6 minute English archive script videos part 2

Big hills and small mountains

This week, Yvonne and Callum ask: is there any difference between a really big hill and a small mountain?

This week’s question: Which of these three places is proud to have the world’s highest hill?

a) Beverley Hills
b) Dar Es Salam
c) Oklahoma

Vocabulary from the programme

locals
people who live in a very specific area (informal)

classified as
put into a group with other similar things or people

Example:
Mynydd Graig Goch in North Wales is soon to be classified as a mountain.

assumed
supposed something to be true, perhaps wrongly

Example:
The officials assumed that the hill was less than 2,000 feet high even though they hadn’t measured it.

cartographers
people whose job it is to draw maps

downgrade
to give less importance to something or someone than they had before

mounds of earth
small piles of soil which look like very small hills

the summit
the top, peak or highest point of a mountain

Example:
The mountaineer wanted to reach the summit before lunchtime.

Problem pronunciation

This week’s programme looks at the results of a recent survey in which 3,000 British people were asked to pronounce some of the most difficult words in the English language. Yvonne and Callum try their luck at pronouncing a few of those words and achieve some rather funny results!

This week’s question: How many sounds do experts say we need to be able to pronounce so that we can speak English clearly?

a) 44
b) 104
c) 400

Vocabulary from the programme

pronunciation
the way a word, name or phrase in a language is said

mispronunciation
when a word, name or phrase in a language is not said correctly

statistics
facts which are found by carefully looking at information that’s shown in numbers

Example:
Statistics show that 43% of those people questioned often correct other people when they mispronounce a word.

ethnicity
the type of race or cultural background someone comes from

Example:
All applicants will be considered for the job, regardless of ethnicity.

troublesome
something or someone that causes problems or difficulties

a phenomenon
something that is seen to exist or can be experienced as it’s happening; can also be used to describe a person with extraordinarily great, good and unusual qualities

an anaesthetist
a doctor whose job it is to put people to sleep by using medication before an operation or surgery so that it is painless

remuneration
a payment for the work someone has done

tongue-tied
someone who is unable to speak properly because they are nervous

The wisdom of keeping quiet

For many people across the world, one of life’s most valuable qualities is wisdom. In this week’s programme, Yvonne is joined by one of BBC Learning English’s wisest people – Callum Robertson! But can talking about ‘wisdom’ make them wiser? And can a few words of wisdom really help us all lead more successful lives?

This week’s question: Who said, ‘Life is like an onion: you peel it off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep?’

a) Carl Sandburg
b) Alan Bennett
c) Confucius

Vocabulary from the programme

wisdom
a quality which develops with increased knowledge and experiences in life

diplomacy
a skill which enables someone to say and do things without offending other people

communication
ways of letting other people know what you think, how you feel and what you want

to keep schtum
to stay quiet and not say anything at all (informal Yiddish as spoken by Jewish people)

to ride out a bad situation
to wait until things get better without doing or saying anything

to sit on the fence
to keep your opinion to yourself and not make a decision

laid back
easy going, not making a fuss, not arguing

retiring
someone who is shy and prefers to stay away from other people is retiring

to state your case
to clearly tell other people what you want or believe

sagacious
wise and intelligent (adjective)

a sage
a person who is wise

Asteroid mission

In 2017, European scientists plan to go on a very special space mission – landing on an asteroid. But why do they want to visit an asteroid and will there be space for Callum on the spacecraft?! Before he went off to pack, Callum joined Yvonne for this week’s programme to find out more about the Marco Polo Mission.

This week’s question: According to scientists, when was the last time that an asteroid hit earth?

a) 85 million years ago
b) 65 million years ago
c) 45 million years ago

Vocabulary from the programme

a space mission
a special journey that takes people and/or equipment to and from space

the solar system
the sun and all the planets which move around it

asteroids
small, inactive planets, sometimes as small as a few kilometers or miles wide which move around the sun

analysis
the process of examining something to try to understand what it is or what it is made from

to select
to choose something or someone

a drill
a powerful type of tool which is used to make holes

rubble
rubbish, usually made up of broken bricks, stones and pieces of concrete which are left after a building has been damaged or destroyed

debris
usually material, e.g. dust and rubble, from things that have been damaged or destroyed

pristine
perfect, not spoiled or touched

evolved
if something evolved, it gradually changed and developed into something different and more complicated

Adult children

In this week’s programme, Yvonne is joined by Callum as she looks at an interesting legal case. A 20 year old man in Italy has taken his father to court for money so that he can continue to live at home with his mother and study for a new career. But at 20, are we too old to expect our parents to be responsible for us?

This week’s question: A 12 year old boy in the United States was the first to divorce his parents – but when did that happen?

a) 1992
b) 1998
c) 2001?

Vocabulary from the programme

to depend on
to rely on, to need

expenses incurred
if you do something that costs money, you incur expenses, e.g. going to work incurs travel expenses – your bus fares.

to pursue an aspiration
to do all that is necessary to fulfil a dream

to pay maintenance
to support someone financially

to quit a job
to leave a job

to set a precedent
a legal term for a decision that’s been made for the first time by a court or a judge; in the future, similar cases can then expect to receive the same judgment

To keep someone in the manner to which they’ve become accustomed
to provide enough money for someone to that they don’t have to change their way of life – their lifestyle

Poetry

In this week’s programme, Yvonne is joined by Callum for a poetic moment! Of course, most of us wrote poetry at school and as adults, perhaps many of us still write it secretly. But this week, we’ll hear an interview with Dave Neita who happily shares his poetry with the world!

This week’s question: Which is Britain’s favourite poem?

a) “Oh My Luve’s Like a Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns
b) “How Do I love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barratt Browning
c) “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” by William Shakespeare

Vocabulary from the programme

a barrister
a lawyer who speaks on behalf of people or organisations in the higher courts of law

a metaphor
a way of describing something or someone by using the qualities of something else, e.g. a biting wind is very cold but it doesn’t really bite us

symbolism
a way of using an object, a shape or an idea to represent something else that we want to talk about, e.g. a key is sometimes used to represent freedom

a platform
a flat or raised area where people stand or use to get onto trains, for example

flexibility
an ability to bend or change for another use or to suit a different situation

hospitality
welcoming and friendly behaviour towards visitors or strangers

short notice
to do something or arrive somewhere without telling other people until just before you do

fix me up a place
organize or make arrangements for somewhere for me to stay

inna
in, inside, within – Jamaican patois (Jamaican English)

Nuclear script

The British National Archives is a place where all kinds of top secret documents and records are kept about Britain’s history. But after thirty years, many are made public. In this week’s programme, we find out about an extraordinary document which was written during the 1970s and is now available for everyone to see.

This week’s question: When were the British National Archives started?

a) 800 years ago
b) 850 years ago
c) 900 years ago

Vocabulary from the programme

made public
made available for everyone to see or hear

cold war
a time when two countries are not politically friendly towards each other, but are not at war

declassified
no longer secret and restricted, made public

casualties
a noun that’s used to talk about the number of people who’ve been killed or injured during an accident or a war

stay tuned
don’t change channels, keep listening to or watching this station

chilling
something that makes you feel cold or frightened is ‘chilling’

chaos
total disorder and confusion

BFM International Film Festival

This week, Yvonne finds out why there’s a separate Black film makers’ International Film Festival at the same time as the Times BFI London Film Festival. William joins her as we hear from the director of an award-winning short film to find out what the film is about.

This week’s question: How long is the shortest film ever made?

a) 1 second
b) 1 minute
c) 5 minutes

Vocabulary from the programme

To stereotype
to have a strong, fixed idea about how someone will behave based on facts such as the country they come from, the colour of their skin or their religion

platforms for expression
ways and places that people, especially artistic people, can use to share their views, work and messages

to showcase
to feature, to highlight, to bring attention to

the mainstream
here, the larger cinemas which show the most popular films made by the most famous directors and producers and featuring well known actors

cathartic
something that is cathartic is a way of expressing or getting rid of very strong emotions and feelings

standing on the shoulders of giants
being supported and helped by people who have achieved a lot and are seen as heroes

the mother country
people from countries which were owned by England before they became independent referred to England as the mother country

to be in awe of
to be amazed by, impressed by and very respectful of someone

Blind Masseurs

This week, we find out about an interesting challenge to an employment law in South Korea. The law was passed in 1963 and stops people who aren’t blind from taking jobs as massage therapists. Is this law absolutely crucial to one group of people whilst being unfair to others? Yvonne Archer is joined by William Kremer as she looks at a very difficult issue.

This week’s question: Approximately how many people in the world are living with a disability of some kind?

a) 2%
b) 10%
c) 12%

Vocabulary from the programme

a massage therapist
someone who uses his or her hands and fingers to rub different areas of the head, limbs and body to help stop pain or increase movement

masseurs
male massage therapists, but also used for females

masseuses
female massage therapists, never used for males

decades
tens of years ? a decade is ten years

cannot cope with demand
is unable to manage and complete all the work there is to do on time

awash with
literally, covered in water, but here, used as an adjective to describe a place where there are lots of people

Example sentence:
“During the summer months, the streets are awash with people.”

barbers’ shops
a place where people, usually men, pay to have their hair cut

sighted
able to see

practitioners
people who do something that’s practical

non-visually impaired
able to see, having no problems with eyesight

constitutional court
a legal court where laws are made or changed

a monopoly
an exclusive right to do something

patronising
treating people as though they are children, have little intelligence or are of little importance

Aboriginal cricketer

Thirty years after his death, one of the world’s greatest cricketers has finally been recognised for his talents although he never played for his national team. This week, Yvonne Archer is joined by William Kremer for a sporting programme as they find out about the life and times of Eddie Gilbert.

This week’s question: Cricket balls have been made from the same materials since the 1700s. But what colour were they originally?

a) white
b) light brown
c) cherry red

Vocabulary from the programme

cricket
an outdoor game played by two teams which try to win by scoring points called ‘runs’ by hitting a ball with a wooden bat

cricketers
people who play cricket

indigenous Australians
the original or native people of Australia, also known as Aboriginals or Aborigines, who were in Australia thousands of years before Europeans arrived

indignities
things that make us feel embarrassed, of little importance or humiliates us

a slight
a quiet insult shown by a look, gesture or words (an old fashioned word)

chaperoned
accompanied by someone in authority or who is thought to be a responsible person

settlements
here, areas where the Australian government forced Aborigines to live and stay

the pantheon of cricket
a special group made up of the world’s best, most admired and honoured cricketers