The World Wide Web turns 20!

BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
The World Wide Web
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 1 of 7
Rob: Hello, I'm Rob.
Yvonne: I'm Yvonne.
Rob: And this is 6 Minute English! Today we’re celebrating a very special
anniversary - the 20th anniversary of the World Wide Web.
Yvonne: Ah, the World Wide Web. That’s something that's really changed our lives -
and in such a short space of time.
Rob: Hmm - definitely. Well, we’ll talk more about that in a moment - but first I
have a question for you: on average, how long does someone spend surfing the
net each day in the UK? Is it:
a) 7 minutes
b) 27 minutes or
c) 57 minutes
Yvonne: Umm – I'm going to say 27 minutes Rob, because I think people spend much
more time on things like Facebook.
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Rob: Hmm – that's true. Well, I’ll give you the right answer at the end of the
programme. But now, let’s find out more about the World Wide Web – or
'www' for short.
Yvonne: www – that’s an acronym! It was on Christmas Day, 20 years ago, that a
breakthrough was made in the development of the internet.
Rob: Yes, a breakthrough or a discovery. The man most associated with this
discovery is Sir Tim Berners-Lee. He’s been nicknamed ‘The Father of the
Web’.
Yvonne: What an amazing thing to invent - but of course, other people were also
involved.
Rob: Yes, of course. Tim Berners-Lee has been quoted as saying: “the remarkable
progress of the Web today has been quite gratifying to me”. 'Gratifying' – that
really means being satisfied - or pleased.
Yvonne: Mm... so he’s really pleased with what has happened to the web – and rightly
so! Rob, can you tell me a bit more about his achievement?
Rob: Well, Sir Tim Berners-Lee worked on the first web page in his spare time. He
was a computer scientist and a computer programmer.
Yvonne: And what did his groundbreaking web page say?
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Rob: It was just information about the project that he was working on. The web
page had a very catchy address: nxoc01.cern.ch!
Yvonne: Ha ha! Yeah, really catchy!
Rob: C.E.R.N spells CERN, and that’s the European Organisation for Nuclear
Research, which is where he worked. But the page didn't actually go online
until August 1991.
Yvonne: But this really heralded the start of people communicating by computer?
Rob: Yes. It really showed how computers could talk to each other using a language
called Hyper Text Mark up Language.
Yvonne: Ah - that’s HTML for short!
Rob: Very good!
Yvonne: So, HTML is the language that computers use to talk to each other – to
communicate with each other.
Rob: It’s very clever isn’t it?
Yvonne: Hmmm.
Rob: And since then the internet has evolved at a rapid rate. Now, there are believed
to be around one trillion web pages.
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Yvonne: Whew! And I’m sure almost everyone uses the internet now – but I wonder
how we'd cope without it?
Rob: Well, we've been asking people just that. Listen to what they said when we
asked: how would you cope without the World Wide Web?
Insert:
Man:
I'd just have to do without it, wouldn't I? If you remember all the scare stories of the
millennium that, you know, all the power stations would shut down and all that – it
didn't happen. As long as my central heating wasn't controlled by the internet, I'd just
have to manage.
Woman:
Probably not very well. Umm - I imagine that most of my social relationships would be a
lot more difficult. And also keeping in contact with people far away would also be
impossible.
Man:
Err – with great difficulty (laughs)! It would be the phone, I imagine, and lots more
writing, lots more paper. Umm – we'd need bigger file cabinets.
Rob: So the first man would cope without the internet, as long as the computers
which help provide power for his central heating – that's the system he uses to
keep warm – isn't affected! He says he'd just have to 'do without it'.
Yvonne: The woman was most worried about her social relationships – keeping in
contact with her friends and family.
Rob: Yes, especially those who are far away. In fact, she thinks keeping in contact
with them would be impossible without the internet. But the last man we heard
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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from doesn't agree. Although he says he would cope with great difficulty, he
does have some alternatives – ideas about what we could do instead.
Yvonne: And he has a good point I think, Rob. We could write to each other - like we
used to before we had the internet. It would be lovely to get more hand-written
letters from friends and family rather than just e-mails, I think.
Rob: That's what we call 'snail-mail'. But of course, as that man pointed out, lots
more paper would mean that we'd need bigger file cabinets – the pieces of
furniture that are used to keep all those bits of paper safe.
Yvonne: It’s incredible how the World Wide Web has expanded in twenty years, and
how much we now rely on it. I wonder what it will be like after another twenty
years.
Rob: Well, Sir Tim Berners-Lee has said: “we have only scratched the surface of
what could be realised with deeper scientific investigation into the Web’s
design, operation and impact on society”.
Yvonne: It’s true. We've only just begun to understand how useful the World Wide Web
can really be, especially for people in developing countries.
Rob: So this technological breakthrough, twenty years ago, is something worth
celebrating! Now, Yvonne, earlier I asked you a question. On average, how
long does someone spend surfing the net each day in the UK?
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Yvonne: And I said 27 minutes.
Rob: And you were wrong.
Yvonne: Oh no!
Rob: The average time people spend on the internet each day is a lot longer than that.
It's 57 minutes.
Yvonne: Oh - and without Sir Tim and his colleagues’ work, it wouldn’t be possible at
all.
Rob: That’s right. Well, we do hope you’ve enjoyed today’s 6 Minute English.
Both: Bye bye.
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Vocabulary and definitions
anniversary a date that is remembered each year because something
special happened
surfing searching, looking at, browsing information on the internet
a breakthrough an important discovery, development or achievement
gratifying satisfying, pleasing
heralded signalled something that was going to arrive or happen in
the future
scare stories news that frightens many people unnecessarily, all or parts
of which may not be true
social relationships connections with family and friends
file cabinets (filing cabinets) furniture that is used to keep documents or papers safe;
usually found in offices
More on this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/berners_lee_tim.shtml
Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/12/101223_6min_www_page.shtml

Farming in Africa!

BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
Farming in Africa
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 1 of 6
Alice: Hello, I'm Alice.
Yvonne: And I'm Yvonne.
Alice: And this is 6 Minute English! And in today’s programme we’re talking about
farming in Africa.
Yvonne: The study of farming is called agriculture.
Alice: This is a new look at agriculture in Africa – how one expert – a Harvard
Professor thinks Africa could change from being an importer of food to an
exporter in one generation.
Yvonne: In one generation – that’s usually a period of about 20 to 30 years. The time it
takes for someone to become an adult.
Alice: In his book ‘The New Harvest’, Professor Calestous Juma says Africa could
become self-sufficient in terms of growing food within one generation. But
before we find out more, can you explain what a staple crop is?
Yvonne: Sure. A staple crop is a plant that is grown for food and it’s considered to be
the most important part of a country’s diet.
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Alice: So like rice or corn. And my question is about the country Professor Calestous
Juma comes from originally – Kenya. Which of these is a staple crop in Kenya?
a) rice
b) maize
c) wheat
Yvonne: I think I’m going for maize because I know that is something that’s used in
other countries in Africa.
Alice: Well, we’ll find out at the end of the programme. Now let’s see how Professor
Juma thinks Africa could become food secure.
Yvonne: Food secure – that’s self-sufficient in terms of food.
Alice: He believes that leaders in Africa need to make agriculture a top priority. And
he says that the modernisation of agriculture is the responsibility of African
Presidents. Let’s listen to what he says:
Insert 1: Professor Calestous Juma
I think the most important message is for them to recognise that agriculture and the
economy for Africa are one and the same. And that is the responsibility of an African
president to modernise the economy and that means essentially starting with the
modernisation of agriculture. And that they should stick with it and not hand it over to
departmental (government) ministries.
Alice: Agriculture and economy are one and the same.
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Yvonne: One and the same – a phrase which means they are identical. They are the
same – here that the economy in Africa is completely dependent on
agriculture.
Alice: The BBC’s Science Reporter Neil Bowdler says Professor Juma is
thinking big.
Yvonne: Thinking big – he has large ambitions.
Alice: He believes it’s a question of political will.
Yvonne: Political will – if politicians want to make something happen, they will.
Insert 2: BBC’s Science Reporter Neil Bowdler
Professor Juma can't be accused of not thinking big. He says that with land and labour
abundant, Africa shouldn't be a hungry importer of food, but a major exporter. He says
it's all a question of political will.
Alice: Juma can’t be accused of not thinking big.
Yvonne: That’s true. He says Africa has abundant land and labour.
Alice: Abundant – lots of, lots of land to grow crops on and lots of labour – lots of
people to work on farms.
Yvonne: But what about the detail of how this can happen? Large areas of Africa’s land
are desert or suffer from drought.
Alice: According to Neil Bowdler, Juma has a wish list.
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Yvonne: A wish list – a list of things he would like to happen. What are they?
Alice: He wants to boost investment in roads – to carry crops and machines from
place to place.
Yvonne: Boost investment – increase the amount of money put into
agriculture. What else?
Alice: To boost investment in irrigation.
Yvonne: Irrigation – moving water from one place to another to make sure crops don’t
dry out.
Alice: And to mechanise farms – introduce big machines to help with the harvest and
process crops. He wants people to embrace what science can offer.
Yvonne: To embrace what science can offer – to take advantage of new technology.
Alice: In agriculture this might mean using genetically modified crops.
Yvonne: GM crops – crops that have been developed by scientists to be stronger or to
need less water to grow, so they may be less affected by climate change.
Alice: Let’s hear Neil Bowdler again.
Insert 3: BBC’s Science Reporter Neil Bowdler
The wish list - and some will call it that - is a long one. Boost investment in roads,
irrigation and energy schemes. Mechanise all farms, and build storage and processing
facilities. He's also asking the continent to embrace what science can offer, and that
includes using GM crops to combat climate change.
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Alice: So before we go Yvonne. Have you thought about our question from earlier?
Which are staple crops in Kenya? Rice, maize, wheat?
Yvonne: I said maize because that’s a staple in other African countries.
Alice: Well, it was a trick question because all three are grown in staple crops
in Kenya. Apparently rice not as much as wheat and maize but it’s catching up.
And before we go today, Yvonne would you mind reading some of the words
and phrases we’ve heard?
Yvonne: Not at all.
agriculture
self-sufficient
staple crop
food-secure
modernisation
thinking big
political will
abundant
Alice: Thanks very much, Yvonne. Beautifully read. We hope you’ve had fun with us
today on 6 Minute English - and that you’ll join us again next time.
Both: Bye.
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Vocabulary and definitions
agriculture farming
self-sufficient able to provide everything you need, especially food,
without the help of other people
staple crop plant grown for food considered essential part of a
country’s diet
food secure referring to a situation when people could live without
hunger or fear of starvation
modernisation to update something
thinking big having large ambitions
political will how politicians can make something happen if they want
to
abundant more than enough
More on this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11890702
Read and listen to the story online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/12/101216_6min_agriculture_page.shtml

London English: Cockney!

BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
London English: Cockney
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 1 of 6
Yvonne: Hello, I'm Yvonne Archer.
Alice: I'm Alice.
Yvonne: And this is 6 Minute English! Now, like me, you were born in London, weren't
you Alice?
Alice: Yes I was.
Yvonne: Were you born within the sounds of Bow bells, in the East End of London?
Alice: No, I wasn’t born close enough to hear the bells ringing from a certain church
in Bow.
Yvonne: Ah, so that means officially, you’re not a Cockney. But I imagine like me Alice,
you're probably interested in "Evolving English – One Language, Many
Voices". It’s an exhibition at the British Library which includes a whole
section about London English.
Alice: London English - how interesting!
Yvonne: Hmm, I thought so. Now before we continue, Alice - I've got a tricky little
question for you! Are you ready?
Alice: I am.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Yvonne: OK - in August of 2009, a business decided to officially recognise the Cockney
language by delivering its services using Cockney rhyming slang for three
months. Now can you guess what type of business it was?
a) a hotel
b) a restaurant or
c) a financial business
Alice: Oh, I'm going to guess 'a restaurant', you know, maybe something like a fish
and chips restaurant?
Yvonne: Hmm, that's a nice answer. But as usual, you'll just have to wait until later on to
find out the correct answer! Now the exhibition at the British Library tells us
about the 1500 year history of the English language, as used by people around
the world. And of course, there's information about the Cockney dialect in the
section on London English too.
Alice: Oh that's really good.
Yvonne: Mm. Now if I say, "Hello me ole china" – am I being rude, Alice?
Alice: Oh, no - not at all, that's quite friendly. You're using Cockney rhyming slang to
say: "Hello my old mate - my old friend". So in Cockney rhyming slang, a
word is replaced by another word or phrase that rhymes with it. So here,
"china" from "a china plate" is used instead of "mate". Hello me ole china!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Yvonne: OK, Cockney rhyming slang was, and is still sometimes used in the East End
of London, mainly by working people. It’s changed over the years. So let’s
hear from the exhibition’s curator, Johnny Robinson:
Insert 1: BBC Radio London
In London today, we do still hear that traditional Cockney that's been around for a long
time, but also we get British Asian English speakers, London Jamaican speakers. And so
that's been going on for, you know, a thousand years – people coming into contact with
each other and gradually changing the sounds and the words and the vocabulary that we
hear.
Yvonne: So people of Asian and of Jamaican descent, for example, speak their own
versions of London English, including Cockney. And as they’ve come into
contact with people who speak traditional Cockney, it’s changed.
Alice: That's right - as people immigrate to London, they influence the sounds, the
words, the vocabulary that we hear. But of course, as people who speak
traditional Cockney move out of London, they also take that language with
them.
Yvonne: So, we can also hear it outside the East End of London too. You know what
Alice, I think of Cockney rhyming slang as a sort of code. When I was a child,
adults would speak it around me in Hackney because they didn’t want me to
know what they were saying.
Alice: What a good idea! And it’s said that working-class people in the East End of
London started speaking it because they didn’t want the ruling-class to
understand their conversations.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Yvonne: That's right. Now I’d also say that Cockney rhyming slang gives East Enders a
strong sense of identity, just like any other language.
Alice: That’s true. If we hear someone speaking Cockney or Cockney rhyming slang,
we immediately know they've got roots in the East End.
Yvonne: That's true. OK, here’s a treat! Let’s hear Paul Ross from BBC Radio London’s
Breakfast Show reading out a message from a listener. But, it’s all in Cockney
rhyming slang. How much will we understand?
Insert 2: BBC Radio London
"Morning Gaby and Paul", says Ian on the Dartford Crossing, "Woke up this morning,
had a jimmy, had a dig in the grave, cleaned me corned beef, put on me trousers, put me
wallet in me sky, came down the apples and pears, got in mi jam jar and I'm now on me
way to work - or in my case" says Ian, "shirk".
Yvonne: Ooh, so what have you got for us, Alice?
Alice: Well, Ian from Dartford Crossing said: "had a dig in the grave" – "grave" -
shave. So he shaved when he woke up.
Yvonne: Ian also "cleaned his corned beef". Did you get that one, Alice?
Alice: Yeah – "he cleaned his corned beef" – so that's cleaning his teeth.
Yvonne: Excellent! Shall we hear the last part of that again? It's quite fast.
Alice: Yeah.
Insert 3: BBC Radio London
"… came down the apples and pears, got in me jam jar and I'm now on me way to work
– or in my case" says Ian, "shirk".
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Yvonne: He "came down the apple and pears" – meaning "stairs".
Alice: And then he got into his "jam jar" – his car - he got into his car.
Yvonne: Now before we go, it’s time for the answer to today’s question. Earlier, I told
you that in August of 2009, a business decided to officially recognise the
Cockney language. And it did this by delivering its services using Cockney
rhyming slang for three months. But, what type of business was it, Alice?
Alice: I thought it might be a restaurant selling something like fish and chips.
Yvonne: Good idea. But no, it was actually the financial institution.
Alice: Oh, how bizarre! Why?
Yvonne: Well, they did it via their cash machines and they thought it would be fun if it
asked you: "please enter your Huckleberry Finn".
Alice: Ha, ha, "Huckleberry Finn" – pin!
Yvonne: Exactly. Anyway, we do hope you’ve had fun with us today on "6 Minute
English" and that you’ll join us again soon.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Vocabulary and definitions
evolving gradually changing, developing and adapting
dialect version of a language spoken by a particular group of
people or in a particular area
curator person in charge of gathering objects for exhibitions in
museums or galleries
descent here, a person’s family background, specifically the
nationality of their family
immigrate to come to live in a country after leaving your own
code here, a secret language or system of replacing words with
others so that only certain people can understand its
meaning
ruling class a group of the most powerful of people in charge of
government
sense of identity special things about a particular group of people which
they share and can be recognised by
roots here, the place where a person comes from
delivering its services making its products and help available to customers
More on this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11640951
Read and listen to the story online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/12/101202_6min_london_english_page.shtml

The London Tube!

BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
The London Tube
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
Page 1 of 6
Yvonne: This is 6 Minute English, I'm Yvonne Archer and Alice has kindly joined me
for today's programme. Hello Alice.
Alice: Hi Yvonne.
Yvonne: Now Alice, how do you get around London?
Alice: Ooh – by bus, bicycle and usually the Tube.
Yvonne: Aha, and most people would agree that the London Underground – ‘the Tube’ -
is the best way to get around this city. But many people have a love-hate
relationship with the underground – we either love it or hate it.
Insert 1: Tube announcement
(Ladies and gentlemen)…because of earlier signal failure, theMetropolitan Line has
severe delays and Hammersmith & City, Circle and Victoria Lines are all operating
with minor delays. We have a good service and operation on all of our other London
Underground lines (baby crying).
Alice: Oh dear, more delays – that's when the Tube is running late and doesn't come
along when we expect it to. And that makes it unreliable.
Yvonne: And the thing I hate most is that on a crowded carriage – or compartment - I
always have to stand under someone's armpit – and they don't always smell
very nice!
Alice: Oh, Yvonne – you poor thing. It's probably because you're not that tall, right?
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Yvonne: Anyway, there is a lot to love about the Tube as well. It’s reasonably fast, it
covers a wide area and it has a long history. Now, it’s time for today's question,
Alice. During the last financial year, how many kilometres did Tube trains
travel? Was it about equal to:
a) 72 trips to the moon and back
b) 85 trips to the moon and back or
c) 90 trips to the moon and back
Alice: Oh, I've got no idea, so I'm going to guess and go for the big one. 90 trips to
the moon and back.
Yvonne: Mmmm – a very brave guess! But we’ll find out whether you've given us the
right answer or not later on. Now, if you live or work in London, or even if
you’ve only ever used the Tube once as a visitor to Britain, you’ll probably
have an opinion on it.
Alice: Yes, tourists and visitors to London who I’ve spoken to say they find it quite
simple to use and that the map is very good. It's difficult to get lost
underground.
Yvonne: Hmm, it is. When our colleague Natalie first arrived in London from Northern
Ireland, one thing about the Tube really surprised her.
Insert 2: Natalie
Nobody speaks to each other on the Tube; nobody looks at each other either most of the
time. And at first, it was strange being that close to strangers, but you just have to get on
with it or you'll not get on the Tube.
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Yvonne: So Natalie found it strange to be standing so close to people she didn't know –
strangers – because the Tube was so crowded.
Alice: She soon realised that if she didn't 'get on with it', squeeze into a carriage and
travel in cramped conditions at rush hour, she might never go anywhere.
Yvonne: Mm, Natalie was most surprised that people don’t really speak to each other on
the Tube. And do you know, it's true. We do avoid eye contact with other
people, but I’m not sure why? But I'm a Londoner, and of course, I think lots
of us are quite friendly.
Alice: I think it happens in all big cities. When there are lots of people in small,
public places, people avoid eye contact or talking to each other.
Yvonne: Now let’s hear from Wang Fei, another of our colleagues. He's from China, but
has a much more romantic view of the Tube. Let’s listen to part of this rather
poetic piece he created about the sounds we hear underground:
Insert 3: Wang Fei
I hear a rumbling noise begin quietly, then grow louder and louder, building up to a
noise explosion as the train comes into the station. (This is South Kensington…). I hear
the beeping sound and the doors open and close. I hear the clacking sound of the
track, a constant soundtrack to people silently reading newspapers and books on the
train.
Yvonne: Aw, Alice, that might certainly make us feel a little differently about the Tube,
don't you think?
Alice: Yes, it often takes fresh eyes to look at something we take for granted.
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Yvonne: That’s true. So Wang Fei used quite a few adjectives to describe some of the
sounds we heard there as we travel on the Tube. Alice, remind us of a few
please.
Alice: Sure. Wang Fei describes the sudden, loud sound that we hear as the train
arrives at a station as 'a noise explosion'. But first, the train makes a quiet,
rumbling noise that grows louder and louder.
Yvonne: Mmm, that was lovely, because it's the same word we use to describe the
sound our stomachs make when we're hungry. Our stomachs rumble. They
make a rumbling sound.
Alice: Then there was 'beeping' - that's the sound we hear as the doors open and close
on the carriages. And this beeping's really important for blind or visually
impaired people to know when the doors are open or shut.
Yvonne: Yes, because the beeping sound lets them know when it's safe to get on and off
the train.
Alice: We also heard about the 'clacking' sound – which Wang Fei says is a
continuous sound that we hear in the background. So it's like the music in a
film; he calls it 'a constant soundtrack'.
Yvonne: 'A constant soundtrack'. Well, I hope we'll both think about all those things
next time we're stuck on a Tube train, Alice.
Alice: I hope so.
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Yvonne: And before we go, our question! I asked you Alice: during the last financial
year, how many kilometres did Tube trains travel, in terms of trips to the moon
and back? And your answer was?
Alice: I think I said 90.
Yvonne: Yes, 90 trips to the moon and back.
Alice: Amazing!
Yvonne: Thanks Alice, that was fun! Do join us again soon for more "6 Minute English".
Both: Bye!
6 Minute English c bbclearningenglish.com 2010
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Vocabulary and definitions
get around travel around
the Tube the London Underground train system
a love-hate relationship relationship (often not romantic) where feelings towards
someone or something vary from love to hate
delays when things are later than expected or planned
unreliable cannot be depended on
get on with it hurry up or do something you might find difficult
eye contact to look at someone while they are looking at you
take for granted don't understand the value of
visually impaired not able to see properly
soundtrack music used in or made for a film
Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/11/101125_6min_tube_page.shtml