Future of US space travel uncertain

Summary

9 September 2009

A White House panel of independent space experts has raised serious doubts about NASA's plan to revisit the Moon, or to send astronauts to Mars. It says the current annual budget of $18 bn is simply not enough to fund exploration beyond the Earth.

Reporter:
Jonathan Beale


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REPORT

Five years ago President Bush set out his lofty vision of sending astronauts back to the Moon by the year 2020. It was meant to be the staging post for the next frontier - a manned landing on Mars. Now a panel of space experts says that's pretty much pie in the sky.

Their report, commissioned by President Obama, says the current US human spaceflight programme appears to be on an unsustainable trajectory. It suggests the only way forward is to increase the funding of NASA by billions of dollars, or to co-operate with private companies now embarking on commercial space flights.

The panel says visits to Near-Earth Objects such as asteroids are far more realistic too. The experts also argue for keeping the International Space Station going till 2020, rather than pulling the plug in six years' time.

Jonathan Beale, BBC News, Washington

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VOCABULARY

> set out
displayed or showed plans for

> lofty vision
an ambitious plan

> staging post
a place where stops are made on long journeys (here, the Moon before travelling on to Mars)

> next frontier
a part of space which has not been previously explored

> a panel
a team of people (usually professionals or experts) who make decisions

> pie in the sky
an expression meaning that something which you hope will happen is, in fact, very unlikely

> on an unsustainable trajectory
on a path or following a plan which cannot be continued or completed

> embarking
starting on something new

> asteroids
one of many rocky objects of various sizes which circle the sun

> pulling the plug
prevent from continuing



Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/09/090909_witn_nasa_page.shtml

Planes cause rise in CO2 targets

Summary

11 September 2009

The UK's official climate change advisers have warned that households and businesses will have to cut even more emissions than previously planned - up to 90% by 2050 - so the aviation sector can continue to grow.

Reporter:
Roger Harrabin


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REPORT

Aviation is perpetually contentious in debates on climate change. The government says it wants people to be able to fly on holiday. But there's currently no technology that can radically cut emissions from planes.

The Climate Change Committee spells out the implications of that tension. The rest of the economy, it says, may have to cut its emissions 90% by 2050, so people can carry on flying in the meantime. The current target for the whole economy is 80%.

Green groups immediately demanded that the government should scrap its plans to expand Heathrow and other airports.

The Committee says aviation is a global problem, so it needs to be included in any deal in the coming climate change talks at the UN. Emissions from aviation in rich countries should be capped, then forced to return to 2005 levels, it says. Flying in poor countries should be allowed to grow for a while.

The government says it already supports the target of getting aviation emissions down to 2005 levels. But critics doubt ministers' plans for emissions to fall whilst aviation grows.

Roger Harrabin, BBC News


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VOCABULARY

> is perpetually contentious
constantly causes disagreement

> debates
serious discussions involving many people

> radically cut emissions
significantly reduce the amounts of harmful gases

> spells out the implications
clearly explains what the consequences/results might be

> tension
here, an uneasy situation

> target
here, certain results that must be achieved

> scrap
cancel, abandon, abolish, stop

> deal
here, official agreement between many countries

> should be capped
should be limited, must not be allowed to grow any further

> critics doubt ministers' plans
people who disapprove of ministers' plans say they are not sure they will work



Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/09/090911_witn_aviation_climate.shtml

Japan to cut harmful emissions

Summary

7 September 2009

Japan's Prime Minister-elect Yukio Hatoyama has said his country will aim for 25 percent cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2020. The goal is more ambitious than targets set earlier.

Reporter:
Roland Buerk


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REPORT

Yukio Hatoyama said Japan would urge countries around the world to set aggressive goals on climate change. He said Japan would aim to cut its own emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, significantly more than the 8 percent pledged by the outgoing Government. It's likely to face opposition from industry.

The reductions are to be achieved by introducing emissions trading, renovating houses, as well as subsidising solar panels and low-energy appliances and cars.

After leading his Democratic Party to a landslide victory in a general election, Mr Hatoyama is due to be formally confirmed as Japan's Prime Minister by Parliament next week.

Japan is keen to play a leading role at United Nations' backed talks on climate change in Copenhagen in December. Countries will try to work out a new global agreement to reduce emissions to follow the Kyoto Protocol.

Roland Buerk, BBC News, Tokyo


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VOCABULARY

> urge
strongly encourage, call for

> to set aggressive goals on climate change
to be more assertive, ambitious and determined in their fight against climate change

> emissions
here, when harmful gases are released/sent out

> pledged
promised

> to face opposition
to have to deal with disagreement and resistance

> renovating
here, modernising in such a way as to make them more environmentally friendly

> subsidising solar panels
partly paying for the installation of special batteries that can convert sunlight into usable energy

> low-energy appliances
devices that can work using relatively little energy

> a landslide victory
when someone wins an election with a big majority

> backed
organised and supported



Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/09/090907_witn_japan_climate.shtml

Millionth English word imminent

Summary

10 June 2009

It is being claimed that the millionth word in the English language is about to be created. A US company which follows the use of language on the internet has made the prediction. However traditional dictionary makers aren't so sure.... .

Reporter:
Lawrence Pollard


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REPORT

The idea of the millionth word entering the English language is a brilliant bit of public relations for Texas-based Global Language Monitor. GLM runs a powerful search service which monitors web traffic. They make their money telling organisations how often their name is mentioned in new media, such as the internet.

What they can also do is search for newly coined words. Once a word has been used 25,000 times on social networking sites and such like, GLM declares it to be a new word. By their calculations a new word is created in English every 98 minutes, hence the estimate that the millionth word is about to be created.

If you talk to lexicographers, however, dictionary professionals, they tell a slightly different story. Dictionaries have tighter criteria about what constitutes a new word, for example, it has to be used over a certain period of time. Lexicographers will tell you that the exact size of English vocabulary is impossible to quantify, but if you accept every technical term or obscure specialist word then we're already way beyond a million. And if you restrict inclusion of specialist slang, then there are possibly three quarters of a million words in English. All of which is way beyond the 20 - 40,000 words that a fluent speaker would use, or the few thousand you could get by with in English. Basically, with 1.5 billion people speaking some version of the language, it's small wonder English is the fastest growing tongue in the world.

Lawrence Pollard, Arts Correspondent, London


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VOCABULARY


> public relations
the activity of keeping good relationships between an organisation and the people outside it - sometimes abbreviated to 'PR'

> monitors web traffic
checks and keeps records of which websites people are visiting

> newly coined
(refers to language only) recently invented or used for the first time

> tighter criteria
stricter standards by which something is judged or decided

> constitutes
is considered as

> quantify
measure or count

> obscure
not widely known

> restrict inclusion of specialist slang
limit the addition of informal language

> small wonder
not surprising

> tongue
language

Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/06/090610_witn_dict_page.shtml

South Korean family planning

Summary

20 January 2010

South Korean government workers are being told to 'go home and multiply'. Tonight the Ministry of Health, concerned about the country's falling birth rate, will force staff to leave the office early and return to their loved ones.

Reporter:
John Sudworth


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REPORT

Forget that still unwritten report or the backlog of paperwork building up on the desk, on this cold and rainy mid-week night there can be no excuses to stay late in the office. South Korea's Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs will be turning off all the lights at 7pm in a bid to force staff to go home to their families and, well, make bigger ones. It will repeat the experiment once a month.

The country now has one of the world's lowest birth rates, lower even than neighbouring Japan, and boosting the number of newborn children is a priority for this government, staring into the abyss of a rapidly ageing society, falling levels of manpower and spiralling health care costs.

The Ministry of Health, now sometimes jokingly referred to as the 'Ministry of Matchmaking', is in charge of spearheading that drive and it clearly believes its staff should lead by example. Generous gift vouchers are on offer for officials who have more than one child and the department organises social gatherings in the hope of fostering love amongst its bureaucrats. But critics say what is really needed is wide-scale reform to tackle the burdensome cost of childcare and education that puts many young people off from starting a family.

John Sudworth, BBC News, Seoul

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VOCABULARY

> the backlog of paperwork building up
the large and increasing amount of office documents (letters, reports etc) that you should have dealt with before but which you still need to deal with

> birth rates
the number of babies born in a particular place during a certain period

> boosting
increasing

> staring into the abyss
looking to a future situation which will be difficult

> rapidly ageing society
when the population of a country is getting older with not enough younger people to take their place

> falling levels of manpower
when there are not enough young and fit people to do all the jobs needed to maintain the country's economy

> spiralling
steadily increasing

> spearheading that drive
taking charge of the plan

> fostering love amongst its bureaucrats
encouraging office workers to start having relationships with each other

> burdensome
difficult and requiring a lot of responsibility, time and money



Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2010/01/100120_witn_korea_page.shtml

Belgium beer dispute

Summary

15 January 2010

In Belgium, a country famous for its beer, an industrial dispute means a blockade is threatening supplies of Stella Artois and Leffe, two of the country's favourite beers.

Reporter:
Dominic Hughes


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REPORT

It's scarcely believable, in beer-loving Belgium supplies of two of the country's most famous beers, Stella Artois and Leffe, could be about to run out. A week-long blockade at the headquarters of InBev, the world's biggest brewing company, has stopped any beer from leaving the brewery. Supermarkets and bars around the country have warned that stocks are running low.

The unions are protesting against plans to cut more than 250 jobs and so far talks aimed at resolving the dispute have got nowhere. But there's no need to panic just yet. There are probably around 125 breweries in Belgium producing around 800 standard beers. Add in special one-off brews, and some experts believe there could be more than 8,000.


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VOCABULARY

> scarcely believable
very difficult to believe because it's so unlikely

> run out
finish, use or sell all of something, so that there is none left

> blockade
when a factory is surrounded by workers to stop goods (here, beer) from going in or out

> brewing
process of making beer (usually from hops, water, malt and yeast)

> brewery
place where beer is made

> stocks are running low
the supply (here, of beer) is getting very small

> unions are protesting
organised groups of workers are showing their disagreement by taking some action (for example, withdrawing their labour or here, stopping beer leaving the brewery)

> to cut
to reduce or make smaller

> talks aimed at resolving the dispute have got nowhere
discussions to try to find a solution to the problem have not been successful

> one-off
something (here, a supply or batch of beer) that is made only once



Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2010/01/100115_witn_belgium.shtml

Danish night-shifters compensated

Summary
16 March 2009

The Danish government has started paying compensation to women who have developed breast cancer following years of working night-shifts. The Scottish Trades Union Congress is calling on the UK government to take the risks of night-shifts more seriously.

Reporter:
Kenneth MacDonald in Glasgow


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REPORT

For years evidence has been mounting that night working causes ill health, from disturbed sleep patterns to increased accidents. But these are the first government payments to women who've developed breast cancer after long spells on the night-shift. Ulla Mahnkopf, a former flight attendant, is one of them:

Ulla Mahnkopf: 'I wouldn't fly for that many years, I wouldn't, definitely not. Because it's cancer you can die from, so I'd like to stay alive.'

The Danish authorities acted following a decision by the International Agency for Research and Cancer. The agency, part of the UN World Health Organisation, now ranks night working as a probable cancer risk, just one category below known carcinogens like asbestos.

Union leaders have told Radio Scotland, the investigation programme that the UK government isn't doing enough to deal with the dangers. The Health and Safety Executive says it's commissioned its own study but its conclusions aren't expected for another two years.

Kenneth MacDonald, BBC News, Glasgow

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VOCABULARY

> evidence has been mounting
there has been more and more proof

> disturbed sleep patterns
when a person cannot sleep properly (e.g. suffers from insomnia) because their daily routine often changes and their body no longer 'knows' what time it is meant to rest and for how long

> long spells
long periods of certain activity (here, of working night-shifts)

> flight attendant
a person employed by an airline to ensure comfort and safety of passengers during flights. Synonyms: steward/stewardess, purser, member of the cabin crew

> definitely
certainly, for sure

> ranks night working as a probable cancer risk
considers working night-shifts to be one of the causes of cancer

> carcinogens
substances that can cause or speed up the development of cancer in a person

> commissioned
if you commission someone to do something for you, you ask them to do it and pay them money; if you commission something, like an investigation or a study, you authorise it and pay people who carry it out

> conclusions
opinions or judgements you have after considering as much information about something as possible

Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/03/090316_witn_nightshifts.shtml

Earthquake in Haiti

Summmary
13 January 2010

The United Nations says that its headquarters in Haiti has been seriously damaged and many staff are missing after a powerful earthquake hit the county. There is no word yet on the number of casualties.

Reporter:

Barbara Plett

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REPORT

UN officials said some 250 people worked in the headquarters of the peacekeeping mission which has collapsed. They said the head of the mission was inside the building and remains unaccounted for, but the earthquake struck around 5 o'clock in the afternoon, so it's not clear how many others were still present.

UN troops have surrounded the ruins and are trying to rescue those trapped in the rubble; other United Nations buildings have also been damaged, but details are scarce because of disrupted communications. The peacekeeping force numbers around 11,000 people, including civilian personnel; it's located in different parts of the country, and was deployed in 2004 to bring order following an armed insurrection against then president Jean Bertrand Aristide.

The blow to the UN's services on the ground may slow relief and rescue efforts for the Haitian people, but its humanitarian department is sending emergency response teams and releasing emergency funds. The Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has said he's shocked at the scale of the devastation and has made initial contacts to encourage a coordinated international response.

Barbara Plett, BBC News, New York

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VOCABULARY

> headquarters
main offices of an organisation

> collapsed
fallen down suddenly

> remains unaccounted for
is still missing and no one has any news of him

> rubble
bits of broken stones, bricks that are left when a building falls down

> details are scarce
there is not much information and it is hard to obtain

> civilian personnel
people who are employed by the UN to work in offices

> deployed
started to do a job or some work (in the army or armed forces)

> an armed insurrection
a violent attempt by a group of people to defeat their government and take control of their country

> blow
unexpected event that causes serious damage

> releasing emergency funds
using money that has been put aside for serious situations


Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2010/01/100113_witn_haiti_page.shtml

Acidic oceans destroying sea life

Summary
11 March 2009


Mankind is changing the chemistry of the oceans and may be causing the decline of sea life. Experts say the ocean is more acidic now than it has been at any time in the past half-million years.

Reporter:
Roger Harrabin


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REPORT

Carbon dioxide is an acidic gas and scientists say as it dissolves into the sea it's making seawater more acidic. They calculate that ocean acidity is up 30% since the Industrial Revolution. A new study shows the growth of some tiny shell forming creatures appears already to have been stunted by the change.

Research of this new branch of science suggests that as CO2 emissions continue to increase, many shell forming species may not survive the next 50 - 100 years. This would hit commercial fisheries and start to unpick the very web of life in the seas.

Dr Carol Turley, who is running today's acidification debate in Copenhagen, fears a mass extinction: ''55 million years ago there was a big production of CO2. That resulted in the mass extinction of seabed dwelling shell forming organisms. What we’re doing now is far, far faster, so it may not be possible for organisms to adapt.''

Sceptics say we can't be sure how ocean chemistry will respond in the future and whether creatures will adapt. The scientists in Denmark say we simply shouldn’t take the risk.

Roger Harrabin, BBC News



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VOCABULARY

> shell forming creatures
animals which make their own protective coverings often called 'shells'

> stunted
stopped from growing or developing to full potential

> species
group of animals or plants which have similar characteristics

> hit commercial fisheries
have a negative effect on the fishing industry

> to unpick the very web
to destroy the delicate balance

> acidification debate
discussion on the environmental issues caused by acid and pollution

> mass extinction
a large number of animals and sea life will no longer exist

> seabed dwelling
animals or creatures who live at the bottom of the ocean

> organisms
very small single living plants or animals (we often use this word when talking about extremely small forms of life e.g. amoebae and bacteria are single-celled organisms)

> sceptics
people who doubt, who don't believe


Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/03/090311_witn_ocean_page.shtml

Money for code-breaking site

Summary
30 September 2009

Campaigners trying to preserve the wartime coding centre at Bletchley Park are celebrating a victory. The site where German codes were cracked during World War II has won its first lottery grant.

Reporter:
Rory Cellan-Jones

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REPORT


It's widely regarded as one of the most significant contributors to the defeat of Germany during World War II but the Bletchley Park code-breaking site is in a poor state of repair.

A year ago a campaign began to preserve the site, and now it's scored a major success. Britain's Heritage Lottery Fund has given the trust which runs Bletchley Park nearly $600,000 to work up its plans to turn it into a world-class museum and educational centre, with the promise of another $6,000,000 if those plans work out.

Campaigners, who've already won recognition for Bletchley Park veterans and an apology for the treatment of the leading code-breaker Alan Turing, say the lottery grant is more recognition of the vital role Bletchley Park played in Britain's history.

Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC News


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VOCABULARY

> it's widely regarded as
a lot of people think or believe that it is

> code-breaking site
place where secret messages that were sent by the enemy during World War II were decoded. (If you decode something or break the code you understand something that was meant to be a secret)

> in a poor state of repair
(of a building) is badly damaged or has not been maintained or looked after well

> it's scored a major success
it has been very successful

> the trust
an organisation which controls property and/or money for another person (or here, a building)

> to work up its plans
to explain its ideas in more detail

> world-class
one of the best of its type in the world

> work out
are successful

> campaigners
people who campaign, lobby or publicly demand that something changes

> recognition for Bletchley Park veterans
public respect and thanks to the people who used to work in
Bletchley Park



Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/09/090930_witn_bletchley.shtml

Deadly jellyfish stings on paradise island

Summary
30 December 2009

The British man chosen from more than 30,000 applicants to look after an island on Australia's Great Barrier Reef has survived being stung by a deadly jellyfish on Hamilton Island.

Reporter:
Phil Mercer


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REPORT


Ben Southall, the man with the best job in the world, struck trouble in paradise when he felt a small bee-like sting on his arm, as he was getting off a jet ski. The 34 year-old Briton later noticed a tingling sensation in his hands and feet, before developing a severe headache, back pain and high blood pressure. The culprit was a tiny but extremely poisonous Irukandji jellyfish. It may only be the size of a peanut, but it has killed unwary swimmers in the past.

Ben is recovering and is in the final week of his contract, where he's been employed by Australian tourism officials to promote the wonders of the Queensland coast.

Phil Mercer, BBC News, Sydney


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VOCABULARY

> struck trouble in paradise
had difficulties in what seems like an ideal location

> sting
an animal (here a jellyfish) produces a small but painful injury, usually with a poison, by brushing against the someone or another animal's skin

> a tingling sensation
a feeling as if a lot of sharp points are being put quickly and lightly into your body or onto your skin

> severe
very serious, causing a lot of pain

> high blood pressure
the pressure at which the blood flows through the body is high (high or low blood pressure can make you ill)

> poisonous
very harmful and able to make you very ill or kill you

> jellyfish
sea animal with a soft oval almost transparent (see-through) body

> the size of a peanut
very small (a peanut is a small oval-shaped nut that grows under the ground inside a thin brown shell)

> unwary
not aware of or careful about possible risks and dangers

> contract
formal agreement to work for a company or person for a period of time



Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/12/091230_witn_jellyfish.shtml

Production gloom in Japan

Summary
27 February 2009

Japanese industrial output fell by a record 10 percent in January, yet more evidence that the world's second largest economy is being hit hard by the slowdown.

Reporter:
Roland Buerk in Tokyo


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REPORT

The drop in industrial production of 10 percent in January was even worse than the decline in December - setting a new and grim record as Japan sinks into its worst economic crisis since the Second World War.

The latest figures come just days after the Government said exports had nearly halved. Consumers around the world afraid of losing their jobs in the downturn no longer want to buy Japanese electronic gadgets and cars. The Japanese themselves are also shopping less - average household spending fell 5.9 percent in January compared to the same month a year earlier. Jobs are being slashed - the number of people unemployed rose by more than 200,000.

Japan was once seen as relatively immune to the global crisis because its banks are not as exposed to bad loans as those in the United States or Europe. But its reliance on foreign markets to drive its economy out of a long slump in the 1990s has left it painfully exposed. In the last quarter of last year Japan's economy shrank by 3.3 percent, a far sharper decline than in the United States or Europe.

Roland Buerk, BBC News, Tokyo


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VOCABULARY

> drop
reduction, becoming smaller

> decline
reduction, becoming smaller

> setting a new and grim record
here, showing that Japan's levels of production are worse than ever before

> sinks into
enters, begins to experience (something bad)

> gadgets
devices or machines, usually small, that are used for a particular purpose or to perform a particular task

> slashed
cut, closed

> relatively immune to
not easily affected by

> exposed to
affected by (here, in a negative way)

> to drive its economy out of a long slump
to help its economy to recover while it was in a long downturn

> shrank
reduced, became smaller


Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/02/090227_witn_japan.shtml

Working protects against dementia

Summary
25 May 2009

A new study in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry suggests that carrying on working into old age, rather than occupation or education, can help protect against dementia.

Reporter:
Adam Brimelow


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REPORT

The study looked at nearly 400 men who developed Alzheimer's disease. It assessed the time they spent in full-time education, the type of work they did and the point at which they retired.

The researchers detected no link between the onset of dementia and education or occupation. But they found that every extra year at work was associated with a six week delay in Alzheimer's. They say this points to the value of keeping the brain active by working.

They also acknowledge that the nature of retirement is changing, and for some people it may be as intellectually stimulating as working. The Alzheimer's Research Trust, which funded the study, says more people than ever retire later in life to avert financial hardship, but there may be a silver lining: lower dementia risk. However it says much more research is needed in order to understand how to delay or prevent dementia.

Adam Brimelow, BBC News


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VOCABULARY

> developed
began to suffer from

> assessed
examined/studied and then came to conclusions about

> detected no link
found no connection

> the onset of
the moment at which something unpleasant begins

> dementia
when the functions of the brain become progressively worse

> was associated with
caused, was connected with

> points to the value of
shows that something - here, working - is good

> the nature of retirement is changing
people who no longer work because of old age spend their time differently than old people did in the past (e.g. they travel more, do more physical and mental activities etc.)

> intellectually stimulating
making the brain work

> a silver lining
a benefit (comes from the proverb 'every cloud has a silver lining', meaning there is a positive side to everything, even to bad things)

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/05/090525_witn_dementia.shtml

Learning English with Obama

Summary
23 February 2009

The speeches of the new United States President Barack Obama are proving to be a popular aid to learning English in Japan. A special compilation has gone on sale, quickly becoming a national bestseller.

Reporter:
Roland Buerk in Tokyo


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REPORT

It's been described by its publishers as a huge hit in Japan - a compilation of the speeches of Barak Obama has sold well over 400,000 copies, and students at an English class in Tokyo are even memorising the new President's words to improve their own pronunciation and understanding.

CLIP English class
'On behalf of the great state of Illinois let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention.'

Barak Obama's message of change has been well received in Japan where politics is often characterised by grey figures and backroom deals. The clear language of the speeches makes them an obvious choice for teaching material. But the new President's words are said to hold particular appeal.

CLIP English class followed by an English teacher
- Perseverance.
- Perseverance.
- Just practise like that.
It's from his personality, first of all. And also, his technique, his rhythm in English sound beautiful to the Japanese people who may not understand English well but still find his English as something they want to learn from.

And so, in shops across Japan the face of the new American President is a fixture on the bookshelves, as well as on the newsstands. And for students, the question of whether they'll succeed in improving their English can be answered - 'Yes we can'.

Roland Buerk, BBC News, Tokyo


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VOCABULARY

> a huge hit
very popular with many people

> a compilation
here, a book that has been made from several separate speeches

> addressing
speaking to

> convention
a large formal gathering of people

> grey figures
politicians or civil servants who don't often appear in public making it difficult to understand exactly what they do

> backroom deals
when something is agreed behind closed doors, i.e. not openly

> to hold particular appeal
to be liked for a specific reason

>perseverance
continuing effort and determination

> technique
skill or expertise in doing something

> a fixture
somebody considered to be permanently established in a place or position

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/02/090223_witn_obama.shtml

Deadly storms in East Asia

Summary
10 August 2009

Two typhoons have left many dead or missing in East Asia. In Japan at least nine people have been killed and some are missing. In China at least one child has been killed, while in Taiwan 12 people have died.

Reporter:
Chris Hogg


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REPORT

China moved almost a million people from its coastal provinces to safer areas before Typhoon Morakat hit the mainland on Sunday. Heavy rain triggered landslides and caused several hundred houses to collapse, but the effects weren't as bad as might have been feared, after the damage it had wreaked elsewhere.

The storm had caused the worst flooding in 50 years in Taiwan. They're still working there to free thousands of people who remain trapped, and searching for the dozens who are missing.

In Japan, there were more casualties, as a different typhoon caused severe problems along the western coast of the country. Again torrential downpours triggered landslides and flooding. One man was found drowned inside his car, a woman was found dead in a gutter.

Chris Hogg, BBC News, Shanghai


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VOCABULARY

> coastal provinces
areas of a country which are situated by the sea

> the mainland
the larger or main part of a country, not including the islands around it

> triggered
caused something bad to start

> landslides
a mass of earth suddenly moving down a hill or slope

> to collapse
to fall down in pieces to the ground

> the effects weren't as bad as might have been feared
although the typhoon caused some damage, it could have been worse

> the damage it had wreaked
had caused something bad to happen

> casualties
injured people

> torrential downpours
very heavy rain

> gutter
the edge of the road where rain collects and flows into drains


Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/08/090810_witn_typhoon.shtml

Smiles all around on Japan trains

Summary
31 July 2009

In Tokyo, some of the busiest railway stations in the world have installed computerised 'smile scanners' to help employees deliver a better service.

Reporter:
Roland Buerk in Tokyo


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REPORT

Tokyo has some of the busiest train stations in the world. But now passengers can be assured of a friendly welcome from staff no matter how hard-pressed they are thanks to technology.

The computerised 'smile scanner' works by calculating the optimum curvature of the lips. Those with a low score are given words of advice, such as, 'you look too serious'. The idea is that workers maintain their computer-approved grins throughout the day.

Although the railway company says the smile scan system is not compulsory, all staff at the station have used it.

Taichi Takahashi from Keihin Express Railway:
I don't think we've had that much opportunity to stare at our faces that closely and for that long to check our facial expressions. The employees say the scan has helped them check their facial expressions, which helped them communicate more effectively with the customers.

So far the smile scanners have been installed at 15 train stations on the company's network, leaving grumpy workers with few places to hide.

Roland Buerk, BBC News, Tokyo


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VOCABULARY

> no matter
regardless of, not taking into account

> hard-pressed
having a lot of difficulties doing something (especially because there is not enough money or, as here, time)

> computerised
using a computer (to do something that was previously done by people)

> scanner
a device that puts something (most often visual images) into digital form

> optimum
best possible

> curvature
degree of curving; here, shape

> maintain their computer-approved grins
here, keep smiling in a way that the scanner 'thinks' is acceptable

> compulsory
mandatory, unavoidable

> facial expressions
different ways in which people use their faces to put their message across (e.g. a smile, to make others more at ease, or a frown, to show you are feeling aggressive or unsure of something) that form part of human body language

> grumpy
in bad mood, sullen


Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/07/090731_witn_japan_smile.shtml

Why do we sleep?

Summary
9 October 2009

A recent study may have an answer to one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in science - what is the purpose of sleep? The work suggests it's actually about making animals function more efficiently in their environments.

Reporter:
Jon Stewart

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REPORT

Pythons, bats and giant armadillos are among the longest sleepers at over 18 hours a day. Human babies need 16 hours, and most of us probably feel we need around eight hours sleep to function well.

Professor Jerry Seigel from the University of California, Los Angeles, conducted a study of the sleep times of a broad range of animals and found that they vary widely. Some, like migrating birds, can survive long periods without sleeping at all. He believes that shows sleep evolved to conserve energy:

Jerry Seigel: 'It's animals that are needlessly active that will not survive, but animals that are most efficient and use their waking time to do vital functions, and are otherwise asleep that will survive.'

Sleep helps make best use of limited resources. In humans, when we're awake, our brain accounts for 20% of the energy we use when just sitting around. Sleeping also makes us less likely to get injured and less likely to be detected by predators.

Jon Stewart, BBC News


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VOCABULARY

> to function well
to live and operate normally

> a broad range of
many different

> vary widely
are very different

> migrating birds
birds that move between two different environments in response to changes in weather and food supply

> to conserve
to save, to keep and protect from waste

> are needlessly active
move a lot without reason or purpose

> vital
essential, most important, impossible to do without

> limited resources
here, when there is relatively little food

> to get injured
here, to get hurt or hurt oneself accidentally

> detected by predators
noticed by those who are likely to hunt and kill you


Source

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/09/090911_witn_sleep.shtml

Silent Phone Calls

Summary
23 October 2009

When you pick up a ringing phone and hear silence at the other end, it can be frightening. However, most of these calls are made not by villains but by computers at call centres. Now in the UK such centres could be fined up to £2m for causing distress.

Reporter:
Gavin Ramjaun

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REPORT

It's an annoying thing many households have to put up with - answering the phone to find nobody on the other end of the line. They are often from a company's call centre which uses automatic dialling in the hope of selling you something. But if there aren't enough staff on hand to speak, the call into your home stays silent.

Industry regulator, Ofcom, says it's a breach of their guidelines for businesses who make persistent unwanted phone calls. And now those caught breaking the law could face fines of £2m.

Kevin Brennan, Consumer Affairs Minister: 'It is still a real problem, despite the raising of fines that have gone on in the past. Last year, Ofcom did a survey and found that half of people that they surveyed said that it was a real nuisance to them.'

David Hickson, campaigner: 'We don't know how much of a deterrent it will be. The point is that the action point of Ofcom should be to stop people from making silent calls, not just to penalise them.'

Despite previous attempts to tackle this, almost half of the UK still receives silent phone calls. So officials will hope the threat of a bigger fine can help stamp it out.

Gavin Ramjaun, BBC News


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VOCABULARY

> to put up with
to accept something even though you are not happy about it, to be forced to tolerate

> automatic dialling
when a computerised device, called a predictive dialler, is used by call centres to phone a lot of people in one go

> staff on hand
company employees available

> a breach of their guidelines
when their official recommendations are broken

> caught
here, noticed or reported

> a real nuisance
annoying and/or irritating them a great deal

> how much of a deterrent
how effective in preventing silent calls

> to penalise
to punish for breaking a law

> to tackle
to deal with/resolve

> stamp it out
if you stamp something out, you put an end to it/eradicate it


Source

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/10/091023_witn_silent_calls.shtml

Catching loneliness from the Lonely

Summary
2 December 2009

It sounds like a contradiction in terms but loneliness is catching. That's the conclusion of a detailed study into people's behaviour carried out by teams at three American universities.

Reporter:
Jack Izzard


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REPORT

It's a medical paradox. People who feel lonely can spread the emotion to others - much like a virus. After poring over data collected from nearly 5,000 people, the researchers concluded that loneliness is more than just a personal feeling, it's an infectious mental condition. This was a statistical rather than medical study, so it doesn't explain how the contagion happens. But what it did find was that the friends of a person describing themselves as lonely were 52% more likely to become lonely themselves, and that their friends were at an increased risk too, even if they didn't know the lonely person.

The study's authors suggest this may be down to the way lonely people behave. A tendency to be wary or mistrustful of others can make their loneliness a self-fulfilling prophecy, as it may drive friends away. This much may seem obvious, but the study also hints that this behaviour can rub off on other people, painting a rather bleak picture of lonely people driving each other into ever greater isolation. Its advice to the lonely - surround yourself with a network of friends, as long as they're not lonely too.


Jack Izzard, BBC News


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VOCABULARY

> paradox
not logical, not consistent or not possible

> poring over data
examining or looking very carefully at the evidence or the information

> an infectious mental condition
a way of feeling or thinking that can affect other people near you so that they have the same feelings too

> at an increased risk
more likely to catch an illness or disease (or here, loneliness)

> down to
because of

> a tendency to be wary or mistrustful of
likely or inclined to be suspicious of

> a self-fulfilling prophecy
something you do or say about yourself so often that it eventually makes something you say about yourself true (here, lonely people don't trust other people so they become more lonely, so they trust other people even less and so become even more lonely)

> drive friends away
push friends away, reject them

> rub off on
influence, have an effect through being close to someone or associating with them

> painting a rather bleak picture
describing a situation or person as bad, depressing or sad


Source

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/12/091202_witn_lonely.shtml

Santa Claus is too Unhealthy

Summary
18 December 2009

An Australian scientist writing in the British Medical Journal thinks Father Christmas is a bad role model for children because he is very fat and drinks too much alcohol.

Reporter:
Janet Barrie

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REPORT

Father Christmas should get off his sleigh and walk, lay off the mince pies and go easy on the beer and brandy, says research from the University of Monash in Melbourne. Santa Claus, it says, is one of the most widely recognised figures in the world, and it's about time he started looking after his health, because he's a terrible role model.

The traditional image of him as a jolly little man with a fat belly promotes the view that obese people are happy. The research isn't intended entirely seriously says Nathan Grills, the scientist behind it, but there's still a good point to make about public health.

Equally worrying he says is the vast amount of alcohol Santa consumes on his rounds. All the beer, brandy and sherry left out for him in a billion homes worldwide, it says, must mean he's in no fit state to drive his sleigh. In fact, says the research, he should abandon it altogether and find a healthier way to deliver presents - like jogging. If that wasn't bad enough, the study says Santa's habits warrant closer scrutiny. More research is needed, it says, before it pronounces him a true public health menace.


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VOCABULARY

> get off his sleigh
stop using his sleigh (a sleigh is a kind of basic transport, pulled by Arctic animals, reindeer)

> lay off
stop doing something (here, eating)

> go easy on
not do something (here, drinking alcohol) as much as he usually does

> a terrible role model
not a very good example for people (here, young children)

> belly
(informal) stomach

> obese
very fat

> on his rounds
on the route (going from house to house around the world) which Santa makes each year

> he's in no fit state
he is not capable or fit to do something

> warrant closer scrutiny
should be examined in more detail

> menace
threat or danger


Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/12/091218_witn_santa.shtml

Tall People Earn More

Summary
18 May 2009

Researchers in Australia have found that tall people earn higher wages than their shorter counterparts. They also found that chubby people earn more than those who are skinny.

Reporter:
Nick Bryant


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REPORT

The long and short of this Australian report is that tall workers earn significantly more than their vertically challenged counterparts. A six foot man can expect a windfall of almost $750 a year.

The researchers found there were practical reasons why the size gap translated into a pay gap. Tall people were sometimes more capable of performing certain physical tasks, like reaching high shelves. But the discrepancy is explained mainly by discrimination, the simple fact that society tends to look on tall people as more powerful and smarter, even when they're not.

The study from the Australian National University also found that slimmer workers tend to get slimmer pay packets. Fat men earn 5% more than their slender colleagues.

Nick Bryant, BBC News, Sydney

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VOCABULARY


> the long and short of
a commonly used set expression said when you want to explain the general situation without giving details

vertically challenged
> an indirect way of saying 'short'

> counterparts
your counterpart is someone who is generally similar to you but different in a particular way (e.g. they come from a different country, or, as here, they are shorter than you)

> windfall
money that you win or receive unexpectedly

> translated into
meant, caused, resulted in

> discrepancy
a distinct difference between two things that should be the same

> discrimination
unfair treatment of someone because of prejudice about race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender or, as here, size

> tend to get slimmer pay packets
usually earn less money

> slender
slim, thin

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/05/090518_witn_tall.shtml

Disappearing Languages

Summary
4 May 2009

The United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, says more than a third of the world's six thousand languages are in danger of extinction. Of those two thousand, it says, about two hundred are spoken by only a handful of people.

Reporter:
Leonardo Rocha

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REPORT

When a language dies, UNESCO says the world loses valuable cultural heritage - a great deal of the legends, poems and the knowledge gathered by generations is simply lost. In 2008, Alaska's last native speaker of Eyak died, taking the language with her.

Marie Smith Jones praying in Eyak

Chief Marie Smith Jones, praying here for the survival of the Eyaks. She died at the age of eighty-nine, campaigning to save her people's heritage.

UNESCO says government action is needed if the world is to preserve its linguistic diversity. People must be proud to speak their language to ensure it survives.

In the last five years, the governments of Mexico, New Zealand and the United States managed to reverse the trend locally. But UNESCO says the phenomenon of dying languages appears in every region and in very diverse economic conditions.

Leonardo Rocha, BBC

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VOCABULARY

Vocabulary

> UNESCO
short for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

> valuable cultural heritage
features belonging to a particular society, such as traditions, languages, buildings or works of art, which still exist from the past, are unique and therefore have a historical importance

> a great deal of
many, a lot of

> legends
old stories presented as history but unlikely to be true

> native speaker of
someone whose first language, or mother tongue, is

> campaigning
taking action aimed at achieving a goal

> to preserve its linguistic diversity
to save the great number of languages currently spoken

> to reverse the trend
here, to make sure people are encouraged to speak rare languages, so those languages can survive

Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/04/090504_witn_languages.shtml

Illegal Downloads

Summary
29 May 2009

Around seven million people in the UK are involved in illegal downloads at huge cost to the economy - but changing attitudes is going to be tough. A report warns that criminalising people who download illegally may not be the right course.

Reporter:
Rory Cellan-Jones

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REPORT

The report for a body advising the government on copyright looks at consumer attitudes to illegal downloading. Researchers found 1.3 million people online on just one file-sharing network on a weekday and worked out that over a year, they were getting free access to material worth 120 billion pounds.

The report says seven million people who download illegally in the UK can't all be students, older people must also be involved. But it says there's uncertainty about what is or is not illegal, and the fact that so much on the internet is free only adds to the confusion.

The report warns the government that criminalising downloaders could have huge economic costs and might not even work.

Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC

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VOCABULARY

> body
here, organisation, institution

> copyright
the legal right of either creative artists or publishers to control the use and reproduction of their original works

> consumer attitudes to
here, how downloaders feel about

> getting free access to
here, able to download without paying

> must also be involved
here, look certain to be using illegal downloads as well

> there's uncertainty about
nobody knows for sure

> adds to the confusion
makes the situation even less clear

> criminalising
treating somebody as a criminal and/or making what they do punishable under the criminal law


Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/05/090529_witn_downloads.shtml

How mice went Global

Summary
8 July 2009

Scientists who have been working on establishing complex historical patterns of human migration have found a new ally in their quest - the noble house mouse.

Reporter:
David Bamford


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REPORT

Did you know that very specific parts of north-west Britain are colonised by Viking mice - mice that originate from Norway? Or that there are mice families in New Zealand whose rodent ancestors come from India?

A group of scientists have published their findings after a global study of mouse genetics that they say will tell us more about human migration, and where early colonists - going back to the Iron Age - settled many centuries ago. Because, as it turns out, the colonists accidentally took their home-grown mice with them - and mice, like humans, have DNA and genetic patterns that can be identified and classified.

One of the researchers on the project, Jeremy Searle, a professor of biology at York University in northern England, explains:

JEREMY SEARLE
Mice have been moved all throughout the world by people and clearly when you had the voyages of the discoveries, and you had settlements all round the world starting off from western Europe, they took mice with them so mice are now absolutely cosmopolitan around the world.

Identifying the chromosomes originating from these seafaring mice should provide useful data to back up studies such as the Genographic Project, in which the DNA of hundreds of thousands of people around the world is being catalogued with the aim of telling us where our individual ancestors came from and settled.

David Bamford, BBC

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VOCABULARY

> colonised
here, populated (usually to colonise means to go, or to send other people to live in and govern another country)

> originate from Norway
first lived in Norway before being moved to other places, e.g. Britain

> rodent
a small mammal with large sharp front teeth, such as mice, rats, squirrels etc. Rodents make up more than a third of all living mammal species

> human migration
when and where people travelled in order to settle (usually, in another country)

> accidentally
by chance, not intentionally

> DNA
short for deoxyribonucleic acid, the chemical at the centre of the genes of all living things

> are now absolutely cosmopolitan
come from everywhere and live everywhere

> seafaring
travelling, migrating

> to back up
to support, to provide additional factual material to



Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/07/090708_witn_mice.shtml