Listening to BBC. Учебное пособие по аудированию для студентов неязыковых факультетов

Appendix. Part II. Talks on politics and law

Neil: Ah, the women who fought for the right to vote in the UK! Yes, I think they were very brave.

Alice: Yes, so do I. Let’s see how much you know about it, Neil. This is today’s quiz question for you: Which was the first country to give all women the right to vote in public elections? Was it…

a)Finland?

b)New Zealand? Or c) The US?

Neil: I’m going to say… a) Finland.

Alice: Well, we’ll see if you were right or not later on in the show. // Here in Britain, women’s groups lobbied — or tried to persuade — parliament for decades before eventually winning the right for all women to vote in 1928.

Neil: So why did it take so long?

Alice: Because parliament didn’t see votes for women as a priority. Then, 30 % of men still didn’t have the vote either and politicians felt they needed to address this before thinking about ‘the woman question’ as it was known.

Neil: The thing is, without the power to vote it’s hard to influence public policy. Politicians are worried about losing popularity with the electorate — that’s the people who are allowed to vote.

Alice: Women had to find a voice — and the Suffragette Movement gave them a voice. Neil: There were several activists in this movement, but perhaps the most famous

was Emmeline Pankhurst.

Alice: Emmeline Pankhurst campaigned fearlessly for women’s rights for all women — aristocratic ladies, factory workers, conservatives, socialists. Let’s listen to Julia Bush, author of Women Against the Vote, talking more about this suffragette leader.

Julia Bush, author of Women Against the Vote: She was a very charismatic leader, one of the great women of the 19th century. And she had a deep compassion for the plight of women. And in particular she was fired by the inequalities that women experienced at that time. It wasn’t just about the parliamentary vote, the Suffragette Movement, it was, she in particular wanted wider reforms for women, an improvement in women’s status and position.

Neil: Author Julia Bush. She talks about the plight of women. Plight means ‘a bad situation’.

Alice: Women did have a really hard time back then — especially working class women. And they had little hope of improving their lives because they had no public voice.

Neil: So that’s what Julia Bush means when she says Mrs Pankhurst wanted wider reforms — access to better schools for women, to university, to better paid jobs and professional careers.

Alice: And it was a big challenge to be heard. June Purvis, Emeritus Professor of Women’s and Gender History at the University of Portsmouth here in the UK, talks about how the suffragettes started to raise their profile — or get noticed — with deeds not words.

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June Purvis, Emeritus Professor of Women’s and Gender History at the University of Portsmouth, UK: You have women interrupting theatre plays, getting thrown out of church services for interrupting, getting thrown out of Lyons Corner House for standing up on chairs and having little impromptu meetings. But militancy also takes on other forms. It takes on forms of direct action, which start with large demonstrations when women will not be turned back by the police and then it moves on in other forms as well to criminal damage.

Neil: So women started to interrupt public events to talk about their right to vote. Alice: An impromptu meeting is one that hasn’t been planned. Lyons Corner House was a chain of teashops popular at the time. You can imagine that women suddenly standing up on chairs and addressing the public would have been quite

shocking in those days!

Neil: Indeed! The suffragettes started small with teashop talks but they began to take more militant — or aggressive — direct action.

Alice: And direct action means using demonstrations, strikes. The suffragettes chained themselves to railings, broke shop windows.

Neil: It was quite a struggle, and there was no way of delaying the decision to give women the right to vote. In 1914 war broke out in Europe. And with the men away fighting, many women ran their homes, cared for children and relatives, managed money, and often had a job as well.

Alice: So when the war ended in 1918 women had proved how capable they were in so many ways. To deny them the right to vote now seemed ridiculous.

Neil: Although it took another ten years before all women were given the vote on equal terms to men. But come on, Alice, it must be time to hear the answer to today’s quiz question!

Alice: I asked: Which was the first country to give all women the right to vote in public elections? Was it… a) Finland? b) New Zealand? Or c) The US?

Neil: And I said Finland.

Alice: No, sorry, Neil. It was b) New Zealand. In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to give all adult women the right to vote in national elections.

Neil: Now, shall we remind ourselves the words we learned today? Alice: Yes. They were:

role models — suffragettes — lobbied — electorate — plight — raised their profile — impromptu — militant — direct action

Neil: That’s the end of today’s 6 Minute English. And we would like to invite you to follow the special programmes and events on the 100 Women season, which will be on till December, the 9th. It’s produced and created by the BBC’s 29 language services. Check the BBC website in your language. And you can also join the conversation on Twitter using #100women. Enjoy the programmes.

Both: Bye!

(URL: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/ english/features/6 minute-english/ep-161124)

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Transcript 2.4

BBC learning english

News Review

Could your smartphone be hacked?

BBC News

Broadcast 14 March 2017

The story

Government crime prevention experts have warned that the rising number of gadgets being used by consumers puts them at a higher risk of being targeted by cyber criminals.

In a joint report, the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre have warned that smartphones, watches, televisions and even fitness trackers could be used to access private data so that users can be held to ransom.

Language challenge

What is the original meaning of ‘to hack’?

a)to hit with a hammer

b)to saw something open

c)to cut something roughly

Answer

c) to cut something roughly

Vocabulary

rise of — growth of (a significant, powerful phenomenon) held to ransom — made to do something by threats targeting — directing something at someone

(URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6hNG07lt3E)

Transcript 2.5

BBC learning english

News Review

Making message apps less private

BBC News

Broadcast 27 March 2017

The story

WhatsApp encrypts messages, so it’s nearly impossible for anyone other than the user to see what’s being said.

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Tech experts say there are sometimes backdoors, but these can be used by criminals too. It’s understood the man who killed four people in Westminster last Wednesday

used WhatsApp just before the attack.

So, now Amber Rudd wants support from other European ministers as she argues intelligence services should have access to that data.

Language challenge

What does ‘to show someone the door’ mean?

a)to invite someone into your house

b)to tell or make it obvious you want someone to leave

c)to make something possible

Answer

b) to tell or make it obvious you want someone to leave

Vocabulary

privacy — right to keep personal information secret

encryption — action of putting information into a code to keep it secret backdoor — secret route into a secure system

(URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6hNG07lt3E)

Transcript 2.6

BBC learning english

News Review

Online abuse the same as face-to-face

BBC World Service report

Broadcast 22 August 2017

The story

Prosecutors in Britain are being told to treat online hate crime as seriously as abuse meted out face-to-face.

The guidance issued by the government covers offences motivated by hostility towards people of different races, religions, sexuality, gender and disability.

The Director of Public Prosecutions said online abuse, such as threats of violence, had a “corrosive effect” on society and destroyed lives.

Language challenge

The UK is to consider online hate crime as seriously as hate crime meted out face to face. Meted out is a synonym for “gave out”, but what kinds of things do we usually mete out?

a)love or affection

b)gifts or money

c)punishment or cruelty

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Answer

c) punishment or cruelty

Vocabulary

trolls — people who intentionally send annoying or insulting online messages crrosive — causing gradual damage to something

closes (the) net — restricts the movement or activities of

(URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqV2onFNmTQ)

Transcript 2.7

6 Minute English

Can you trust your own eyes?

EPISODE 170 209 / 09 FEB 2017

Can you trust your own memory? Catherine and Neil discuss why the police and the legal system are concerned about eyewitness testimony.

This week’s question

In which part of the brain is there an area dedicated to remembering faces? Is it…

a)the temporal lobe?

b)the hypothalamus? or c) the cerebellum?

You’ll hear the answer at the end of the programme.

Vocabulary

reconstruct — rebuild distorted — changed

crime scene — a place where a crime happened

contaminated — made impure through contact with an outside source at knifepoint — under threat of being stabbed

disconcerted — confusing and a bit upsetting testimony — a spoken statement given in court

Transcript

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

Catherine: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Catherine… Neil: And I’m Neil.

Catherine: So, Neil, do you notice anything different about me today? Neil: Have you done your hair differently?

Catherine: No.

Neil: Is that a new outfit?

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Catherine: Honestly, Neil!

Neil: I give up. I don’t know what’s different about you.

Catherine: OK. Well, maybe by the end of the show you’ll have figured it out. Anyway, today we’re discussing memory and whether we can remember things accurately. So are you ready to answer today’s quiz question, Neil?

Neil: I am.

Catherine: OK. So in which part of the brain is there an area dedicated to remembering faces? Is it…

a)the temporal lobe?

b)the hypothalamus? or c) the cerebellum?

Neil: Well, I have no idea. But I’ll say a) the temporal lobe.

Catherine: OK and we’ll find out whether you chose the correct answer later on

in the show. But let’s talk more about how our memories can play tricks on us. We tend to think of memory as being like a video recorder that we can replay and recall again and again as it originally occurred. But memory doesn’t work like that. It’s a reconstructive process.

Neil: A reconstructive process?

Catherine: Yes. We reconstruct — or rebuild — memories, and during this process, they may be distorted — or changed — for different reasons. Let’s listen to Tim Valentine, retired professor of psychology at Goldsmith’s College at the University of London, talking about this.

Tim Valentine, retired professor of psychology at Goldsmith’s College, University of London: From all those TV dramas you’ve watched you’ll be familiar with the forensic scenes of crimes officers wearing their paper suits and covering their shoes and their hair to make sure they don’t introduce their DNA or physical traces onto the crime scene. So that in the same way anybody who has any interaction with a witness needs to make sure that they don’t distort their memory.

Neil: So crime officers wear protective clothing at crime scenes so they don’t contaminate it with their DNA.

Catherine: That’s right. A crime scene is a place where a crime was committed. And contaminated means “made impure through contact with an outside source”. So for example, if an officer touches something without gloves on, they introduce new information. And once this has happened, you can’t get back to the original information.

Neil: Now, Tim Valentine says that when police officers talk to the witness of a crime, they might also introduce new information. And this could change the witness’s memory of what happened.

Catherine: And it isn’t only police questioning that can distort memory. Other factors such as stress can affect your ability to recall events accurately. For example, if you’re being held at knifepoint you are likely to be concentrating on the weapon

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rather than on your attacker’s face. And at knifepoint means “under threat of being stabbed”.

Neil: So why do we place so much importance on eyewitness accounts? Catherine: Eyewitness accounts can sound very convincing in court — but in fact

according to research, they are often unreliable. Karen Newirth, senior attorney at the Innocence Project in New York, explains this further.

Karen Newirth, senior attorney at the Innocence Project, New York: First, I think it’s sort of natural for people to want to believe that memory can be accurate. It’s very disconcerting to think that we’re going through life relying on our memories and then to learn how mistaken they can be — and how frequently. Second is that the testimony of eyewitnesses has become a very expected piece of criminal trial so jurors sort of anticipate it, look for it, and tend to believe it.

Neil: So we like to trust in our ability to remember things accurately. And it’s disconcerting to learn that memory is frequently inaccurate. And disconcerting means…

Catherine:…it means “confusing and a bit upsetting”.

Neil: Karen Newirth also says that people expect eyewitness testimony — or spoken statements — in court. Do you think that’s true, Catherine?

Catherine Yes — and it’s the most commonly used evidence brought against criminal defendants in court, even though they are often inaccurate.

Neil: Are there any ways to improve accuracy?

Catherine: Yes, there are. For example, in a police line-up you can prevent eyewitnesses receiving information from the officer giving instructions, which might influence their response.

Neil: Yes, I see. Well, you didn’t give anything away when you asked what was different about your appearance at the beginning of the show.

Catherine: Yes, that’s true, Neil. But I can now reveal to you that… I’m wearing glasses, Neil. I’ve lost my contact lenses!

Nei: I don’t know how I missed that. Because actually you do look, well, completely different with glasses.

Catherine: Just a bit, yes. So, now we’re running out of time, so let’s move onto the answer to today’s quiz question. Remember I asked: in which part of the brain is there an area dedicated to recognizing faces? Is it…

a)the temporal lobe?

b)the hypothalamus? or c) the cerebellum?

Neil: I said a) the temporal lobe. Was I right?

Catherine: You were indeed, Neil! Very well done, it was the correct answer!

Neil: Yes!

Catherine: The main part of the brain dedicated to recognising faces — called the Fusiform Face Area — is positioned in the temporal lobe, which can be found roughly in the area just behind your ears.

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Neil: Fascinating! Now, here are the words we learned today…

reconstruct — distorted — crime scene — contaminated — at knifepoint — isconcerting — testimony

Catherine: And that bring us to the end of today’s 6 Minute English. Don’t forget to join us again soon!

Both: Bye!

(URL: BBC Learning English — 6 Minute English / Can you trust your own eyes?)

Transcript 2.8

BBC LEARNING ENGLISH

News Review

US child-separation policy debate

BBC World Service

The story

The Trump administration has firmly defended its policy of separating children from parents who are suspected of crossing illegally from Mexico — despite widespread criticism.

At a White House press conference, the Homeland Security Secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, described the United States as a country of compassion and heart. She urged congress to change the law to resolve what she called “an illegal immigration crisis.”

The Democratic senator Patrick Leahy said the separation policy was damaging America’s reputation abroad.

Vocabulary

Rebuke — criticise someone for doing something wrong

•Management will rebuke any member of staff who arrives late for work too often.

•The ambassador was sternly rebuked for causing offense to the royal guests. Backlash — strong negative reaction to something

•The backlash against the government’s tax increase forced a policy change.

•Despite the media backlash, the pop star would not apologise for what she had said.

standing by — supporting and defending something

•The CEO is standing by the staff, despite accusations of negligence.

•The manager stood by his goalkeeper even though he’d made a terrible mistake.

Language challenge

A reputation based on something negative is called…

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a)prestige

b)notoriety

c)standing

Answer —

b) notoriety

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmQBn-n6vbU)

Transcript 2.9

6 Minute English

Cryptocurrencies

EPISODE 190 815 / 15 AUG 2019

Introduction

A new kind of money might be appearing soon — Libra from Facebook. Sam and Catherine discuss how different it is from Bitcoin, give you the basics about cryptocurrencies and teach you related vocabulary.

This week’s question

Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency, but when was it created? Was it:

a)2008

b)2009

c)2010

The answer is at the end of the programme.

Vocabulary

cryptography — the use of complex codes to keep computer systems and information secure

currency — the money of a particular country

cryptocurrency — digitally produced money that is not controlled by banks or governments

subject to the whims of — being controlled by unpredictable decisions and trends

notoriously volatile — well known for changing by a large amount in an unpredictable way

stable — predictable and without big unexpected changes

Transcript

Note: This is not a word for word transcript

Catherine: Hello. This is 6 Minute English, I’m Catherine. Sam: And I’m Sam.

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Catherine: Now, Sam, what can you tell us about cryptocurrencies?

Sam: The word is a combination of crypto, from cryptography, which is to do with using clever software codes to protect computer information and systems, and currency, which is the money of a particular country. So cryptocurrency, very simply, means code money. We usually think of money as notes and coins which come from a country’s bank. But a cryptocurrency doesn’t have physical money. It’s purely digital and is not controlled by banks or governments but by the people who have it and very complex computer codes. Perhaps the most well-known is Bitcoin.

Catherine: Well, you seem to know a fair bit about cryptocurrency actually… anyway, now a new player is joining the digital money system as Facebook have announced they are launching their own digital currency. They are calling it “Libra”. And we’ll be finding a little bit more about this topic in the programme, but first, a question. Now, Sam, you mentioned Bitcoin as being a well-known cryptocurrency. It was, in fact, the first cryptocurrency, but when was Bitcoin created? Was it:

a)2008

b)2009 or

c)2010?

Sam: I’m going to say 2010.

Catherine: OK. Well, I’ll reveal the answer later in the programme. Now, Jemima Kelly is a financial journalist. She was talking on the BBC radio programme Money Box Live about the plans for Libra. She says it’s not really a cryptocurrency because it’s actually backed up by a number of real currencies. So which currencies does she mention?

Jemima Kelly: A cryptocurrency is normally subject to the whims of crypto markets, which are notoriously volatile, whereas Libra is kept stable by being backed up by a basket of currencies, in this case, the dollar, the pound, the euro and the Swiss franc.

Catherine: So which currencies did she say were backing up Libra, Sam?

Sam: She said that the dollar, the pound, the euro and Swiss franc were the currencies that would be backing up Libra.

Catherine: And this is different from regular cryptocurrencies, isn’t it?

Sam: Yes, cryptocurrencies are completely independent of financial institutions and other currencies.

Catherine: And this can make them risky, can’t it?

Sam: Yes, she says that cryptocurrency markets are notoriously volatile. Something that is volatile can change very quickly. When it comes to currency, it means that its value can go up or down by a large amount over a very short period of time.

Catherine: And it’s described as notoriously volatile because this has actually happened a few times in the past. Something that is notorious is well known or famous but for a negative reason. So the value of a currency going up and down in a volatile way — that’s not positive.

Sam: If you want to take the risk you could make a lot of money, but you could also lose a lot of money — more than you invested.

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