6 Minute English. From BBC Learning English. Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English.
I'm Rob. And I'm Neil. Hello.
Hello, Neil! You look very pleased today, Neil. I am pleased.
I just moved into my new flat! OK, fantastic! Congratulations!
So where is this new flat? It's in the city. It's a one-bed flat so it's 'bijou' — meaning 'small but attractive'.
There's a balcony, I've got a couple of deckchairs, and a barbecue! Mm, I can't wait to see it. It sounds perfect.
Well, today we're discussing housing and why, in some buildings, there are separate entrances for rich and poor residents! So, are you ready for today's quiz question, Neil? I'm all ears.
OK, so you mean you're listening carefully. — I am. — Right.
What does 'social housing' mean? Is it housing for people who a) want to buy or rent at a low price? b) who want to live together sharing facilities?
Or c) who aren't able to pay any rent at all? OK, I think the answer is a) to buy or rent at a low price. OK.
Well, we'll see if you're right or wrong later on in the programme. So, have you met your neighbours yet, Neil? Yes, I bumped into one couple as I was leaving for work this morning.
I see. 'Bump into' means 'to meet somebody by chance'. So were they friendly?
Well, they complained about me blocking the communal area with my bike and also about my guitar playing. But apart from that, they seemed nice! A 'communal area' is 'an area that's shared by a number of people'.
Well, I hate to say it, Neil, but your guitar playing is annoying! Oh, Rob, genius isn't appreciated here, I think. OK, let's listen to the journalist Tom Bateman talking about rich and poor doors.
In front of us here is a 20-storey building, right above me. It's got tinted blue glass windows and balconies on every floor, as you look from the street, and there is a very plush foyer. A sign in the window says 'luxurious penthouses with spectacular views.
' But this is what the journalist, Tom Bateman, saw when he went round the other side of the same building. So, as you come down the side of the building, you can see the windows — quite small windows — of the flats above here, certainly no balconies, just a big grey concrete wall, as you walk down an alleyway towards the other door. So, this building has one entrance with a 'plush' — or 'expensive and luxurious' — foyer.
And 'foyer' means 'entrance hall'. Then there's another entrance, down an 'alleyway' — or 'narrow passage between the buildings'. This entrance leads to flats with small windows and no balconies.
Why's that, Rob? That's because the alleyway entrance is the so-called 'poor door'. There's no swanky foyer or tinted glass windows for these residents, because they pay less rent than the people living in the apartments at the front.
'Swanky' means 'something fashionable and expensive 'that's designed to impress people'. And 'tinted glass' is 'coloured glass', so people can't look through your windows. That sounds useful!
Do you have tinted glass windows, Neil? Er, no, I don't. Tinted sunglasses are all that I can afford.
So, what do people think about having a rich and poor door for the same building, Rob? Well, some people think it's terrible. They say it's 'segregation' — or 'separation and different treatment of people' — and I can't believe the poor-door people put up with it really!
'To put up with something' means to accept something that's annoying without complaining about it. The thing is, though, the poor-door people don't pay nearly as much rent and they don't have to pay the same service charges that the rich-door people pay. A 'service charge' is 'an amount of money you pay 'to the owner of an apartment building for things like putting out the rubbish'.
Well, let's listen to an experience of a poor-door resident. We can't use the lift, because it's for the rich people. So whenever the door's open, I use it, yeah?
So they try and tell me off, yeah, for using it. I said, "Here, come, take me to court — I don't mind". So what has Abdul been doing that the rich-door residents don't like, Rob?
Well, he's been using their lift, because it's near his apartment door. And what does Abdul mean when he says, "Come, take me to court"? He's inviting the rich-door residents to take legal action against him, but Abdul doesn't really think he's doing anything wrong.
OK, it's time to hear the answer to today's quiz question. Yes. What does 'social housing' mean?
Is it flats or houses for people a) who want to buy or rent at a low price? b) who want to live together, sharing facilities? Or c) who aren't able to pay any rent at all?
And I said a) to buy or rent at a low price. And you were right! So well done for that, Neil.
Now, shall we listen to the words we've learned on today's programme? Good idea. We heard.
. . bijoux, bump into, communal area, plush, foyer, alleyway, swanky, tinted, segregation, to put up with something, service charge.
Thank you. Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English. I hope you felt at home with us on today's programme!
Please join us again soon. — Bye-bye. — Goodbye.
6 Minute English. From BBC Learning English. Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, the programme where we bring you an interesting topic and six items of vocabulary.
I'm Neil. And I'm Catherine. Today, we're taking a look into the lives of the superrich and we're going to look at one of their favourite pastimes.
The superrich are people with over $30 million of assets. Ooh, now, 'assets' are 'things we can own and sell — 'like property, boats and private planes'. Expensive toys.
First things first, let's do our question, Catherine. In which country is the percentage of superrich expected to grow fastest over the next ten years? Is it a) China?
b) Brazil? Or c) Vietnam? I'm going to go for Vietnam.
I think that's an up-and-coming country and I think there is going to be a lot of growth in wealth in the future. OK, well we'll find out if you're right or wrong later. The number of superrich are expected to increase by 43% over the next decade.
Now, this doesn't mean income is rising at the same speed for everyone. You might remember a report last year which said the world's richest 62 individuals owned as much as the poorest 50% of people in the whole world. So, my question is what on earth do people with so much money spend it on?
One academic in the UK has been researching just that. And her answer is, Neil? Yachts!
A 'yacht' — 'a luxury boat used for pleasure'. The ultimate 'status symbol' — that is 'an item which allows you to show off your wealth and position in society'. Let's listen to Emma Spence from Cardiff University in the UK.
What's so unusual about yachts? If you have an exclusive wine collection or art collection or even the purchase of a business jet, these are investable assets, something that you can retain value or accrue value on. A business jet, a private jet, can cut costs and make businesses more convenient by running faster, more comfortably, than commercial airlines.
So these purchases, they make good, sound business sense, whereas a superyacht is essentially a black hole. Before we get to the yacht, Emma talked about certain assets, like planes and wine, that made business sense. Now, to 'make sense' is a phrase you'll be familiar with, so if we say something 'makes business sense', it means 'it's good for business'.
But yachts are different. Yachts, and especially what she calls superyachts, actually lose money. So much so, she calls a superyacht a black hole of wealth.
Now, a 'black hole', in scientific terms, is 'a place where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape — not even light'. So, in business terms, a black hole eats all your money! It's also used conversationally to mean 'a place where things go missing'.
These superyachts are big. The world's longest is 180m in length. And they require a professional crew, which is how Emma began her study — she used to work on the yachts.
She's now spent six years studying the world of superyachts and the superrich. So, what else did she learn? She says that in the world of the superrich, the size of your yacht shows your place in the pecking order.
And the 'pecking order' means 'the social system from most powerful to least powerful'. If you're higher up in the yachting pecking order, you get the best place in the harbour, which is very important to yacht owners, apparently. Apparently so.
It's all about seeing and being seen. You could actually say that yachts are the ultimate form of conspicuous consumption. Now that's another great term — 'conspicuous' means 'visible or noticeable' and 'consumption' means 'spending'.
So, the phrase 'conspicuous consumption' refers to the kind of buying you do so that other people notice your money. Before we sail off into the sunset, Catherine, how about we answer today's question? I said that Vietnam is the country in which the percentage of superrich is expected to grow fastest over the next ten years.
Well, I'm very pleased to say that you were right. — Yay! — It was, in fact, Vietnam.
According to this same report by Knight Frank, the population of ultra wealthy is expected to grow by a staggering 170% in the next decade. Now, how about we have another look at the wealth of vocabulary in this programme? Very good.
We started with 'assets'. Here, it means 'things we can buy or sell'. What are your assets?
Oh, you know, my diamond rings, my bike, my laptop. I'm not like you though, Neil, I don't live in an expensive mansion — that would be a real status symbol! And if only that were true, but it's a good example.
A status symbol is a possession that shows off our wealth and our place in society. Yep, and we had the phrase to 'make business sense' — in other words 'to be good for business'. We could also say that a particular policy 'makes economic sense'.
Or I could say investing wisely 'makes financial sense'. Not like yachts which are expensive to buy and run. In fact, they're a 'black hole' for our money.
Now, did you know that our next phrase, 'pecking order', actually comes from chicken behaviour? And finally, the phrase 'conspicuous consumption'. For example, you could say that dining at the finest restaurants, wearing expensive clothes is 'conspicuous consumption'.
And to clear up two similar phrases — a 'status symbol' refers to the object itself, like a luxury car, whereas 'conspicuous consumption' refers to the act of spending money on things like expensive cars, but you're spending money so that other people notice. Do check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. — Goodbye!
— Bye! 6 Minute English. From BBC Learning English.
Hello, I'm Rob. Welcome to 6 Minute English. With me today is Harry.
Hello, Harry. Hello, Rob! Well, in this programme we're talking about wealth.
The world is getting richer, Harry. Really? How come?
Well, according to recent data, the number of people living in extreme poverty has halved in recent decades. More people own a car and a mobile phone. So, that's all very good news.
More people can have a good standard of living. 'Standard of living' is what we call 'the amount of money and quality of life people have in a particular society'. People in general may have a better life, but there's still a lot of inequality in different countries.
'Inequality' — in other words, 'some people have a lot of money and opportunities and others just don't'. So, individual governments have to find a way of reducing this inequality, to allow more people to have the opportunity to improve their lives. Yes.
In this programme we're talking about the gap between rich and poor and you'll learn some words which will help you discuss this topic or read about it in the news. And now our quiz, Harry. Ah, the legendary quiz!
I'm ready! Good. Right.
A recent report by Oxfam and Credit Suisse revealed how divided we all are when it comes to wealth. A lot of the wealth in the world is in the hands of very few people. That's what I'm going to ask you about today, Harry.
How much of the global wealth is owned by the richest 1%? Is it a) 38%? b) 48%?
Or c) 58%? Well, it's only 1% of the population, so I would have to guess the lower one, 38%. Surely they can't own more than that!
Well, we'll see if you've got the right answer at the end of the programme. Now, let's talk about rich and poor. As we said, experts have concluded that more people are living better, when you look at the world as a whole, but, in individual countries, you can find people with hardly anything to eat.
And others with lots of houses, cars, land and so on. So, Rob, how can this situation be reversed? Well, David Bryer from Oxfam mentions a country which has achieved some success in trying to make the poor less poor.
He's talking about Brazil. Listen to what Bryer says and tell me what are the two words he uses meaning 'the least money people are paid for the work they do'? There are examples we can look to where countries are managing to reduce the gap between the superrich and the rest.
Brazil has historically very high levels of economic inequality and they've been taking just some really sensible measures — measures around having more progressive tax, around investing in a higher minimum wage, investing in essential public services, you know, there's things that all governments can do that start to reverse this tide. So David Bryer talks about a 'minimum wage'. That's the least a worker receives in payment for work they've done.
He meant that if people are paid a higher minimum wage, they can eat better, seek a better education, and their children can have a better job in the future. They can be lifted out of poverty. And the economy can grow.
More people with more money buy more things and factories produce more. A factory which produces more will need more workers, so more jobs for all. Right.
Another measure by the Brazilian government, which is mentioned by the representative from Oxfam, has to do with tax. Tax is the amount of money you pay to the government depending on your salary and the cost of things you buy. But we have to admit this, Rob, taxes are not popular.
That's true. Many people don't like paying tax, because they don't receive an immediate benefit from it. Some very rich people try to pay as little as possible.
But one billionaire who thinks it's important to pay and create conditions for governments to fight poverty is Bill Gates. The founder of Microsoft earned a lot of money, retired and, with his wife Melinda, created a foundation to help the poor. The BBC asked him what the very rich have to do to help reduce poverty.
Let's listen to his answer. What does he say rich people have to be? The word's an adjective.
Well, their obligation, of course, is to pay their taxes, but our advice to them is that they all look at taking their wealth and being philanthropic, both in their own country and to help the global poorest. That's a full-time work Melinda and I do. We find it very fulfilling, we love seeing the progress.
So rich people have to be 'philanthropic'. It means they have to help poor people by giving their money. And he says he and his wife find this giving to the poor 'fulfilling', in other words, 'it makes them happy and satisfied'.
Well, that's his message to the very, very, very, very rich in the world! To the 1%. The 1%!
Well, you want the answer to my quiz question now, don't you? Yes. You asked me how much of the global wealth is owned by the richest 1% of the world's population.
And the options I gave you were 38%, 48% or 58%. And I guessed 38%, based on the fact that I couldn't imagine them owning more than that. I like your thinking, Harry, but I'm afraid the correct answer is actually b) 48%.
The wealthiest 1% will soon own more than the rest of the world's population — that's according to a study by anti-poverty charity Oxfam. I think it's truly shocking that such a small number of people can own so much. You're right.
It's an amazing statistic. OK, well, we're almost out of time, but let's remind ourselves of some of the words that we've said today, Harry. Standard of living, inequality, minimum wage, tax, philanthropic, fulfilling.
Well, that's it for today. Do log on to BBC Learning English dot com to find more 6 Minute English programmes. Until next time, goodbye!
Goodbye! 6 Minute English. From BBC Learning English.
Hello, I'm Rob. Welcome to 6 Minute English. And with me in the studio today is Neil.
Hello, Rob. Today we're going to talk about the cost of keeping people healthy. The price of life-saving vaccines has 'escalated' — it's 'gone up' — and some of the world's poorer countries are struggling to immunise children — to 'immunise', in other words, 'to prevent children from catching diseases'.
Yes, the organisation Médecins Sans Frontières is criticising the pharmaceutical companies which produce the vaccines. Médecins Sans Frontières is a well-known charity. A 'charity' is 'an organisation set up to help and raise money for people in need'.
We're going to talk about the cost of vaccines and you'll learn some words you can use to discuss the topic yourself or to follow the news. — But first, a question, Neil. — Yes.
The first laboratory-developed vaccine was produced in 1879. The vaccine was against an animal disease called chicken cholera. Who was the scientist behind it?
Was it a) Alexander Fleming? b) Albert Sabin? Or c) Louis Pasteur?
Well, I don't know, but I'm going to guess. Probably not a) because Fleming discovered penicillin. Probably not c) cos Pasteur did pasteurisation.
I'm gonna go for b). OK. It sounds like you know your vaccines.
Well, we'll have the answer to that question at the end of the programme. Now, let's talk about the controversy behind these life-saving vaccines. On one side we have a charity and on the other side, the drug companies.
Which vaccines are they talking about? Well, they're talking about vaccines which prevent diseases, such as tuberculosis, measles, diphtheria and polio. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, between 2001 and 2014, there was a 68-fold increase in vaccine prices.
Well, that is a lot! It certainly is. And the group says that there are particular cases in which rich western countries are actually getting vaccines at a cheaper rate than poorer countries.
That's what Médecins Sans Frontières says, and they're asking for more transparency around prices. 'Transparency' means 'clarity, something done in an open way, without secrets'. Yes, they want to know the cost of the vaccines.
Let's hear what Rohit Malpani from Médecins Sans Frontières has to say. See if you can spot the expression Malpani uses to describe how high the price of the vaccine is for some countries. This is all a black box.
It's a black box in terms of the price they are charging to most countries around the world, so they're often charging prices that are wildly out of proportion with their ability to pay. You have Morocco and Tunisia now that are paying higher prices than France for the pneumococcal vaccine. We also simply do not know the cost of production and if GlaxoSmithKline says that it costs more than what we are saying it does, then they should simply submit to some sort of audit to ensure that we can verify the cost of production.
The expression which describes the relationship between the price asked and the ability to pay is 'out of proportion'. It means it's 'unrealistic or exaggerated'. And Malpani from Médecins Sans Frontières says that Morocco and Tunisia are paying more than France — a much richer country — for a particular vaccine.
And his organisation wants transparency. They want to be able to verify the cost of production. To 'verify' means to 'confirm that something is really true' and they want the drug company to confirm that the cost to produce the vaccines is really as high as they say it is.
Well, at this point, we have to hear what the companies say. Yes, because they argue that they already sell these vaccines at a 'discount', in other words, 'at a reduced price'. Yes, they do.
GlaxoSmithKline says that around 80% of all their vaccines, including the one mentioned by Malpani, are provided to developing countries at a substantial discount. And the company adds that the pneumococcal vaccine is one of the most complex they've ever manufactured, because it combines ten vaccines in one. Yes.
On one hand, vaccines take many years of research and these companies want to make a profit, which means to sell the product for more than it costs to make it. But on the other hand, the lack of vaccines can kill people and it's really very sad to see people dying of diseases which can be prevented. Some vaccines may be very affordable for a person in a rich country.
But they might cost a fortune to someone in a poor country. This is a very complex problem and I'm sure we will talk about this again in the future. But now, let's go back to the quiz question, Neil.
You asked about the first vaccine developed in a laboratory. Yes, I did. The first laboratory-developed vaccine was produced in 1879.
It was a vaccine for the animal disease called chicken cholera. I wanted to know the name of the scientist who developed it. Was it Alexander Fleming, Albert Sabin or Louis Pasteur?
And I said b) Albert Sabin. — And you were wrong! — Ah!
The correct answer is c) Louis Pasteur, who was a French microbiologist. Now, Neil, the option you chose, the American scientist, Albert Sabin, in fact developed an oral vaccine against polio in the 1950s — still very useful. And Alexander Fleming from Scotland did indeed discover penicillin, as you said.
Well, that is interesting and I'm a bit disappointed that I got it wrong actually. OK. Well, that's it for this programme.
Now let's remember some of the words we used today, Neil. To immunise, charity, transparency, out of proportion, to verify, discount, to make a profit. Thank you.
That's it for today. Do log on to BBC Learning English dot com to find more 6 Minute English programmes. Until next time, goodbye!
Goodbye! 6 Minute English. From BBC Learning English.
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Finn, and Rob's here too. — Yes, hello.
— Hi. Rob, tell me, do you have a spare room in your house? — Absolutely not.
— No spare space? No, we are full to capacity in our house. What about a driveway for your car?
A 'driveway' — so you mean 'a parking space off the road' at my house? — Yes. — Well, not exactly a driveway, but yes, I do have a parking space, yes.
OK, well, both of these are ways of making money in the 'sharing economy'. Interested? — Mm-hm.
— Mm-hm. Well, we'll be talking about this new economy in the programme, and learning some language related to making money. But first, a question.
Great. I don't have to pay for it do I? It's a free question, with no prize either.
In February 2014, Britain's most expensive parking space went on sale, but for how much? Was it a) £80,000? b) £100,000?
Or c) £400,000? Mm, well, it's, it's just a parking space, isn't it? So I'm going to go for the lowest value, £80,000.
£80,000 — still a lot of money. We'll find out if that's the right answer at the end of the programme. But first, let's find out a bit more about this sharing economy.
Rob, are you feeling the pinch? 'Feeling the pinch' — you mean 'feeling poor'. Well, yes, I'm always feeling the pinch.
So come on, Finn, tell us how we can make some money. OK, well, perhaps the best-known example of a company in the sharing economy is Airbnb. Now, it's an American web business which allows you to rent out your spare room to holidaymakers.
OK. 'Holidaymakers' — so these are 'people on holiday'. So, using your spare room as a 'B & B' — that's a 'bed and breakfast'?
Yes, well, yes, you can provide breakfast for your guests too. That sounds like a clever way to make a few pennies. Yes, to 'make a few pennies' — to 'make a bit of extra money''.
OK, well, Airbnb say they operate in 34,000 cities and have 800,000 listings of rooms and apartments. In fact, we could say they're the 'market-leader' in this industry — 'the main, most successful company'. Mm, there are many companies, of course, doing very similar things.
And one doing something with parking spaces is JustPark. Now, it's a British business that lets you rent out your driveway or parking space. Ah, another way to 'make money on the side' — which means to 'make some extra money in addition to your normal job'.
We're going to hear from the founder of JustPark now, Anthony Eskinazi. Where did the idea for the business come from? When I had the original idea, I spotted a driveway close to a sports stadium.
It would have been so convenient if I could have just parked in that driveway, rather than in the commercial car park. So, Anthony said that he got the idea when trying to park near a stadium. He said he saw a driveway.
He thought it would be more convenient to just park there than in a 'commercial car park' — 'a normal one which makes money'. So he set up this site. And around 20,000 people have put their spaces on the site, and he says around half a million drivers use it.
Mm, Now, interestingly, a church near King's Cross in central London has apparently made over £200,000 by renting out space in its yard to travellers! And of course there are other sites doing very similar things, like Uber and Lyft. Now, these let drivers share their cars with other passengers.
And there's even a company in Hong Kong which lets you share space under your umbrella when it rains! That sounds like one, Rob, for 'a rainy day'. — Haha, very good.
— Sorry. 'An idea to store away until you need it'. But I do have a question.
What about the people who run things like traditional B & Bs or commercial car parks or taxi services, things like that? Won't they be out of pocket? 'Out of pocket', yes — 'lose money'.
Many of them are out of pocket and are not happy about this. And there is another issue, 'regulations' — or 'laws'. Listen to the editor of Tech City News, Alex Wood.
Why are regulations for these new businesses unclear? Take the example of someone that has a driveway in their house. They've got some spare capacity there — they're looking to make some more money.
But how does that affect their neighbours? How does that affect the council and the regulation and the rules around them? Because this is a new business world, those rules aren't there yet.
Well, he says they're unclear, because the rules aren't there yet, because it's a whole new business world. In fact, Airbnb has had problems with the law. But, in a time when the economy is doing badly, these businesses seem to be 'thriving' — 'doing really well' — and provide an extra source of income for many people.
That's right. Many are benefiting from this new economy, but others are out of pocket. That's business.
Rob, what about us? Could you maybe make some money from this sharing economy? You could rent out your bike — your lovely folding bike — while you're at work?
— That's a really good idea! — Yeah. It's kind of a downtime, the bike's not being used, so why not!
Absolutely. Anyway, how about the answer to today's question? Yes, earlier I asked you about the most expensive parking space ever to go on sale in London.
How much was it on sale for? Well, I had a guess and I said £80,000. — Well, you were completely wrong.
— Ah. It was the most expensive one, £400,000. No way!
For a parking space! Yes, it was a space in London, in Kensington, and it went on sale for £400,000, which is over twice the price of the average UK house. — Yes.
— So very expensive! Anyway, Rob, before we go any further, how about those words again? OK, the words we've heard today were: driveway, feeling the pinch, holidaymakers, make a few pennies, on the side, market leader, one for a rainy day, out of pocket, regulations, thriving, source of income.
Thank you, Rob. And that's it for today. If you want to listen to more programmes like this one, visit our site, BBC Learning English dot com.
— Bye-bye. — Bye. 6 Minute English.
From BBC Learning English.
