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  • Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.  

  • Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English!  I'm Neil and I'm Catherine. Catherine,  

  • I'm going to start this program with a quick test  just for you! Oh, I love tests! Complete this  

  • phrase - wake up and smell the ... Coffee! CoffeeNeil, it's coffee! I have to say that I love  

  • coffee, it's great. Yeah, okay, so do you drink  much? Well, just a couple of cups, you know. Uh,  

  • every day? No, no, every hour! I love  coffee, don't you like coffee, Neil?  

  • I do. Maybe not as much as you! What's the  best thing about it? Oh, it's the smell,  

  • it's got to be the smell. You know when  you open the packet, it's great, isn't it?  

  • Uh, yes, but it never quite tastes as good as  it smells, does it? Well, no. It's always a bit  

  • disappointing. I live in hope. Another cup, I  think it'll be better. I might change brands,  

  • actually, try a different one. Yeah, okay. You've  had quite a lot of coffee today, haven't you? Oh,  

  • just the usual six cups. Well, our topic is  the smell of coffee and coffee is also the  

  • subject of today's question: the world's biggest  producer of coffee is.... Brazil, Brazil. Yes,  

  • yes, but that's not the question. The question isBrazil is the biggest coffee producer - which is  

  • the second largest coffee producing country? Is  it a) Colombia, b) Vietnam or c) Ethiopia? Right,  

  • so it's not Brazil but I bet it's another South  American country so I'm gonna go for Colombia.  

  • Colombia is that right? Okay, we'll have the  answer later in the program by which time maybe  

  • the caffeine will have left your body, CatherineTim Hayward is a coffee shop owner. He appeared  

  • in the BBC radio 4 program, the Kitchen CabinetHow important does he say the smell of coffee is?  

  • Absolutely vital, it's the key thing and you  when you walk into the coffee shop in the  

  • morning and that smell hits you, you're getting  physiological responses. So, how important is it?  

  • I'm feeling a bit calmer now. Tim Hayward says  the smell of coffee is vital. That means it's  

  • very important, it's perhaps the most important  thing. And he backs this up by saying that it's  

  • the key thing. Something that's key is essentialit's really important. And, he says that when you  

  • experience the smell, when the smell hits youyou get a physiological response. This phrase  

  • means your body has a reaction to the smell of  coffee - perhaps your mouth begins to water in  

  • anticipation. Catherine, when you get a coffee  do you normally have it there or take it away?  

  • Well, I usually take it away, although if  I'm feeling really in need of a coffee hit,  

  • I might have one there and then get another one to  take with me. Can you describe the container that  

  • you're given when you have a coffee to go? Yesit's in a tall paper cup with a lid and the lid  

  • has a hole in it so that I can drink that lovely  coffee. Don't you think that's a problem? I mean,  

  • we know how important the smell is, so what's the  effect of the lid on that experience? The effect  

  • of the lid? Yeah, well, here's Tim Hayward againtalking about coffee being served with lids. What  

  • baffles me is how many of the large coffee chains  actually sell a product in a cup that removes the  

  • smell. So, you walk into the coffee shop, you  get the smell but when you actually take the  

  • drink out, you're drinking it from something  that's designed to deliver the hot liquid  

  • directly past your tongue but stop any smell  coming up to your nose. That's just weird. So,  

  • what is it he's describing there? I see, yeshe's talking about the big coffee chains.  

  • A chain is a company that has lots of its stores  in towns and cities, sometimes around the world.  

  • I think we can all think of a few well-known  coffee chains, and he says that by putting a  

  • lid on takeaway cups, you're actually blocking  the smell. That smell that is really important  

  • to the coffee experience. Yes, and he says he  finds that weird, which is a way of saying he  

  • finds it unusual - thinks it's strange, odd. So  much so, that he says it baffles him. If you are  

  • baffled by something you find it confusingYou can't really understand it. Here's Tim  

  • Hayward again. What baffles me is how many of  the large coffee chains actually sell a product  

  • in a cup that removes the smell. So, you walk  into the coffee shop, you get the smell but when  

  • you actually take the drink out you're drinking  it from something that's designed to deliver the  

  • hot liquid directly past your tongue but stop  any smell coming up to your nose. That's just  

  • weird. That was coffee shop owner Tim HaywardRight, before we have another cup of this week's  

  • vocabulary, let's get the answer to the questionAfter Brazil, which country produces most coffee?  

  • Is it a) Colombia, b) Vietnam or c) EthiopiaCatherine, you said... I said it was a) Colombia.  

  • Ah, sorry, no extra coffee for you today. The  answer is Vietnam. And now on to the vocabulary  

  • we looked at. Take it away, Catherine. So, the  first word was vital, which is an adjective that  

  • means very important. And another word with a very  similar meaning was key, meaning essential. Next,  

  • we had the phrase, physiological responsesPhysiological refers to what our bodies do  

  • and a response is a reaction. So, a physiological  response is a reaction your body has to something,  

  • like the smell of coffee. Something that baffles  you confuses you. You don't understand it. You  

  • might find something that baffles you to be  weird. This adjective means unusual or strange.  

  • And finally, a chain is a group of shops  from the same company with the same name.  

  • Well, that is the end of our program. For more  from us check out Instagram, Facebook, Twitter,  

  • Youtube and our app and, of course, the website  bbclearningenglish.com. See you soon, goodbye.  

  • Bye! Fancy a coffee? I think you've had too much!  6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com  

  • Welcome to 6 Minute English where we introduce  a refreshing topic and six related items of  

  • vocabulary. I'm Rob and I'm Neil and today  we're talking about water. There's nothing  

  • more refreshing than an ice cold bottle of  water straight out of the vending machine.

  • Hmm, okay, refreshing in this context means  making you feel cool again after being hot  

  • so has that cooled you down, Neil? Yes, I feel  very refreshed now, thanks. Can I ask you though  

  • why didn't you just get a glass of water from the  kitchen tap? That water is cool and refreshing  

  • too, and it's free! Well, I like this brand of  bottled water better. It's enriched with salts and  

  • minerals that are very beneficial to your healthEnriched means improving the quality of something  

  • by adding to it. Enriched, honestly, Neil! It  tastes better, Rob and I'm not the only one who  

  • thinks so. For the first time in the UK, bottled  water is more popular than cola. In fact, can you  

  • tell me how many litres of bottled water was sold  in the UK in 2016? Was it a) 2.9 billion, litres  

  • b) 29 million litres or c 2.9 million litres? Umright. well, I'm going to say 29 million litres.  

  • OK, we'll find out later if you got that right or  wrong. But seriously, Rob, don't you think it's a  

  • good thing that people are choosing to buy bottled  water at the supermarket rather than fizzy drinks?  

  • Yes, of course, but as I said to you earlierwhy don't people just drink tap water?  

  • Let's listen to Natalie Fee, founder of City to  Sea, which campaigns again plastic pollution. And,  

  • of course, bottled water causes a huge  amount of that. Here's Natalie now talking  

  • about how drinks manufacturers have persuaded  people that bottled water is better for them.

  • They manufactured the demand for bottled water  and they spent millions of pounds on adverts,  

  • sort of scaring us off of tap water. The bottled  water companies set out to make us believe  

  • that tap water wasn't healthy and yet tap water  is way more regulated than bottled water is  

  • and in taste tests tap water  comes up trump most times.

  • If you manufacture something you make  it in large amounts in a factory.  

  • But here Natalie says the drinks companies  manufactured the demand for bottled water, which  

  • means they made adverts to persuade people that  tap water wasn't healthy and bottled water was

  • To scare people off - what does that meanRob? Well, if you scare somebody off you  

  • make them go away by frightening them. S,o some  advertisers may have suggested, for example,  

  • that tap water was unsafe to drink, whereas  bottled water was safer and tasted better too.  

  • You're catching on! However, Natalie Fee claims  that tap water is more regulated than bottled  

  • water is. Regulated means controlled. Natalie  also says that in taste tests, tap water comes  

  • up trumps. What does she mean by that? Well, a  taste test is where you ask people to try several  

  • very similar products without knowing which one  is which and then you grade them according to  

  • which you like the best. And if something comes up  trumps, it means it produces a good result, often  

  • unexpectedly. So tap water comes up trump's, ehYep. Perhaps we should try a taste test now, Neil?  

  • It would be interesting to see if your enriched  bottled water comes up trumps or not. I tell you  

  • what, let's leave that until later and hear the  answer to today's quiz question instead. Okay,  

  • I asked you: how many litres of bottled water  were sold in the UK in 2016? Was it a) 2.9 billion  

  • litres, b) 29 million litres or c) 2.9 million  litres? Yeah, and I said 29 million litres. And  

  • the answer is... 2.9 billion litres. Wow! You can  buy many different brands of bottled water with a  

  • range of price tags. At the top end, there's  water from a 4,00 year-old Norwegian iceberg.  

  • How much does that cost? Around £80 a bottleOh, as cheap as that - I'll pop out and get some  

  • later. Okay, let's review the words we learned  today. The first one was refreshing, which means  

  • making you feel cool again after being hot. I  enjoyed a refreshing cup of tea. Hmm, well we  

  • British like to say that, don't we? Though I don't  understand how a hot drink can be refreshing. OK,  

  • number two - enriched, which means improving the  quality of something by adding to it. For example,  

  • did you know that many types of breakfast cereal  are enriched with vitamins and minerals, Neil?  

  • No, I didn't, Rob. You learn something new  every day. Number three is manufacture - to  

  • make something in large amounts in a factoryThis company manufactures wellington boots I'm  

  • a wellington boot manufacturer - that has a nice  ring to it. Anyway, when you scare someone off  

  • you make them go away by frightening them. The dog  barked fiercely and scared off the two burglars.  

  • Down, Rob, down number. Five - regulated or  controlled. For example, the sale of tobacco is  

  • tightly regulated by the government. And finally  - if something comes up trumps it produces a  

  • good result, often unexpectedly. My lottery ticket  came up trumps again, I can't believe it! You're a  

  • lucky man, Neil. Okay, it's time to do that taste  test now. If you have an opinion on bottled water  

  • or anything else, please tell us about it on our  Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Youtube pages.

  • Okay, this one definitely tastes  better. And how about this one?  

  • Yeah, definitely - that's the tap waterNeil. No, no, no - I refuse to believe it!  

  • 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

  • Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil  and I'm Rob. Now, Rob, you like your food, don't  

  • you? Oh yes. Yum, yum - food one of my favorite  things. And what do you think of street food? Oh,  

  • I love street food - there are some great places  in London where you can find delicious foods  

  • from all over the world cooked in front  of you in market stalls on the street.  

  • It's quite new though, isn't it? Not reallyBritish tradition. I guess not but it seems to  

  • be much more popular these days. Well, our topic  today is street food but before we tuck into that,  

  • here is today's question: recently, archaeologists  in Jordan discovered what they believe is the  

  • oldest remains of bread. How old is this bread? Is  it a) 18,000 years old, b) 14,000 years old or c)  

  • 5,500 years old? What do you think? I don't know  but what I do know is i wouldn't really want to  

  • try sandwich made from that bread - might bebit moldy. Yes, uh, anyway ii'm gonna have a guess  

  • then ii'll go for c) 5500 years old. Right, we  will find out the answer later in the programme.  

  • Mark Laurie is from the nationwide caterers  association. He's an expert in the business of  

  • street food in the UK. He appeared on BBC Radio  4's, The Food Programme and was asked how the  

  • business of street food has changed in recent  years. In his answer, he talks about the areas  

  • where there is most growth in street food. What  are those areas? It's been phenomenal the growth,  

  • uh, in street foods, it's really taken offit's really become quite mainstream - part  

  • of the cultural fabric of the countryreally, or so it's beginning to be. Uh,  

  • certainly in the bigger cities and increasingly  in the sort of provinces, if you like.  

  • So where does he say the popularity of street  food is growing? He says that it's in the bigger  

  • cities and also in the provinces. The provinces  is a word which means the parts of a country  

  • outside of the cities, so essentially he's saying  it's getting more popular everywhere. Exactly! In  

  • fact, he says the growth is phenomenal. This means  he thinks the growth is spectacular - really big.  

  • Yes, he says that it's really taken off. Taken  off is one of those phrasal verbs that can be  

  • used in many different ways. In this sensewhen something takes off it means it becomes  

  • successful and popular. You know, street food  isn't really something you associate with Britain.  

  • Perhaps it's the climate or British food, so  street food is something that we're now getting  

  • used to and enjoying more. In fact, Mark says that  it's now becoming mainstream. This means it's no  

  • longer something that is seen as being unusual or  different - it's becoming an accepted part of the  

  • everyday eating experience. Well, let's listen  again to Mark Laurie talking about the growth of  

  • street food in the UK. It's been phenomenal, the  growth in street foods - it's really taken off,  

  • it's really become quite mainstream - part of the  cultural fabric of the country, really, or so it's  

  • beginning to be. Certainly in the in the bigger  cities and increasingly in the sort of provinces,  

  • if you like. Mark Laurie goes on to talk about  why street food has become popular. What kind of  

  • food does he say it's not like? Yeah, it's just  really captured the imagination of the public.  

  • It's honest food, it's authentic food and  it's people that you can trust making it.  

  • It's not some microwave food or whatever  that you might get in your local pub.  

  • So, street food is many things but what isn't  it? Well, he says that it's not like food you  

  • might get in some pubs. That food, he saysmay be some microwave food - which is food  

  • prepared in a microwave oven. You knowquite like a microwave meal now and then,  

  • and I reheat my leftovers in the microwave. But  I guess if you were paying for a nice meal you  

  • wouldn't expect reheated leftovers. I think  the point he's making is that in many places,  

  • the food you're served is not freshly madeit may be pre-prepared and finished off in a  

  • microwave. Street food, he says, is authenticYes, authentic - it's real, fresh and cooked  

  • right in front of you and if it's food fromparticular country it's probably being prepared  

  • by people from that culture. He also says that  this has captured the imagination of the public.  

  • It's something that the public have experienced  and thought, yep, you know, I like this. This  

  • is a great idea. Well, all this sort of food is  making me hungry, so let's get the answer to the  

  • quiz and review today's vocabulary before we head  off and grab a bite to eat. We asked about the age  

  • of bread discovered by archaeologists in JordanWas it a) 18,000 years old, b) 14,000 years old  

  • or c) 5,500 years old? And I said c) 5 500 years  old. And I'm afraid it's a lot moldier than that.  

  • The answer was 14,000 years. Ah, very tasty,  I'm sure. Yes, right then the vocabulary - we  

  • started off with the adjective phenomenal to  describe something that is amazing, remarkable  

  • and extraordinary. Then we had - to take off - a  phrasal verb which means to become popular. Street  

  • food has really taken off in the UK - it's become  really popular. And not just in the cities but  

  • also in the provinces which is a noun to describe  areas of a country that aren't the major cities.  

  • Something which captures the imagination is  something which makes you interested and not  

  • just for a short time. And one thing which has  captured the imagination of the British public  

  • is authentic street food. Something authentic is  real - it's genuine. It's not a fake or a copy.  

  • And finally, we had microwave food - food  prepared in a microwave oven and that kind  

  • of food is not seen by some as authenticWell, it's time to eat, so that's all we  

  • have time for today. Join us again next time and  remember you can find us on Instagram, Facebook,  

  • Twitter, Youtube and, of course, on our websitebbclearningenglish.com. See you soon, bye. Bye.

  • I'm Rob and welcome to 6 Minute English. We've  got a sweet topic today and six tempting items  

  • of vocabulary. Hello, I'm Neil and we're going  to be talking about sugar which many of us find  

  • tempting. But how much is too much, Rob? I don't  know, Neil, but hopefully we'll be finding that  

  • out. I must admit, though, I have a sweet tooth  and that means I like sugary things. Me too  

  • but something I'm always seeing in the news these  days is that we're eating too much sugar. And one  

  • important factor is that sugars are sometimes  hidden in processed foods. Processed food is any  

  • food that has been changed in some way by freezing  it or putting it in tins, or by combining foods or  

  • adding chemicals. In fact, some of the sugars  we eat are hidden in food that we think of as  

  • healthy, such as yoghurts, low-fat snacks and  fruit drinks. Do you check the information on the  

  • back of food packets, Rob, to see what's in themYes, I do, but it can be very confusing - there's  

  • so much information and I'm not always sure  how much of a certain thing is bad. Well,  

  • that brings me on to today's quiz question. Can  you tell me: if a food contains five percent total  

  • sugars per 100 grams, is it a) high in sugar,  b) low in sugar or c) somewhere in the middle?  

  • I'll say low, Neil. Okay, well, we'll find out  later. Some food products have colour coding  

  • on the packaging to help you understand the  information, don't they? Red for high levels  

  • of sugar, salt or fat, orange for medium and green  for low. That sounds helpful. Then you can see at  

  • a glance what's good or bad for you. At a glance  means with a quick look. Okay, let's listen now  

  • to BBC reporter Rajiv Gupta interviewing a man in  Chester in the UK. He's asking him to guess how  

  • much sugar there is in a pot of fat-free yoghurt.  I've actually got a pot of yoghurt in front of me.  

  • This says fat-free on it and it's been marketed  as being quite healthy. If I was to say to you,  

  • how much sugar is in here what would you  say, as I say, a quantity of the tub?  

  • I'd probably think maybe a couple of teaspoonfulsyou know, it's quite surprising how much there's  

  • sugars in all these products, isn't thereWell, there's about a third of this yoghurt  

  • pot is actually sugar. To be honest, that's quite  amazing, that. I would never have thought a third  

  • of that would have been sugar in the... just  by looking at it and it does say it's fat-free.  

  • So the yogurt is fat-free which means it doesn't  contain any fat and the man guessed there might be  

  • two teaspoons of sugar in the yoghurt. That's  right, and if something is sugar-free then it  

  • doesn't contain any sugar. But in this case, a  third of the yoghurt's content was sugar. That  

  • to me sounds like an awful lot -even for  someone with a sweet tooth like me. Okay,  

  • well, let's listen to Dr Gunter Kuhnle. He's a  nutritional biochemist at Reading University.  

  • One problem we see in nutrition is, sort of thisfocusing on individual foods. It was at one time,  

  • it was that fat has to be avoided at all costsNow it seems to go towards sugar and sugar is  

  • demonized and people link it to drugs and so on. I  think this is the wrong way forward. Individuals,  

  • yes, you should have a balanced diet but it  is important also to enjoy your food and not  

  • really do this extreme focusing on one  side or one aspect in individual nutrients.  

  • So, if you avoid something at all costs  you do everything you can to avoid it.  

  • And demonize means to make someone or  something seem very bad. Dr Kuhnle thinks that  

  • totally cutting out one type of food  like this, whether it's fat or sugar  

  • is wrong. He thinks we should eat a balanced diet  and enjoy our food. That sounds very sensible.  

  • Now, how about telling us the answer to today's  quiz question, Neil. Ah, thanks for reminding me,  

  • Rob. I asked if food contains five percent total  sugars per 100 grams, is it a) high in sugar, b)  

  • low in sugar or c) somewhere in the middleYou said low, and you were right. Well done if  

  • foods contain more than 22.5 total sugars per 100  grams, they are classified as high. And I guess  

  • that between 5 and 22.5 they are somewhere in the  middle. Correct, okay, shall we go over the words  

  • we heard today? Yeah. First up, if you havesweet tooth it means you like sugary things.  

  • For example, my little nephew has a sweet tooth  - he eats far too many biscuits and sweets. His  

  • dentist won't be pleased. Number two. Processed  food is any food that has been changed in some way  

  • by freezing it or putting it in tins or by  combining foods or adding chemicals. For example,  

  • the meat in sausages is highly processed. Oh dear,  I didn't know that - I'm a big fan of sausages.  

  • Number three - at a glance means with a quick  look. For example, I could tell at a glance  

  • that I wouldn't like the food at that restaurantFat-free means without any fat in it. For example,  

  • I bought this yoghurt because it says fat-free on  the label. But did you realize that a third of it  

  • was sugar? Moving on - if you avoid something at  all costs you do everything you can to avoid it.  

  • For example, I wanted to win the game at all  costs. I didn't know you were so competitive,  

  • Neil. And finally, demonize means to make someone  or something seem very bad. Politicians shouldn't  

  • demonize their opponents. They often do, thoughdon't they? Okay, well that's all we've got time  

  • for on today's show, but please check out our  Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube pages.  

  • Join us again soon! Meanwhile, visit our  website: bbclearningenglish.com where you'll find  

  • guides to grammar exercises, videos and articles  to read and improve your English. Goodbye. Bye.

  • Hello, this is 6 Minute English. I'm Neil and I'm  Catherine. Catherine are you flexitarian? Oh no,  

  • I'm not really religious, Neil. It's notreligion, it's a diet. It means mainly eating  

  • plant-based foods and only occasionally  eating meat. Oh, I see. Sorry, um, well,  

  • I don't eat too much meat, so i'm kind of on the  way to flexitarianism. Some people don't eat meat  

  • for ethical reasons - that means that for themit's wrong to eat meat. It's wrong that animals  

  • should be killed for our food but one of the  reasons for being flexitarian and only eating meat  

  • once in a while is for the benefit of the planetAccording to a recent report, being flexitarian is  

  • healthier for the individual but can also help  to fight climate change. Before we look in more  

  • detail at this topic, a question - do you like  peppers, Catherine? Yes, I do. Is that correct?  

  • Well , that's not the quiz question but this isall peppers are in the same food group. What group  

  • is it? Are peppers fruit, vegetables or herbsAny ideas? This one sounds like a trick question  

  • but I think it's obviously vegetables. YepWell, you'll have to wait a bit to find  

  • out. I'll have the answer later in  the program. Now, Dr Marco Springmann  

  • is from the University of Oxford and was  one of the lead authors of a major report  

  • that looked at the global food system and how it  affects the climate. On the BBC Today program,  

  • he talked about what changes would be  needed. Does he mention just one thing?

  • We really found that a combination of measures  would be needed to stay within environmental  

  • limits and those include changes towards  healthier more plant-based diets, ambitious  

  • technological improvements and changes in farming  management and a reduction of food loss and waste.

  • So, did he mention just one thing, CatherineNo, not at all. He said that there would need  

  • to be a combination of measures which  means a variety of different actions  

  • including moving to a plant-based diet, developing  technology, changing the way we farm and wasting  

  • less food. He described the need for ambitious  technological improvements. Ambitious here means  

  • the developments will have to be impressiveabove the ordinary, not simple. Dr Springmann  

  • was asked if we had to completely remove meat from  the food that we eat to be healthy. What was his  

  • recommendation? Well, we look... we've surveyed  the literature on what a healthy diet is and  

  • according to that, um, if you treat it as luxury  it's probably okay but you shouldn't have more  

  • than one serving of red meat, which includes beef  and pork, per week. So the more plant-based you go  

  • the healthier and the lower in environmental  impacts. And lamb is just the same? Yes.

  • So, do we need to cut out meat entirely? He  says that while a plant-based diet is certainly  

  • healthier, you could still have some red meat but  only once a week. Yes. He said think of it as a  

  • luxury - a luxury food is one that we really enjoy  but don't eat very often. perhaps because it's  

  • very expensive or rare. Or delicious but very bad  for us. We eat it as a treat but not every day.  

  • Springman says we should think of red meat in the  same way - it shouldn't be a regular part of our  

  • diet. How did he come to this opinion? Did they  just make it up themselves because it sounds like  

  • a good idea? Not at all, Neil. He said that they  surveyed the literature - this means that as part  

  • of their report, they studied different scientific  research that had previously been published. Their  

  • advice is based on the evidence of those research  papers. Okay, now the answer to our quiz question.  

  • I asked: to what food group do peppers belong. Was  it a) fruit, b) vegetables c) herbs? Catherine,  

  • you said... I said b) vegetables. Oh dear. Good  try but not right. Thanks for playing. The answer  

  • is a) fruit. Fruit? Really? Yes, a fruit is  the part of a plant that contains the seeds,  

  • so peppers, like tomatoes, pumpkins, avocados  and olives are actually fruit. Well done if you  

  • got that one right. Now our vocabulary. Our first  word is flexitarian - this is the term for a diet  

  • that is mainly plant-based but can include meat  occasionally. Our next word is ethical - this is  

  • in the context of choosing not to eat meat. Some  people are vegetarian because they don't like meat  

  • some because they want a healthier diet and some  for ethical reasons. This means that their choice  

  • is because they feel it is the right thing  to do. The next phrase was a combination of  

  • measures - this means taking different actions to  achieve something - not just doing one thing. We  

  • then had ambitious. If a person's ambitiousit means they want to get on in life and be  

  • successful. But ambitious can also be used to  describe a plan or achievement which is impressive  

  • and above the ordinary. The next phrase  was to survey the literature. This means  

  • to study and analyze the different scientific  research on a particular subject. And finally,  

  • we had luxury - when talking about food, a luxury  is something that we only eat occasionally as a  

  • special treat because it's expensive or unhealthy  but delicious. Well, I'm off for a plate of  

  • delicious vegetables - please join us next time  and why not check us out on your favourite social  

  • media platform on our app and, of course, the  website: bbclearningenglish.com Goodbye. Bye.

  • Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning  English. I'm Neil and I'm Georgina. I'm going to  

  • order some takeaway food, Neil. Do you want  anything? Maybe a pizza? Fish and chips?  

  • Indian curry? Mmm, take away food to eat at home  - that's a great idea. Yes, I'll have a poke bowl,  

  • please. What's that? It doesn't sound like  typical takeaway food. It is nowadays, Georgina.  

  • Over the last few years, the explosion of  food delivery apps like Deliveroo and Just Eat  

  • has seen a revolution in takeaway food. Todayit's not just pizza and curries being delivered  

  • to people's front door - there's a wide range of  food dishes and styles from all around the world.  

  • And with cafes and pubs closed during lockdownmore and more food chains and restaurants are  

  • switching to delivery only services - takeawaysto bring meals to people who are isolating. Over  

  • the last few weeks, many takeaway companies have  seen orders increase dramatically as people find  

  • themselves stuck at home due to the coronavirus  pandemic. But what are they choosing to eat?  

  • That's my quiz question for today, Georgina. Last  year, what was Deliveroo's most ordered dish:  

  • was it a) Hawaiian poke bowls, b)  cheeseburgers or c) chicken burritos?  

  • I would have thought it was fish and chips but  I'll go with b) cheeseburgers. Okay, we'll find  

  • out later if you were right. One consequence  of the increasing popularity of takeaways is  

  • something called dark kitchens - unlike apps such  as Deliveroo and Just Eat which connect customers  

  • to local takeaways, these digital dark kitchens  work as just for delivery restaurants. Inside,  

  • chefs cook in kitchens without waiters tables  or diners, preparing high-quality dishes ready  

  • for delivery straight to your home. One of  the first dark kitchen operations, Taster,  

  • was started by chef Anton Soulier who in 2013  was working for Deliveroo when it was just a  

  • tiny company operating only in London. Now he's  in charge of 12 kitchens catering for customers in  

  • London, Paris and Madrid. Sheila Dillon of BBC  radio 4's, The Food Programme went to the Bethnal  

  • Green area of east London to find out more. When  you go on the Taster website, the restaurant names  

  • are virtual. All of them sold as 'designed for  delivery' by Taster. What that means is all the  

  • menus drawn up by serious chefs are designed  to travel well, chosen so they'll be warm,  

  • retain their texture and won't look like a dog's  dinner when they come off the back of a bike.  

  • So, strangely the delivery, the bike has become  a shaper of the foods we eat. All the restaurants  

  • on Taster are virtual, existing online and created  by computers to appear like the real thing. Chefs  

  • cook the dishes using recipes and ingredients  designed to travel well - be transported a long  

  • way without being damaged or their quality being  spoiled. That's to avoid the takeaway food ending  

  • up like a dog's dinner - an informal way to say  something that looks messy or has been very badly  

  • done. Usually, the takeaways are transported inbox on the back of a delivery cyclist who rushes  

  • them from the kitchen to the customer's home. It's  a very modern way of eating which Sheila thinks  

  • has become a shaper of the foods we eat - meaning  that it has a strong influence on how a situation  

  • develops. However, some are worried that the  increase in takeaways and delivery-only food  

  • means people are losing basic cooking skills. It's  something that Taster boss, Anton, has noted too.  

  • There is a strong underlying trend that, maybeyou know - in 20, 30 years people won't have  

  • kitchens and it's already happening in the U.S.,  for example. I love cooking - it's one of my  

  • passions but I'm really doing it occasionally - on  Sundays and everything, and I think it's going to  

  • almost become a weekend hobby. People choosing  to eat takeaways instead of cooking at home has  

  • become an underlying trend - a general development  in how people behave, which is real but not  

  • immediately obvious. And in the future, cooking at  home may even switch from being a daily necessity  

  • to a hobby - an activity someone does in their  spare time for pleasure or relaxation. I do enjoy  

  • tucking into a takeaway sometimes but personally  I couldn't survive without my kitchen, Neil.  

  • Ah, but could you survive without DeliverooRemember in today's quiz question, I asked you  

  • what Deliveroo's most ordered dish was. I said  b) cheeseburgers, but the correct answer was a  

  • Hawaiian poke bowl - a Hawaiian version of sushiNow that's something I couldn't cook at home.  

  • Today, we've been discussing the revolution in  takeaways and home delivered food which in recent  

  • years has become an underlying trend - a general  development in how people behave or in this case,  

  • eat. Another trend has been the creation of  virtual restaurants - online restaurants which  

  • look like the real thing but exist only on the  internet. Chefs create dishes using ingredients  

  • which travel well - can be transported a long  way without being damaged or spoiled. That's so  

  • the customer doesn't end up with a dog's dinner  - an informal expression meaning something messy  

  • or badly done. Recent developments like high  quality restaurant meals being delivered by bike  

  • are shapers of modern eating - things that have  a strong influence on how a situation develops.  

  • All of which means that cooking may soon become  just a hobby - an activity someone does in their  

  • spare time for pleasure or relaxationFor example, cycling or learning English.  

  • That's all we have time for todayHappy cooking! And goodbye for now! Bye.

  • Hello, this is 6 Minute English. I'm Neil. And I'm  Sam. Sam, have you considered the future of food  

  • much? Uh, well, I think in the future I might have  a sandwich in about 30 minutes in the future. Uh,  

  • not quite what I meant. With the population of  the world increasing, along with the negative  

  • effects of climate change and other global  issues, we might have to radically change our  

  • diets in the future. Ah, yes, I have heard about  this. There are all sorts of developments from  

  • growing artificial meat to developing insect-based  foods. Tasty. Well, we'll look a little more at  

  • this topic shortly but we start as ever with  a question and it's a food based question.  

  • In which continent did tomatoes originate? Is it  a) South America, b) Africa or c) Asia? What do  

  • you think, Sam? Uh, no idea - I'm going to say  Africa but that's just a guess. Okay, well, I  

  • will reveal the answer later in the program. Onrecent edition of BBC Radio 4's The Food Program,  

  • there was an interview with Dr Morgaine Gaye. She  is a futurologist - a futurologist is someone who  

  • studies and predicts the way we will be living in  the future. Her particular area of expertise is  

  • the subject of food. What two things does she  say she thinks about? As a food futurologist,  

  • I think about not just what we're going to be  eating in the future but why - why that thing,  

  • why that trend, why will people suddenly latch  on to that food that way of eating that food  

  • at that particular time. And when I work for  large companies that's what they want to know.  

  • There is an element of a hunch and then proving  or disproving that hunch. So, what two things  

  • does she think about? She says that as a food  futurologist, she thinks about what we will  

  • be eating in the future and also why we will be  eating that food. Yes, in particular, she looks  

  • at why there are particular trends - a trend is  what is popular now or what is becoming popular.  

  • For example, at the moment there is a trend for  eating less red meat. She also looks at why people  

  • latch on to particular trends - to latch onto  here means to be very interested in something. So,  

  • if you latch on to a particular food trend you  start to follow that trend. You might start eating  

  • that particular diet. Information about future  trends is very important for companies in the  

  • food business. How does she actually predict these  trends? She says she starts with a hunch - a hunch  

  • is a feeling you get that something is true. You  don't have any real evidence but your experience  

  • and knowledge makes you think you might be rightLet's listen again. As a food futurologist,  

  • I think about not just what we're going to be  eating in the future but why - why that thing,  

  • why that trend, why will people suddenly latch  onto that food that way of eating that food  

  • at that particular time. And when I work for  large companies, that's what they want to know.  

  • There is an element of a hunch and  then proving or disproving that hunch.

  • Dr Gaye goes on to talk about how on the  subject of food, there are restrictions.  

  • Why is that? Food business, of course, has  different restrictions around it because it's  

  • about safety. We're ingesting that. The supply  chain and the labeling laws are very stringent,  

  • especially in this country. So it takes a lot  longer to get an idea from just a concept that's  

  • discussed around a table to an actual production  facility labelled, branded, tested, marketed  

  • and put on the shelf. So why restrictions? Wellit's about safety. Because we are ingesting food,  

  • which is a way of saying we are putting it into  our bodies, it has to be safe. It can be a long  

  • process of developing a new food and getting it  into the shops because of the need to be safe and  

  • meet the laws of different countries. In the UKshe mentions that the food safety laws are very  

  • stringent. This means that the laws are very  tough, very strict. Let's hear Dr Gaye again.  

  • Food business, of course, has different  restrictions around it because it's about  

  • safety. We're ingesting that. The supply chain  and the labeling laws are very stringent,  

  • especially in this country, so it takeslot longer to get an idea from just a concept  

  • that's discussed around a table to an actual  production facility labelled, branded, tested,  

  • marketed and put on the shelves. Right, well  before we review our vocabulary, let's get  

  • the answer to the question. In which continent  did tomatoes originate? Is it a) South America,  

  • b) Africa c) Asia? Sam, what did you say? I made  a guess at Africa. Well, I'm afraid that's not  

  • right. Congratulations, though, to everyone who  said South America. Right, let's recap our words  

  • and expressions. Okay, well we started with the  word futurologist - this is a noun to describe  

  • someone who studies and predicts the way we will  be living in the future. Then we had trend - this  

  • word can describe what is popular now and the way  in which what is popular is changing. For example,  

  • now we are seeing a trend for eating less red  meat in some parts of the world. If you latch  

  • on to something you become interested in it and  associate yourself with it. We heard that people  

  • very quickly latch on to food trends. Then there  was hunch. A hunch is a feeling about something  

  • you think might be true even though you don't have  real evidence for it. Ingesting something means  

  • taking it into your body - so eating or drinking  it. And finally, a stringent rule is a very strict  

  • rule - a tough rule or law which, in connection to  food, is designed to make sure it is safe and of a  

  • suitable quality. Okay, thank you, Sam. That's  all from 6 Minute English. Goodbye. Bye-bye.

  • Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm NeilAnd hello, I'm Rob. In 6 Minute English, we often  

  • talk about food, don't we, Rob? Oh, yes. Andlove food - it's a very important topic. We know  

  • that too much of the wrong kind of food can be  bad for our health. But there is another way that  

  • food can be harmful for some people. Yes, you're  right - some people have food allergies. They can  

  • become very ill if they eat certain foods such  as peanuts, shellfish, milk and so on. So, Neil,  

  • do you have any food allergies? Uh, fortunately,  I don't but my daughter is allergic to tree nuts  

  • and so she gets very ill if she eats those. Oh  dear. Well, it seems as if there are more food  

  • allergies these days, or more people have them, or  maybe it's just in the news more. Well, that's a  

  • very interesting point because that is the topic  of this program. Before we find out more though,  

  • here is our question. One of the most common food  allergies is to peanuts. Now, what kind of food  

  • is a peanut? Is it a a) vegetable, b) a nut or c)  a legume? Oh, come on! A peanut is a nut! There's  

  • a clue in the name there, Neil, but that would be  too easy, wouldn't it? So, I'm going to say that  

  • I've got no idea what a legume is, so that's my  answer - c. I'll have the answer at the end of the  

  • program. To help answer the question as to whether  food allergies are more common now here's Dr Adam  

  • Fox who is speaking on The Food Program on BBC  Radio 4. Does he think there has been an increase?  

  • I think we can be very confident, if you look back  over say 30 or 40 years, that there are much more  

  • allergic problems around now than there wereSo, for example, very robust studies that look at  

  • prevalence of things like eczema, food allergydo show really significant increases over  

  • 20, 30 years, for example. Has there been an  increase? Well, yes. He says there have been  

  • significant increases - this means there has been  a clear and obvious rise. Why does he think that?  

  • He said that there have been robust studies -  a study is a piece of research and if you say  

  • a study is robust, it means that it was very  detailed and conducted thoroughly to a high  

  • standard. He said that these studies looked at the  prevalence of a few things. Prevalence is a noun  

  • that refers to how common something is, how often  it happens. One of the things they looked at,  

  • as well as food allergies, was eczema - this isskin condition that usually happens in childhood.  

  • The skin can get red, itchy and painful over  different parts of the body. Here's Dr Fox again.  

  • I think we can be very confident if you look back  over say 30 or 40 years that there are much more  

  • allergic problems around now than there wereSo, for example, very robust studies that look at  

  • prevalence of things like eczema, food allergy  do show really significant increases over 20,  

  • 30 years, for example. So what is the reason for  the increase in food allergies? Is it genetics?  

  • Dr Fox again. We certainly can't put it down  to genetics and we now understand that there  

  • is a key role for eczema. So there's a pretty  direct relationship between whether you've got  

  • eczema during infancy and your likelihood  of getting a food allergy. Is it genetics?  

  • No, he says. You can't put it down to geneticswhich means you can't explain it by genetics.  

  • In fact, according to the research if you have  eczema as a child you are more likely to develop  

  • food allergies. Here's Dr Fox one more time. We  certainly can't put it down to genetics and we now  

  • understand that there is a key role for eczemaSo there's a pretty direct relationship between  

  • whether you've got eczema during infancy and  your likelihood of getting a food allergy.  

  • Okay, now time to review our vocabulary, but  first let's have the answer to the quiz question.  

  • I asked: what kind of food is a peanut? Is it a  a) vegetable, b) a nut, c) a legume. What did you  

  • say, Rob? Uh, I said c) a legume because that  was the only one I didn't know and it can't be  

  • as simple as being a nut. An inspired guessIf you said c) legume, then congratulations!  

  • Despite the name, a peanut is not actually a nutRather conveniently though, we don't have time for  

  • me to explain exactly why it's not a nut but i'm  sure you're smart enough to look it up yourself.  

  • So you're not going to explain it? No, sorry  we don't have the time. Um, sounds to me like  

  • you're allergic to hard work! Nice link to  today's vocabulary! We do have time for that.  

  • Today, we've been looking at the topic of  food allergies. This is when a particular  

  • food causes a medical problem. The problem could  be minor or it could be very serious, even fatal,  

  • and these are called allergic reactionsThe topic has been investigated with robust  

  • studies - this is research that has been done  in a very detailed accurate and thorough way.  

  • The next word was the noun prevalence - this is  used to talk about how common or how frequent  

  • something is. In this research, they examine  the prevalence of food allergies in certain age  

  • groups. Closely connected to food allergies is  eczema - this is a medical condition that makes  

  • your skin dry painful and itchy over different  parts of the body. It was reported that there  

  • had been a significant increase in the number of  people suffering from eczema and food allergies.  

  • A significant increase is a big and important  increase. And finally, we had the phrase - to  

  • put something down to something. This means to say  one thing is the reason for another. In this case,  

  • you couldn't put the increase in food allergies  down to genetics. You know what I put the success  

  • of 6 Minute English down to? No, what's thatRob? Your great knowledge of different subjects  

  • and skill as a presenter and communicator. Wellthat's very kind of you but I still don't have  

  • time to explain what a legume is. In factnow it's time to wrap up this edition of 6  

  • Minute English. We look forward to your company  again soon. In the meantime, check us out in all  

  • the usual places online and on social media. We  are BBC learning English. Bye for now. Goodbye.

  • 6 Minute English from BBClearningenglish.com.  

  • Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm NeilAnd I'm Rob. Now, Rob, you look like you enjoy a  

  • good meal. Well ,I do like eating out and I like  to think I know a good meal when I have one.  

  • Well that should give you an advantage with  today's quiz. In 2016, which is the last year  

  • we have statistics for, how many restaurants  and mobile food services were there in the UK?  

  • Was it a) about 75,000 b) about 83,000 or c) about  93,000? Well, I know there are a lot, so I'm going  

  • gonna say 93,000, but that is just a guess. I'll  reveal the answer a little later in the programme.  

  • Today, we're talking about being a foodie. Robwhat is a foodie? Well, I would describe a foodie  

  • as someone who has a strong interest in foodThey like preparing it, as well as eating it.  

  • They like using good ingredients and they're  probably not fans of fast food. Angela Hartnett  

  • is one of Britain's top chefs. In the BBC podcastThe Bottom Line, she talks about this topic.  

  • In this first clip, how does she  describe people who say they are foodies?  

  • I think people who say they're foodies, buy the  books, watch tv and we'll cook a little bit. She's  

  • saying that people who say they are foodies may  not actually know that much about food. They buy  

  • books and watch cookery programs on tv and will  cook a little bit. A little bit is a common phrase  

  • that means a small amount. And if you do something  a little bit, it means you don't do it a lot.  

  • You could just say a little but adding 'bitto the phrase makes it very natural. Well, we  

  • heard a little bit of Angela Hartnett there, let's  hear more now. What's her description of a foodie?  

  • My idea of a foodie is the very European idea that  people go and shop every day. They understand one  

  • end of a pig from another. They, um, that's a bit  romantic but I look at my mother and I look at my  

  • grandmother. In our background, you know, they  made food ,they knew about what was expensive,  

  • they knew about quality and stuff like that. Robdo you know one end of a pig from another? Well,  

  • I hope so, but the point Angela Hartnett is making  is that a true foodie has a good understanding,  

  • for example, of the different parts of an animal  that are used in cooking and what they're used  

  • for. She says that idea might be a bit romanticWe normally think of the word romantic when we're  

  • talking about love and relationships but  that's not what it means here, is it? No,  

  • romantic can also describe a pleasant idea - an  imaginary perfect way of life that forgets about  

  • the difficult things of everyday existence. Let's  hear some more from chef, Angela Hartnett. Now,  

  • what is she worried about? I think we think  we're foodies but I think food is expensive in  

  • this country, I don't think it's affordable for  lots of people and I think we are in danger of  

  • not knowing you know how to cook anymore, how to  make a meal for a family of four for five pounds.  

  • So, Rob what is Angela Hartnett worried aboutShe commented that food was very expensive here  

  • in Britain. Many people don't have enough  money to buy it. As she said it's not  

  • affordable - she thinks we might be in danger  of not being able to feed our families cheaply.  

  • Can you say a bit more about the phrase 'in  danger of'? Sure. The phrase to be in danger of  

  • is followed by a gerund and it means that there is  the possibility of something bad happening - it's  

  • not happened yet but it could happen. ThanksRob. Right, well, we're in danger of running  

  • out of time, so let's get to the answer to the  question I asked at the start of the program.  

  • I asked how many restaurants or mobile food  services there were in the UK in 2016. And I said,  

  • it was a guess, 93,000 but was I right? I'm afraid  you're 10,000 out. The answer is approximately  

  • 83,000. Right, well, I've still got a few more  to get to before I can tick them all off my list.  

  • Me too! Well, before we go, let's recap the  words and phrases we talked about today.  

  • The first was foodie. Yes, foodie is a modern  word to describe someone who is very interested  

  • in all aspects of food, from buying, preparing  and cooking to eating. And someone who may or  

  • may not know which end of a pig is which. Well,  I think you're being a little bit silly there,  

  • aren't you? Well, a little bit was our next  phrase, wasn't it? Yes, a little bit - a very  

  • simple but a very natural conversational phrase  that means a small amount. The next word was the  

  • adjective romantic - not used in the context  of love here, though, was it? No, it wasn't.  

  • A romantic idea here is one that is not realistic  but is an imagined perfect situation. For example,  

  • we have a very romantic view of our childhoods  - when every Christmas was a white Christmas and  

  • every summer holiday was baking hot and spent on  the beach. Of course, it wasn't like that at all.  

  • In reality, both Christmas and summer were cold  and rainy. Then, we had the adjective affordable  

  • for something we have enough money to buyFinally, the phrase to be in danger of. Yes,  

  • meaning the possibility of something bad  happening. Well, that's it for this program.  

  • For more, you can find us on Facebook, TwitterInstagram and our Youtube pages and, of course,  

  • our website: BBClearningenglish.com, where you can  find all kinds of videos and audio programs and  

  • activities to help you improve your EnglishThanks for joining us and goodbye. Bye-bye

  • Well, I have to say I'm a little bit  hungry and if i don't get some food soon,  

  • I'm in danger of getting very  grumpy. You're always grumpy,  

  • Neil, but there is a very affordable cafe around  the corner. Let's head over there now, shall we?

  • Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC  learning English. I'm Neil. And I'm Georgina.  

  • Last November, NASA launched a very unusual home  delivery service - a rocket carrying four tons of  

  • supplies to the ISS - the International Space  Station. Among the scientific equipment were  

  • 12 bottles of red wine from the famous Bordeaux  region of France. The astronauts might have wanted  

  • a glass of wine with dinner but the real purpose  of the bottles was to explore the possibility  

  • of producing food and drink in space. Not  for astronauts but for people back on Earth.  

  • In today's programme, we'll be finding out how  growing plants in space can develop crops which  

  • are more productive and more resistant to climate  change here on Earth. And we'll hear how plants  

  • can grow in environments with little or no natural  light. But first, today's quiz question: What was  

  • the first food grown in space? Was it a) potatoes,  b) lettuce or c) tomatoes? Well, in the film,  

  • The Martian, a stranded astronaut grows potatoes  on Mars. I know it's only a film but I'll say a)  

  • potatoes. Okay, we'll find out the answer laterNow, you might be wondering how it's possible to  

  • grow plants without natural light. British company  Vertical Future has been working on this problem  

  • by developing indoor farming methods in  partnership with NASA. Here's their head  

  • of research Jen Bromley explaining the process  to BBC World Service program The Food Chain.

  • Basically, we use LED lighting and we use LED  lights that are tuned to specific wavelengths. So,  

  • if you imagine what the rainbow looks like, the  reason a plant looks green is because it's not  

  • using all the green light. It actually reflectslot of that back. So the reason why it looks pink  

  • in here is because we're actually only using  red light and blue light to grow the plants.  

  • And that essentially tailors the light  diet so that the plants look kind of  

  • black when you look at them because they're  not reflecting any light. They're being  

  • super efficient - they're using up every  photon that hits them. The lack of natural  

  • light in space means that plants are grown  using LED lights. LED is an abbreviation of  

  • light emitting diode - an electronic device that  lights up when electricity is passed through it.  

  • On Earth, plants look green because they  reflect back any light traveling at a certain  

  • wavelength - the distance between two waves of  light, which makes things appear to us in the  

  • various colors of the rainbow. But when scientists  control the wavelengths being fed. plants are able  

  • to absorb every photon - particle of light energy  - making them appear black. Each particle of light  

  • that hits the leaves is absorbed and through  photosynthesis is converted into plant food.  

  • NASA found that different color combinations or  light recipes can change a plant's shape, size and  

  • even flavour. But the lack of natural light isn't  the biggest obstacle to growing food in space.  

  • Here's Gioia Massa, chief plant scientist at  the kennedy space center in florida to explain

  • Microgravity is really challenging but plants  are amazing! They can adapt to so many different  

  • environmentswe call this plasticity because  they can turn on or off their genes to really  

  • adapt to all sorts of conditions and  that's why you see plants growing in  

  • different areas on Earth - the  same type of plant may look very  

  • different because it's adapting to the  environment in that specific location.

  • On Earth, plants use gravity to  position themselvesshoots grow up,  

  • roots grow down. But this doesn't apply  in space because of microgravity - the  

  • weaker pull of gravity making  things float and seem weightless.

  • Plants can only survive in these conditions due to  their plasticitythe ability of living organisms  

  • to adapt and cope with changes in the environment  by changing their biological structure.

  • Plants adapt themselves to being in space by  manipulating their genes - chemicals and DNA  

  • in the cells of plants and animals which  control their development and behaviour.

  • In the low-gravity atmosphere of space, plants  become stressed but they adapt genetically.

  • And as a result they're stronger  and more resilient to other,  

  • less stressful events when  they return home to Earth.

  • Like those bottles of red wine  orbiting Earth as we speak.  

  • The effects of microgravity on the wine's  organic composition will be studied  

  • and could hopefully offer solutions for  growing food in Earth's changing climate.

  • So, Neil, if it wasn't red grapeswhat was the first food grown in space?

  • Ah yes, in today's quiz question I asked  what the first plant grown in space was.

  • I said, a) potatoes.

  • But, in fact, it was… b) lettucegrown over fifteen months on the ISS,  

  • then eaten in fifteen minutes  in the first ever space salad.

  • Today we've been discussing the  possibilities of growing plants in space  

  • using LED lightsdevices that  use electricity to produce light.

  • The energy needed for plants to grow is contained  in photonsor light particles, travelling at  

  • different wavelengthsdistances between light  waves which make things look different colours.

  • Plants have evolved over millennia  using the strong gravity on Earth.  

  • But this changes in space because of  microgravitythe weaker gravitational  

  • pull making things in space  float and seem weightless.

  • Luckily plants use their genesthe chemicals  in DNA responsible for growth - to adapt to new  

  • environments by changing their biological  structure – a process known as plasticity.

  • All of which makes it possible for astronauts to  enjoy a glass of wine and green salad in space.

  • And genetically stronger plants  specimens to study back on Earth.

  • That's all for today but join us again  soon at 6 Minute English. Bye for now!

  • Bye!

Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.  

Subtitles and vocabulary

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