BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
Black history month
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 1 of 5
Yvonne: This is 6 Minute English, I'm Yvonne and today, I'm joined by
Rob. Hello, Rob!
Rob: Hello, Yvonne.
Yvonne: In the UK, we celebrate Black HistoryMonth each year. It's a time when
people from all cultures and backgrounds get a chance to learn about, share in
and celebrate the contributions that black people have made to UK and world
history. Well before we find out more about this annual or yearly event, I've a
question for you, Rob. How long has Black History Month been celebrated
here in the UK? Is it:
23 years
50 years or
52 years
Rob: Ummm – that's a tricky one. I think I'll say 23 years.
Yvonne: Hmmm - we'll find out whether you're right or wrong later on!
Rob: Okay.
Yvonne: Now every year, there's a rather heated debate about whether we should or
shouldn't spend an entire month on black history - something that's a part of
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 2 of 5
British history. Mia Morris is the owner of the UK's Black HistoryMonth
website and she shared her opinion on this:
Extract 1: MiaMorris
Ideally, we wouldn't need it; ideally, it would be all year round. But then say to people:
use the opportunity to explore more of your family and spend more time with your
family, finding out more about our very rich history.
Yvonne: Mia would prefer black history to be made available to everyone in Britain
throughout the year. As she put it, ideally, black history would last 'all year
round' - but as it doesn't…
Rob: …Mia thinks we should all see October as an opportunity, or a chance, to
spend more time with family, exploring, or finding out, more about our very
rich history, one that we all share, as it's British.
Yvonne: Unfortunately, some Black HistoryMonth events and schools still choose to
focus on negative events from history, for example, slavery. But now, there's a
wider variety of events available, including living history. Rob, can you tell us
what 'living history' is please?
Rob: Yes, of course. It's a more interactive way of learning about a specific event or
period of time in history than say, for example, simply looking at items in a
museum. That's a bit boring sometimes.
Yvonne: It is, isn't it? Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held as a prisoner, is
now a living museum, isn't it, Rob?
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 3 of 5
Rob: That's right. I've actually been there and it really is an amazing place. So we
can find out what everyday life was like for Nelson Mandela by going on a
guided tour of Robben Island that's led by an ex-political prisoner, who was
also held there.
Yvonne: Of course, living history is happening all around us, wherever we are. And
recently, at a Black HistoryMonth event, I spent the morning speaking with a
wonderful lady, who's a great example of living history. Irene Sinclair was
born in 1908 in Guyana, South America, which was then called British Guyana.
And she came to live in London in 1957.
Rob: My goodness. So Irene is 102 years old! Wow, you must have had so many
questions to ask her, Yvonne.
Yvonne: Too many, Rob, way too many, including questions about her working life. I
asked Aunty Rene how much she was paid in Guyana in 1957 where she
worked as an English and History teacher, before she came to London.
Extract 2: Irene Sinclair
It must have been about £10 a year. Yes, because when I came over here, I was working
for 4.99. I was 49 when I came over, nearly 50. 4.99 a week, £4.99 in 1958!
Rob: Irene would have been paid in pounds, shillings and pence, so she was telling
us what her pay would be worth today, £4.99. Now that doesn't sound like very
much money, but compared to the £10 a year she got as a teacher, it was.
Yvonne: £10 a year! She was an assistant cook at a school until age 62 and she became
a famous model at the age of 96!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 4 of 5
Rob: Amazing!
Yvonne: You can look her up on the internet.
Rob: Okay.
Yvonne: And of course, she's got a great love of children which lead her to another job.
Extract 3: Irene Sinclair
Six years ago, I looked after a baby six days old for about three weeks, because the
woman, she wasn't quite well after having the baby. And the doctor said she must have
someone in at nights so she could sleep. “Aunty Rene, would you?” Of course, they gave
me some money, but I wouldn’t take it as they would have had to pay someone £50 a
night – you know, a proper nurse.
Yvonne: So, at 96 years old, she was not only a model, but she also looked after a newborn
baby for friends at night for six weeks. And she didn't even take the
money they wanted to pay her.
Rob: Wow, Rene Sinclair really does sound like a wonderful piece of living black
history for the UK.
Yvonne: She does and Aunty Rene proves that Black History Month can be an amazing
experience simply based on the people you meet. Now earlier Rob, I asked you
how long ago did Black HistoryMonth in the UK start?
Rob: And I said 23 years. Was I right?
Yvonne: You were – ding-ding!!
Rob: Great!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 5 of 5
Yvonne: Fantastic! But that's all for today's "6 Minute English".
Both: Goodbye!
2010年10月29日 星期五
Reading the classics!
BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
Reading the classics
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 1 of 6
Alice: Hello – this is 6 Minute English, I'm Alice and today, I'm joined by
Yvonne. Hello, Yvonne!
Yvonne: Hello Alice!
Alice: Now Yvonne, if I said Don Quixote, what would you say?
Yvonne: Oh, it's a famous classic Spanish novel – but that's all, because sadly, I've
never read it.
Alice: Oh well, don't worry - because you're not the only one! In fact, Don Quixote
has been described as Spain's best-known, but least read book.
Yvonne: So like me, most people have heard of it, but not many people have actually
read it.
Alice: Exactly. But before we find out what the Royal Spanish Academy is doing
about that, here's today's question: in 2005, the BBC announced the UK's bestloved
- or favourite book. What was it?
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 2 of 6
a) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
b) The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien or
c) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Yvonne, what was your guess before you looked up the answer?
Yvonne: Well, I said Harry Potter - because I must be the only person on earth who’s
never read it!
Alice: Oh, me neither! Isn’t that terrible? Well we'll find out what the UK's best-loved
book is later on. Now people say that most Spaniards have never managed to
finish reading Don Quixote, even though it's a classic. What do you think
makes a classic novel or book, Yvonne?
Yvonne: Well, excellent writing that people want to continue reading into the future, but,
it doesn't have to be old - although Miguel De Cervantes finished writing Don
Quixote way back in 1615.
Alice: No, I suppose you can have modern classics. But the Royal Spanish Academy
has been trying to get people to feel more passionate, more excited, about this
old book by using new technology. And what they're doing seems to be
working, as the BBC's Nkem Ifejika reports:
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 3 of 6
Extract 1: Nkem Ifejika, BBC reporter
Byte size chunks for a sound bite culture - the novel was divided into 2,149 short
passages. Any Spanish speaker can then pick a passage, record themselves reading it
and upload to the internet. A quick search for video of Don Quixote shows they've
already done so; the novel being read aloud by people across the globe - the exact
manner in which young servants used to read it when it was written, never all at once.
Alice: So the novel was divided up into 2,149 short passages or sections – what
Nkem Ifejika describes as 'bite size chunks for a sound bite culture'. Yvonne,
can you help us out with that phrase, please?
Yvonne: I'll try, Alice. Now, lots of people can't or don't like to concentrate – or focus
on one thing for a long period of time, so they're happier with things they can
do quickly – with 'bite size chunks' of information, for example.
Alice: And what would you say is 'a sound bite culture'?
Yvonne: Well, lots of us like to listen to a short piece about something rather than read
about it, so we're 'a sound bite culture'. For example, we seem to enjoy short,
snappy advertisements that get messages across really quickly.
Alice: Yes - and more and more people on trains are listening to a chapter of a book
on their iPods rather than reading it. As we heard, it's all about 'bite size
chunks for a sound bite culture!'
Yvonne: It certainly is!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 4 of 6
Alice: Now the Royal Spanish Academy is asking people to read passages of Don
Quixote out loud, just as people used to when the book was first written in the
1600s. People never read the entire book all at once.
Yvonne: And most people don't do that today either.
Alice: No, they don't - but Spanish speakers from all over the world are recording
themselves reading Don Quixote out loud, which means more people are
learning about and can listen to this classic.
Yvonne: And that's a good thing – plus, I think it must be fun listening to all those
different voices reading it.
Alice: And lots of different accents.
Yvonne: Hmmm – really nice.
Alice: What about other classics? Here's what a few of our colleagues had to say
about what they've read – or rather, what they haven't!
Extract 2: BBC Learning English colleagues
MAN: I read a lot of Dickens and I even read Moby Dick when I was at school -
and I think I am one of the few people who's ever read Don Quixote.
WOMAN: Well, I’ve read quite a few classics, mainly English classics like Thomas
Hardy and Jane Austen. However I did try to read James Joyce’s Ulysses
and actually carried it around on holiday with me for 6 weeks once - and I
still didn’t manage to get through it!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 5 of 6
Alice: Ah-ha – so we've found someone who's read lots of classics and has even read
Don Quixote!
Yvonne: Good – the Royal Spanish Academy will be extremely pleased.
Alice: They certainly will, although he read the translation of it in English. He's also
read Moby Dick, an American classic about a whale.
Yvonne: Now I've never been able to finish reading that!
Alice: Well, unlike many of us, our other colleague has done rather well - although
she hasn't managed to finish the Irish classic, Ulysses.
Yvonne: Well, that's not exactly relaxing reading, is it?
Alice: No, it’s not really holiday reading I think. Now earlier on, Yvonne, I asked:
which is the UK's favourite book? You thought it was Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire – which is a good guess, but it's Lord of the Rings by JRR
Tolkien. He wrote the book between 1937 and 1949 - mainly during the
Second World War.
Yvonne: Now that is amazing. I couldn't concentrate long enough to write a book -
during a war. No way!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 6 of 6
Alice: No, it’s probably because now, we live in ‘a sound bite culture’ and need ‘bite
size chunks’! Well, that's all for today's 6 Minute English. Join us again soon
for more.
Both: Goodbye!
6 Minute English
Reading the classics
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 1 of 6
Alice: Hello – this is 6 Minute English, I'm Alice and today, I'm joined by
Yvonne. Hello, Yvonne!
Yvonne: Hello Alice!
Alice: Now Yvonne, if I said Don Quixote, what would you say?
Yvonne: Oh, it's a famous classic Spanish novel – but that's all, because sadly, I've
never read it.
Alice: Oh well, don't worry - because you're not the only one! In fact, Don Quixote
has been described as Spain's best-known, but least read book.
Yvonne: So like me, most people have heard of it, but not many people have actually
read it.
Alice: Exactly. But before we find out what the Royal Spanish Academy is doing
about that, here's today's question: in 2005, the BBC announced the UK's bestloved
- or favourite book. What was it?
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 2 of 6
a) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
b) The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien or
c) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Yvonne, what was your guess before you looked up the answer?
Yvonne: Well, I said Harry Potter - because I must be the only person on earth who’s
never read it!
Alice: Oh, me neither! Isn’t that terrible? Well we'll find out what the UK's best-loved
book is later on. Now people say that most Spaniards have never managed to
finish reading Don Quixote, even though it's a classic. What do you think
makes a classic novel or book, Yvonne?
Yvonne: Well, excellent writing that people want to continue reading into the future, but,
it doesn't have to be old - although Miguel De Cervantes finished writing Don
Quixote way back in 1615.
Alice: No, I suppose you can have modern classics. But the Royal Spanish Academy
has been trying to get people to feel more passionate, more excited, about this
old book by using new technology. And what they're doing seems to be
working, as the BBC's Nkem Ifejika reports:
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 3 of 6
Extract 1: Nkem Ifejika, BBC reporter
Byte size chunks for a sound bite culture - the novel was divided into 2,149 short
passages. Any Spanish speaker can then pick a passage, record themselves reading it
and upload to the internet. A quick search for video of Don Quixote shows they've
already done so; the novel being read aloud by people across the globe - the exact
manner in which young servants used to read it when it was written, never all at once.
Alice: So the novel was divided up into 2,149 short passages or sections – what
Nkem Ifejika describes as 'bite size chunks for a sound bite culture'. Yvonne,
can you help us out with that phrase, please?
Yvonne: I'll try, Alice. Now, lots of people can't or don't like to concentrate – or focus
on one thing for a long period of time, so they're happier with things they can
do quickly – with 'bite size chunks' of information, for example.
Alice: And what would you say is 'a sound bite culture'?
Yvonne: Well, lots of us like to listen to a short piece about something rather than read
about it, so we're 'a sound bite culture'. For example, we seem to enjoy short,
snappy advertisements that get messages across really quickly.
Alice: Yes - and more and more people on trains are listening to a chapter of a book
on their iPods rather than reading it. As we heard, it's all about 'bite size
chunks for a sound bite culture!'
Yvonne: It certainly is!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 4 of 6
Alice: Now the Royal Spanish Academy is asking people to read passages of Don
Quixote out loud, just as people used to when the book was first written in the
1600s. People never read the entire book all at once.
Yvonne: And most people don't do that today either.
Alice: No, they don't - but Spanish speakers from all over the world are recording
themselves reading Don Quixote out loud, which means more people are
learning about and can listen to this classic.
Yvonne: And that's a good thing – plus, I think it must be fun listening to all those
different voices reading it.
Alice: And lots of different accents.
Yvonne: Hmmm – really nice.
Alice: What about other classics? Here's what a few of our colleagues had to say
about what they've read – or rather, what they haven't!
Extract 2: BBC Learning English colleagues
MAN: I read a lot of Dickens and I even read Moby Dick when I was at school -
and I think I am one of the few people who's ever read Don Quixote.
WOMAN: Well, I’ve read quite a few classics, mainly English classics like Thomas
Hardy and Jane Austen. However I did try to read James Joyce’s Ulysses
and actually carried it around on holiday with me for 6 weeks once - and I
still didn’t manage to get through it!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 5 of 6
Alice: Ah-ha – so we've found someone who's read lots of classics and has even read
Don Quixote!
Yvonne: Good – the Royal Spanish Academy will be extremely pleased.
Alice: They certainly will, although he read the translation of it in English. He's also
read Moby Dick, an American classic about a whale.
Yvonne: Now I've never been able to finish reading that!
Alice: Well, unlike many of us, our other colleague has done rather well - although
she hasn't managed to finish the Irish classic, Ulysses.
Yvonne: Well, that's not exactly relaxing reading, is it?
Alice: No, it’s not really holiday reading I think. Now earlier on, Yvonne, I asked:
which is the UK's favourite book? You thought it was Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire – which is a good guess, but it's Lord of the Rings by JRR
Tolkien. He wrote the book between 1937 and 1949 - mainly during the
Second World War.
Yvonne: Now that is amazing. I couldn't concentrate long enough to write a book -
during a war. No way!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 6 of 6
Alice: No, it’s probably because now, we live in ‘a sound bite culture’ and need ‘bite
size chunks’! Well, that's all for today's 6 Minute English. Join us again soon
for more.
Both: Goodbye!
2010年10月16日 星期六
2010年10月15日 星期五
Top international universities!
BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
Top international universities
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 1 of 6
Rob: Hello! I’m Rob and this is 6 Minute English. I’m joined today by
Alice. Hi Alice.
Alice: Hi Rob.
Rob: Today, we’re talking about universities around the world, and a new list that
shows the top two hundred. I’m going to start by asking you a question Alice
– which university has come number one in this list?
Alice: There are so many famous universities around the World – let me guess – is it
Cambridge?
Rob: Well, Cambridge University, in England, is certainly on the list but you’ll have
to wait until the end of the programme to see if you are right.
Alice: OK.
Rob: This new list is called the London Times Higher Education List. It ranks
universities on a number of factors. These include its quality of teaching, the
influence of its research and the income it gets for research.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 2 of 6
Alice: So, if these factors are higher, the university gets a higher ranking.
Rob: That’s right. Of course, funding is very important.
Alice: Funding…that’s money in other words. Is a university more successful if it
gets more funding?
Rob: Well, that is what Professor Steve Smith thinks. He is President of Universities
UK which represents all British universities. He says the US puts two-and-ahalf
times the amount of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) into its universities
than we do in the UK.
Extract 1:
The US puts two-and-a-half times the amount of GDP into its universities than we do
and therefore, surprisingly, they get two-and-a-half times the number of universities in
the top two hundred. I think this is all about the investment that countries put in the
future - all about the investment they put in their universities.
Rob: Professor Steve Smith says it’s all about the investment the country puts into
their universities that makes them successful.
Alice: OK. So he says the US invests more money in universities than the UK so they
have more of them on this list. Can I change my answer now?!
Rob: No Alice. You may still be right. Fourteen British institutions are on the list
including Oxford and Cambridge.
It’s interesting that the institutions which dominate the top of the list are
English speaking ones as BBC reporter Jonny Hogg explains….
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 3 of 6
Extract 2:
It's English speaking universities, and particularly those in America, that dominate the
top spots in this list. You have to go down to number fifteen to find the first non
Anglophone establishment, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and surprisingly,
France's renowned Ecole Polytechnique only comes in thirty ninth.
Alice: Ah, so American universities dominate the top of the list, but what does he
mean about the first non-Anglophone establishment being at number fifteen?
Rob: Well, Anglophone means English speaking. So the first non-Anglophone
university in the list was?
Alice: The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. But come on Rob, who was
number one?
Rob: Wait and see Alice! Let’s find out about some of the other countries in the list.
Here’s Jonny Hogg again…
Extract 3:
Elsewhere, Asia has done well, with Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and China all
having universities in the top forty. Only two African institutions, one, the university of
Capetown in South Africa, the other, the University of Alexandria in Egypt, make the
top two hundred.
Rob: So Jonny Hogg said universities in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and
China were in the top forty.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 4 of 6
Alice: Yes, mainland China has six universities on the list and there are two in
Africa.
Rob: OK here’s another question – when you choose a university does it really
matter if it has a good ranking?
Alice: Hmmm, the reasons for choosing a university? I suppose its reputation is
important.
Rob: Of course, although the authors of this new list say reputation is not as
important as it used to be. I choose my university because it offered the subject
I wanted to do.
Alice: Really? I chose mine because it was close to home and it had a lively social
scene.
Rob: A good reason! Let’s hear the reasons why Kate and Kaz chose their places to
study.
Extract 4:
Well I went to Edinburgh University, and I chose Edinburgh because I love the city, the
university had a very good reputation, and it was close enough to my home town without
actually being my hometown so it was only about an hour away, so I could go home at
weekends if I wanted to.
I went to Sussex University in the 1970s, and I chose Sussex above other universities,
because it had an excellent reputation in biology which was the subject I studied.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 5 of 6
Alice: So Kate is like me. She chose somewhere that was not too far from home. She
could go home at weekends.
Rob: And the university in Edinburgh had a good reputation. And what about Kaz?
Alice: For him, it had an excellent reputation for teaching biology. So it seems
reputation does actually count.
Rob: OK Alice, it’s time to tell you what was the top university in the London
Times Higher Education List. You thought it was….?
Alice: Cambridge? Am I right?
Rob: Well Cambridge and Oxford in the UK are in the top ten, but the number one
university is…Harvard in the USA.
Alice: Of course! Harvard was going to be my second choice.
Rob: I think you need to go back to university to do some more learning! But before
you do Alice, could you tell us some of the words we have learnt today?
Alice: Research
Income
Funding
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 6 of 6
Gross domestic product
Investment
Institutions
Anglophone
Ranking
Reputation
Rob: That’s all we’ve got time for today. Thanks for joining us and see you next
time.
Rob/Alice: Bye.
6 Minute English
Top international universities
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 1 of 6
Rob: Hello! I’m Rob and this is 6 Minute English. I’m joined today by
Alice. Hi Alice.
Alice: Hi Rob.
Rob: Today, we’re talking about universities around the world, and a new list that
shows the top two hundred. I’m going to start by asking you a question Alice
– which university has come number one in this list?
Alice: There are so many famous universities around the World – let me guess – is it
Cambridge?
Rob: Well, Cambridge University, in England, is certainly on the list but you’ll have
to wait until the end of the programme to see if you are right.
Alice: OK.
Rob: This new list is called the London Times Higher Education List. It ranks
universities on a number of factors. These include its quality of teaching, the
influence of its research and the income it gets for research.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 2 of 6
Alice: So, if these factors are higher, the university gets a higher ranking.
Rob: That’s right. Of course, funding is very important.
Alice: Funding…that’s money in other words. Is a university more successful if it
gets more funding?
Rob: Well, that is what Professor Steve Smith thinks. He is President of Universities
UK which represents all British universities. He says the US puts two-and-ahalf
times the amount of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) into its universities
than we do in the UK.
Extract 1:
The US puts two-and-a-half times the amount of GDP into its universities than we do
and therefore, surprisingly, they get two-and-a-half times the number of universities in
the top two hundred. I think this is all about the investment that countries put in the
future - all about the investment they put in their universities.
Rob: Professor Steve Smith says it’s all about the investment the country puts into
their universities that makes them successful.
Alice: OK. So he says the US invests more money in universities than the UK so they
have more of them on this list. Can I change my answer now?!
Rob: No Alice. You may still be right. Fourteen British institutions are on the list
including Oxford and Cambridge.
It’s interesting that the institutions which dominate the top of the list are
English speaking ones as BBC reporter Jonny Hogg explains….
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 3 of 6
Extract 2:
It's English speaking universities, and particularly those in America, that dominate the
top spots in this list. You have to go down to number fifteen to find the first non
Anglophone establishment, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and surprisingly,
France's renowned Ecole Polytechnique only comes in thirty ninth.
Alice: Ah, so American universities dominate the top of the list, but what does he
mean about the first non-Anglophone establishment being at number fifteen?
Rob: Well, Anglophone means English speaking. So the first non-Anglophone
university in the list was?
Alice: The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. But come on Rob, who was
number one?
Rob: Wait and see Alice! Let’s find out about some of the other countries in the list.
Here’s Jonny Hogg again…
Extract 3:
Elsewhere, Asia has done well, with Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and China all
having universities in the top forty. Only two African institutions, one, the university of
Capetown in South Africa, the other, the University of Alexandria in Egypt, make the
top two hundred.
Rob: So Jonny Hogg said universities in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and
China were in the top forty.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 4 of 6
Alice: Yes, mainland China has six universities on the list and there are two in
Africa.
Rob: OK here’s another question – when you choose a university does it really
matter if it has a good ranking?
Alice: Hmmm, the reasons for choosing a university? I suppose its reputation is
important.
Rob: Of course, although the authors of this new list say reputation is not as
important as it used to be. I choose my university because it offered the subject
I wanted to do.
Alice: Really? I chose mine because it was close to home and it had a lively social
scene.
Rob: A good reason! Let’s hear the reasons why Kate and Kaz chose their places to
study.
Extract 4:
Well I went to Edinburgh University, and I chose Edinburgh because I love the city, the
university had a very good reputation, and it was close enough to my home town without
actually being my hometown so it was only about an hour away, so I could go home at
weekends if I wanted to.
I went to Sussex University in the 1970s, and I chose Sussex above other universities,
because it had an excellent reputation in biology which was the subject I studied.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 5 of 6
Alice: So Kate is like me. She chose somewhere that was not too far from home. She
could go home at weekends.
Rob: And the university in Edinburgh had a good reputation. And what about Kaz?
Alice: For him, it had an excellent reputation for teaching biology. So it seems
reputation does actually count.
Rob: OK Alice, it’s time to tell you what was the top university in the London
Times Higher Education List. You thought it was….?
Alice: Cambridge? Am I right?
Rob: Well Cambridge and Oxford in the UK are in the top ten, but the number one
university is…Harvard in the USA.
Alice: Of course! Harvard was going to be my second choice.
Rob: I think you need to go back to university to do some more learning! But before
you do Alice, could you tell us some of the words we have learnt today?
Alice: Research
Income
Funding
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 6 of 6
Gross domestic product
Investment
Institutions
Anglophone
Ranking
Reputation
Rob: That’s all we’ve got time for today. Thanks for joining us and see you next
time.
Rob/Alice: Bye.
Seeds!
BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
Seeds
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 1 of 6
Rob: Hello! I’m Rob, this is 6 Minute English - and today, I'm joined by
Yvonne. Hello, Yvonne.
Yvonne: Hi Rob!
Rob: Today, we’re talking about seed banks – a place where the seeds from all kinds
of plants are carefully stored. Unfortunately, researchers are warning that about
one fifth of the world's plants are at risk of becoming extinct.
Yvonne: Wow – so there's a danger that they might disappear altogether. That's really
worrying, Rob.
Rob: Yes it is, but the seed bank is also showing people how to grow plants from
those seeds again in the future. But, before we find out more about protecting
the world's plants from extinction, here's today's question: The Youtan Poluo is
one of the world's rarest flowers and was recently found in China.
Yvonne: Yes, by a farmer!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 2 of 6
Rob: That's right, but how often does it bloom - so, when will the farmer see it in
flower again? Is it:
a) in 1000 years
b) another 3000 years or
c) in another 5000 years? Yvonne, what did you say when you were looking at
this story yesterday?
Yvonne: Well, I went for the lowest number, Rob – once every one thousand years. But
even that seemed far too long for another flower to appear!
Rob: Yes, I know what you mean – so we'll find out how long the Youtan Poluo
actually does take to bloom later on. Now, the Millennium Seed Bank is a
project based just outside London and it was set up in the year 2000.
Yvonne: But I've heard that there are other seed banks in other countries which are also
a part of that project.
Rob: That's true, so seeds are sent in from all over the world. But the big question is:
why are so many plants dying out in the world?
Yvonne: And how does the bank decide which seeds should be stored?
Rob: Well, Paul Smith is head of the Millennium Seed Bank - he has some answers
for us.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 3 of 6
Extract 1:
It’s absolutely essential that we get the right species – those which are most threatened,
those which are most useful, because we know that there's a good chance that many
plant species will become extinct over the next few decades. And it’s largely land-use
change; it’s development for agriculture, it's development for urban centres and so on.
Rob: Paul Smith says that many 'plant species' – that’s different types of plants – are
dying out because of 'land use change' – so we no longer use our land in the
same way. For example, it's used for 'development for agriculture'. Yvonne,
tell us what Paul Smith means by that, please?
Yvonne: Well, land where lots of plant species used to grow is being cleared for farming
- to grow crops and to raise animals.
Rob: And what about 'development for urban centres'?
Yvonne: Land is also being used to build new cities – places where people live, work
and shop.
Rob: So it's essential or absolutely necessary – for the bank to store the seeds of
plants which are 'most threatened' – or at the greatest risk or danger of
becoming extinct. But the bank must also store the seeds which are the most
useful to us.
Yvonne: For example, the seeds of food plants or plants that can be used to develop new
medicines.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 4 of 6
Rob: Now, it's also interesting how the bank stores seeds so that they can be used to
grow plants in the future. Here's what the BBC's David Shukman found out
when he visited the Millennium Seed Bank.
Extract 2:
And this is where all those seeds end up - 1.8 billion of them in one of these cold stores
kept at minus 20. That's why you have to wear the cold weather equipment. Jar after jar,
tube after tube, of these seeds, from more than 160 countries. The whole point of this
Millennium Seed bank is to try to build up a store of the planet’s plant biodiversity.
Rob: The 1.8 billion seeds have come from more than one hundred and sixty
countries and the seeds are stored at minus twenty degrees centigrade – much,
much colder than the freezing point for water.
Yvonne: So David Shukman definitely needed to wear 'cold weather equipment' to
protect him from the extreme cold.
Rob: Absolutely. Now ideally, the bank would like to have seeds from all the plants
in the world – seeds from 'the planet's plant biodiversity'. By the end of last
year, the bank had 10% of the world's plant biodiversity.
Yvonne: And by 2020, the Millennium Seed Bank hopes to have seeds from about 25%
of the world's plants. So there's lots of work to do.
Rob: Now speaking of plant biodiversity - earlier, I asked how often the Youtan
Poluo blooms. Was it every 1,000 years, 3,000 years or every 5,000 years?
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 5 of 6
Yvonne: And yesterday, I thought – surely it can't take longer than a thousand years to
bloom? But even that wasn't long enough for the plant to flower, was it?
Rob: No, that’s right. According to botanical experts – the people who know the
most about plants - the Youtan Poluo only blooms once every three thousand
years. In fact, the flower is so rare that people thought it only existed in sacred
Buddhist writings.
Yvonne: So the farmer who found it only has to wait for roughly another three thousand
years to see the flower again, if he can keep the plant alive!
Rob: And if he stays alive that long! Okay, there's just time now for a reminder of
some of the language we have came across in today's programme. Yvonne, can
you help us with those please?
Yvonne: Certainly, Rob. We heard:
Extinct
Bloom
Species
Agriculture
Urban centres
Plant biodiversity
Botanical experts
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 6 of 6
Rob: Thank you. Well, we hope you've enjoyed today's "6 Minute English" – and do
join us again soon for more.
Rob/Yvonne: Goodbye!
Upload Music
6 Minute English
Seeds
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 1 of 6
Rob: Hello! I’m Rob, this is 6 Minute English - and today, I'm joined by
Yvonne. Hello, Yvonne.
Yvonne: Hi Rob!
Rob: Today, we’re talking about seed banks – a place where the seeds from all kinds
of plants are carefully stored. Unfortunately, researchers are warning that about
one fifth of the world's plants are at risk of becoming extinct.
Yvonne: Wow – so there's a danger that they might disappear altogether. That's really
worrying, Rob.
Rob: Yes it is, but the seed bank is also showing people how to grow plants from
those seeds again in the future. But, before we find out more about protecting
the world's plants from extinction, here's today's question: The Youtan Poluo is
one of the world's rarest flowers and was recently found in China.
Yvonne: Yes, by a farmer!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 2 of 6
Rob: That's right, but how often does it bloom - so, when will the farmer see it in
flower again? Is it:
a) in 1000 years
b) another 3000 years or
c) in another 5000 years? Yvonne, what did you say when you were looking at
this story yesterday?
Yvonne: Well, I went for the lowest number, Rob – once every one thousand years. But
even that seemed far too long for another flower to appear!
Rob: Yes, I know what you mean – so we'll find out how long the Youtan Poluo
actually does take to bloom later on. Now, the Millennium Seed Bank is a
project based just outside London and it was set up in the year 2000.
Yvonne: But I've heard that there are other seed banks in other countries which are also
a part of that project.
Rob: That's true, so seeds are sent in from all over the world. But the big question is:
why are so many plants dying out in the world?
Yvonne: And how does the bank decide which seeds should be stored?
Rob: Well, Paul Smith is head of the Millennium Seed Bank - he has some answers
for us.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 3 of 6
Extract 1:
It’s absolutely essential that we get the right species – those which are most threatened,
those which are most useful, because we know that there's a good chance that many
plant species will become extinct over the next few decades. And it’s largely land-use
change; it’s development for agriculture, it's development for urban centres and so on.
Rob: Paul Smith says that many 'plant species' – that’s different types of plants – are
dying out because of 'land use change' – so we no longer use our land in the
same way. For example, it's used for 'development for agriculture'. Yvonne,
tell us what Paul Smith means by that, please?
Yvonne: Well, land where lots of plant species used to grow is being cleared for farming
- to grow crops and to raise animals.
Rob: And what about 'development for urban centres'?
Yvonne: Land is also being used to build new cities – places where people live, work
and shop.
Rob: So it's essential or absolutely necessary – for the bank to store the seeds of
plants which are 'most threatened' – or at the greatest risk or danger of
becoming extinct. But the bank must also store the seeds which are the most
useful to us.
Yvonne: For example, the seeds of food plants or plants that can be used to develop new
medicines.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 4 of 6
Rob: Now, it's also interesting how the bank stores seeds so that they can be used to
grow plants in the future. Here's what the BBC's David Shukman found out
when he visited the Millennium Seed Bank.
Extract 2:
And this is where all those seeds end up - 1.8 billion of them in one of these cold stores
kept at minus 20. That's why you have to wear the cold weather equipment. Jar after jar,
tube after tube, of these seeds, from more than 160 countries. The whole point of this
Millennium Seed bank is to try to build up a store of the planet’s plant biodiversity.
Rob: The 1.8 billion seeds have come from more than one hundred and sixty
countries and the seeds are stored at minus twenty degrees centigrade – much,
much colder than the freezing point for water.
Yvonne: So David Shukman definitely needed to wear 'cold weather equipment' to
protect him from the extreme cold.
Rob: Absolutely. Now ideally, the bank would like to have seeds from all the plants
in the world – seeds from 'the planet's plant biodiversity'. By the end of last
year, the bank had 10% of the world's plant biodiversity.
Yvonne: And by 2020, the Millennium Seed Bank hopes to have seeds from about 25%
of the world's plants. So there's lots of work to do.
Rob: Now speaking of plant biodiversity - earlier, I asked how often the Youtan
Poluo blooms. Was it every 1,000 years, 3,000 years or every 5,000 years?
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 5 of 6
Yvonne: And yesterday, I thought – surely it can't take longer than a thousand years to
bloom? But even that wasn't long enough for the plant to flower, was it?
Rob: No, that’s right. According to botanical experts – the people who know the
most about plants - the Youtan Poluo only blooms once every three thousand
years. In fact, the flower is so rare that people thought it only existed in sacred
Buddhist writings.
Yvonne: So the farmer who found it only has to wait for roughly another three thousand
years to see the flower again, if he can keep the plant alive!
Rob: And if he stays alive that long! Okay, there's just time now for a reminder of
some of the language we have came across in today's programme. Yvonne, can
you help us with those please?
Yvonne: Certainly, Rob. We heard:
Extinct
Bloom
Species
Agriculture
Urban centres
Plant biodiversity
Botanical experts
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 6 of 6
Rob: Thank you. Well, we hope you've enjoyed today's "6 Minute English" – and do
join us again soon for more.
Rob/Yvonne: Goodbye!
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