BBC 6分钟英语学习 带你学习1000个单词

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This is 6 min

English from BBC learning english dot com.

Hello. I'm Rob. Welcome to Six Minute English.

I'm joined today by Finn. Hello.

Finn. Hello. Rob. Or should I say Niha.

Rob. Oh, your Chinese is very impressive, fin But I wonder how many more Chinese words, you know, a thousand, perhaps.

Oh, boy dingbao, jowei. Indians, you just showing off now, aren't you?

Not being able to speak a foreign language is a bit of a British trait, or a particular British characteristic.

We're not very good at it, although Finn is an exception.

He can speak many foreign languages, can't you?

Well, not that many. A bit of German, some French, polish, a little Chinese, of course.

I'm impressed. I'm very impressed. Thank you.

Well, now the rest of us Brits, are being encouraged to learn at least 1000 words of another language.

Will talk more about that soon.

But before I start learning my new words, how about a question?

Finn, do you know which is the 2nd most spoken language in England?

Is it a Polish? B Irdo or c French?

I think I know this one.

Rob I'm going to say a Polish.

OK. Well, as always, I'll let you know the answer at the end of the program.

So, as I mentioned, the British are generally considered to be lazy linguists.

They just don't bother to learn another language.

I guess the main reason is that when British people travel around the world, they find that English is spoken almost everywhere.

So they get by. They survive on just using their native language.

And I think in the past, the education system was to blame learning a foreign language was not compulsory.

It didn't have to be studied.

When I went to school, we didn't have to study languages to exam level.

So I took the easy option and studied photography instead of French.

But of course, I regret it now.

But that wasn't the same for you.

Was it thin? Well, at 1st I didn't really like it, but, you know, I love words.

And then one day I discovered the Chinese language, and I thought, wow, this is fascinating, and it's a key to a whole new culture.

Well, recently, a campaign was launched for those of us who didn't share your enthusiasm or have the opportunity to learn another language, the 1000 Words Campaign is encouraging everyone in the UK to learn at least 1000 words of another language.

It hopes to help Britain increase international trade.

And the group says that a vocabulary of 1000 words would allow a speaker to hold a simple conversation.

Sounds like a good idea? Well, let's hear from the former England footballer and TV presenter Gary Linnika, who's supporting the campaign.

Can you hear what three things he says Learning another language gives you?

I think it gives you self satisfaction and self esteem if you can speak another language when you're traveling.

I think it also gives you an edge in a lot of different areas in the workplace, not just football.

So Gary Linnico says there are three things It gives you, um, it gives you self satisfaction.

Firstly, he means you feel good about learning a new skill, but it can have a negative meaning self satisfaction, that you are smug or pleased with yourself.

I don't think he means that here, though.

Yes, he also says it improves self esteem, so you feel good about yourself and it boosts your confidence.

Imagine going on holiday to Spain, and being able to converse with or speak to the locals feels good.

And he also mentioned the economic benefits of speaking another language.

It gives you the edge in the workplace.

That means it gives you an advantage, especially if you're dealing with foreign companies.

And it also shows politeness and respect for other people by showing that you've made an effort.

It's something another footballer, gareth Bale, has tried to do.

Last year, he signed for Rio Madrid.

So he tried to master, or to be very good at speaking Spanish so he could talk to his fans.

This is how he got on.

Essence, when you para me huga, parara Madrid.

Glacier Nobm Impressive. Yes. I think he was saying it was his dream to play for real.

Madrid, rob Your Spanish is very impressive too there.

But for Gareth Bale, speaking Spanish will help him fit in, perhaps make him more accepted by his teammate and his fans.

But then I have got a dilemma.

OK? There are so many languages in the world to learn.

Which one should I learn? 1st.

Maybe you could start with the uk's 2nd most spoken language.

That's

the question I post you. What is britain's 2nd most spoken language?

And I said, polish. And of course, yes, of course you're right.

According to the 2011 census, it is Polish.

The census also found out that over 104 different languages are spoken in the UK.

Before we go, could you remind us of some of the English words that we've heard today?

Yes, we heard trait linguists native language to get by compulsory self esteem to converse with.

To give you the edge to master, to fit in.

Hmm. Danker Shun Finn Yeah. Better soon.

OK. Well, that's it for this program.

Please join it again soon for six minute English from BBC Learning English.

By that was 6 min English from BBC learning english dot com.

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