BBC News Report Mar 2015 with transcript video

History was made in November 2014 when a probe was landed on a comet in deep space. The probe, called Philae, was launched 10 years earlier and travelled 6.5 billion kilometres to its rendezvous.

Although the landing didn’t go entirely to plan, a huge amount of important data was sent back to Earth from the comet.

This data is studied by scientists to help us understand more about our own planet. Impacts from comets were very important to the evolution of the Earth and it is believed by some that they may have even brought water and life here.

It is thought that comets are made from material left over from when the outer planets in our solar system were formed. Another theory is that many may have come from outside our solar system.

These huge balls of frozen gasses, rock and dust with their distinctive ‘tails’ have fascinated humans ever since we started looking up into the night sky.

The most well-known is perhaps Halley’s Comet. It can be seen with the naked eye and is visible from Earth every 75 to 76 years. It was first recorded in 240BC and since then its appearance has been described regularly throughout history.

In 1066 it was drawn as a fiery star in the Bayeux Tapestry. It was first photographed in 1910 and in that year it was so close that the Earth actually passed through its tail.

a probe
a device which collects information

rendezvous
meeting

didn’t go entirely to plan
went a little bit wrong

data
information

impacts
hits, collisions

our solar system
our sun and the planets that go around it

formed
made

distinctive
easy to recognise

fascinated
been of great interest to

with the naked eye
seeing something clearly without using equipment such as telescopes

is visible
can be seen

Bayeux Tapestry
a famous decorated cloth showing scenes from English history in the 11th Century

Times have changed in the world of childbirth in the UK.

In the 1950s fathers were rarely present at the birth of their children. Many men thought it was not their place.

In those days fathers preferred to wait in the kitchen or the pub for news.

This wasn’t always the man’s choice. Women too were not always happy for their husbands to see them while they were giving birth.

However, if you are in a hospital maternity unit now you will see many fathers. These fathers are not just waiting outside for information but taking an active part in the delivery.

By the end of the 1970s up to 80% of fathers were present when their children were born.

There are a number of possible reasons for this change.

In 1948 the National Health Service was established in the UK. This led to more women having children in hospital than at home. Away from the familiar surroundings of the home, women looked for more moral support and men started to play an increasing role.

Doctors and midwives now generally encourage fathers to be part of the process. In the past this wasn’t always true.

Changing attitudes in society towards relationships and parenting have also had a big impact. There is now more focus on the emotional bond between a man and a woman and a man and his newborn child.

Despite this some fathers still prefer not to be there when their children are born. Some are squeamish and some think that if they see their wives giving birth it will be bad for their relationship.

not their place
not the right thing for them to be there

maternity unit
the department in a hospital where babies are born

the delivery
the process of giving birth

National Health Service
system of health care in the UK which provides free medical treatment for all

established
started

moral support
help and encouragement

to play an increasing role
to become more involved

midwives
nurses who specialise in looking after women who are having babies

a big impact
an important influence

bond
strong connection

squeamish
unhappy anduncomfortable when seeing blood

Would you buy a car if you didn’t have to drive it?
Would you travel in a car if there weren’t a driver?

Driverless cars used to exist only in our dreams and in films. Now, they are a reality. In 2014 the British government approved trials of driverless cars in four British cities. This could, in time, lead to a revolution in the way we think about cars and car ownership.

Mike Hearn is a software developer who used to work for Google. He has speculated that if driverless cars became commonplace, most people wouldn’t want or need to own a vehicle anymore.

He suggests that driverless cars may even own themselves. If, for example, self-driving taxis were autonomous, rather than being owned and run by big companies, journeys would become cheaper. The money they received would be used for their running costs plus a little extra for upgrades.

He imagines a time when these cars might work together and pool their profits to get a new car built to join them. In a way, as if the cars agree with each other to have a child.

At the moment these suggestions are purely blue-sky thinking, but the technologies that would be needed are likely to become available in the next 10 to 20 years.

How would you feel if your car had a baby?

driverless cars
cars that don’t need a human to drive them

a reality
something that exists, is real

approved trials
officially agreed to tests

speculated
made a guess about what might happen

commonplace
not unusual

autonomous
independent, without an owner

running costs
day to day expenses such a fuel, parts and insurance

upgrades
improvements

pool their profits
add together the extra money they make

blue-sky thinking
theoretical, imaginary

Leaving home and going to university is one of the major steps in the life of a young person.

In the UK, it’s common for university students to share digs that are provided by the university. However, in some cases students are being forced to share single rooms.

The situation has come about because the government raised the cap on student numbers in the UK, allowing universities to recruit an extra 30,000 students.

As a result of offering places to thousands more than usual, a few universities have been unable to house all their first-year students in halls of residence.

This has led to first-years sleeping in bunk beds in rooms meant for one, with a single sink and desk.

The universities have agreed that the situation is not ideal and have offered the students discounted rent and free food until they find them more suitable accommodation.

After leaving full-time education and entering the workforce, many young graduates still find themselves having to share accommodation. In many cities the cost of buying or renting even small properties is prohibitively expensive.

It’s not always possible to pick and choose who you live with and there can be a number of problems that arise.

One survey suggests that untidiness, disgusting personal habits and petty pilfering of food are some of the most common complaints among flatmates.

The “borrowing” of personal belongings without permission was also a big gripe.

Despite these problems, many people love the experience of sharing, at least for a few years.

digs
rented accommodation

come about
happened

raised the cap
made the limit higher

to recruit
to offer places at university to

to house
to find accommodation for

halls of residence
accommodation which is owned by the university

bunk beds
two single beds joined together with one bed above the other

not ideal
unsatisfactory

prohibitively expensive
so expensive that it is impossible to afford

petty pilfering
stealing small items

a big gripe
a big complaint