished that bond. And there is speculation that after the birth the Duchess will return home to mum for a few weeks.

William's childhood broke with tradition. By royal standards there was greater freedom. It was more normal, there was less restraint. He is likely to want the same for his son, a little boy who one day will be King.

·                                  

Vocabulary

in the public eye -  well known by many people

gave little away - did not tell anyone any information

succession -  process in which someone automatically takes their position after someone

else

upbringing - how a child is treated and educated by its parents

diminished - reduced

speculation - guessing what might happen without any certain information

broke with tradition - did something different from what is normally done

restraint - control in showing emotions or behaving in a certain way

You can listen to the programme here

Learning in the womb

What do babies learn before they are born? New tests have taken place to understand how unborn babies - called foetuses - learn language. It has been discovered that when babies are born they can already recognise familiar sounds and language patterns.

Rob and Finn discuss this research in 6 Minute English. They also talk about how babies develop an accent at a very young age.

This week's question:

According to a survey by the National Literacy Trust, which one of these words was discovered to be the most common first word for a baby to say - not including Mummy or Daddy?

a) dog

b) eat

c) bus

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Listen

here

Vocabulary

foetuses - developing, unborn babies

womb - place inside a woman's body where a baby grows before it is born

communicate - speak or talk to other people

bi-lingual - speaking two languages

fluent - speak very well

repetition - doing something again and again

accent - way of saying words that shows what country, region, or social class

intonation - the way our voice goes up and down as we speak

(SOUND OF BABY SUCKING A DUMMY LINKED TO A COMPUTER)

Rob: Hello, I'm Rob and this is 6 Minute English and that was a very unusual sound. Do you know what that sound was? Finn is with me today and I think he can help. Hello Finn.

Finn: Hello Rob. That was the sound of a baby sucking a dummy – that's the rubber thing you put in a baby's mouth to stop it crying.

Rob: Very useful! But it sounded strange.

Finn: It did. That's because the dummy was connected to a computer.

Rob: Connecting a dummy to a computer is a strange thing to do?!

Finn: Yes. It is part of a test to understand how unborn babies – called foetuses – learn language. That is what we are talking about today: What babies learn before they are born.

Rob: I know we start learning from when we are very young – but I didn't know it was from that early on! Shall we find out how much you have learnt in your life Finn by asking you a question? This is about the English language. According to a survey by the National Literacy Trust, which one of these words was discovered to be the most common first word for a baby to say – not including Mummy or Daddy?

a) dog

b) eat

c) bus

Finn: I think the answer is a) dog.

Rob: I'll tell you the answer later on. Now Finn, this study we are talking says babies learn language in the womb – so, inside the Mother before they are born?

Finn: Yes. When babies are born they can identify – or recognise – familiar sounds and language patterns. Ten weeks before they are born, they are listening to their mothers communicate.

Rob: Communicate – so they are listening to their mother talking to other people. And it is remembering and learning these sounds.

Finn: Yes. And if a baby's mother is bi-lingual – speaking two languages – the baby can remember sounds from both of these languages. But Rob, you have children, don't you? Do you think they learnt to recognise your voice before they were born?

Rob: That's difficult to know. After they were born they responded to different sounds but I don't know if they linked the sounds to a particular person. And now, they don't listen to me at all!

Finn: I don't believe that! How have they learnt to speak since they were born?

Rob: Through listening and copying people. And now my three-year-old son learns French at nursery and I hope that means by the time he starts school he will be very good at it – or we could say, fluent.

Finn: Très bien!

Rob: Excuse me?

Finn: That's French for very good! Of course, when the baby is in the womb, it is not learning words, it is learning the rhythm of the language. These are the patterns of the sound. It can hear when sounds go up and go down and when they are loud and soft. That is something I try to do when I learn a new language. I listen to the sound patterns of the words – the ups and downs. How do you learn Rob?

Rob: Through repetition – by hearing something again and again and then saying it. But here is another question: even though we both speak English we sound different.

Finn: Well of course, that is our accent – that is how we say words depending on which country, region, or social class we come from. I have a soft Scottish accent because I am from Scotland! One difference is the intonation – that means the way your voices rises and falls when you speak.

Rob: But it is also about the way we pronounce our vowel sounds – like a and o.

Finn: That's true. Some people think we learn our accents before we are born. Here is a little test. Can you tell if this baby is French or German?

SOUND OF BABY CRYING

Rob: That just sounds like a regular baby crying. Can I hear another one please?

Finn: OK…

SOUND OF BABY CRYING

Rob: Hmm. That sounds different but I couldn't tell you where he was from.

Finn: The first baby was born to German-speaking parents and the second one was born to French-speaking parents. They picked up the intonation in the voice before they were born.

Rob: OK, so the French baby's cry goes up – it rises - and the German baby's cry goes down – or drops - just like the intonation of both languages. Fascinating. Anyway, it'stime to find out how much you have learnt Finn. Earlier I asked, according to a survey, which one of these words was discovered to be the most common first word for a baby to say – not including Mummy or Daddy?

a) dog

b) eat

c) bus

Finn: And I thought it would be a) dog

Rob: You are right. Dog is one of ten words that babies in the UK say first. Well, that's all we have time for today. Please join us again for another 6 Minute English soon.

Both: Bye.

The death of the landline

A phone with a fixed line, called a landline, might seem like a thing of the past.

The popularity of mobile phones these days appears to be killing off the home phone, with four in five phone numbers being mobile phone numbers.

But how has this changed the way we live and the atmosphere in our offices?

Rob and Feifei discuss if this really is the death of the landline, and we learn some language related to telephone calls.

This week's question:

How many landlines do you think there are, for every thousand people?

a) 2.9

b) 29

c) 290

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Listen

here

Vocabulary:

landline telephone - a fixed line, or wired phone

white collar work - office or other work where people dress smartly

voicemail - voice messages left on a phone

text - SMS

following up on - following a message with another message or call

efficiency - fast, effective working

control - the power to decide

screening calls - checking who is calling before deciding whether to answer

buzz - busy, exciting atmosphere

Rob: Hello, I'm Rob, welcome to 6 Minute English. With me in the studio today is

Feifei.

Feifei: Hi Rob.

Rob: The star of today's programme is not Feifei. But an item of office equipment, which normally doesn't get much attention – it's the landline telephone.

Feifei: I guess we don't really give much of a thought to landline phones. Before mobile phones, we didn't even call them 'landlines'. They were just phones.

Rob: They were just phones – phones with a curly wire coming out of them, plugged into the wall. Millions of people had them. Millions more couldn't afford one, or didn't live near a phone network - or were on a waiting list to have one installed.

In India even today, in the age of the mobile phone, there are still 50,000 people on the waiting list for a landline. But now, all over the world, the number of people with a landline is falling, because people prefer to use mobile phones.

Worldwide, four in every five phone numbers are mobile phone numbers. In

India, that means there are 614 mobile phones for every thousand people. But how many landlines do you think there are, for every thousand people?

a) 2.9 b) 29 c) 290

Feifei: I'll go for b) 29.

Rob: We'll find out if you're right at the end of the programme. Now, the landline might disappear one day, but it hasn't gone yet. A big landline phone sits on many office desks round the world. For decades, a landline phone came with a white collar job.

Feifei: A white collar job, meaning an office job.

Rob: Exactly. English journalist Lucy Kellaway has a landline phone on her desk. It's big, grey and it doesn't ring very often. And even when it does ring, she doesn't answer it.

Feifei: A lot of people don't answer their landlines these days. You can leave a messageas a voicemail, but you don't know whether it will be listened to.

Rob: Well I think maybe it won't. Lucy Kellaway hasn't answered her landline phone for a year, or checked her voicemail. And she told the BBC what happened when she found her password, and checked her voicemail after all that time:

Lucy Kellaway:

Until about a decade ago, the office phone was the symbol of white collar work. It was the most important thing on any desk. But now these clumping phones sit largely silent. My own large grey telephone sits quietly on my desk and when it occasionally decides to ring I don't usually answer. Just now I decided to see what I'd been missing. It took a while as I couldn't remember my password, and then I found more than 100 messages were waiting patiently to be heard.

Rob: Lucy Kellaway checking her voicemail messages after 12 months.

Feifei: She had 100 messages. That's bad, all those people must wonder why she didn't reply to them.

Rob: Well, actually she found none of the messages were important – they were all duplicates or copies of messages she'd also received by email or text.

Feifei: Text as in text message – or SMS.

Rob: That's right. Let's hear what she found. Here's Lucy again:

Lucy Kellaway:

The first voicemail went like this: 'Hi Lucy this is Marcia – just following up on an email I sent.'

I pressed delete. The second: 'Hello Lucy, just a quick call, I'm from such-and-such, we just wanted to update our contact details'. And on it went. All either useless or duplicates of information I got by email or text. By not answering the phone for a year I'd lost nothing and gained much in terms of efficiency and control. It has allowed me to talk only to the people I want to talk to, at a time that suits me.

Feifei: Hmm, so people were just emailing her and then following up on the emails with a call to her landline. Sometimes if people don't answer an email, I follow it up with a phone call as well.

Rob: So maybe Lucy doesn't answer her emails either! She says not answering her landline means she's gained in efficiency and control.

Feifei: She's more efficient because she says it doesn't interrupt her work.

Rob: And in control because she only talks to people she wants to talk to, at a time when she wants to talk.

Feifei: I agree with her, I like to screen calls.

Rob: Screening calls – you like to check who's calling and decide whether to answer? I hope you don't do that to me!

Feifei: You'll never know! But really, email and texting is more private. I don't like talking on the phone in a busy office.

Rob: Well lots of people agree with you, Feifei. But although she doesn't answer hers,

Lucy Kellaway misses the atmosphere of a busy office. She explains why.

Lucy Kellaway:

The death of the landline may be better for us individually but it's worse for the bonds between us. The saddest thing is what the decline has done to the atmosphere in offices. There are no noisy phones creating buzz and urgency. Once upon a time I found these calls annoying but now the door into the private lives of my workmates is closed. I wish I could open it again.

Feifei: She's a journalist, so I imagine her newspaper office used to be very noisy, with lots of phones ringing and urgent phone conversations. That must have been an exciting atmosphere.

Rob: Yes, you heard she used the word 'buzz' for that exciting atmosphere. But she also says some of the calls were annoying.

Feifei: And it sounds like they weren't all about important newspaper business, because she mentioned hearing about her colleagues' private lives.

Rob: Okay so now to our question. Earlier I asked you about landline phones in India.

How many landlines are there for each thousand people?

Feifei: And I said 29.

Rob: And you were right. The answer is 29 landlines for every thousand people. Well, we're out of time. Please join us again soon for 6 Minute English from

bbclearningenglish.

Both: Bye.

Computer glasses

 

Would you wear a computer on your face?

'Wearable tech', or technology you can wear, is one of the newest areas in the world of computing.

Google has released a controversial product which works like a smartphone, but is worn on your face like a pair of glasses.

Finn and Neil discuss Google Glass and other wearable tech in the programme.

 This week's question:

In which action movie (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) did a character have special eyes that were like computers which gave information about the world around him?

a) Robocop

b) The Terminator

c) Total Recall

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Listen

here

Finn: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Finn and with me is Neil.

Neil: Hello.

Finn: And, we have a technology theme today – Neil, you carry a smartphone, don't you?

Neil: Yes – my phone can take photos and search the internet; I can watch videos, send

messages and even… hang on (phone rings)

Finn: Even make phone calls?

Neil: Sorry about that.

Finn: Very good. And – I can see that you are wearing a very fine pair of glasses.

Neil: Why thank you. They do make me quite… handsome, don't you think?

Finn: Of course. But how would you like to combine the two things – put them together?

Neil: Combine my smartphone and glasses?

Finn: That's what Google hope people will do. Their new product Google Glass is a kind of small computer you wear on your face.

Neil: Yes, several companies are now developing wearable tech – that's technology you

can wear – just like my glasses. With Google Glass, when you wear them you can see the real world, as normal, but also a small kind of computer screen, hanging in space…

Finn: Interesting, isn't it? And it makes me think of an action movie. Neil, which action

movie character had special eyes that were like computers – giving information about the world around him?

Neil: That's a difficult question. I'm not sure, science-fiction is not my favourite type of

movie. I will say, though, Terminator.

Finn: Ok, you're not a science fiction fan. We'll find out at the end of the programme if that was right. First, let's take a closer look at these specs – or glasses - themselves.

Neil: We don't have a pair, but our BBC colleague Rory Cellan-Jones went to Google to try a pair out. Listen carefully - which three different things does he do with them?

BBC technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones:

Ok Glass. Take a picture! There, I've got a picture of the cameraman. I'm going to go back. OK

Glass. Let's record a video. I'm now recording everybody that's in this room. And I'm going to stop that. How do I say 'thank you for the flowers' in Japanese? Hana arigatou gozaimashita. Excellent, so I can now speak Japanese via these glasses.

Finn: So, which different things did Rory Cellan-Jones do?

Neil: Did you hear them? Number one - he took a picture:

BBC technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones:

...

Neil: He learned how to say a phrase in Japanese.

Finn: Very good, yes. Neil, I know you speak Japanese, what was the phrase?

Neil: Oh right. It was: hana arigatou gozaimashita.

Finn: Wonderful pronunciation.

Google Glass:

Hana arigatou gozaimashita.

Finn: Which means 'thank you for the flowers'. But anyway let's get back to English!

Neil: With all the things these glasses can do, some people find them creepy – a bit

strange and scary.

Finn: Yes, because you can use them while walking along the street, for example, nobody will know what you're doing, and some people are worried that they might be used to find out information about their private, or personal lives.

Neil: Some are concerned about drivers using the glasses – saying it could be dangerous

when driving.

Finn: And casinos – places where people play games – like card games – to win money,

are concerned they could be used to cheat. Anyway, what do you think about them

Neil?

Neil: I have to say I don't like the idea.

Finn: OK, why?

Neil: Because I like to be separate from technology sometimes. I'm worried that my brain will stop working if I have a computer on my head.

Finn: If there's a computer in your head, you might become a cyborg, which is part man, part machine. Which takes me back to the question I asked you earlier, what was the

name of the action movie where there was a character with a robot eye?

Neil: I said Terminator.

Finn: That was absolutely correct, very good. The Terminator with 'Terminator vision'. So, what do you think of Google Glass and wearable tech in general? Let us know on the

BBC Learning English Facebook page. Now, Neil, could you remind us of some of

today's language?

Neil: smartphone - a phone that can be used as a small computer 

to combine - to join two or more things together to become one new thing

wearable tech - technology you can wear

specs - (slang) glasses; short for 'spectacles'

creepy - strange and scary

private - personal; only for one person or group

casino - a place where people go to gamble

cyborg - a being with both human and robot parts ('cybernetic organism')

Finn: OK that's it for this programme. Do join us again soon for more 6 Minute English

from BBC Learning English.

Both: Bye.