Listening and Reading Practice - British English Podcast (no.75 Amazing Inventions)

Hello, and welcome to the English Like a Native Podcast.

This is not your typical English language learning resource.

Just the weird and wonderful version of English that you'll hear spoken in the UK.

So tune in for your daily dose of very ordinary English chatter

from a very ordinary English girl.

I'm your host, Anna, and today we are talking about inventions.

History is brimming with tales of brilliance, creativity, and

at times, sheer serendipity.

It's a story of human innovation that has unfolded over centuries and continues

to shape the world we live in today.

Welcome to an entertaining adventure through the dazzling realm of inventions.

Think about it.

Once upon a time, our ancestors were chiselling tools from rocks,

and now we are planning to send robots to explore distant planets.

How did we get here?

Well, it's all thanks to the incredible power of invention.

Today, we're setting off on a journey to explore the ingenious creations that

have defined eras, changed societies, and fundamentally altered the way

we perceive the world, from ancient marvels like the wheel, to the cutting

edge technologies of the 21st century.

We'll witness the captivating evolution of human thought and engineering prowess.

We'll uncover the quirks, the eureka moments, and the pioneers who

dared to dream beyond the ordinary.

So get ready to be absorbed, amused, and perhaps even amazed, as we delve

into the stories behind these remarkable innovations, starting with the letter A.

So that's in this episode.

In this episode, we're covering letter A.

I'm not going to go through the entire alphabet in this one episode.

Don't panic, don't turn off and go,

"Oh no, this is going to take forever."

I promise you.

Short and sweet.

Today we're just doing A, my favourite letter.

Can you guess why?

A for Anna.

Well, A is for aeroplane.

Yes, listeners, prepare to take flight into the mesmerising

world of the aeroplane.

The winged wonder that turned our dreams of soaring through

the skies into a reality.

Imagine a time when our ancestors could only look up at the birds and wish,

"Oh, if only we could fly like that."

Then along came two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, who decided,

"Hey, why not?"

In December 1903, they climbed aboard the Wright Flyer, which was

a contraption that looked like a cross between a bicycle and a kite.

And with a leap of faith, they changed the world forever.

Think about it, before the aeroplane, if you wanted to travel from London to

New York for a weekend, you'd have to spend all of that working week on a boat.

Trust me, it's a very long journey.

I've done it.

I've done UK to New York on a boat.

It takes ages.

But now, thanks to these flying pioneers, you can hop on a plane and

fasten your seatbelts for breakfast and with a little help from the time

difference, arrive in the city that never sleeps, in time for lunch.

The aeroplane, my friend, is a masterclass in human audacity.

It's like saying,

"Hey, gravity, you're not the boss of us."

It defies the laws of nature with style and grace.

But it's not just about getting from A to B.

The aeroplane has taken us on incredible adventures.

It's brought exotic destinations, diverse cultures, and unforgettable

experiences within reach.

It's made the world smaller.

And our dreams, bigger.

So, whether you're a thrill-seeker who loves turbulence, or a nervous

flyer clutching your armrest, that's me, the aeroplane is a symbol of

human ingenuity, daring, and an unquenchable thirst for exploration.

It's the closest thing we have to magic in the 21st century.

So the next time you board a plane, remember that you're part of a legacy

that began with two brothers, a wild idea and a dream of soaring among the clouds.

Oh, get ready for takeoff.

And A is for alarm clock.

All right, folks, it's time to wake up and smell the coffee.

And what better way to do it than with the unsung hero of

our mornings, the alarm clock.

Picture this, you're in dreamland, having the wildest adventures, or maybe

just snuggling cosily under blankets.

Suddenly, an explosion of sound.

And your trusty alarm tone shatters it all, demanding that you greet the day.

It's like a mini drill sergeant and barely any more polite.

The alarm clock, though, has been our saviour for ages.

Before it came along, folks had to rely on cockerels or an early rising spouse

to rouse them from their beauty sleep.

If you were well off, you could even employ someone to come and tap on your

window or shoot peas at it through straws.

But thanks to the genius minds of inventors we've got this

nifty little gadget that won't disturb the whole neighbourhood.

Just you.

For those of us that prefer to keep mobile phones out of the bedroom, we

can find all sorts of alarm clocks.

There are the classic analog ones, with those soothing ticking sounds that make

you feel like you're in a cosy library.

Then there are the digital ones, sleek and futuristic, with customisable

ringtones that alongside your favourite rock riff or pop chorus,

can be anything from the chirping of birds to the roar of a chainsaw, if

you're into a jarring wake up call.

Personally, it gives me palpitations.

I like a nice, gentle wake up.

But the true magic of an alarm clock lies in its ability to be your trusty sidekick,

faithfully waking you up for school, work, or that sunrise hike you've been planning.

It doesn't matter if it's a simple two bell design or a high-tech app

controlled marvel, it's got your back.

In fact, we have one of those dawn alarms.

It slowly lights up bit by bit, getting brighter and brighter

with a little sound along with it.

So it gently wakes you up as if the sun is rising.

And the sound that we have on this alarm clock is the sound of chirping birds.

And one time my mum was staying over so I allowed her to have our bed, because

our bed is the best bed in the house.

So we slept on the floor mattress and gave mum our bed.

And she said the next day,

"Oh, I think you've got birds nesting in

the attic."

"Why would you

say that?

I don't think we do."

And she said,

"No, in the middle of the night I was awoken to the sound of birds.

And also the electrics have gone all funny all these lights started coming on."

In fact, what had happened was she'd accidentally set the alarm.

Don't ask me how.

So the alarm had gone off in the middle of the night, turned on

the lights and chirping birds were ringing through the room.

Anyway, I can't leave this particular invention without

mentioning the snooze button.

That little slice of heaven that lets you steal an extra

few moments of sweet slumber.

It's a guilty pleasure that we're all familiar with.

How many times do you hit it?

So next time that your alarm goes off in the morning, take a moment to

appreciate this little alarm clock.

It's literally on your side, ensuring that you are up, on time,

and ready to conquer the world.

One cup of coffee at a time.

Time to seize the day!

And A is also for alphabet.

Picture this, it's 2000 BCE in the ancient Middle East, and

our ancestors are doodling away with complex pictorial scripts.

It's like they're trying to write a novel with emojis.

And it's not going too well.

But then, in the Sinai Peninsula, a brilliant mind has an 'aha' moment.

The Proto-Sinaitic script is born.

It's got about 30 symbols, mostly consonants, and, despite

the heat, it's the coolest of scripts, way ahead of its time.

But hold on to your sandals because around 1200 BCE, the Phoenicians saunter in.

They look at the Proto-Sinaitic script and say,

"Nice try, but let's simplify this party."

Technically speaking, Phoenician is really an abjad.

A writing system where the sounds represented are consonants only.

They slashed the Proto-Sinaitic script down to 22 characters.

Think of it as the original Twitter.

Brevity is the soul of wit.

Now, fast forward to ancient Greece, around 800 BCE.

The Greeks decide to spice things up.

They throw in some vowels and turn the alphabet into the linguistic

superstar that we know today.

It's like they added colour to a black and white movie.

The ancient Greek alphabet spreads like wildfire.

Rome gets a taste and turns it into the Latin alphabet, the ultimate

blockbuster script that stars in numerous modern languages from

English to Spanish to French.

But wait, there's more.

Over in Eastern Europe, saints and brothers Cyril and Methodius are like,

"We want in on this alphabet action."

So they invent the Cyrillic alphabet in the 9th century,

tailor-made for the Slavic peoples.

It's like creating a spin-off series that becomes a hit.

In the end, the invention of alphabets is like the ultimate language makeover.

It revolutionises how we communicate, making it efficient and flexible.

It's like upgrading from carrier pigeons to high-speed internet.

It empowers literacy, preserves knowledge, and helps ideas and cultures reach

people and places both near and far.

Today, it's the rock star of communication tools, connecting people across the globe.

So let's give a standing ovation to the alphabet.

Wheey!

The true star of the linguistics show.

Well, what do you think?

Which invention is the most important to humanity?

And to you, as an individual?

Could you get by without the luxury of flight?

Or do you look forward to those special trips abroad that you

wouldn't otherwise be able to fit in?

Would you sleep until noon without an alarm clock?

Or have you simply trained your body to wake up on time every single day?

Yes, 6:32 every single morning without fail, my eyes automatically

open without an alarm clock.

And last but not least, the alphabet.

Should we just accept that so much information is

spoken and visual these days?

Or does it pain you to know that ever fewer people are reading and

writing much more than a few quick instant messages filled with emojis?

In the next instalment of this inventions series, inventions beginning with

the letter B will have their turn.

What do you think could be in that episode?

Stay tuned to find out.

Until next time.

Take good care and goodbye.