英音听力｜BBC & 经济学人等 - 节目列表

One third of the food produced globally every year goes to waste. Imagine that you go to the supermarket and you get three bags of groceries. One of those bags is going directly to waste. Between our busy lives and sometimes just simply not knowing what to cook, throwing away old food seems inevitable at times, but wasting less food would benefit both the planet and our wallets. 你有没有扔掉过发芽的土豆？这可能看起来不是什么大事，但这正是英国每天丢弃的290万土豆中的一个。全球每年生产的三分之一食物最终都被浪费掉了。想象一下你去超市，买了三袋食品，其中一袋直接被浪费掉了。在我们的忙碌生活中，有时仅仅是不知道要做什么菜，丢弃旧食物似乎在所难免，但减少食物浪费对地球和我们的钱包都有好处。 Food waste has a massive economic impact, with the average household of four people in the UK wasting around £1,000 worth of food each year. It can't be right, in a world of the 21st Century where 800 million people already struggle to get enough food, that a third of the food produced is lost or wasted, and so many people are going hungry. And we can't ignore the impact on the environment. It's been estimated that if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest greenhouse gas emitter after the US and China. 食物浪费对经济有着巨大的影响，英国一个四口之家平均每年浪费的食物价值约1000英镑。在一个21世纪的世界里，8亿人已经难以获得足够的食物，而全球生产的三分之一食物被损失或浪费，许多人还在挨饿，这是不对的。我们不能忽视食物浪费对环境的影响。据估计，如果食物浪费是一个国家，它将是继美国和中国之后的第三大温室气体排放国。 You might think that supermarkets were the main culprits here, throwing away unsold products. But in fact, only around 2% of the food waste in the UK happens in supermarkets. The vast majority, around 60%, is in our homes. Luckily, there are lots of things we can do to reduce food waste at home. 你可能会认为超市是主要的罪魁祸首，丢弃未售出的产品，但实际上，在英国，只有大约2%的食物浪费发生在超市。绝大多数，大约60%，是在我们的家中。幸运的是，我们有很多方法可以减少家中的食物浪费。 By far the most wasted foods in our homes are fresh fruit and veg. Planning meals can really help make sure that you're buying what you need, and you're also thinking about how you can use up leftovers, which can make a great lunch or a meal to put in the freezer for another day. 我们家中最常浪费的食物是新鲜水果和蔬菜。规划餐食真的可以帮助确保你购买所需的食物，并且你也在考虑如何使用剩余的食物，这些剩余的食物可以做成很棒的午餐或者冷冻起来改天再吃。 Understanding what the dates mean on our food packaging can make a big difference to how much food we waste. The ''best before'' dates are the ones that tell you that you can rely on your senses to judge if whatever you are consuming is OK for you. Whereas a ''use by'' date means that food has to be used or frozen by that date. Putting things in the right place can really help you use your food for longer. So storing apples and potatoes in the fridge, for example, you'll get three months longer to use them. The only fruit and veg that don't belong in the fridge are onions, bananas and whole fresh pineapple. 理解食品包装上的日期标识对于减少食物浪费至关重要。最佳食用日期是告诉你可以依靠你的感官来判断你所食用的东西是否适合你。而安全食用日期则意味着食物必须在该日期前食用或冷冻。正确存放食物可以帮助你更长时间地使用它们。例如，将苹果和土豆存放在冰箱里，你可以延长三个月的使用时间。唯一不适合放在冰箱里的水果和蔬菜是洋葱、香蕉和整个新鲜的菠萝。 🌟 字数限制，完整文本和翻译以及视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

The Fish that Carries Seeds Upstream BBC Earth｜Water Worlds｜The Green Planet From the swamps of the Pantanal, to the lakes of Thailand, they all burst into spectacular bloom. Once they've been pollinated, they produce seeds. And now their flowers have done their job, some return to a life under water. Now they must ensure that some of their seeds will find suitable places in which to germinate. 从潘塔纳尔的沼泽到泰国的湖泊，这些水生植物都会绽放出壮观的花朵。它们一旦授粉，就会结出种子。现在它们的花朵已经完成了它们的使命，有些回到了水下生活。现在它们必须确保其中一些种子能找到合适的地方发芽。 Bullrushes every year produce these long, brown, velvety objects. Look what happens when I break one open. It contains almost a quarter of a million seeds. Each seed is attached to a delicate parachute. Even the slightest breeze will lift it and may carry it for very long distances indeed. So even though suitable stretches of fresh water are few and far between, there's a good chance that at least one will end up in a place where it can grow. 每年，香蒲都会产生这些长长的、棕色的、丝绒般的物体。看看我打开一个时会发生什么。它包含了将近二十五万颗种子。每颗种子都附着在一个轻柔的降落伞上。即使是最轻微的微风也能把它吹起来，而且可以把它带到很远的地方。因此，尽管适宜其生长的淡水区域很少且相隔很远，但至少有一个很有可能最终会找到一个适合它生长的地方。 Much bigger seeds, of course, can't travel by air. A river can provide transport, but it's a one-way journey downstream that often ends up in the sea. And that's not ideal. So how can any riverside plant avoid this and travel upstream? 当然，更大的种子不能通过空气传播。河流可以提供运输，但它是顺流而下的单向旅程，最终往往会流入大海。这并不理想。那么，任何河边植物如何避免这种情况并逆流而上呢？ Here, along the Bonito River in Brazil, a variety of trees manage to do exactly that. They embed their seeds in the middle of soft, sweet fruit. Monkeys, such as these capuchins, make a meal of them just as soon as they're ripe. But monkeys are very wasteful feeders. And what's not eaten ends up in the river and is washed away. 在这里，巴西博尼托河沿岸，各种树木都能做到这一点。它们把种子嵌入柔软甜美的果实中间。猴子，比如这些卷尾猴，只要果实一成熟，就把它们当作美餐。但猴子是非常浪费的食客。没吃完的最终会被扔入河流并冲走。 But not all. In the fruiting season, hundreds of Piraputanga fish gather beneath these trees. But the Piraputanga want more than the monkeys' leftovers. The brightly coloured fruits are clearly visible, even to the fish in the water below. And some manage to claim them even before a monkey does. This isn't a skill mastered by just one particularly successful acrobatic fish. Many of the Piraputanga can do this. 但并非全部。在结果的季节，成百上千的皮拉普唐加鱼聚集在这些树下。但皮拉普唐加鱼想要的不仅仅是猴子的残羹剩饭。色彩鲜艳的果实清晰可见，即使在水下的鱼看来也是如此。有些鱼甚至能抢在猴子之前吃到这些果实。这并不是只有一条特别成功的杂技鱼才掌握的技能。许多皮拉普唐加鱼都能做到这一点。 Nor is this a disaster for the tree. Far from it. These Piraputanga are migratory, heading many miles upriver to spawn. The trees, by enticing the fish to eat their fruits, have a perfect means of transport for their seeds. With luck, the seeds will be deposited many miles upstream. 这也不是树木的灾难。远非如此。这些皮拉普坦加鱼是洄游鱼类，它们会逆流而上数英里去产卵。这些树通过引诱鱼儿吃它们的果实，为它们的种子提供了一个完美的运输工具。运气好的话，种子会沉积在上游数英里处。 词汇表 swamp [swɒmp] 沼泽，湿地 Pantanal [ˌpæntəˈnɑːl] 潘特纳尔（湿地） burst into bloom [bluːm] 绽放、盛放花朵 pollinate [ˈpɒlɪneɪt] 授粉，传授花粉 germinate [ˈdʒɜːmɪneɪt] 发芽，开始生长 bullrush [ˈbʊlrʌʃ] 香蒲（生长在沼泽地的高大植物，有着圆柱形的种子头，在成熟时会爆裂，散布大量的绒毛） velvety ['velvəti] 天鹅绒般的，丝绒般的 be attached to [ə'tætʃt] 附加在...上 parachute [ˈpærəˌʃuːt] 降落伞（指风散种子） stretches of fresh water 淡水区域 downstream [ˌdaʊnˈstriːm] 顺流而下，向下游 upstream [ˌʌpˈstriːm] 逆流而上，向上游 Bonito River [bəˈnɪtəʊ] 博尼托河（位于巴西） embed [ɪmˈbed] 嵌入，插入，埋入 capuchin ['kæpjʊˌtʃɪn] 卷尾猴，僧帽猴（原产于中、南美洲，其头部的毛发浓密，类似于僧侣的兜帽） wasteful feeder 浪费的食客 Piraputanga fish [pɪrəˈpʊtæŋɡə] 皮拉普唐加鱼（生活在南美洲，以其能够跳跃捕食树上的水果而闻名） leftover [ˈleftˌəʊvə] 剩余物，残羹剩饭 visible [ˈvɪzɪbl] 可见的，引人注目的 acrobatic [ˌækrəˈbætɪk] 杂技的，特技的 migratory [ˈmaɪɡrət(ə)ri] 迁徙的，洄游的 spawn [spɔːn]（鱼、蛙等）产卵 entice [ɪnˈtaɪs] 引诱，诱惑 deposit [dɪˈpɒzɪt] 沉积，沉淀，放置 🌟 视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Bartleby 巴托比 Why you should never retire 为什么你应该永不退休？ Pleasure cruises, golf and tracing the family tree are not that fulfilling 乘游船、打高尔夫和研究家谱的生活并不够充实 In an episode of "The Sopranos", a popular television series which started airing in the 1990s, a gangster tells Tony, from the titular family, that he wants to retire. "What are you, a hockey player?" Tony snaps back. Non-fictional non-criminals who are considering an end to their working lives need not worry about broken fingers or other bodily harm. But they must still contend with other potentially painful losses: of income, purpose or, most poignantly, relevance. 在1990年代首播的热剧《黑道家族》（The Sopranos）的一集里，一个黑帮分子对该家族的老大托尼说自己想退休了。“你当自己是什么人，冰球运动员吗？”托尼厉声斥道。在现实中，不混黑帮的人在考虑结束自己的职业生涯时，不必担心手指被人折断或遭受其他身体伤害。但他们仍必须应对其他可能令人痛苦的损失：收入、目标，或者最令人心酸的——社会存在感。 Some simply won't quit. Giorgio Armani refuses to relinquish his role as chief executive of his fashion house at the age of 89. Being Italy's second-richest man has not dampened his work ethic. Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's sidekick at Berkshire Hathaway, worked for the investment powerhouse until he died late last year at the age of 99. Mr Buffett himself is going strong at 93. People like Messrs Armani, Buffett or Munger are exceptional. But in remaining professionally active into what would historically be considered dotage, they are not unique. One poll this year found that almost one in three Americans say they may never retire. The majority of the nevers said they could not afford to give up a full-time job, especially when inflation was eating into an already measly Social Security cheque. But suppose you are one of the lucky ones who can choose to step aside. Should you do it? The arc of corporate life used to be predictable. You made your way up the career ladder, acquiring more prestige and bigger salaries at every step. Then, in your early 60s, there was a Friday-afternoon retirement party, maybe a gold watch, and that was that. The next day the world of meetings, objectives, tasks and other busyness faded. If you were moderately restless, you could play bridge or help out with the grandchildren. If you weren't, there were crossword puzzles, TV and a blanket. Although intellectual stimulation tends to keep depression and cognitive impairment at bay, many professionals in the technology sector retire at the earliest recommended date to make space for the younger generation, conceding it would be unrealistic to maintain their edge in the field. Still, to step down means to leave centre stage—leisure gives you all the time in the world but tends to marginalise you as you are no longer in the game. Things have changed. Lifespans are getting longer. It is true that although the post-retirement, twilight years are stretching, they do not have to lead to boredom or to a life devoid of meaning. Once you retire after 32 years as a lawyer at the World Bank, you can begin to split your time between photography and scrounging flea markets for a collection of Americana. You don't have to miss your job or suffer from a lack of purpose. If you are no longer head of the hospital, you can join Médecins Sans Frontières for occasional stints, teach or help out at your local clinic. Self-worth and personal growth can derive from many places, including non-profit work or mentoring others on how to set up a business. But can anything truly replace the framework and buzz of being part of the action? You can have a packed diary devoid of deadlines, meetings and spreadsheets and flourish as a consumer of theatre matinees, art exhibitions and badminton lessons. Hobbies are all well and good for many. But for the extremely driven, they can feel pointless and even slightly embarrassing. That is because there is depth in being useful. And excitement, even in significantly lower doses than are typical earlier in a career, can act as an anti-ageing serum. Whenever Mr Armani is told to retire and enjoy the fruits of his labour, he replies "absolutely not". Instead he is clearly energised by being involved in the running of the business day to day, signing off on every design, document and figure. In "Seinfeld", another television show of the 1990s, Jerry goes to visit his parents, middle-class Americans who moved to Florida when they retired, having dinner in the afternoon. “I'm not force-feeding myself a steak at 4.30 just to save a couple of bucks!” Jerry protests. When this guest Bartleby entered the job market, she assumed that when the day came she too would be a pensioner in a pastel-coloured shirt opting for the "early-bird special". A quarter of a century on, your 48-year-old columnist hopes to be writing for The Economist decades from now, even if she trundles to her interviews supported by a Zimmer frame; Mr Seinfeld is still going strong at 69, after all. But ask her again in 21 years. 🌟 字数限制，完整翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Life as a digital nomad If you could work from any location in the world, where would you go? Picture filling in a spreadsheet on a sandy Caribbean island, or maybe a little rooftop cafe in Rome where you can sip an espresso while editing a social media video. More and more countries are offering digital nomad visas and therefore the chance to work remotely, from wherever you'd like to. 如果你可以在世界上任何地方工作，你会去哪里？想象一下，在加勒比海的沙滩小岛上填写电子表格，或者在罗马的一家屋顶咖啡馆，一边品尝浓缩咖啡，一边编辑社交媒体视频。越来越多的国家提供数字游民签证，因此你有机会在任何你想去的地方远程工作。 This way of working is on the rise. A 2023 report found that 11% of US workers now consider themselves a digital nomad, and this type of worker is expected to increase in number by more than 20 million in the next five years. Traditionally, digital nomads have worked freelance. They might be social media managers, software developers or copywriters, but now even traditional professions like accountants and lawyers are taking the leap. But what is the life of a digital nomad really like? 这种工作方式正在兴起。2023 年的一份报告发现，现在有11%的美国工作者认为自己是数字游民，预计在未来五年内，这种类型的工作者将增加 2000 多万。传统上，数字游民从事自由职业。他们可能是社交媒体经理、软件开发人员或文案撰稿人，但现在甚至连会计师和律师等传统职业也在尝试这种工作方式。但数字游民的生活到底是怎样的呢？ Rowena Hennigan, who writes for Harvard Business Review, is a digital nomad along with her family. They have a 'home base' in Spain but frequently go away for workcations that can last from weeks to months. She says that compared to a 'traditional' model of raising children, "remote working has allowed my family to move away from that kind of intensity, and this way, we all get to move at a more sustainable and healthy pace." Plus, her family are regularly exposed to new cultures, languages and natural beauty. 为《哈佛商业评论》撰稿的罗文娜·亨尼根和她的家人都是数字游民。他们在西班牙有一个“住所”，但经常外出边工作边度假，时间从几周到几个月不等。她说，与传统养育孩子的模式相比，“远程工作让我的家人摆脱了那种高强度的生活，这样，我们都能以一种更可持续、更健康的节奏生活”。此外，她的家人还能经常接触到新的文化、语言和自然美景。 Though it doesn't work for everyone. Francesca Specter, a writer for The Guardian, decided to country-hop where her 'office' included beaches, cafes and coworking spaces. But along with struggling to find reliable wi-fi and fighting bouts of loneliness, she wrote that she felt envious as she cooled her overheating laptop in the shade while holidaymakers relaxed by the pool. She said, "I was chronically firefighting unglamorous concerns such as missing luggage or sleep deprivation after an overnight flight delay." 虽然并不适合每个人。《卫报》的作家弗朗西斯卡·斯佩克特决定在各国间穿梭，她的“办公室”包括海滩、咖啡馆和共享工作空间。但除了努力寻找稳定的无线网络和对抗孤独感之外，她写道，当她在树荫下冷却过热的笔记本电脑，而度假者在泳池边放松时，这让她感到非常羡慕。她说：“我一直在忙于应对一些乏味的烦心事，比如丢失行李或因通宵航班延误而导致的睡眠不足。” So, it's not for everyone, but if you ever feel like escaping the rat-race, why not give it a go? 所以，这并不适合所有人，但如果你想逃离永无休止的竞争，为什么不试试呢？ 词汇表 spreadsheet [ˈspredˌʃiːt] 电子表格 sandy Caribbean island [ˌkærɪˈbiən] 加勒比海的沙滩小岛 rooftop cafe [ˈruːfˌtɒp] ['kæfeɪ] 屋顶咖啡馆 sip an espresso [eˈspresəʊ] 小口品尝浓缩咖啡 digital nomad visa [ˈnəʊmæd] [ˈviːzə] 数字游民签证（允许人们在旅行到不同国家的同时远程工作的签证） freelance [ˈfriːlɑːns] 从事自由职业；自由职业者；自由职业的 social media manager 社交媒体经理 software developer [ˈsɒf(t)ˌweə(r)] 软件开发人员 copywriter [ˈkɒpiˌraɪtə(r)] 广告文字撰稿人 take the leap 冒险，尝试，迈步 home base （相对固定的）住所，家庭基地 workcation [wɜːrˈkeɪʃən] 度假办公，边度假边工作 remote working [rɪˈməʊt] 远程办公 intensity [ɪn'tensɪti] 强度 country-hop [hɒp] 在多个国家间居住和旅行 coworking space [ˈkəʊˌwɜːkɪŋ] 共享办公空间 reliable wi-fi 稳定的无线网络 a bout of [baʊt] (疾病或不愉快情绪) 发作 overheating laptop [ˌəʊvə(r)ˈhiːt] [ˈlæpˌtɒp] 过热的笔记本电脑 holidaymaker [ˈhɒlədiˌmeɪkər] 度假者 firefight unglamorous concerns [ʌn'glæmərəs] 忙于应对乏味的烦心事 sleep deprivation [ˌdeprɪ'veɪʃ(ə)n] 睡眠不足，睡眠剥夺 flight delay 航班延误 rat-race “老鼠赛跑”，指永无休止的竞争 🌟 更多英语听力和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

From the Sky News Centre at two. At least 33 people, including children, have been killed in Israeli strikes on a refugee camp in Gaza, according to medics. The Israeli military says its operation there is intended to stop Hamas fighters regrouping for more attacks. The militant group yesterday confirmed the death of their leader, Yair Sinwa, at the hands of IDF troops. Khalil Al-Hayah is a political official for the group. He says this won't be the end of Hamas. “We affirm that this blood will continue to light our way and constitute an incentive for more steadfastness and perseverance. ” Singer Cheryl says seven-year-old Bear, who she shares with ex-partner Liam Payne, must face the reality of never seeing his dad again. She claims it breaks her heart that she won't be able to protect their child from what she describes as the media exploitation of the 31-year-old's death. A former police detective has been jailed for 19 years for stealing cocaine from work to sell on the streets of Manchester. Andrew Talbot was caught when he accidentally dropped a small bag of the drug outside his daughter's school. A 20-metre retractable rigid sail is being piloted as part of efforts to reduce fuel consumption in commercial shipping. Smart Green Shipping's fast rig system is currently being trialled in the Irish Sea. Peter Buchan is from Nuclear Transport Solutions, which is providing a ship for the structure to be tested on. “We've got highly safe and highly secure operations, so if you can make a sail work in our environment, then I'm sure that's able to be translatable right across the maritime industry. You can save 10% on a fuel voyage, that's really good for our customers. We're a UK government-owned company, so it's better value for the UK taxpayer. ” Russia and Ukraine have each swapped 95 prisoners of war, according to the Russian Defence Ministry. Russian troops are said to be undergoing medical checks in Belarus. And HS2 has unveiled test designs for its high-speed trains, including airline-style seats. Concepts reveal standard class tickets will give passengers legroom of 87 centimetres. And that's the latest. 翻译见公众号【琐简英语】，回复“1”可加入【打卡交流群】

The Secrets of Happiness — in 60 Seconds 1. Stop being so hopeful. Expect that most things are going to go wrong: marriage, job, holidays, kids. Look at the glass half empty, and then feel grateful whenever things aren't an outright catastrophe. 不要再满怀希望。预期大多数事情都会出错：婚姻、工作、假期、孩子。把杯子看成是半空的，然后只要事情不是彻底的灾难，就心存感激。 2. Stop ranting about how awful other people are. Most annoying people aren't evil; they're just anxious or sad. Forgive them; they didn't set out to hurt you; they're just under a lot of pressure. 别再抱怨别人有多糟糕了。大多数烦人的人并不邪恶，他们只是焦虑或悲伤。原谅他们，他们并不想伤害你，他们只是压力太大了。 3. Think of death a lot. Keep a skull of your table. You've probably only got about four hundred thousand hours left. 经常思考死亡。在你的桌子上放一个头骨。你可能只剩下大约四十万小时的生命了。 4. Laugh at yourself. Stop thinking of yourself as a stupid idiot. You're something far nicer; a lovable fool. 学会自嘲。不要再把自己当成一个愚蠢的白痴。你比你想的要好得多；你是一个可爱的傻瓜。 5. Make regular appointments to talk with someone you don't spend enough time with — you. Ask yourself what you really want and are anxious about. 定期和你相处时间不够的人约谈——你自己。问问自己真正想要什么，以及你焦虑什么。 6. Stop trying to make yourself happy; it's impossible. Concentrate on cheering up other people. 别再试图让自己快乐了；这是不可能的。还是集中精力让别人高兴起来吧。 7. Look at yourself as if from the ISS, 240 miles above the Earth. From this height, lots of things that are bothering you look the size they should always have been. 从距离地球240英里的国际空间站的角度看自己。从这个高度看，很多困扰你的事情看起来就像它们本该有的大小一样。 8. Throw your phone off a cliff, for a bit, so you can finally notice stuff — especially your partner and your mom. 把你的手机扔下悬崖，这样你就能注意到一些东西，尤其是你的伴侣和妈妈。 9. Give up on the idea that you should be normal. The only normal people are people you don't know yet. Everyone is weird. And, that's totally okay. 放弃你应该成为正常人的想法。唯一正常的人是你还不认识的人。每个人都很奇怪。而且，这完全没关系。 词汇表 look at the glass half empty 指以一种悲观或消极的态度看待事物，与look at the glass half full相对，后者表示一种乐观、积极的态度 outright [ˈaʊtˌraɪt] 完全的，彻底的 catastrophe [kə'tæstrəfi] 灾难，灾祸 rant (about) [rænt] 抱怨，咆哮，痛骂 awful [ˈɔːf(ə)l] 糟糕的，极坏的 set out to do 打算，着手，开始 skull [skʌl] 颅骨，头骨 lovable 可爱的，讨人喜欢的 ISS 国际空间站(International Space Station) cliff [klɪf] 悬崖，峭壁 🌟视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Is it good to disagree? In this programme, we'll be talking about disagreeing. --No, we won't! --I think we will, Rob. We're discussing the following: 'Is it good to disagree?' --I know, but I feel better for having that little disagreement-so that proves it is good to disagree! --Well, I hate to disagree, but I think we should explore this subject a little further first in the next six minutes. --Err, shouldn't that be five minutes? - Oh, Rob, you are being pedantic-focussing too much on the small details or formal rules. Just joking! Of course, disagreeing is normal-it would be boring if we agreed about everything. However, I guess agreement, on some things, may have prevented a few wars. --Indeed, but it is a fascinating subject and it's something the BBC Radio 4 programme 'A Guide to Disagreeing Better' looked at. I think we should hear about how NOT to disagree first. This is couples' therapist, author and speaker Esther Perel, who knows a thing or two about that. In a battle, you position yourself in a hierarchy-one is on top of the other, and then there is arguing that comes with a contempt in which it's not just that I don't accept your point of view, is that I actually really think you're a lesser human being. Right, so Esther explains that bad disagreement is a battle-one person tries to take a higher position in the hierarchy. A hierarchy is a way of organizing people according to their importance. So, a disagreement doesn't go well if one person thinks they're more important than someone else. And according to Esther, things also don't go well if someone has contempt, which is a dislike or lack of respect for someone or something. And contempt in a bad disagreement can be more than just not liking somebody's point of view-their perspective on something-it could be thinking someone is a lesser human being. Ouch! That's not nice. Let's think more about good disagreement. The BBC podcast Seriously has listed some tips for disagreeing better, including not aiming for the middle ground-another way of saying 'compromising'. It also suggests speaking truthfully, listening intently-that means giving all your attention to what's being said-and aiming for empathy. But not feeling at the end of a disagreement that you have to agree! I agree-and I'm sure former British politician Douglas Alexander would too. He presented the programme 'A Guide to Disagreeing Better' and explained why he thought disagreeing is a good thing. A couple of decades I spent as an elected politician convinced me that disagreement is necessary if society is to progress and a society that values civility over justice and truth would simply be a recipe for stagnation. But honest conversations involve listening intently as well as speaking truthfully. The thoughts of Douglas Alexander there, who, through his work as a politician, is convinced that disagreement is a good thing. He says we shouldn't just follow the values of civility-that means polite behaviour. It's important to challenge and question thoughts and ideas-not just be polite and accept them! Yes, and if we don't challenge things and search for truth and justice, he feels it would lead to stagnation-staying the same and not developing. The verb form is 'to stagnate'. But, he does say that when we discuss things and disagree we must be honest, listen to the other person intently, and speak truthfully. But I would add that this should be done politely and with respect. Now, if you'll agree, could we recap some of the vocabulary we've discussed in this programme? Of course. First of all, I was accused of being pedantic - focussing too much on the small details or formal rules. Then we mentioned hierarchy-this is a way of organising people according to their importance. Contempt is a dislike or lack of respect for something or someone. A point of view describes someone's perspective on something. Your point of view might be different from my point of view. Indeed. And we also mentioned civility, which means polite behaviour. And stagnation means staying the same and not developing. Would you agree, Sam? --You are right, Rob-and that brings us to the end of our discussion about disagreeing! Don't forget you can find lots more learning English materials on our website at bbclearningenglish. com, on social media and on our app. Please join us again next time. Bye-bye. Goodbye. 🌟 字数限制，翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Why soil is one of the most amazing things on Earth | BBC Ideas Soil. it's one the most underrated and little-understood wonders on our fragile planet. Here's why. 土壤。它是我们脆弱地球上最被低估和鲜为人知的奇迹之一。原因如下。 Far from being lifeless dirt, it's estimated that in a single gram of soil, there could be as many as 50,000 species of microscopic organisms, or microorganisms. And in one teaspoon of soil, there are more microorganisms than there are people on the Earth. But much of what lies beneath, in this hidden and deep universe, is still alien to us. Despite being literally under our feet, humans have so far only identified a tiny fraction of the extraordinary life teeming underground. But these animals and microorganisms provide an invaluable role. 它绝不是无生命的泥土，据估计，在一克土壤中可能存在多达50,000种微生物。而在一茶匙土壤中，微生物的数量比地球上的人口还要多。但我们脚下这个隐藏的、深邃的宇宙中，还有许多东西对我们来说是陌生的。尽管这些生命就在我们脚下，但迄今为止，人类只发现了地下蕴藏的非凡生命中的一小部分。但是，这些动物和微生物却发挥着不可估量的作用。 Millions of years of evolutionary competition have led the microorganisms to produce antibiotic compounds to fight their neighbours. And these compounds form the basis of many of the antibiotics used by us humans. We literally make medicine from our soil. No-one knows how many new treatments could be lying under our feet, waiting to be discovered. 经过数百万年的进化竞争，微生物产生了抗生素化合物来对抗它们的邻居。这些化合物构成了我们人类使用的许多抗生素的基础。我们实际上是在用我们的土壤制造药物。没有人知道，在我们的脚下还有多少新的治疗方法等待我们去发现。 One of the most special creatures living in soil is the earthworm. Darwin was fascinated by them and said: "It may be doubted if there are any other animals which have played such an important part in the history of the world," due to their importance in making and sustaining soil. Earthworms journey down and around, creating breathing holes, like lungs in the soil. This creates space for plant roots to grow and keeps soil alive. 蚯蚓是生活在土壤中最特别的生物之一。达尔文对它们非常着迷，他说：“人们可能会怀疑是否还有其他动物在世界历史上扮演过如此重要的角色”，因为它们在形成和维持土壤方面发挥着重要作用。蚯蚓向下和四周爬行，在土壤中形成像肺一样的呼吸孔。这为植物根系的生长创造了空间，保持了土壤的活力。 Under the soil, there are also vast and intricate webs of fungal threads. Plants and fungi need each other to thrive, and so they do a deal. Fungi can't capture carbon dioxide to grow like plants can, but they're better than plants at mining the soil for nutrients, so they trade. Plants give fungi carbon to grow, and fungi give plants nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus. It's a mutually beneficial relationship. And just one example of the interconnected ecosystem we're all part of. Plant matter decays and provides food for microbes. They provide food for worms. Worms are food for birds and so on…Soil provides us humans with almost everything we eat. But it's not just about what soils can do for us. It's important we value, appreciate – and crucially, protect – soil for a whole load of other reasons, too. Think about this for a moment. It takes more than 100 years to build just 5 millimetres – half a centimetre – of soil. But just moments to destroy, through chemical contamination, urbanisation, landslides, erosion and more. Some soil is really ancient – dating back millions and millions of years. The oldest soil on Earth is thought to be in South Africa and dates back three billion years. In the UK, our soil is around 15,000 years old, and it formed after the last ice age. Soil is also a really valuable carbon store – capturing carbon and locking it away in stable forms deep underground. It stores three times as much carbon as all the plants on Earth combined, including trees. But because it grows so slowly, we need to protect what we have. We are not succeeding. We know many of the problems. Intensive farming is one of them. It releases carbon from our soils and we're losing soil 50 to 100 times faster than it's able to re-build. In Europe, 60-70% of soils are thought to be unhealthy. And in croplands in the UK, in less than 30 years from the end of the 1970s, we lost more than 10% of the carbon the soil had stored for us. And since then? Well, we just don't know, because in many countries there's little data on soil. It's poorly protected and regulated. We grow on it, build on it, build from it. It filters and cleans our waters, reduces flooding, and regulates our atmosphere. It's one of the most biodiverse habitats on Earth and a vital part of the nitrogen and carbon cycle on our planet. But the sad truth is, right now, soil hasn't enough champions fighting for it. We literally treat it like dirt. And yet there is so much untapped potential, so much wonder, and so many secrets, just waiting to be discovered in the ground beneath our feet. 🌟字数限制， 完整翻译，视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

The Carnivorous Plant's Hunting Strategy BBC Earth｜Water Worlds｜The Green Planet Swamps and bogs are also poor in nutrients. So several plants that live in such places catch insects too, if they can. 沼泽和泥塘同样缺乏养分。因此，生活在这样的环境里的一些植物也会捕捉昆虫，如果它们能够的话。 The leaves of Sundews are covered with long, red hairs, each tipped with a droplet. These glistening globules are, in fact, glue. Once the Sundews detect the taste of their victim's body, they flood it with digestive enzymes. The little body disintegrates. And the Sundew gets the nutrients it needs. 茅膏菜的叶子上覆盖着长长的红色细毛，每根细毛的顶端都有一颗小水滴。这些闪亮的小水珠实际上是胶。一旦茅膏菜检测到猎物身体的味道，它们就会用消化酶将其淹没。这个小小的身体解体了。茅膏菜获得了它所需的养分。 Another plant has an even more elaborate way of catching a meal. The Venus Flytrap has leaves that are lined with interlocking teeth. It attracts insects by producing a sweet perfume, just as a flower does. It, too, has a hair trigger. And another insect is caught. But the technique is more complex than it might seem. 另一种植物有着更为复杂的捕食方式。捕蝇草的叶子上排列着交错的牙齿。它通过产生一种甜美的香气来吸引昆虫，就像花朵一样。它也有一个灵敏的触发机制。又一只昆虫被捕获了。但这种技巧比看起来更为复杂。 The Venus Flytrap has a problem. It needs to avoid false alarms, snapping shut on something inedible, like a raindrop or a little bit of twig. That would be a waste of both time and energy. So how does it avoid that? Well, it does it by counting. If I touch this one, sensitive hair just there ..no reaction. That could be a false alarm, but the plant remembers that for 20 seconds. 捕蝇草遇到了一个问题。它需要避免误报，避免因为触碰到像雨滴或小树枝这样不可食用的东西而突然闭合。那样会浪费时间和精力。那么，它是如何避免这种情况的呢？它通过计数来实现。如果我触碰这根敏感的触毛，没有反应。那可能是一个误报，但植物会记住这次触碰长达20秒。 And if I touch it a second time within that time, then that's much more likely to be worth eating. And so ..it closes. So far, so good, but now it needs to be absolutely certain that it's got something worth eating, so it continues counting. Only after it has totted up five separate touches to those hairs will it give the final squeeze and then begin to produce the liquid from the surface of the leaf, which will dissolve the body of its unfortunate victim. 如果在这段时间内我第二次触摸它，那么这更有可能是值得吃的。于是...它闭合了。到目前为止，一切都好，但现在它需要完全确定它捕获的是值得吃的，所以它继续计数。只有在那些细毛上累积了五次单独的触碰，它才会给出最后的挤压，然后开始从叶子表面分泌液体，这种液体将溶解它不幸猎物的身体。 The Flytrap now has enough energy to produce flowers and attract pollinating insects. 现在，捕蝇草有足够的能量来产生花朵并吸引传粉昆虫了。 词汇表 carnivorous plant [kɑ:'nɪvərəs] 食肉植物，食虫植物（一种以捕食昆虫或其他小动物为生的植物，通常生长在营养贫瘠的土壤中） swamp [swɒmp] 沼泽，湿地 bog [bɒɡ] 沼泽，泥塘 Sundew [ˈsʌndjʊ] 茅膏菜（食虫植物，以粘性触须捕虫） be tipped with 尖端带有，被…覆盖尖端 droplet [ˈdrɒplət] 小水滴 glistening ['glɪstnɪŋ] 闪亮的，发光的 globule [ˈɡlɒbjuːl] 水珠，小球体 glue [ɡluː] 胶，胶水 digestive enzyme [daɪ'dʒestɪv][ˈenzaɪm] 消化酶 disintegrate [dɪs'ɪntɪ.ɡreɪt] 瓦解，解体 elaborate [ɪ'læbəreɪt] 复杂的，详尽的 Venus Flytrap ['viːnəs][ˈflaɪˌtræp] 捕蝇草（食虫植物，以快速闭合叶片捕食昆虫） interlocking teeth [ˌɪntə(r)ˈlɒkiŋ] 交错的牙齿 perfume [ˈpɜː(r)fjuːm] 香味，芳香 hair trigger 灵敏的触发机制 false alarm 误报，虚惊 snap shut [snæp] 突然闭合，啪地合上 inedible [ɪn'edəb(ə)l] 不能吃的，不宜食用的 twig [twɪɡ] 嫩枝，小枝 tot up [tɒt] 合计，累计 dissolve [dɪˈzɒlv] 溶解，分解 pollinating insect [ˈpɒləneɪtɪŋ] 授粉昆虫 🌟 视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Social media apps are deliberately addictive to users Aza Raskin from the Centre for Humane Technology said social media companies deliberately use addictive technology in their apps in order to lure us in to spending as much time on their platforms as possible. 人文科技中心的阿扎·拉斯金说，社交媒体公司故意在他们的应用程序中使用让人上瘾的技术，以吸引我们尽可能多地呆在他们的平台上。 Aza Raskin invented the endless scroll – the app feature that means you don't have to click to get to the next page and can keep scrolling for far longer than maybe necessary or healthy. 阿扎·拉斯金发明了无限下拉滚动的功能，这个应用程序功能意味着你不需要点击进入下一个页面，你可以无限地下拉页面，但滚动的时间可能比必要的或健康的标准长得多。 Aza says he did not intend to hook users with it but says the business model of many social media companies is designed to maximise user time online. He says this encourages designers to come up with technological tricks that hook users. 阿扎说他发明这个功能的目的不是为了勾住用户，但他表示，许多社交媒体公司的商业模式旨在让用户呆在线上的时间最大化。他说，这鼓励设计师们想出一些能吸引用户的技术诀窍。 Sandy Parakilas, who was a platform operations manager at Facebook in 2011 and 2012, said there was definitely an awareness that Facebook was habit-forming when he worked at the company. 桑迪·帕拉吉拉斯在 2011年和 2012年间担任脸书的平台运营经理，他说他在任期间，公司内部确实意识到脸书容易让用户上瘾。 Facebook and Instagram have told the BBC that their apps are designed to bring people together and that they never set out to create addictive products. 而脸书和照片墙告诉 BBC他们的应用程序的设计理念是让人们聚在一起，而从未想开发让人上瘾的产品。 词汇表 Centre for Humane Technology [hjuːˈmeɪn] 人文科技中心（致力于推动科技以更符合人类福祉和价值观的方式发展的组织） deliberately [dɪ'lɪb(ə)rətli] 有意地，故意地 addictive [ə'dɪktɪv] 使人上瘾的，使人入迷的 lure [ljʊə(r)] 诱惑，吸引 endless scroll [skrəʊl] 无限下拉滚动 maximise ['mæksɪmaɪz] 使最大化，增至最大 hook [hʊk] 勾住，吸引住 business model 商业模式，运营模式 operations manager 运营经理 habit-forming （活动）易上瘾的 bring together 聚集，使……团结起来 set out（怀着特定目的）开始，着手 🌟更多英语听力和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

How rural life becomes a modern fantasy Rolling hills and endless green pastures – those images are easy to conjure when thinking of the idyllic country lifestyle. When lockdowns descended upon many countries across the world during the pandemic, social media seemed to be dominated by pictures of cottages and village life – people getting away from it all. So, why is living in the countryside becoming a modern fantasy – and are there benefits to considering a slower pace of life? 连绵起伏的山丘和一望无际的绿色牧场——当想到田园般的乡村生活时，我们很容易联想到这些画面。在疫情期间，许多国家实施了封锁措施，社交媒体似乎被乡村小屋和村庄生活的照片所占据——人们纷纷远离尘嚣。那么，为什么乡村生活成为了现代的幻想？考虑放慢生活节奏是否有益处呢？ It makes sense that some people would want to give up the crowded and noisy city streets for the perceived tranquillity of the traditional country life – especially during an event like a pandemic. The lockdowns and extensive periods of working from home have given people time to think about what they want from life. But it's not just about having a greener place to look at out your window. 一些人希望放弃拥挤嘈杂的城市街道，转而享受传统乡村生活的宁静，这是有道理的，尤其是在发生疫情这样的事件时。封锁和长时间在家工作让人们有时间思考自己想要的生活。但这不仅仅是为了让窗外有更绿的景色。 There is more evidence that relates to the benefits of rural living. Villages aren't normally subject to the stop-go traffic we see in city centres, the buses fighting with taxis for dominance, or metro systems with trains that scream from one station to the next. In short, there's less air pollution in your country retreat – a thing which increases the chances of developing respiratory conditions or heart disease. You also get more opportunities to take long walks and see the sights, meaning you can get more exercise. Less noise, more walks and better air can also lead to less stress and an increased life expectancy, according to studies such as one conducted by the British government in 2012. 有更多证据表明，农村生活好处多多。乡村通常没有我们在城市中心看到的“走走停停”的交通，没有公交车与出租车的争夺，也没有地铁系统中从一个站到另一个站的呼啸而过的列车。总之，乡村僻静处的空气污染较少，而空气污染会增加患呼吸道疾病或心脏病的几率。你也有更多的机会长时间散步和观赏风景，这意味着你可以得到更多的锻炼。根据英国政府在2012年进行的一项研究，噪音少、散步多、空气好还能减轻压力和延长寿命。 However, there are some things that need to be considered. Living far from the hustle and bustle of the city means that some people may feel isolated or even lonely. And as people get older, life far from doctors or public transport could become a bit of a challenge. So, if you're considering a change of pace and moving to a picturesque village, there is a range of pros and cons to consider before taking the plunge. 不过，有些事情还是需要考虑的。远离城市的喧嚣意味着有些人可能会感到与世隔绝甚至孤独。而且随着年龄的增长，远离医生或公共交通的生活可能会成为一种挑战。因此，如果你正在考虑改变生活节奏，搬到一个风景如画的村庄，那么在做出决定之前，需要考虑一系列的利弊。 词汇表 rolling hills [ˈrəʊlɪŋ] 绵延起伏的山丘 pasture [ˈpɑːstʃə(r)] 牧场，牧草地； idyllic [ɪˈdɪlɪk] 田园风光的，恬静的 lockdown [ˈlɒkˌdaʊn] 封锁，封城 descend upon [dɪ'send] 降临，突然来访 dominate [ˈdɒmɪneɪt] 支配，占据 cottage [ˈkɒtɪdʒ] 乡村小屋，村舍 village ['vɪlɪdʒ] 村庄，乡村 get away from it all 远离尘嚣；逃离纷扰 tranquillity [ˈtræŋkwɪlətɪ] 宁静，平静 extensive periods [ɪk'stensɪv] 长时间，长期 rural [ˈrʊərəl] 乡村的，田园的，农村的 be subject to 遭受，易受影响 stop-go traffic 走走停停的交通；间歇性拥堵 metro system [ˈmetrəʊ] 地铁系统 retreat [rɪˈtriːt] 退隐处，静居处，僻静处 respiratory conditions [rɪˈspɪrət(ə)ri] 呼吸系统疾病 life expectancy [ɪk'spektənsi] 预期寿命 hustle and bustle ['hʌs(ə)l]['bʌs(ə)l] 喧嚣，熙熙攘攘，忙碌 isolated [ˈaɪsəˌleɪtɪd] 与世隔绝的，孤立的 picturesque [ˌpɪktʃəˈresk] 风景如画的，美丽的 take the plunge [plʌndʒ] 决定尝试，打定主意 🌟 更多英语听力和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

From the Sky News Centre at two. A woman's been jailed for at least 36 years for murdering her parents and living at their family home in Essex for four years with their hidden bodies. Virginia McCulloch poisoned her father with prescription medication before stabbing her mother in Chelmsford in 2019. Essex Police Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby says the couple's daughter lied about almost every aspect of her life. She's an intelligent manipulator who chose to kill her parents callously without a thought for them or those who continue to suffer as a result of their loss. France, Italy and Spain have accused Israel of violating international law obligations. The countries have released a joint statement saying they're outraged after the IDF injured UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. Targeting Israel was what they were doing, say Israel. Police are still searching for a man in his 60s missing in the River Thames after a rowing boat capsized. Three of the five others rescued from near Sunbury Lock yesterday morning were checked over in hospital. Police are investigating 40 new allegations including rape and sexual assault against the late former Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed. The Met says they're in addition to the 21 claims it knew about before a documentary aired last month into his behaviour. Sadia Chowdhury says officers fear there could be many more accusations. Some victim support groups and some law firms warned that the overall number of victims could be over 100, potentially several hundred. As they say, they've spoken to many more people than the police have announced. The government suffered a blow ahead of its investment summit next week as a logistic Giants scrapped the announcement of a £1bn cash boost into Britain. DP World will review its plans after some of the Prime Minister's top team criticised its subsidiary firm P&O Ferries. And Wales remain unbeaten under Craig Bellamy despite letting a 2-0 lead slip against Iceland in the Nations League. It finished 2-1 in Reykjavik after the host produced a second-half comeback. That's the latest. 翻译和更多英语听力见公众号【琐简英语】，回复“1”可加入【打卡交流群】