BBC Learning English

博主： demon
发布时间：2025 年 01 月 06 日
17 次浏览
34769字数
分类：默认分类

Are you drinking enough water?

Link

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F1iJZr-p4E&t=143s

Transcript: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-250102

Introduction

How much water do you drink every day? Is it enough? Beth and Phil discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary.

Vocabulary

arrive at (a number or statistic)
calculate; decide on it after doing calculations

take grip on
take control of

pretty much
almost; almost completely

ballpark figure
a number which is a guess but an acceptably accurate approximation

dehydration
condition of not having enough water in your body so that you feel ill or weak

symptom
sign or feeling in the body showing the presence of an illness or a condition

Transcript

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Phil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil.

Beth
And I'm Beth. Nowadays, I often see people carrying water bottles with them to make sure they drink enough. How much water do you drink a day, Phil?

Phil
Oh, I don't know. Maybe about a litre?

Beth
OK. And do you know how much water you should drink a day?

Phil
I think it's probably about two litres.

Beth
Ah, well, the number many people have heard is two litres a day. Of course, everyone needs to drink some water - over half the human body is made up of it. But exactly how much water do we need to stay healthy? That's what we'll be discussing in this programme, along with some useful new vocabulary as well.

Phil
And speaking of vocabulary, remember you can download all the new words and phrases from this programme, plus worksheet exercises to help you learn them, on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

Beth
Great! But first I have a question for you, Phil. I mentioned that over half the human body consists of water, but there's an even higher percentage of water in our blood. But how much? Is our blood:

a) around 80% water?
b) around 90% water? or,
c) 100% water?

Phil
I think it's around 80% water.

Beth
OK, I will reveal the correct answer later in the programme. Our blood needs water so it can carry nutrients to the body's cells and organs. The amount recommended is often given as two litres a day. But why? Here to discuss this with BBC World Service programme, The Food Chain, is biologist, Professor John Speakman:

Professor John Speakman
So, I'm not sure how it was arrived at but it seems to be a number that has taken grip on a very large number of countries. So, if you look at government recommendations around the world, they're pretty much all the same. They pretty much all say everybody's got to be drinking two litres of water.

Phil
Professor Speakman doesn't know how the number of two litres a day was arrived at – how it was decided or calculated. Nevertheless, the idea of drinking two litres a day has taken grip on many governments around the world. When you say an idea has taken grip on something, you mean it's taken control of it.

Beth
Yes, Professor Speakman says that pretty much all governments are giving pretty much the same recommendation. He uses the phrase, pretty much to mean almost. For example, 'pretty much all governments advise drinking two litres a day' means 'almost all governments advise it'.

Phil
What Professor Speakman doesn't have, however, is any scientific evidence for this advice. The number of exactly two litres isn't based on scientific fact, it's more of a ballpark figure – a number which is a guess, but which you still believe is approximately correct.

Beth
Actually, the amount of water in our bodies is changing all the time. Like your bank balance, which goes down when you spend money, your body loses water all the time, when you breathe, sweat, or go to the toilet. Exactly how much you need to drink depends on how much water your body needs to replace, and that mainly depends on your size.

Phil
But what happens when we drink less than we should? Here's hydration expert, Dr Nidia Rodriguez-Sanchez, describing the effects of dehydration to BBC World Service's The Food Chain.

Dr Nidia Rodriguez-Sanchez
And also, many times we start getting dehydrated and we don't realise we are dehydrated. So it's very common that we feel tired, or we feel, like, with a bit of a headache, or even we think we're hungry, and we go and get some food. And actually what is happening is that we are thirsty, that we are dehydrated, we are starting to show some signs or some symptoms of dehydration.

Phil
Dr Sanchez describes the effects of dehydration, the condition of not having enough water in your body so that you feel ill or weak. She mentions feeling tired, having a headache or a dry mouth as symptoms of dehydration. Symptoms are signs or feelings in the body showing the presence of some illness or condition.

Beth
So, whether you drink a little more, or a little less, it seems that around two litres of water a day is a good way to keep your blood and body healthy. Speaking of which, Phil, it's time to reveal the answer to my question, what percentage of our blood is water? You said 80%, and the answer is 90%. Our blood consists of around 90% water.

OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've used, starting with the phrase to arrive at a number, meaning to decide it by doing calculations.

Phil
If an idea takes grip on something, it takes control of it.

Beth
The phrase pretty much means almost; for example, pretty much everyone likes chocolate, which means almost everyone likes chocolate.

Phil
A ballpark figure is a phrase meaning a number which is an acceptably accurate approximation.

Beth
Dehydration is the condition of not having enough water in your body so that you feel ill or weak.

Phil
And finally, a symptom is a sign or feeling in the body showing the presence of an illness or condition. Once again, our six minutes are up. Why not join me now and head over to our website, bbclearningenglish.com, download the worksheet for this programme, and test yourself to see how much you remember? See you there soon!

Beth
Bye!

Late nights: Bad for health? BBC News Review

Link

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXrh2AJa8nU

Transcript: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/newsreview-2022/unit-1/session-37

The story

Staying up late into the night.

For some people, it’s just the way they prefer to live. But it could be affecting their health.

New research from the US found that ‘night owls’ may be more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes.

It’s because people who get up early burn fat for energy more easily.

Key words and phrases

night owls
people who like being active at night and go to bed late

I was a night owl at university. I always wrote my essays after midnight.
She’s a night owl, which is why she’s often grumpy in the morning.

chronic
lasting for a long time

After the accident, he suffered from chronic pain.
There’s a chronic shortage of doctors. People have to wait months for treatment.

prone to
likely to do or be affected by something bad

She has weak legs and is prone to injury.
I don’t believe him. He’s prone to lying.

Why sitting is bad for health

Link

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsQMLrPdLf8

Transcript: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-240404

Introduction

Could sitting be damaging to our health? Phil and Georgie discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary.

Vocabulary

engineer (something) out
design or plan in such a way that something is not required

this/so much
in such large amounts

blood circulation
the flow of blood through the heart and blood vessels which carries oxygen around the body

geared around
organised and prepared towards a certain activity or purpose

swim against the tide
not follow what most people are doing; do the opposite of most people

drive (someone) towards
push someone towards accepting a new condition or situation

Transcript

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Phil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Phil.

Georgie
And I’m Georgie. We all know how important exercise is to stay fit and reduce the risk of heart disease. Do you exercise much, Phil?

Phil
I try to. I ride my bike at the weekend. But to be honest I do spend a lot of time sitting down.

Georgie
Sitting too much is becoming an increasing problem in the modern world. Maybe you take the bus or train to work, then sit at a desk all day, then go home feeling tired and just sit in front of the television all evening as well. Added together, that’s hours of sitting every single day.

Phil
In this programme, we’ll be finding out exactly how much sitting is too much. And, of course, we’ll be learning some useful new vocabulary.

Georgie
But first, are you sitting comfortably, Phil? Because I have a question for you. On average, how many hours a day do British adults spend sitting down? Is it:

a) 7 hours?

b) 9 hours? or,

c) 12 hours?

Phil
I’ll guess it’s 7 hours.

Georgie
OK, Phil, I’ll reveal the correct answer later. Charlotte Edwardson is a professor of health and behaviour studies who has investigated the link between sitting and health problems in her lab at Leicester University. Here, she talks to BBC Radio 4 programme, Inside Health:

Professor Charlotte Edwardson
If we think about our daily activities, a lot of activities are done sitting down. Movement in our everyday lives has really been engineered out with advances in technology, and our bodies just weren't designed to sit this much, so it's going to cause problems with our health.

[...]

So when you sit down you're not using the largest muscles in your body. So, these are the ones in your legs and your bum. So, that means that your muscle activity goes down. When your muscle activity goes down, your blood circulation reduces.

Georgie
Throughout history, humans have always walked and moved their bodies. Now, modern technologies like motorised vehicles and office jobs, mean we spend more and more time sitting. Modern life has engineered out the need for us to move. When you engineer something out, you design things in such a way that it is no longer required. For example, CD drives have been engineered out of laptops because downloads are more popular.

Phil
Charlotte says humans are not used to sitting this much. Here, the words this much mean in such large amounts. It’s a negative thing, one negative being the harm to blood circulation, the flow of blood through the heart and blood vessels which carries oxygen around the body.

Georgie
When we sit, we stop using important muscles. This reduces blood circulation and causes a range of other effects like increased levels of glucose and fat, and decreased energy levels. The body uses 20% more energy when simply standing than when sitting down, and walking uses 92% more energy. And that’s not to mention the damage sitting too much causes to muscle movement and blood pressure.

Phil
But the hard truth is that sitting is a big part of modern life. Everything is geared around sitting, it’s organised towards that particular activity, and that makes it hard to stop. Here’s Professor Edwardson again, talking with James Gallagher, presenter of BBC Radio 4 programme, Inside Health:

James Gallagher
How much do you feel like you're just swimming against the tide with all of this? Like the whole of society is like driving us more and more towards, you know, sitting down all the time, and you're like, ‘please don't!’

Professor Charlotte Edwardson
Sitting is so much part of our everyday activities. You know, you go into a meeting and someone’s, ‘Come and take a seat’, you're going to your GP surgery, ‘Come and take a seat’. Everything's geared around sitting, and as technology advances and it tries to make our life easier, it then leads to us sitting even more.

Georgie
James asks if Charlotte is swimming against the tide of modern life. If you’re swimming against the tide, you’re doing the opposite of what most people are doing. He also says that society is driving us towards sitting more. To drive someone towards something means pushing them to accept a new situation, even when the situation isn’t so good.

Phil
Luckily, there’s some simple advice to help. Break up periods of sitting 30 minutes or more with a few minutes of walking or moving your arms. Also try to spend less than half of your waking hours sitting down. Good to know. Now how about your question, Georgie.

Georgie
Right, my question was how long does the average British adult spend sitting each day. Phil guessed it was 7 hours which was…close, but not right, I’m afraid. In fact, on average we spend 9 hours per day sitting down, that’s about 60% of our waking life. So, remember to take regular breaks, even just a minute or two.

Phil
OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned, starting with, to engineer something out, meaning to design or plan in such a way that something is no longer needed.

Georgie
The phrase this much or so much means in such large amounts.

Phil
Blood circulation is the movement of blood through the heart and blood vessels which carries oxygen around the body.

Georgie
If things are geared around a certain activity or purpose, they’re organised to support it.

Phil
The idiom to swim against the tide means to not follow what most people are doing.

Georgie
And finally, to drive someone towards a new situation means to push them towards accepting it. Once again, our six minutes are up! Remember to join us again next time for more topical discussion and useful vocabulary, here at 6 Minute English. Goodbye for now!

Phil
Bye!

Food and mood

Link

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG7dJ6A3l7w&t=138s

Transcript: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-230316

Introduction

Scientific research into the relationship between what we eat and how we feel is growing. In this programme, we’ll be investigating the connection between our food and our mood. We’ll hear how healthy eating makes us feel better, and of course, we’ll be learning some new vocabulary as well.

Vocabulary

emotional eating
eating lots of food in response to emotional feelings instead of to hunger

appetite
the feeling that you want to eat food; the desire for food

grab and go
the activity of taking something quickly when you do not have much time

bananas
(slang) silly; crazy

roll your eyes
move your eyes upwards as a way of showing annoyance, boredom or disbelief

patronising
speaking or behaving towards someone as if they were stupid or unimportant

Transcript

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Sam
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam.

Rob
And I’m Rob.

Sam
When someone feels sad or in a bad mood, they often try to feel better by eating their favourite food… I usually go for a peanut butter sandwich myself. Do you have a favourite comfort food, Rob?

Rob
Hmm, maybe a cream chocolate eclair… Comfort food is a type of emotional eating – eating lots of food because we feel sad, not because we’re hungry. But unfortunately, most comfort food is high in carbohydrates and sugar and, after a few minutes, it leaves us feeling even worse than before.

Sam
Today, scientific research into the relationship between what we eat and how we feel is growing. In this programme, we’ll be investigating the connection between our food and our mood. We’ll hear how healthy eating makes us feel better, and of course, we’ll be learning some new vocabulary as well.

Rob
Great! But first I have a question for you, Sam. People who link what we eat with how we feel make a simple argument: the food you eat supplies nutrients and energy to the brain, and the brain controls our emotions. Now, that might sound simplistic, but the brain is a vital link in the connection between food and our mood. So, Sam, my question is: how much of the body’s total energy is used up by the brain? Is it:

a) 10 percent
b) 20 percent or
c) 30 percent?

Sam
Hmmm, that's a good question. I’ll say it’s a) 10 percent.

Rob
Right. Well, I’ll reveal the answer later in the programme. Emotional eating is often caused by feelings of depression, anxiety or stress. Chef Danny Edwards, who has suffered with depression, works in one of the most stressful places imaginable - a busy restaurant kitchen. BBC World Service programme, The Food Chain, asked Danny about his eating habits at work:

Danny Edwards
Actually, when you’re working in a kitchen environment for long periods, your appetite can become suppressed because you sometimes don't want to eat, or you don't feel like you can stop and eat, and all of that. So, it very often is grabbing something on the go which obviously, as we know, is not great for us… So you go for something that’s quick, so hence why a lot of chefs have quite a bad diet.

Sam
Even though he’s surrounded by food, Danny says that working under stress actually decreases his appetite – the feeling that you want to eat food. In a busy kitchen there’s no time for a sit-down meal, so Danny has to grab and go – take something quickly because he doesn’t have much time, although he knows this isn’t very healthy.

Rob
So when even chefs have a difficult relationship with food, what about the rest of us? Professor Felice Jacka, is an expert in nutritional psychiatry. She studied the effect of eating a healthy diet – food such as fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals, and olive oil – on people suffering depression. Professor Jacka found that the patients whose mental health improved were the same patients who had also improved their diet.

Sam
But Professor Jacka’s ideas were not accepted by everyone. Here, she explains to Jordan Dunbar, presenter of BBC World Service’s, The Food Chain, about the opposition her study faced from other doctors:

Prof Felice Jacka
So I proposed to do this for my PhD study, and everyone thought I was a bit bananas, you know, and there was quite a bit of, I guess, eye rolling maybe. I'm not surprised by that because the discipline of psychiatry was very medication- and brain-focused.

Jordan Dunbar
What did people say in the field? Were they sceptical?

Prof Felice Jacka
Oh, hugely sceptical and sometimes very patronising. But this again comes from the fact that general practitioners, psychiatrists, medical specialists get almost no nutrition training through all those years of study.

Rob
When Professor Jacka investigated the link between food and mood, her colleagues thought she was bananas – a slang word meaning silly or crazy. They rolled their eyes – a phrase which describes the gesture of turning your eyes upwards to express annoyance, boredom or disbelief.

Sam
Other colleagues were patronising – they behaved towards her as if she were stupid or unimportant. Professor Jacka thinks this is because most doctors have little or no training about nutrition and the effect of food on mental health. But her ground-breaking research, named ‘The Smile Trial’, has been successfully repeated elsewhere, clearly showing the link between eating well and feeling good.

Rob
So the next time you’re feeling down and your brain is calling out for a donut, you might be better eating an apple instead! And speaking of brains, Sam, it’s time to reveal the answer to my question.

Sam
Yes, you asked me how much of the body’s energy is used up by the brain. I guessed it was ten percent…

Rob
Well, I'm afraid you are wrong. In fact, around twenty percent of the body’s energy goes to feeding the brain, even though it only makes up two percent of our total body weight. OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned from our discussion about emotional eating - that's eating too much food because of how you feel, not because you’re hungry.

Sam
Appetite is the desire to eat food.

Rob
If you grab and go, you take something quickly because you don’t have much time.

Sam
Calling someone bananas is slang for silly or crazy.

Rob
If you roll your eyes, you move your eyes upwards to show you feel annoyed, bored or don’t believe what someone is telling you.

Sam
And finally, if someone is patronising you, they speak or behave towards you as if you were stupid or unimportant. That's the end of our programme, don’t forget to join us again soon for more topical discussion and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English. Bye everyone!

Rob
Bye bye!

Are you following your dreams?

Link

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26PrgjTboVQ

Transcript: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2022/ep-220908

Introduction

In this programme, Neil and Beth talk about dreams. You'll hear from two people who dared to follow their dreams and are happy to have done so. You'll also learn some related vocabulary along the way.

Vocabulary

utopia
perfect, ideal society where everyone is happy and gets along with each other

struggle with (something)
find it difficult to accept or even think about (something)

outlandish
strange, unusual and difficult to like

conquer
control something by force

humble
not proud or arrogant

a grain of sand
small and insignificant, yet at the same time important, part of a whole

Transcript

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

Beth
And I’m Beth.

Neil
When I was a boy, I wanted to be a fireman when I grew up. How about you, Beth? Did you have any childhood dreams?

Beth
I wanted to be an astronaut and fly to the Moon…

Neil
When we’re young most of us have big dreams and plans for the future. Unfortunately, as we grow up these childhood dreams often get lost in the adult world of jobs, money, families and careers. But not for everyone…

Beth
Daisy, from New Zealand, and, Herman, from Argentina are two people who decided to follow their childhood dreams. They wanted the world to become a utopia – a perfect, ideal society where everyone is happy and gets along with each other. In this programme, we’ll be hearing how Daisy and Herman made their dreams come true – not by changing the world, but by changing themselves. And, as usual, we’ll be learning some new vocabulary too.

Neil
But before that I have a question for you, Beth. Following your dreams can be tough, but not following them can leave you regretting all the things you wanted to do but didn’t. In 2012, Australian nurse, Bronnie Ware, wrote her bestselling book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, after interviewing terminally ill patients about their life regrets. So, what do you think their top regret was? Was it:

a) I wish I hadn’t worked so hard?
b) I wish I had followed my dreams? or
c) I wish I’d made more money?

Beth
Well, I’ll guess it’s b) they wish they had followed their dreams.

Neil
OK, Beth. I’ll reveal the correct answer at the end of the programme.

Beth
The first dreamer we’re going to meet lives in Riverside, a peace-loving community in New Zealand where everyone shares everything. Riverside members work for the community’s businesses, including a farm, a hotel and a café. All the money they earn is collected and shared between everyone equally.

Neil
Daisy, who was born in East Germany, joined Riverside in 2004. Here she explains her belief in sharing to BBC World Service programme, The Documentary.

Daisy
What I think I always believed in is that the sharing of resources can provide a group of people with quite a great advantage, but it doesn’t matter how many hours you work or what work you do, everyone is getting the same amount. And that is something that many people outside of Riverside struggle with, and where we’re often getting this ‘communism’ label attached to us, because it’s so… it seems so outlandish for people.

Beth
Riverside isn’t a communist community. In fact, people with many different political views live there. But Daisy says that local people struggle with the idea that everything is shared. If you struggle with an idea, you find it difficult to accept or think about it.

Neil
Daisy also says some local people call Riverside outlandish – strange and unusual.

Beth
Our second group of dreamers are a family - the Zapps. In 2000, childhood sweethearts, Herman and Candelaria Zapp, bought a vintage car and set off from Argentina to travel around the world with less than 3.500 dollars in their pockets. Twenty-two years and three children later they have visited over a hundred countries, meeting with countless people and experiences on the way.

Neil
Here, Herman Zapp explains to BBC World Service’s, The Documentary, how following his dream has changed him for the better.

Herman Zapp
I am so happy with the Herman there is now, that I know now – not the one who wanted to conquer the world, but the one who was conquered by the world. I learn so much from people, and it’s amazing how the more you meet people, the more you know stories, how much more humble you become because you notice that you are a beautiful, tiny piece of sand, but a very important piece of sand like everyone is, right?

Beth
After many years travelling, meeting new people and hearing their stories, Herman is more humble – not proud or arrogant. He no longer wants to conquer the world – to control it by force; rather, he has been conquered by his experiences.

Neil
Herman compares himself to a beautiful but tiny piece of sand and uses the phrase a grain of sand to describe things which are insignificant in themselves, but at the same time are an important part of the whole.

Beth
Daisy and Herman are rare examples of dreamers who followed their dream and found a happy life, lived without regret – which reminds me of your question, Neil.

Neil
Yes, I asked about Bronnie Ware’s book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. What do you think the number one regret was, Beth?

Beth
I guessed it was b) not following your dreams.

Neil
Which was the right answer! Not having the courage to follow your dreams was listed as the top life regret. At least we have people like Daisy and Herman to remind us dreams can come true!

Beth
OK, let’s recap the vocabulary from this programme, starting with utopia – a perfect world where everyone is happy.

Neil
If you struggle with an idea, you find it difficult to accept.

Beth
The adjective, outlandish, means strange and unusual.

Neil
To conquer something means to control it by force.

Beth
Someone who is humble is not proud or arrogant.

Neil
And finally, the phrase a grain of sand describes something which is both insignificant yet somehow important.

Beth
Once again, our six minutes are up. Bye for now!

Neil
Goodbye!

Social media and teenage health

Link

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8q-Nq-ajx8

Transcript: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-231123

Introduction

What are the risks of social media to teenage health and what can be done about them? Beth and Neil discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary.

Vocabulary

adolescent
a person aged 10 to 19: between childhood and adulthood

fed
given content by a social media platform

algorithms
a complex set of rules and calculations that prioritise and personalise online content

revenue
the money a company earns, which could come from sales or advertising

onus
responsibility or duty

a losing battle
a fight you cannot win

Transcript

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil. … Beth? What are you doing? Get off your phone!

Beth
Oh, sorry. And I’m Beth.

Neil
Are you addicted to social media? It wouldn't be a surprise. With so many different apps out there, Snapchat, TikTok, and the latest, Threads, it's easy to spend a lot more time on your phone than ever before.

Beth
Yes. I don't think I'm addicted, but I definitely spend more time on social media than I would like to. However, there are plenty of studies out there looking at how social media affects mental health with some saying it can be as addictive as gambling.

Neil
Research in the US has found that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media have double the risk of developing depression and anxiety. An adolescent is someone aged 10 to 19, between childhood and adulthood. With that in mind, it's no wonder parents are worried. To help with this, the US is currently in the process of regulating social media apps for teenagers. Some scientists think the UK should do the same.

Beth
There has been growing agreement among health experts about the negative, chronic health effects of social media use on teenagers. They have revealed in surveys that social media makes them feel worse about their body image, and 64% of teens have said they are regularly exposed to hate-based content. In this programme, we’ll be discussing how social media affects teenagers, and, as usual, we’ll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

Neil
But first I have a question for you, Beth. The app Snapchat is a very common way that teenagers communicate these days. This is partly because messages and photos disappear after a certain time period. But, what percentage of 13 to 24-year-olds use Snapchat? Is it:

a) 70%
b) 80% or
c) 90%

Beth
I'll guess 80%.

Neil
OK, Beth, I'll reveal the answer later in the programme. Now, a lot of social media platforms, such as TikTok, work by showing and suggesting similar accounts and content to those someone has already searched for. Professor Devi Sridhar, the chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, thinks this can be concerning, as she told BBC World Service programme, Inside Science:

Professor Devi Sridhar
And this is worrying for example, with young girls and eating disorders, that they're being fed that in an addictive way and the algorithm is saying 'oh they like that content. We want to keep giving it to them because it keeps them on their phones', and I think that's the really vital message here, of any of these apps, is that their revenue comes from advertising.

Beth
Teenagers are being fed content in a way that is addictive. If you are fed something, it means you are given something. In this case, it refers to content, not food. The content is addictive because social media uses algorithms. Algorithms are a complex set of rules and calculations that prioritise and personalise the content a user sees.

Neil
But we need to remember that social media platforms use algorithms to keep users on the platforms for as long as possible because the revenue comes from advertising. Revenue is the money a company earns. They are paid by other companies to use the social media space to promote their products.

Beth
This could be seen as social media platforms prioritising making money over the mental health of users – a worry for parents. Professor Devi Sridhar talked about the challenges of having a teenager addicted to social media on BBC World Service programme, Inside Science:

Professor Devi Sridhar
And so, I think the challenge here, as a parent, listening to this is what do you do about it. And I think the onus has really been put on parents and concerned adults to find solutions on their own. And that means debates with your child over what are you on, are you using this, but it's a losing battle because it's their entire social network.

Beth
Professor Sridhar says that, when it comes to helping teenagers navigate social media, the onus has been put on parents to find solutions. The onus means the responsibility or duty. Parents need to be able to challenge their children when they need to, even if this is a losing battle, a fight they cannot win, as teenagers have their 'entire life' on social networks.

Neil
OK, Beth. I think it’s time I revealed the answer to my question. I asked you what percentage of 13 to 24-year-olds use Snapchat?

Beth
And I said it was 80%.

Neil
And that was… I'm sorry to say, the wrong answer! Actually 90% of people aged between 13 and 24 use Snapchat – quite a lot. OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme, starting with adolescent, a person aged 10 to 19: between childhood and adulthood.

Beth
If you are fed content, you are given content. This is what the social media platform offers you automatically, rather than what you search for yourself.

Neil
Algorithms are a complex set of rules and calculations that prioritise and personalise the content a user sees.

Beth
Revenue is the money a company earns, which could come from sales or advertising.

Neil
If the onus is on someone, it's their responsibility or duty.

Beth
And finally, a losing battle is a fight you cannot win. Once again, our six minutes are up. Join us again soon for more useful vocabulary, here at 6 Minute English! Goodbye for now!

Neil
Bye!

最后修改：2025 年 01 月 15 日

如果觉得我的文章对你有用，请随意赞赏

热门文章
随机文章

MySQL Explain
评论数： 0
Docker常用指令
评论数： 0
[Docker]Typecho
评论数： 0
Dockerfile
评论数： 0
联合索引范围查询
评论数： 0

BBC Learning English

demon • 2025 年 01 月 06 日

<h2>Are you drinking enough water?</h2><h3>Link</h3><code>Youtube</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F1iJZr-p4E&t=143s" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F1iJZr-p4E&t=143s</a><code>Transcript</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-250102" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-250102</a><h3>Introduction</h3>How much water do you drink every day? Is it enough? Beth and Phil discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary.<h3>Vocabulary</h3>arrive at (a number or statistic) calculate; decide on it after doing calculationstake grip on take control ofpretty much almost; almost completelyballpark figure a number which is a guess but an acceptably accurate approximationdehydration condition of not having enough water in your body so that you feel ill or weaksymptom sign or feeling in the body showing the presence of an illness or a condition<h3>Transcript</h3>Note: This is not a <code>word-for-word</code> transcript.Phil Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil.Beth And I'm Beth. Nowadays, I often see people carrying water bottles with them to make sure they drink enough. How much water do you drink a day, Phil?Phil Oh, I don't know. Maybe about a litre?Beth OK. And do you know how much water you should drink a day?Phil I think it's probably about two litres.Beth Ah, well, the number many people have heard is two litres a day. Of course, everyone needs to drink some water - over half the human body is made up of it. But exactly how much water do we need to stay healthy? That's what we'll be discussing in this programme, along with some useful new vocabulary as well.Phil And <code>speaking of</code> vocabulary, remember you can download all the new words and phrases from this programme, plus worksheet exercises to help you learn them, on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.Beth Great! But first I have a question for you, Phil. I mentioned that over half the human body consists of water, but there's an even higher percentage of water in our blood. But how much? Is our blood:a) around 80% water? b) around 90% water? or, c) 100% water?Phil I think it's around 80% water.Beth OK, I will reveal the correct answer later in the programme. Our blood needs water so it can carry nutrients to the body's cells and organs. The amount recommended is often given as two litres a day. But why? Here to discuss this with BBC World Service programme, The Food Chain, is biologist, Professor John Speakman:Professor John Speakman So, I'm not sure how it was arrived at but it seems to be a number that has taken grip on a very large number of countries. So, if you look at government recommendations around the world, they're pretty much all the same. They pretty much all say everybody's got to be drinking two litres of water.Phil Professor Speakman doesn't know how the number of two litres a day was arrived at – how it was decided or calculated. <code>Nevertheless</code>, the idea of drinking two litres a day has taken grip on many governments around the world. When you say an idea has taken grip on something, you mean it's taken control of it.Beth Yes, Professor Speakman says that pretty much all governments are giving pretty much the same recommendation. He uses the phrase, pretty much to mean almost. For example, 'pretty much all governments advise drinking two litres a day' means 'almost all governments advise it'.Phil What Professor Speakman doesn't have, however, is any scientific evidence for this advice. The number of exactly two litres isn't based on scientific fact, it's more of a ballpark figure – a number which is a guess, but which you still believe is approximately correct.Beth Actually, the amount of water in our bodies is changing all the time. Like your bank balance, which goes down when you spend money, your body loses water all the time, when you breathe, sweat, or go to the toilet. Exactly how much you need to drink depends on how much water your body needs to replace, and that mainly depends on your size.Phil But what happens when we drink less than we should? Here's hydration expert, Dr Nidia Rodriguez-Sanchez, describing the effects of dehydration to BBC World Service's The Food Chain.Dr Nidia Rodriguez-Sanchez And also, many times we start getting dehydrated and we don't realise we are dehydrated. So it's very common that we feel tired, or we feel, like, with a bit of a headache, or even we think we're hungry, and we go and get some food. And actually what is happening is that we are thirsty, that we are dehydrated, we are starting to show some signs or some symptoms of dehydration.Phil Dr Sanchez describes the effects of dehydration, the condition of not having enough water in your body so that you feel ill or weak. She mentions feeling tired, having a headache or a dry mouth as symptoms of dehydration. Symptoms are signs or feelings in the body showing the presence of some illness or condition.Beth So, whether you drink a little more, or a little less, it seems that around two litres of water a day is a good way to keep your blood and body healthy. <code>Speaking of which</code>, Phil, it's time to reveal the answer to my question, what percentage of our blood is water? You said 80%, and the answer is 90%. Our blood consists of around 90% water.OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've used, starting with the phrase to arrive at a number, meaning to decide it by doing calculations.Phil If an idea takes grip on something, it takes control of it.Beth The phrase pretty much means almost; for example, pretty much everyone likes chocolate, which means almost everyone likes chocolate.Phil A ballpark figure is a phrase meaning a number which is an acceptably accurate approximation.Beth Dehydration is the condition of not having enough water in your body so that you feel ill or weak.Phil And finally, a symptom is a sign or feeling in the body showing the presence of an illness or condition. Once again, our <code>six minutes are up</code>. Why not join me now and head over to our website, bbclearningenglish.com, download the worksheet for this programme, and test yourself to see how much you remember? See you there soon!Beth Bye!<h2>Late nights: Bad for health? BBC News Review</h2><h3>Link</h3><code>Youtube</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXrh2AJa8nU" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXrh2AJa8nU</a><code>Transcript</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/newsreview-2022/unit-1/session-37" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/newsreview-2022/unit-1/session-37</a><h3>The story</h3>Staying up late into the night. For some people, it’s just the way they prefer to live. But it could be affecting their health.New research from the US found that ‘night owls’ may be more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes.It’s because people who get up early burn fat for energy more easily.<h3>Key words and phrases</h3>night owls people who like being active at night and go to bed late<ul><li>I was a night owl at university. I always wrote my essays after midnight.</li><li>She’s a night owl, which is why she’s often grumpy in the morning.</li></ul>chronic lasting for a long time<ul><li>After the accident, he suffered from chronic pain.</li><li>There’s a chronic shortage of doctors. People have to wait months for treatment.</li></ul>prone to likely to do or be affected by something bad<ul><li>She has weak legs and is prone to injury.</li><li>I don’t believe him. He’s prone to lying.</li></ul><h2>Why sitting is bad for health</h2><h3>Link</h3><code>Youtube</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsQMLrPdLf8" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsQMLrPdLf8</a><code>Transcript</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-240404" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6-minute-english_2024/ep-240404</a><h3>Introduction</h3>Could sitting be damaging to our health? Phil and Georgie discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary.<h3>Vocabulary</h3>engineer (something) out design or plan in such a way that something is not requiredthis/so much in such large amountsblood circulation the flow of blood through the heart and <code>blood vessels</code> which carries oxygen around the bodygeared around organised and prepared towards a certain activity or purposeswim against the tide not follow what most people are doing; do the opposite of most peopledrive (someone) towards push someone towards accepting a new condition or situation<h3>Transcript</h3>Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.Phil Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Phil.Georgie And I’m Georgie. We all know how important exercise is to stay fit and reduce the risk of heart disease. Do you exercise much, Phil?Phil I try to. I ride my bike at the weekend. But to be honest I do spend a lot of time sitting down.Georgie Sitting too much is becoming an increasing problem in the modern world. Maybe you take the bus or train to work, then sit at a desk all day, then go home feeling tired and just sit in front of the television all evening as well. <code>Added together</code>, that’s hours of sitting every single day.Phil In this programme, we’ll be finding out exactly how much sitting is too much. And, of course, we’ll be learning some useful new vocabulary.Georgie But first, are you <code>sitting comfortably</code>, Phil? Because I have a question for you. On average, how many hours a day do British adults spend sitting down? Is it: a) 7 hours?b) 9 hours? or,c) 12 hours?Phil I’ll guess it’s 7 hours.Georgie OK, Phil, I’ll reveal the correct answer later. Charlotte Edwardson is a professor of health and behaviour studies who has investigated the link between sitting and health problems in her lab at Leicester University. Here, she talks to BBC Radio 4 programme, Inside Health:Professor Charlotte Edwardson If we think about our daily activities, a lot of activities are done sitting down. Movement in our everyday lives has really been engineered out with advances in technology, and our bodies just weren't designed to sit this much, so it's going to cause problems with our health.[...]So when you sit down you're not using the largest muscles in your body. So, these are the ones in your legs and your <code>bum</code>. So, that means that your muscle activity goes down. When your muscle activity goes down, your blood circulation reduces.Georgie <code>Throughout history</code>, humans have always walked and moved their bodies. Now, modern technologies like <code>motorised</code> vehicles and office jobs, mean we spend more and more time sitting. Modern life has engineered out the need for us to move. When you engineer something out, you design things in such a way that it is no longer required. For example, CD drives have been engineered out of laptops because downloads are more popular.Phil Charlotte says humans are not used to sitting this much. Here, the words this much mean in such large amounts. It’s a negative thing, one negative being the harm to blood circulation, the flow of blood through the heart and blood vessels which carries oxygen around the body.Georgie When we sit, we stop using important muscles. This reduces blood circulation and causes a range of other effects like increased levels of <code>glucose</code> and fat, and decreased energy levels. The body uses 20% more energy when simply standing than when sitting down, and walking uses 92% more energy. And that’s not to mention the damage sitting too much causes to muscle movement and blood pressure.Phil But the hard truth is that sitting is a big part of modern life. Everything is geared around sitting, it’s organised towards that particular activity, and that makes it hard to stop. Here’s Professor Edwardson again, talking with James Gallagher, presenter of BBC Radio 4 programme, Inside Health:James Gallagher How much do you feel like you're just swimming against the tide with all of this? Like the whole of society is like driving us more and more towards, you know, sitting down all the time, and you're like, ‘please don't!’Professor Charlotte Edwardson Sitting is so much part of our everyday activities. You know, you go into a meeting and someone’s, ‘Come and take a seat’, you're going to your GP surgery, ‘Come and take a seat’. Everything's geared around sitting, and as technology advances and it tries to make our life easier, it then leads to us sitting even more.Georgie James asks if Charlotte is swimming against the tide of modern life. If you’re swimming against the tide, you’re doing the opposite of what most people are doing. He also says that society is driving us towards sitting more. To drive someone towards something means pushing them to accept a new situation, even when the situation isn’t so good.Phil Luckily, there’s some simple advice to help. Break up periods of sitting 30 minutes or more with a few minutes of walking or moving your arms. Also try to spend less than half of your waking hours sitting down. <code>Good to know</code>. Now how about your question, Georgie.Georgie Right, my question was how long does the average British adult spend sitting each day. Phil guessed it was 7 hours which was…close, but not right, I’m afraid. In fact, on average we spend 9 hours per day sitting down, that’s about 60% of our waking life. So, remember to take regular breaks, even just a minute or two.Phil OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned, starting with, to engineer something out, meaning to design or plan in such a way that something is no longer needed.Georgie The phrase this much or so much means in such large amounts.Phil Blood circulation is the movement of blood through the heart and blood vessels which carries oxygen around the body.Georgie If things are geared around a certain activity or purpose, they’re organised to support it.Phil The idiom to swim against the tide means to not follow what most people are doing.Georgie And finally, to drive someone towards a new situation means to push them towards accepting it. Once again, our six minutes are up! Remember to join us again next time for more topical discussion and useful vocabulary, here at 6 Minute English. Goodbye for now!Phil Bye!<h2>Food and mood</h2><h3>Link</h3><code>Youtube</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG7dJ6A3l7w&t=138s" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG7dJ6A3l7w&t=138s</a><code>Transcript</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-230316" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-230316</a><h3>Introduction</h3>Scientific research into the relationship between what we eat and how we feel is growing. In this programme, we’ll be investigating the connection between our food and our mood. We’ll hear how healthy eating makes us feel better, and of course, we’ll be learning some new vocabulary as well.<h3>Vocabulary</h3>emotional eating eating lots of food in response to emotional feelings instead of to hungerappetite the feeling that you want to eat food; the desire for foodgrab and go the activity of taking something quickly when you do not have much timebananas (slang) silly; crazyroll your eyes move your eyes upwards as a way of showing annoyance, boredom or disbeliefpatronising speaking or behaving towards someone as if they were stupid or unimportant<h3>Transcript</h3>Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.Sam Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam.Rob And I’m Rob.Sam When someone feels sad or in a bad mood, they often try to feel better by eating their favourite food… I usually go for a peanut butter sandwich myself. Do you have a favourite <code>comfort food</code>, Rob?Rob Hmm, maybe a cream chocolate <code>eclair</code>… Comfort food is a type of emotional eating – eating lots of food because we feel sad, not because we’re hungry. But unfortunately, most comfort food is high in <code>carbohydrates</code> and sugar and, after a few minutes, it leaves us feeling even worse than before.Sam Today, scientific research into the relationship between what we eat and how we feel is growing. In this programme, we’ll be investigating the connection between our food and our mood. We’ll hear how healthy eating makes us feel better, and of course, we’ll be learning some new vocabulary as well.Rob Great! But first I have a question for you, Sam. People who link what we eat with how we feel make a simple argument: the food you eat supplies nutrients and energy to the brain, and the brain controls our emotions. Now, that might sound simplistic, but the brain is a <code>vital</code> link in the connection between food and our mood. So, Sam, my question is: how much of the body’s total energy <code>is used up</code> by the brain? Is it:a) 10 percent b) 20 percent or c) 30 percent?Sam Hmmm, that's a good question. I’ll say it’s a) 10 percent.Rob Right. Well, I’ll reveal the answer later in the programme. Emotional eating is often caused by feelings of depression, anxiety or stress. Chef Danny Edwards, who has suffered with depression, works in one of the most stressful places imaginable - a busy restaurant kitchen. BBC World Service programme, The Food Chain, asked Danny about his eating habits at work:Danny Edwards Actually, when you’re working in a kitchen environment for long periods, your appetite can become suppressed because you sometimes don't want to eat, or you don't feel like you can stop and eat, and all of that. So, it very often is grabbing something on the go which obviously, as we know, is not great for us… So you go for something that’s quick, so hence why a lot of chefs have quite a bad diet.Sam Even though he’s surrounded by food, Danny says that working under stress actually decreases his appetite – the feeling that you want to eat food. In a busy kitchen there’s no time for a sit-down meal, so Danny has to grab and go – take something quickly because he doesn’t have much time, although he knows this isn’t very healthy.Rob So when even chefs have a difficult relationship with food, what about the rest of us? Professor Felice Jacka, is an expert in nutritional <code>psychiatry</code>. She studied the effect of eating a healthy diet – food such as fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrain <code>cereals</code>, and olive oil – on people suffering depression. Professor Jacka found that the patients whose mental health improved were the same patients who had also improved their diet.Sam But Professor Jacka’s ideas were not accepted by everyone. Here, she explains to Jordan Dunbar, <code>presenter</code> of BBC World Service’s, The Food Chain, about the opposition her study faced from other doctors:Prof Felice Jacka So I proposed to do this for my PhD study, and everyone thought I was a bit bananas, you know, and there was quite a bit of, I guess, eye rolling maybe. I'm not surprised by that because the discipline of psychiatry was very medication- and brain-focused.Jordan Dunbar What did people say in the field? Were they sceptical?Prof Felice Jacka Oh, hugely sceptical and sometimes very patronising. But this again comes from the fact that general practitioners, psychiatrists, medical specialists get almost no nutrition training through all those years of study.Rob When Professor Jacka investigated the link between food and mood, her colleagues thought she was bananas – a <code>slang</code> word meaning silly or crazy. They rolled their eyes – a phrase which describes the gesture of turning your eyes upwards to express annoyance, boredom or disbelief.Sam Other colleagues were patronising – they behaved towards her as if she were stupid or unimportant. Professor Jacka thinks this is because most doctors have little or no training about nutrition and the effect of food on mental health. But her <code>ground-breaking</code> research, named ‘The Smile Trial’, has been successfully repeated elsewhere, clearly showing the link between eating well and feeling good.Rob So the next time you’re <code>feeling down</code> and your brain is <code>calling out</code> for a <code>donut</code>, you might be better eating an apple instead! And speaking of brains, Sam, it’s time to reveal the answer to my question.Sam Yes, you asked me how much of the body’s energy is used up by the brain. I guessed it was ten percent…Rob Well, I'm afraid you are wrong. In fact, around twenty percent of the body’s energy goes to feeding the brain, even though it only makes up two percent of our total body weight. OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned from our discussion about emotional eating - that's eating too much food because of how you feel, not because you’re hungry.Sam Appetite is the desire to eat food.Rob If you grab and go, you take something quickly because you don’t have much time.Sam Calling someone bananas is slang for silly or crazy.Rob If you roll your eyes, you move your eyes upwards to show you feel annoyed, bored or don’t believe what someone is telling you.Sam And finally, if someone is patronising you, they speak or behave towards you as if you were stupid or unimportant. That's the end of our programme, don’t forget to join us again soon for more topical discussion and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English. Bye everyone!Rob Bye bye!<h2>Are you following your dreams?</h2><h3>Link</h3><code>Youtube</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26PrgjTboVQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26PrgjTboVQ</a><code>Transcript</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2022/ep-220908" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2022/ep-220908</a><h3>Introduction</h3>In this programme, Neil and Beth talk about dreams. You'll hear from two people who dared to follow their dreams and are happy to have done so. You'll also learn some related vocabulary <code>along the way</code>.<h3>Vocabulary</h3>utopia perfect, ideal society where everyone is happy and <code>gets along with</code> each otherstruggle with (something) find it difficult to accept or even think about (something)outlandish strange, unusual and difficult to likeconquer control something by force humble not proud or arroganta grain of sand small and insignificant, yet at the same time important, part of a whole<h3>Transcript</h3>Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.Neil Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.Beth And I’m Beth.Neil When I was a boy, I wanted to be a fireman when I grew up. How about you, Beth? Did you have any childhood dreams?Beth I wanted to be an astronaut and fly to the Moon…Neil When we’re young most of us have big dreams and plans for the future. Unfortunately, as we grow up these childhood dreams often get lost in the adult world of jobs, money, families and careers. But not for everyone…Beth Daisy, from New Zealand, and, Herman, from Argentina are two people who decided to follow their childhood dreams. They wanted the world to become a utopia – a perfect, ideal society where everyone is happy and gets along with each other. In this programme, we’ll be hearing how Daisy and Herman made their dreams come true – not by changing the world, but by changing themselves. And, as usual, we’ll be learning some new vocabulary too.Neil But before that I have a question for you, Beth. Following your dreams can be tough, but not following them can leave you regretting all the things you wanted to do but didn’t. In 2012, Australian nurse, Bronnie Ware, wrote her bestselling book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, after interviewing <code>terminally ill patients</code> about their life regrets. So, what do you think their top regret was? Was it:a) I wish I hadn’t worked so hard? b) I wish I had followed my dreams? or c) I wish I’d made more money?Beth Well, I’ll guess it’s b) they wish they had followed their dreams.Neil OK, Beth. I’ll reveal the correct answer at the end of the programme.Beth The first dreamer we’re going to meet lives in Riverside, a peace-loving community in New Zealand where everyone shares everything. Riverside members work for the community’s businesses, including a farm, a hotel and a café. All the money they earn is collected and shared between everyone equally.Neil Daisy, who was born in East Germany, joined Riverside in 2004. Here she explains her belief in sharing to BBC World Service programme, The Documentary.Daisy What I think I always believed in is that the sharing of resources can provide a group of people with quite a great advantage, but it doesn’t matter how many hours you work or what work you do, everyone is getting the same amount. And that is something that many people outside of Riverside struggle with, and where we’re often getting this ‘communism’ label attached to us, because it’s so… it seems so outlandish for people.Beth Riverside isn’t a communist community. In fact, people with many different political views live there. But Daisy says that local people struggle with the idea that everything is shared. If you struggle with an idea, you find it difficult to accept or think about it.Neil Daisy also says some local people call Riverside outlandish – strange and unusual.Beth Our second group of dreamers are a family - the Zapps. In 2000, childhood <code>sweethearts</code>, Herman and Candelaria Zapp, bought a <code>vintage</code> car and <code>set off</code> from Argentina to travel around the world with less than 3.500 dollars in their pockets. Twenty-two years and three children later they have visited over a hundred countries, meeting with countless people and experiences on the way.Neil Here, Herman Zapp explains to BBC World Service’s, The Documentary, how following his dream has changed him for the better.Herman Zapp I am so happy with the Herman there is now, that I know now – not the one who wanted to conquer the world, but the one who was conquered by the world. I learn so much from people, and it’s amazing how the more you meet people, the more you know stories, how much more humble you become because you notice that you are a beautiful, tiny piece of sand, but a very important piece of sand like everyone is, right?Beth After many years travelling, meeting new people and hearing their stories, Herman is more humble – not proud or arrogant. He no longer wants to conquer the world – to control it by force; rather, he has been conquered by his experiences.Neil Herman compares himself to a beautiful but tiny piece of sand and uses the phrase a grain of sand to describe things which are insignificant in themselves, but at the same time are an important part of the whole. Beth Daisy and Herman are rare examples of dreamers who followed their dream and found a happy life, lived without regret – which reminds me of your question, Neil.Neil Yes, I asked about Bronnie Ware’s book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. What do you think the number one regret was, Beth?Beth I guessed it was b) not following your dreams.Neil Which was the right answer! Not having the courage to follow your dreams was listed as the top life regret. At least we have people like Daisy and Herman to remind us dreams can come true!Beth OK, let’s recap the vocabulary from this programme, starting with utopia – a perfect world where everyone is happy.Neil If you struggle with an idea, you find it difficult to accept.Beth The adjective, outlandish, means strange and unusual.Neil To conquer something means to control it by force.Beth Someone who is humble is not proud or arrogant.Neil And finally, the phrase a grain of sand describes something which is both insignificant yet somehow important.Beth Once again, our six minutes are up. Bye for now!Neil Goodbye!<h2>Social media and teenage health</h2><h3>Link</h3><code>Youtube</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8q-Nq-ajx8" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8q-Nq-ajx8</a><code>Transcript</code>: <a class="no-external-link" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-231123" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-231123</a><h3>Introduction</h3>What are the risks of social media to teenage health and what can be done about them? Beth and Neil discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary.<h3>Vocabulary</h3>adolescent a person aged 10 to 19: between childhood and adulthoodfed given content by a social media platformalgorithms a complex set of rules and calculations that <code>prioritise</code> and <code>personalise</code> online contentrevenue the money a company earns, which could come from sales or advertisingonus responsibility or dutya losing battle a fight you cannot win<h3>Transcript</h3>Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.Neil Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil. … Beth? What are you doing? <code>Get off</code> your phone!Beth Oh, sorry. And I’m Beth.Neil Are you addicted to social media? It wouldn't be a surprise. With so many different apps out there, Snapchat, TikTok, and the latest, Threads, it's easy to spend a lot more time on your phone than ever before.Beth Yes. I don't think I'm addicted, but I definitely spend more time on social media than I would like to. However, there are plenty of studies out there looking at how social media affects mental health with some saying it can be as addictive as gambling.Neil Research in the US has found that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media have double the risk of developing depression and anxiety. An adolescent is someone aged 10 to 19, between childhood and adulthood. <code>With that in mind</code>, it's no wonder parents are worried. To help with this, the US is currently in the process of regulating social media apps for teenagers. Some scientists think the UK should do the same.Beth There has been growing agreement among health experts about the negative, chronic health effects of social media use on teenagers. They have revealed in surveys that social media makes them feel worse about their <code>body image</code>, and 64% of teens have said they are regularly exposed to hate-based content. In this programme, we’ll be discussing how social media affects teenagers, and, as usual, we’ll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.Neil But first I have a question for you, Beth. The app Snapchat is a very common way that teenagers communicate these days. This is partly because messages and photos disappear after a certain time period. But, what percentage of 13 to 24-year-olds use Snapchat? Is it:a) 70% b) 80% or c) 90%Beth I'll guess 80%.Neil OK, Beth, I'll reveal the answer later in the programme. Now, a lot of social media platforms, such as TikTok, work by showing and suggesting similar accounts and content to those someone has already searched for. Professor Devi Sridhar, the chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, thinks this can be <code>concerning</code>, as she told BBC World Service programme, Inside Science:Professor Devi Sridhar And this is worrying for example, with young girls and eating <code>disorders</code>, that they're being fed that in an addictive way and the algorithm is saying 'oh they like that content. We want to keep giving it to them because it keeps them on their phones', and I think that's the really vital message here, of any of these apps, is that their revenue comes from advertising.Beth Teenagers are being fed content in a way that is addictive. If you are fed something, it means you are given something. In this case, it refers to content, not food. The content is addictive because social media uses algorithms. Algorithms are a complex set of rules and calculations that prioritise and personalise the content a user sees.Neil But we need to remember that social media platforms use algorithms to keep users on the platforms for as long as possible because the revenue comes from advertising. Revenue is the money a company earns. They are paid by other companies to use the social media space to promote their products.Beth This could be seen as social media platforms prioritising making money over the mental health of users – a worry for parents. Professor Devi Sridhar talked about the challenges of having a teenager addicted to social media on BBC World Service programme, Inside Science:Professor Devi Sridhar And so, I think the challenge here, as a parent, listening to this is what do you do about it. And I think the onus has really been put on parents and concerned adults to find solutions on their own. And that means debates with your child over what are you on, are you using this, but it's a losing battle because it's their entire social network.Beth Professor Sridhar says that, when it comes to helping teenagers navigate social media, the onus has been put on parents to find solutions. The onus means the responsibility or duty. Parents need to be able to challenge their children when they need to, even if this is a losing battle, a fight they cannot win, as teenagers have their 'entire life' on social networks.Neil OK, Beth. I think it’s time I revealed the answer to my question. I asked you what percentage of 13 to 24-year-olds use Snapchat?Beth And I said it was 80%.Neil And that was… I'm sorry to say, the wrong answer! Actually 90% of people aged between 13 and 24 use Snapchat – quite a lot. OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme, starting with adolescent, a person aged 10 to 19: between childhood and adulthood.Beth If you are fed content, you are given content. This is what the social media platform offers you automatically, rather than what you search for yourself.Neil Algorithms are a complex set of rules and calculations that prioritise and personalise the content a user sees.Beth Revenue is the money a company earns, which could come from sales or advertising.Neil If the onus is on someone, it's their responsibility or duty.Beth And finally, a losing battle is a fight you cannot win. Once again, our six minutes are up. Join us again soon for more useful vocabulary, here at 6 Minute English! Goodbye for now!Neil Bye!