BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'Being human' English mega-class! 30 minutes of new vocab!

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Alice.

And I'm Neil.

So, Alice, what do you see when you look at me?

Ooh, well, um, male, Caucasian, early 40s,

short auburn hair, bushy eyebrows, thin lips.

Ah, OK. So that's how you see me?

It sounds like a police report!

I'm not sure I like your observation about thin lips.

'Caucasian' means 'white skinned and European', by the way.

Mm, and today the show is about 'identity' — 'who or what a person is'.

And the way people see us forms part of our sense of identity,

while another part comes from our 'ethnic' — or 'racial' — identity.

So my question for you today, Neil,

is what percentage of the UK population describe themselves as ethnically mixed?

Is it a) 0.9%?

b) 5.9%? Or c) 9%?

OK, I think that it's a) 0.9%.

Well, we'll find out if you got the answer right or wrong later on in the show.

Now, Neil, you are, of course, many more things

than my physical description of you!

I'm glad to hear that.

And it's true, that until you actually hear somebody speak,

there are lots of things you can't know about them.

For example, which country they're from, what language they speak

Yes. So looking at me, what would you say, Neil?

I would say, Alice, that you're a typical English rose.

Ah, thanks, Neil — 'an English rose' describes an attractive girl

with a pale, delicate 'complexion' — or 'skin colour' —

but you can't actually tell where a person is from by the way they look.

Yes, I suppose you're right.

I have a friend who also looks very English like you,

but she's a real ethnic mix.

Her dad's German and her mum's Brazilian!

Well, let's hear from New York City actress and playwright, Sarah Jones,

talking about her complicated ethnicity.

My family on my dad's side, my grandparents, are from the South.

There's some Caribbean in there,

Black Americans from the South and the Caribbean,

and then, on my mother's side, there are people from the Caribbean,

from Ireland, but, you know, Irish American, German American.

People would ask me if I was adopted when they saw my mother's white skin —

she's actually mixed, but she's White from a distance, and I'm Black from a distance.

Sarah Jones there. Well, Sarah has family from all over the world!

I suppose the United States — and New York City, especially — is a real melting pot.

That's right.

And 'melting pot' describes 'a society made from people of different countries

who live together and create a new shared culture'.

And people think Sarah is 'adopted' —

or 'raised by parents who aren't biologically hers' —

because she looks so different to her mum.

But I expect Sarah sees herself as American.

New York is where she was born and raised.

That's right, but her grandparents weren't.

Do you think you change

when you go and live in another country with people different to you?

Yes, I do.

My neighbours are Turkish, but they've lived in England for 45 years,

so they've integrated into our culture.

They enjoy English things like our TV soap operas, cooking turkey at Christmas,

and drinking tea with milk.

And to 'integrate' means 'to join a group of people',

and often involves changing your habits and customs.

Mm, yes. OK.

So, Neil, to what extent does the way other people see us actually change us?

Let's listen to Julian Baggini,

a writer and philosopher here in the UK, and find out what he thinks.

It seems very evident that our sense of self

isn't something that comes entirely from within

and of course we're affected by the way other people see us

and that's one of the most formative things in creating our sense of identity.

I mean, I think it's kind of a two-way process that's ongoing.

You know, our sense of who we are

is always a response in part to how other people see us.

So Julian Baggini believes the way other people see us is formative

in creating our sense of 'identity' — or 'who we are'.

And 'formative' means 'important for the development of something'.

Mm, so if enough people see you as an English rose,

you might start to see yourself as an English rose,

even if you aren't ethnically English.

I'm not so sure.

The friend I talked about earlier,

she comes across as much more Brazilian than English in the way she behaves.

She doesn't have the famous English reserve —

but you'd never know it by looking at her.

And 'reserve' means 'hiding what you're thinking or feeling'.

I think I'm guilty of English reserve. How about you, Neil?

No, I think I 'wear my heart on my sleeve', Alice —

which means I 'make my feelings clear'.

OK, I think it's time for the answer to today's quiz question.

Okey-doke, fair enough.

I asked you what percentage of the UK population

described themselves as ethnically mixed?

Is it a) 0.9%? B) 5.9%? Or c) 9%?

And I said a) 0.9%.

Yes. And you were on the money today, Neil, well done!

Wahey!

According to a survey conducted by the BBC in 2011,

when asked about their own ethnic origins,

0.9% of the UK population said they were mixed race,

although it's thought that the real figure is 2% or more.

Now, could you remind us of the words we heard today, Neil?

Sure. They are:

Caucasian,

identity,

ethnic,

English rose,

complexion,

melting pot,

adopted,

integrate,

formative,

reserve,

wear your heart on your sleeve.

And that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.

Don't forget to join us again soon!

Meanwhile, visit our website, BBC Learning English dot com.

Where you'll find guides to grammar, exercises, videos

and articles to read and improve your English.

— Goodbye! — Bye-bye!

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English,

the show that brings you an interesting topic, authentic listening practice

and vocabulary to help you improve your language skills.

— I'm Dan. — And I'm Catherine.

In this programme, we'll be discussing life expectancy,

as well as teaching you six new items of vocabulary, of course.

Er, Dan?

— Dan! — Uh? Uh!

We're doing a show, Dan. Wake up!

Sorry. Sorry, Catherine. Sorry, everybody.

I was at a party last night and I didn't get much sleep.

— Another party, Dan? — Yeah.

That's the third this week!

You look 'dead on your feet', which is an expression meaning 'extremely tired'.

Ah, well. Live fast, die young. That's my motto.

A 'motto' is 'a short phrase

'which reflects the beliefs of an organisation or person'.

And it's interesting that you mention dying young, Dan,

because our topic this show is 'life expectancy'.

'Life expectancy' is 'how many years a person is likely to live'.

I suppose you have a question about it too?

Funny you should say that, Dan.

By the year 2030, will the USA's life expectancy be

a) In the top third? b) The middle third?

Or c) the bottom third compared to the rest of the world?

Well, the USA is quite a rich country, so I'm going to say a) the top one third.

And we'll find out later in the show if you're right or not.

Now, Dan, life expectancy.

So which country do you think has the current highest life expectancy?

Everybody knows that's Japan, come on!

Aha, yes, but new analysis by the World Health Organization

and Imperial College London predicts that it won't always be so.

Now, they analysed 35 industrialised countries and found that by the year 2030,

South Korea will be the leaders —

with an average life expectancy of a whopping 90 years!

Wow. How did they do that?

Well, let's find out by listening to Professor Majid Ezzati,

Chair in Global Environmental Health at Imperial College London.

It seems to be actually, you know, dealing with diet better than other places,

being very good at taking up new medical knowledge, technology and using it

and, perhaps most importantly, doing this in a relatively equitable way,

compared to western countries.

So, basically, good diet, using new medical technology and knowledge,

and being more 'equitable' — or 'fair and impartial' — in society.

So how did the UK do?

— Well, not too well actually. — Oh.

We were thoroughly beaten by our closest neighbour, France.

What?! How comes?!

I'll let Professor Majid Ezzati explain that too.

So France has had some of the lowest obesity rates among western countries,

French women especially. UK has had some of the highest ones.

And alcohol in France, at least until now, has been consumed,

it's much more healthy patterns,

and in the UK there has been a lot more binge drinking.

So, France has low 'obesity', which is 'a state of being very overweight',

compared to the UK's high obesity.

And France drinks alcohol much more moderately than the UK,

which tends to binge.

'Bingeing' is when you 'consume a large amount of something in a short time' —

especially food or alcohol.

So, confession time, Dan! How many drinks did you have last night?

It was only orange juice, I swear! So, come on. Did I get the question right?

You asked me by the year 2030,

will the USA's life expectancy be a) In the top one-third?

b) The middle one-third? Or c) the bottom third compared to the rest of the world?

And I said the USA's quite a rich country, so it's probably a) In the top one-third.

Sorry, Dan.

Nice logic, but actually the USA is one of the least equitable places in the world.

So their life expectancy suffers, and the answer was actually c) the bottom third.

Oh, well. Next week, maybe.

Now, let's take a look at the vocabulary from this programme.

First, we had 'dead on your feet'.

This is an informal expression which means 'extremely tired'.

Another way to say the same thing would be 'shattered'.

When was a time when you were dead on your feet, Catherine?

I built some garden furniture quite recently, and it took me all day,

and I was dead on my feet when I finished.

— Mm. — Now, we had motto.

Now, a 'motto' is 'a short phrase

which reflects the belief of an organisation or person'.

So, Dan, what's your personal motto?

"Take the path of least resistance". What about you?

— "Less is more". — Ah, good one.

Then we had life expectancy.

'Life expectancy' is 'how many years a person is likely to live'.

What do you think's a good life expectancy for a person?

I'm hoping to get to about 85 and then I'd like a, sort of, quick exit,

because I think it's probably not much fun after that.

Then we had equitable.

'Equitable' means 'being fair or impartial'

and it comes from the word 'equal'.

— So, Dan, personal question. — Mm.

Would you say that your marriage is equitable?

I'd like to think so, yes.

I do the cooking, my wife does the cleaning, and we share the other jobs.

We'll have to get Mrs Dan in to give her opinion.

After that we heard obesity.

'Obesity' describes 'a state of being very overweight'.

It's a medical term and is often used in connection with health problems.

The report said that the UK has an obesity problem, Catherine.

How do you think we can solve it?

I think we need a sugar tax and everybody should walk to work.

Finally, we had binge.

To 'binge' is 'to consume a large amount of something in a short space of time,

especially something that you don't usually have'.

And these days we hear a lot about binge drinking, binge eating and binge watching.

So, Dan, when did you last binge watch a series on TV?

— Oh, it's Game Of Thrones, isn't it? — Game Of Thrones.

— Series one, series two, series three. — Every time.

— Back-to-back. — Back-to-back bingeing, brilliant.

That's it. Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.

Please join us again soon!

And we're on social media too,

so make sure you visit us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

— Bye-bye. — Bye!

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English,

the show that brings you an interesting topic, authentic listening practice

and six new items of vocabulary. I'm Dan.

And I'm Neil. In this episode, we'll be discussing if happiness is genetic

How happy would you say you are, Neil?

I'm pretty happy, I think. Why do you ask?

Well, in March this year, the UN published its fifth World Happiness Report.

Is that the one that ranks all the countries based on how happy they are?

— Ah, you've heard of it then. — Mm-hm.

Overall there are 155 countries included, and Norway came top of them all,

overtaking Denmark, which was the leader for the years 2012 to 2016.

Well, what about the UK then?

Ah, well that's this week's question, isn't it? Where did the UK place?

a) In the top 10? b) Between 11th and 20th?

Or c) After 21st?

Well, I'm going to say c) After 21st.

OK, you know the drill. No answers until the end of the show.

So, Norway, eh? And Denmark the previous year? They're neighbours!

Yes. In fact, for the last five years, the results have been pretty much the same.

Nordic countries tend to dominate the top of the table.

'Dominate' meaning 'control'. OK, well, how are the results decided?

It's very simple.

They ask 1,000 people in each country a single, subjective question.

'Subjective' means 'based on personal experience, beliefs or feelings'.

Well, what's the question?

Imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to ten at the top.

The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you

and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you.

On which step of the ladder

would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?

That's actually quite simple.

Yep. The Nordic countries all score an average close to 7.5 out of 10.

So we have a number of neighbouring countries

which all claim to be extremely happy.

There must be a connection. Is it the weather?

Well, that's a logical conclusion, but there is another idea.

I'll let Professor Andrew Oswald from the University of Warwick explain.

We think that there is a genetic component, in part,

to why the Danes do so well,

coming so regularly at the head of happiness international league tables.

It does appear from the data that the Danes have the smallest amount

of the, you might say, dangerous, short kind of genetic pattern,

so they may have a kind of inoculation against the possibility of depression.

So, Professor Oswald mentioned there's a genetic 'component', or 'part',

to Danish DNA which gives them an inoculation, or 'illness protection',

against depression and sadness.

Yep. All of the Nordic countries have a similar make-up.

But he said 'in part'. That means 'it doesn't explain everything'.

So, there's something missing.

There's no fooling you! Michael Booth has written a book about Nordic happiness.

He has another theory.

There are so many reasons why the Danes are happy, why they're content,

that have nothing to do with DNA.

Of course they're happy! They're rich! They're sexy!

They're funny! They don't work that much!

Ah, so being rich, funny, sexy and not working much

is why they are 'content', meaning 'satisfied'.

That sounds a bit like you, Dan.

I can't publicly comment on that, Neil, I'm sorry!

But there is one more piece we're missing.

Hygge.

It's a loanword and only just appeared in the British dictionaries.

We don't have a direct translation, but it basically means cosiness.

'Cosiness', meaning 'warm, comfortable and safe'.

Yes. Danes love simple comforts.

A warm, cosy room, some drinks, some candles and a fire, and they're happy.

Maybe that's the secret.

Well, the secret to my happiness right now is finding out if I was right in the quiz.

Oh, yes! I asked where did the UK place in the World Happiness Report 2017?

a) In the top ten? b) Between 11th and 20th?

Or c) After 21st?

I said c) After 21st.

And I'm afraid you're wrong, my friend.

We placed b) Between 11th and 20th. We were actually 19th.

Well, let's make our listeners happy by going through the vocabulary.

OK. First, we had dominate.

If you 'dominate' something or someone, you 'control it'.

It's quite an aggressive word.

You wouldn't use it for people much, but give us an example, Neil.

You can talk about a team dominating play in a sport.

Next, we had subjective.

If something is 'subjective'

it is 'based on personal experience, beliefs or feelings rather than facts',

which are 'objective'.

What type of things are subjective, Dan?

Oh, it's our opinions of art, music, jokes, food.

You know, I like sausages and ice cream, but no-one else does!

That's cos it's disgusting!

Then we had component.

A 'component' is 'part of something that makes up a larger whole'.

Televisions and computers have many components in them.

And a person can be an essential component in a team, like a goalkeeper in football.

After that was inoculation.

An 'inoculation' is 'a form of disease protection'.

It is a synonym of, Dan?

Vaccination. I went on holiday last year and had to have my inoculations updated.

Then we had content.

If you are 'content', you are 'satisfied and want nothing'.

What makes you content, Neil?

Oh, a warm, sunny day in my garden with a good book.

And finally, we had cosiness.

'Cosiness' comes from 'cosy', which means 'warm, comfortable and safe'.

— Where's cosy for you Dan? — Oh, that's easy.

On a freezing cold day, it's tucked up in bed with a nice cup of tea.

And that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.

Please join us again soon!

And we are on social media too, of course —

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. See you there.

— Bye-bye. — Goodbye.

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Alice. Have you, er, gained some weight, Neil?

You're not looking in great shape.

I'm afraid so!

My New Year's resolution is to 'get in shape'

or 'to get fit through physical exercise'.

I look fat, don't I?

Well, erm, did you overindulge during the Christmas holidays, Neil?

I'm afraid I did, Alice.

'Overindulge' means 'to have too much of something nice' —

like all that lovely Christmas food!

Yes, lovely. Why do you think appearance is so important to us, Neil?

Getting in shape is a very popular 'New Year's resolution' —

that's 'a decision to do or stop doing something

at the beginning of the New Year'.

Good question. Well, I think we all judge people according to the way they look.

The subject of today's show is 'appearance' or 'the way we look'.

Did you know, Neil,

that better-looking people tend to be judged by others as more intelligent?

— That sounds unfair! — I know.

Well, show us you aren't just a pretty face

by getting today's quiz question right.

From a study done in the UK, which physical aspect of their appearance

were men most likely to say was their favourite?

Was it a) Their hair? b) Their face? Or c) Their height?

OK, I'm going for a) Hair. I like my hair.

— You have lovely hair, Neil. — Thank you.

— And a lot of it. — Yes.

Anyway, we'll find out later whether you're right or not.

Now, it's not only people who make quick decisions about others

based on the way they look.

Some animals do this too.

Peahens — that's a female peacock —

prefer male peacocks with lots of eyespots on their tail.

Why's that?

Well, one theory is that a male peacock's tail is a sign of his genes.

'Genes' are 'part of the DNA in a cell

that controls the physical development and behaviour of an animal'.

It takes lots of energy to grow a big tail, and to carry it around,

so only the strongest, healthiest males can afford to do this.

So what do men need in order to attract women, Alice?

A deep voice and a square jaw, according to research.

Well, let's listen now to fashion historian Amber Butchart

describing what men used to do to 'enhance' — or 'improve' —

their physical appearance.

Men quite often would wear corsets throughout 18th century,

even into the 19th century.

It was possibly concerned with displaying status and rank

rather than what we now define as physical attractiveness,

but I think the two were very bound up together.

This was Amber Butchart.

A 'corset' is 'a tight-fitting piece of underwear

'that squeezes you in and makes your waist look smaller'.

I didn't know men used to wear corsets!

That might make you talk in a high voice

and that wouldn't be very attractive, would it?

Well, no, Neil. It's a very interesting look and sound for you.

On a more serious note,

Amber says that men weren't wearing these uncomfortable 'garments' — or 'clothes' —

just to look more physically attractive.

They were also doing it to display their status and rank.

'Status' means 'the professional or social position of a person

in relation to others'.

And 'rank' is another way of saying the same thing.

Do you think we still dress to impress, Alice,

or are things a bit freer than they were in the 18th century?

I'm a jeans and T-shirt man, as you know.

Well, yes, indeed, you don't have to be 'suited and booted' for our job —

and that means 'smartly dressed'.

But I think the way we dress is still important.

But for women, particularly,

I think we dress nicely for ourselves — not for anybody else.

Sometimes I put on make-up, not because I'm going out,

but because it makes me feel good.

Ah, you always look nice, with or without make-up, Alice.

Ah, thank you, Neil! That's very nice.

But let's listen now to academic Philippa Dietrich

from the University of the West of England, Bristol,

talking about valuing ourselves for all our attributes, not just our appearance.

This focus just on appearance, on looks,

really sends people the ideas that their bodies are just objects to be looked at.

Having a belief system or focusing on your values in life

or other attributes or personality characteristics or interests

or anything else that's not to do with appearance is really important.

Our bodies are not there to be looked that, they have functions.

What Philippa Dietrich said makes sense to me.

We need to focus on our inner beauty. What do you think, Alice?

Well, I think you should stop posting selfies on social media then, Neil!

Now, here's the answer to today's quiz question.

I asked from a study done in the UK, which physical aspect of their appearance

were men most likely to say was their favourite?

Was it a) Their hair? b) Their face? Or c) Their height?

And I said a) Hair.

And you were wrong, I'm afraid, Neil! It's c) Height.

A poll conducted by ComRes for BBC Radio found that when it comes to appearance,

men were most likely to mention their height —

21% of them in fact said it was their favourite physical attribute,

whereas for women, 35% of them said their hair was their favourite thing.

Well, forget about my hair, Alice — I'm tall too, OK?

So you can tell us the words we heard today, please?

Here they are:

Get in shape,

overindulge,

New Year's resolution,

appearance,

genes,

corset,

garments,

status,

rank,

suited and booted.

Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.

Happy New Year everyone and we hope you keep your New Year's resolutions!

Please join us again soon.

— Goodbye. — Bye!

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Phil.

Ugh! What's that awful noise, Phil?!

Sorry, Neil, I was, er, biting my nails. I know, it's a bad habit.

Eurgh! It sounds terrible!

Sorry, Neil.

Actually, it's not only you

who finds certain sounds irritating, unpleasant, or even unbearable.

Whether it's someone biting their nails, rustling a crisp bag,

or scraping a knife on a dinner plate,

some everyday sounds have the power to make us angry or upset.

There's even a name for it, 'misophonia', also known as 'sound rage',

and it's more common than you might think.

According to some estimates, one person in five is affected emotionally

by the coughing, slurping, sneezing and snorting sounds

made by the people around them.

In this programme,

we'll be finding out more about the medical condition misophonia,

and, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

But first, I have a question for you, Phil.

According to a recent survey by the American journal, Medical News,

which of the following did their readers find the most unpleasant sound?

a) Bicycle brakes squeaking?

b) Nails scraping a blackboard?

Or c) A baby crying?

Hmm, I'll guess it was squeaky bicycle brakes. I really hate that!

OK, Phil, we'll find out the answer later in the programme.

For people suffering from misophonia,

the specific sounds which cause them to become emotionally upset,

also known as 'triggers', often involve food and eating.

Just sitting down for dinner with their family can feel like torture.

Olana Tansley-Hancock is a British clinical researcher

who also suffers from misophonia.

Here she explains some of her triggers

to BBC World Service programme The Food Chain.

Just any kind of inescapable, repetitive noise

will potentially cause a misophonic-type response in me,

that fight-or-flight. And, yeah, it's that immediate, uncontrollable reaction

that you get to the sound that is the most hard to explain and unusual,

I think, cos in modern day, you don't really get many instances

where you get a fight-or-flight response.

It's not like we're frequently chased down by wild animals —

and then to feel those from pretty innocuous everyday sounds

is the thing that takes its toll.

Certain sounds trigger a fight-or-flight response in Olana.

'Fight-or-flight' refers to 'the way the human body responds

'to stressful or dangerous situations,

'either by physically running away, or staying to deal with the threat'.

Normally, these would be life-threatening dangers,

things like a fire or an attacking wild animal, but for misophonia sufferers,

even 'innocuous', or 'completely harmless', sounds create problems.

That's right.

Olana, for example, gets disturbed by helicopters flying in the sky,

and the fact that other people don't seem too bothered also 'takes its toll',

a phrase meaning 'causes suffering or pain'.

So what does it feel like

to actually experience this kind of stress in everyday life?

Here's Olana again, explaining her feelings to Ruth Alexander,

presenter of BBC World Service programme The Food Chain.

It's not the same feeling, but it's the same response in terms of the immediacy

and inability to control it as when someone tells you

that someone close to you has passed away, that feeling of utter, sudden reaction.

You can't control it, and then it lingers and carries on for you,

that immediate emotional response.

Almost like a shock to the system.

Yeah.

Olana describes her misophonia

as an uncontrollable and sudden emotional reaction,

as if finding out that a loved one has passed away.

'Passed away' is 'a polite, euphemistic way of saying "died"'.

She also describes it as 'a shock to the system' —

'a sudden and unpleasant change'.

Fortunately, misophonia sufferers have developed some tricks to help.

Playing background music can disguise the sound

of people sipping and slurping their food

and clearly, honestly explaining what the condition is

also helps people sympathise and understand.

But, of course, some sounds simply are disturbing —

for example, you biting your nails, Phil!

OK, OK, I said I was sorry!

Maybe it's time to reveal the answer to your question, Neil,

before you get more upset!

You asked me which sound was voted the most irritating

for readers of the journal, Medical News.

Right. And you guessed it was bicycle brakes squeaking,

which was the wrong answer, I'm afraid, Phil.

In fact, nails scraping a blackboard was voted the most distressing noise,

and I completely agree.

Right, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme on misophonia,

starting with 'trigger',

'something that causes people to feel emotional distress or fear'.

'Fight-or-flight' refers to 'the natural human response to a threatening situation

'of either running away, or staying to face the danger'.

The adjective 'innocuous' means 'completely harmless'.

If something 'takes its toll', it 'causes suffering, damage, or death'.

'Passed away' is 'a polite way of saying "died"'.

And finally, the phrase 'a shock to the system'

means 'a sudden and unpleasant change'.

Once again, our six minutes are up!

Join us again next time for more trending topics and useful vocabulary,

here at 6 Minute English.

— Goodbye for now. — Goodbye!

6 Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.