VÍDEO SIX MINUTE - FROM BBC LONDRES

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BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'Fashion and Shopping' English mega-class! One hour of new vocabulary!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from 

BBC Learning English. I'm Georgina…

And I'm Neil.

In this programme, we’re talking about buying  

clothes and only wearing them a few 
times before buying more clothes!

This is something known as 

fast fashion – it’s popular,  

it might make us feel good, but 

it’s not great for the environment.

Which is why lots of people this year are pledging 

– or promising publicly - to buy no new clothes.

I for one am wearing the same 

shirt I bought seven years ago.

You’re certainly not a fashion 

victim, Neil! But first,  

let’s test your knowledge of 

fast fashion with a question.  

Do you know how many items of clothing were 

sent to landfill in the UK in 2017? Was it… 

a) 23 million items,
b) 234 million items or 

c) 2.3 billion items

What do you think, Neil?

I’m sure it’s lots, but not billions, 

so I’m going to say 23 million items.

I shall tell you if you’re right 

at the end of the programme.  

Let’s talk more about fast fashion, which is 

being blamed for contributing to global warming.

And discarded clothes – that means ones 

that are thrown away - are also piling  

up in landfill sites, and fibre fragments are 

flowing into the sea when clothes are washed.

It’s not great – and I’ve heard the average 

time someone wears something is just seven!  

So why is this, and what is driving 

our desire to keep buying more clothes?

I think we should hear from 

fashion journalist Lauren Bravo,  

who’s been speaking on the BBC 

Radio 4 programme, You and Yours.  

She explained that clothes today are relatively 

cheaper than those from her parents’ days…

A lot of clothing production got outsourced 

- offshored over to the developing world,  

so countries like Indonesia, India, Bangladesh 

and China are now responsible for making the  

vast bulk of all the clothes that are sold 

in the UK. And with that, we've seen what  

we call ‘chasing the cheapest needle’ around 

the world, so the fashion industry constantly  

looking to undercut competitors, and with that 

clothes getting cheaper and cheaper and cheaper.

Right, so clothes – in the developed 

world at least – have become cheaper  

because they are produced in developing countries.  

These are countries which are trying to become 

more advanced economically and socially.

So production is outsourced – that means work 

usually done in one company is given to another  
company to do, often because that company 
has the skills to do it. And in the case of  

fashion production, it can be done cheaper by 

another company based in a developing country.

Lauren used an interesting expression 

‘chasing the cheapest needle’ – so the  

fashion industry is always looking to 

find the company which can make clothes  

cheaper – a company that can undercut another 

one means they can do the same job cheaper.

Therefore the price of 

clothes gets cheaper for us.

OK, so it might be good to be 

able to buy cheaper clothes.  

But why do we have to buy more – 

and only wear items a few times?

It’s all about our obsession 

with shopping and fashion.  

It’s something Lauren Bravo goes 

on to explain on the You and Yours  

radio programme. See if you can hear 

what she blames for this obsession…

Buying new things has almost become a trend 

in itself for certain generations. I think  

that feeling that you can't be seen in the same 

thing twice, it really stems from social media,  

particularly. And quite often people are buying 

those outfits to take a photo to put on Instagram.  

It sounds illogical, but I think when all of your  

friends are doing it there is 

this invisible pressure there.
Lauren makes some interesting points. Firstly,  

for some generations, there is 

just a trend for buying things.

It does seem very wasteful, but, as Lauren says, 

some people don’t like to be seen wearing the same  

thing twice. And this idea is caused by social 

media – she uses the expression ‘stems from’.

She describes the social pressure of needing 

to be seen wearing new clothes on Instagram.  

And the availability of cheap 

clothes means it’s possible to post  

new images of yourself wearing 

new clothes very regularly.

Hmm, it sounds very wasteful and to 

me, illogical – not reasonable or  

sensible and more driven by emotions 

rather than any practical reason.

But, there is a bit of a backlash now – that’s 

a strong negative reaction to what is happening.  

Some people are now promising to buy second-hand 

clothes, or ‘vintage clothes’, or make do with the  

clothes they have and mend the ones they need. 

It could be the start of a new fashion trend.

Yes, and for once, I will 

be on trend! And it could  

reduce the amount of clothes sent to 

landfill that you mentioned earlier.

Yes, I asked if you knew how many items 

of clothing were sent to landfill in the  

UK in 2017? Was it…

a) 23 million items, 

b) 234 million items or

c) 2.3 billion items 

What did you say, Neil?

I said a) 23 million items.

And you were wrong. It’s actually 234 

million items – that’s according to  

the Enviro Audit Committee. It also found that 1.2  

billion tonnes of carbon emissions is 

released by the global fashion industry.

Well, we’re clearly throwing away too many clothes  

but perhaps we can recycle some of 

the vocabulary we’ve mentioned today?

I think we can, starting with pledging 

- that means publicly promising to do  

something. You can make a pledge to do something.

When something is outsourced,it 

is given to another company to do,  

often because that company has the skills 

to do it or it can be done cheaper.

And if one company undercuts another, it 

charges less to do a job than its competitor.

The expression stems from means ‘is caused by’ or  

‘a result of’. We mentioned that rise in fast 

fashion stems from sharing images on Instagram.

And we mentioned this being illogical. 

So it seems unreasonable - not sensible,  

and more driven by emotions 

rather than any practical reason.

And a backlash is a strong negative 

reaction to what is happening.

And that brings us to the end of our discussion 

about fast fashion! Please join us again next  

time. Bye.
Bye.

Hello and welcome to Six Minute English. 

I'm Neil and joining me today is Dan – who  

is weighed down with shopping bags and wearing 

something very… strange. What's going on, Dan?

Hi everyone. Well, I was feeling a bit miserable 

so I decided to cheer myself up by going shopping!

Well that's lucky because the link 

between shopping and mood is what  

we're looking at in this 6 Minute 

English – and of course we'll be  

giving you six mood and shopping-related 

vocabulary items. But first, our quiz:

Online shoppers in which 

country spend more per household  

than consumers in any other country, according 

to a report from the UK Cards Association?

a) The USA

b) Norway

c) The UK

Norway seems to come top of lots of lists, so 

for that reason alone I'm going to say Norway.

We'll find out at the end of the show.  

Now, Dan, you said just now that you went 

shopping because you were feeling down.

That's right – I like a bit of retail therapy.

Retail therapy is a humorous expression which 

means going shopping to make yourself feel better.
Oh, I do that all the time.

Yes, I can see. And you're not alone. 

According to some research done by the  

website moneysupermarket.com, people are more 

likely to buy things they'll later regret  

when they're feeling sad, bored or stressed.

Well I was feeling a bit down in the 

dumps. And that's a way of saying 'sad'.

Oh dear, Dan. Sorry to hear you've been down 

in the dumps. I only hope you don't also get a  

pang of regret about your purchases when you get 

them home – the research suggests that you will.

A pang is a sharp pain. We often 

hear it used figuratively to talk  

about strong emotions like guilt, regret and 

remorse. You're making me feel worse, Neil

Sorry Dan – it's all for educational purposes! 

Our audience will learn from your pain!  

Remorse is like regret – and there's a good 

expression to describe exactly that bad feeling  

you get when you realise you don't really need 

or want the thing you've bought. Buyer's remorse.

OK, OK, OK enough about me. Let's hear from Sam, 

Phil and Catherine from the Learning English team  

to see if their mood affects the shopping 

choices they make. Listen carefully. Can  

you hear the three types of things they say 

that they buy when they're down in the dumps?

Honestly, I tend to buy food. Anything that 

will bring me comfort, so it can be any sort of  

warm drink, hot drink but also anything kind 

of warm and cosy – so like a nice jumper.
Definitely, if I've had a bad day at work, 
or for whatever reason or I feel terrible,  

tired, I am more likely to 

buy something on the way home.

Oh when I'm feeling sad, I probably buy a 

little bit of wine and often something to  

wear. I find that a bit of retail therapy when 

I'm sad usually does the trick at the time,  

so it makes me feel better. But I do 

find that when I look in my wardrobe,  

the things that I bought when 

I was sad – I never wear them.

Sam, Phil and Catherine there 

from the BBC Learning English team  

talking about what kind of things they buy 

when they're feeling down. What were they?

Food, drink and clothes.

That's right. Sam mentioned she buys 

food, warm drinks and a nice jumper  

to keep her cosy. That's the feeling 

of being warm, comfortable and relaxed.

Catherine also mentioned drinks – this time 

wine. And she also said that buying clothes  

does the trick. That means achieves the result  

she intended. She feels down, she buys 

clothes, she feels better – it does the trick.

But what's interesting is that 

Catherine said she never wears the  

clothes she buys when she's feeling 

sad. That's exactly what the survey  

found – people regret the purchases they 

make when they're sad, bored or stressed.

Sounds like a case of buyer's remorse.

Indeed. Well, time now for the answer 

to our quiz question. I asked this:  

Online shoppers in which country spend more per 

household than consumers in any other country,  

according to a report from the 

UK Cards Association? Is it:

a) The USA 

b) Norway
c) The UK

I said b) Norway.

And I'm afraid you might need to go 

and buy some more stuff to cheer you  

up – you're wrong! The correct 

answer is the UK. Apparently,  

UK households spent the equivalent of $5,900 

(£4,611) using payment cards online in 2015.

Well, I hope they were happy when 

they made those purchases or they  

may feel the pang of regret I'm scared 

I might get after today's discussion!

Well, a good recap of the vocabulary 

from this programme might do the trick.

Shall we start with the first word? Do you 

ever go in for a bit of retail therapy, Neil?

Actually, I try to avoid it. Especially after 

reading this survey – I don't think the happiness  

you feel after buying something lasts very long. 

In fact, you can end up feeling down in the dumps.

Down in the dumps - meaning sad/unhappy. Yes 

and a pang of regret might follow once you  

realise you've spent a lot of money 

on something you don't really need.

A pang is a stab – used here 

figuratively to mean a sharp pain  

used to talk about strong emotions. And 

after the pang can come buyer's remorse.

Hmm, I'm beginning to feel buyer's remorse from  

this leopard skin onesie. Seemed 

like such a good idea at the time.

Well it does look cozy – 

warm comfortable and relaxed,  

so I think if that's what you 

wanted, it does the trick.

Does the trick, meaning 

achieves the result you wanted.

OK before Dan heads off to buy even more stuff 

he doesn't need, please remember to check out our  

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.

Bye!

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

And hello, I'm Rob.

Now, then, Rob, what do you know about unicorns?

Ah, well, the unicorn is a fantasy 

creature from history. In our tradition,  

it looks like a white horse with a single spiral 

horn coming out of its head. Why do you ask?

Well, funnily enough, unicorns are the topic 

of this programme. Before we learn more though,  

a question. What do we call the study of 

legendary creatures like the Loch Ness Monster,  
Big Foot and unicorns? Is it:
a) Cryptozoology, 

b) Protozoology, or
c) Paleozoology? 

Have you got any idea about that, Rob?

Ah, well, I know this because it was the topic 

of a 6 Minute English programme a while back,  

in 2008, to be exact. So I think 

I'll keep the answer to myself.

OK, well for everyone else, we'll have 

the answer later in the programme.  

Over the last few years unicorns have been popping 

up all over the place - on T-shirts, in movies,  

as toys and even in political conversations. Why 

is this? Natalie Lawrence is a natural historian.  

She appeared on the BBC's Woman's Hour 

programme to discuss the topic. Listen out  

for the answer to this question: Why does she 

say people used to drink out of unicorn horns?

Those original stories were developed in a time 

when magic actually existed in the world. The  

world was still very enchanted … the idea that 

the unicorn is a very strong animal and also that  

could achieve magical feats, so unicorn horn 

used to be seen as a panacea for all sorts of  

ills and a guard against poison. So people 

used to drink out of unicorn horn cups to  

prevent themselves getting poisoned, and 

I think that idea of it being magical and  

having magical powers has 

still come through today.
Why did they drink from unicorn horn cups?

Well, they were supposed to have magical powers  

so people drank from them so 

they wouldn't get poisoned.

Yes, she said they could perform magical feats. 

A feat is something that is difficult to do  

or achieve - like recording this programme 

without making a mistake, that's a real feat!

Well, we usually do it. It 

must just be unicorn magic.

No, just the magic of editing, Rob!  

Now, she also said that unicorn horn was 

seen as a panacea. What does that mean?

A panacea is another word for a cure 

- something that can protect you from  

illness or help you recover if you are sick. 

But is all this true, about the unicorn horn?

Well, seeing as how unicorns 

don't and never have existed,  

it's unlikely to be true. She says these stories 

come from a time when the world was enchanted.  

This means it was a time when people believed in 

magic and the possibility of mysterious creatures  

from mysterious parts of the world. It seems as if 

these days people are looking for a bit of magic,  

a bit of enchantment in their lives. The 

unicorn has also come to be a term commonly  

used in politics to refer to unrealistic ideas and 

plans. Why is this? Here's Natalie Lawrence again.

Because it's such a potent 

cultural symbol at the moment  
it's being deployed in one of the 
most pressing issues of our time,  

as well, so… and the idea of the UK trying 

to be its own special unicorn potentially…

So Rob, what is she talking about here?

Well, we are in a very complicated time 

politically in the UK at the moment.  

She says they are pressing times. A term which 

means something important but difficult has to be  

done in a very short time. A pressing matter is an 

important one that has to be dealt with urgently.

Now, at the time of recording our parliament can't 

agree on the current pressing matter of Brexit and  

each side says the other has unicorns. There's 

nothing special or magical about these unicorns -  

it's a negative comment - a unicorn is a fantasy 

idea - a plan that has no chance of working,

She says unicorns are a potent 

symbol - which means they are  

a very strong and recognisable symbol.

And this symbol is being used, or as she said 

being deployed. This is the same word that would  

be used when you send a military force somewhere. 

You deploy the army in a military conflict, and in  

the current political conflict they are deploying 

the word 'unicorn'! Here’s Natalie Lawrence again.

Because it's such a potent 

cultural symbol at the moment  

it's being deployed in one of the 

most pressing issues of our time,  

as well, so… and the idea of the UK trying 

to be its own special unicorn potentially…
Right, our pressing matter now is the vocabulary 
review. Before that though, the answer to this  

week's question: What do we call the study of 

legendary creatures like the Loch Ness Monster,  

Big Foot and unicorns. Is it:

a) Cryptozoology, 

b) Protozoology, or
c) Paleozoology? 

Rob, you knew the answer to this, didn't you?

I did, yes. If you look back at 

our archive to September 2008  

you will find an episode 

all about a) Cryptozoology.

Well done, if you got that right - particularly 

if you remember that programme! Now, vocabulary  

from this programme. There was enchanted to talk 

about a time when magic was believed to be real.

A feat is something that is very difficult 

to achieve and a panacea is a cure.

Something that's potent is strong and powerful  

and if you deploy something, you 

use it, you put it into operation.

And something pressing is 

urgent, it needs to be done soon.

Right, that's it from us for now. Hope you 

can join us again soon. If you can't wait,  

you can find bbclearningenglish on social media, 

online and on our very own app. Bye for now.

Bye-bye!

Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English, 

I'm Neil. And joining me it's Rob.
Hello.

Today, we'll be discussing whether wearing 

high-heeled shoes is a fashion statement or a  

sign of oppression – and by that I mean something 

you have to wear because someone has told you to.

Now Neil, whatever style of shoe you choose to 

wear, it's good to polish them and keep them  

looking shiny and new – but one man from India 

called Vickrant Mahajan, set the Guinness World  

Record for polishing the most shoes. Do you know 

how many pairs he polished in eight hours? Was it…

a) 151 pairs

b) 251 pairs, or

c) 351 pairs?

Well, if it was me, it would be no more than one 

pair – but as it's a world record, I'm going to  

go for 351 pairs. Hopefully you'll give me the 

answer later! But let's focus now on high heels.

Yes. It's a style of shoe worn 

by women around the world.  

But why do millions of people choose 

to walk on strange, stilt-like shoes?

Studies have suggested wearing high heels can 

lead to damage to the muscles and skeleton.  

But despite this, they are worn to look 

professional in the workplace or for  

glamour – a word to describe the quality 

of looking fashionable and attractive.

And of course, they are associated with female 

glamour, which is something Tim Edwards,  
Honorary Fellow in Sociology at the University 
of Leicester, has been talking about on the BBC  

Radio 4 programme, Thinking Allowed. Here 

he is describing why he thinks that is…

Women's shoes in particular kind of have this kind 

of transformative or even magical quality - they  

can do something for a woman, and it's quite 

difficult to kind of draw parallels quite  

like that with men in a sense of which it almost 

becomes something slightly otherworldly. However  

one views it, as something which is a kind of act 

of subordination or an act of empowerment etc,  

there is a sense in which your experience 

is changed - you are suddenly raised 3-4-5-6  

inches higher, your balance is altered, 

your experience is transformed.

So, he describes high heels as having a magical 

quality. He uses the word transformative – meaning  

a great improvement or positive change – so 

they transform or improve how someone looks.

Well, they do make you taller and that can 

make you feel more powerful or important.  

Tim even said it becomes otherworldly 

– an adjective to describe belonging  

to an imaginary world rather than the real world.

Magical shoes do sound otherworldly but Tim also 

mentioned that wearing high heels could be seen  

as an act of subordination – that's making someone 

do something to give them less authority or power.

Well, I guess that's only if you are 

forced to wear them. But there's another  

interesting point here – men don't have 

a style of footwear that can define them.

Yes, it's just sandals for you 

and sports trainers for me.  

In fact Tim Edwards says it's difficult to 

draw parallels with men's shoes. When you  

draw parallels between two distinct things, it 

means you highlight the similarities – but here  

he's saying it's difficult to find similarities. 

Men have nothing special to wear on their feet.

Of course, there is nothing to stop men 

wearing high heels – although personally  

I don't think I'd be able to keep my 

balance – but Tim Edwards suggests it  

would be viewed with suspicion. 

Let's hear what he has to say…

I think the issue with men and footwear is that 

if you think of more contemporary culture - I  

mean the guy who kind of wears overly-flamboyant 

shoes or shoes which are not black, brown or flat  

is viewed with a degree of suspicion 

- either in terms of his sexuality,  

or in terms of his work ethic - or in 

terms of his kind of general moral, well,  

you know, his moral standards 

in other kinds of ways.

He says that if you don't wear a regular, 

ordinary black, brown or flat style of shoe,  

you might be viewed with suspicion. Men who 

wear shoes that are flamboyant – that's brightly  

coloured and that attracts attention – have 

their sexuality or their attitude to work judged.

He mentions someone's work ethic – that's the 

belief that working hard is morally right.  

A man who wears flamboyant shoes 

may have a different attitude to  

work. It sounds like quite an old-fashioned view.

It does, and let's hope people don't judge you 

when you go out wearing your sandals and socks!  

But now, how about giving us the 

answer to the question you set earlier.

Yes. I told you about Vickrant Mahajan, 

who set the Guinness World Record for  

polishing the most shoes. I asked if you knew 

how many pairs he polished in eight hours.

And I guessed 351 pairs. Come on, was I right?

I'm afraid not, Neil. The answer was 251 

pairs. It's still quite a lot – that's 502  

individual shoes and I'm not sure if 

he actually got paid for doing it.

Right, let's polish up some 

of our English vocabulary  

and remind ourselves of some of the words we've 

discussed today, starting with oppression.

Oppression is when you are forced to 

do something by someone more powerful.

We talked about glamour – a word to describe the 

quality of looking fashionable and attractive.

Our next word was transformative – meaning 

a great improvement or positive change.

Otherworldly is an adjective to 

describe belonging to an imaginary world  

rather than the real world 

– it's magical or special.
We also discussed an act of 
subordination – that's making  

someone do something to give 

them less authority or power.  

To draw parallels is an idiom meaning to highlight 

the similarities between two distinct things.

And we mentioned flamboyant 

– that describes someone or  

something brightly coloured 

and that attracts attention.

Finally, we talked about work ethic – that's 

the belief that working hard is morally right.  

Something that both Neil and I have!

And that brings to the end of the programme.  

Don't forget to visit our website at 

bbclearningenglish.com. Bye for now.

Bye bye.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English and 

I'm Neil. And joining me today is Rob.

Hello.
Rob, how do feel about shopping?

Urgh! Mooching around a shopping 

mall from one shop to another,  

spending money - it's my idea of hell!

How about shopping online?

Ah yes, much better – sitting in front of 

the TV and browsing online is much easier.

Well, that can be a problem – it's sometimes 

too easy, especially when we are tired – and we  

sometimes make purchases we regret. That's what 

we'll be talking about in this programme – an  
activity known as 'vampire shopping'. But 
before we continue, it's my job to set you  

a quiz question, so here goes. According 

to the UK's Office for National Statistics,  

at the end of 2018, what percentage of all 

retail sales took place online? Was it… 

a) 9.8%,
b) 19.8%,  

or
c) 29.8%?

Buying things online is big 

business now, so I'll say c) 29.8%.

Well, you’ll have to wait a bit to find out. But 

let's talk more now about vampire shopping – this  

term refers to shopping late at night - 

traditionally a time when vampires appear.

Most of us are asleep at this 

time but sleep-deprived parents,  

shift-workers and gamers might not be. 

If you're an insomniac – someone who  

can't sleep easily – it's tempting to 

open up your laptop and start shopping.

Online shops are open 24 hours a day so it's 

easy to get sucked in and do some shopping!

When you get sucked into something it 

means you can't stop yourself getting  

involved with something that you didn't want 

to do. So what you're saying Neil is at night,  

when we're very tired, we don't always think 

straight and can make some bad decisions.

That's right. And this shopping temptation can 

be particularly problematic for those with mental  
health issues. It's something Helen Undy has 
been talking about on the BBC Radio 4 programme,  

You and Yours. She is the Chief 

Executive of the Money and Mental  

Health Institute. Let's hear what she had to say…

Our ability to control our impulse to 

spend and to resist things like advertising  

is reduced when we're sleep deprived. Well 

mental health problems can have a similar  

effect so the mental health problems themselves 

make it harder to resist the urge to spend  

and they also cause sleep deprivation, so you're 

alone possibly surfing the internet, and both the  

lack of sleep and the mental health problems make 

it harder to resist the things that you can see.

Helen said that for all us, when 

we're sleep deprived – that means  

not having enough sleep – we find it 

harder to resist the urge to shop.  

We're more sucked in to shopping 

by the advertising we see.

And resist the urge means stop 

yourself acting on a strong  

feeling to do something. But this is more 

serious for people with mental health  

issues. They are particularly sleep deprived 

and along with everything that's going  

on in their minds, they find it harder to 

resist – to stop themselves buying things.

I suppose buying things at night, if you're 

alone, gives you some comfort - even a feel-good  
factor – doing something that gives someone a 
happy and positive feeling. I certainly feel  

good when I've bought something. But Rob, 

have you ever bought something you regret?

Yes. Bits of tech, even flight 

tickets to somewhere I didn't  

really want to go to – because they were cheap!

Regret is a sad feeling you get when you've 

made a mistake and wished you hadn't made  

the mistake in the first place. We 

all have regrets Rob, particularly  

when buying things – but there's usually the 

option to return something and get a refund.

That's true but it's not always easy. Let's 

hear what Helen Undy had to say about that.

We found in our research that 75% of people,  

so regardless of whether you've got a mental 

health problem or not - three-quarters of people  

didn't send back the last thing they bought 

online that they regretted. We found that 4  

in 10 people with mental health problems didn't 

send things back because they were so ashamed of  

the things that they were buying that they 

just wanted to pretend it never happened.

So, she says that three-quarters of 

people didn't send back the last thing  

they bought that they regretted. 

Maybe they were too embarrassed?

Possibly. But it's not 

always easy to return an item  

and for those with mental health 

issues it can be a struggle,  
a great effort. Helen Undy says that 
sometimes they were ashamed of their purchase.

Well, I think we have all bought 

things we are ashamed of. But while  

online shopping continues to expand 

the temptation will always be there.

Well, your question earlier was about the rise 

in online shopping, so what's the answer, Neil?

I asked according to the UK's Office for National 

Statistics, at the end of 2018, what percentage of  

all retail sales took place online? Was it…

a) 9.8%, 

b) 19.8%, or
c) 29.8%?

I said c) 29.8%. I've got to be right!

Well, you're not. The rise was a bit 

smaller at b) 19.8%. But that's still  

large compared with ten years previously, when 

the figure was just 5.8% of all retail sales.

No doubt the figure will continue to rise. And 

before I nip off to do a bit of vampire shopping,  

let's recap some of the vocabulary we've 

mentioned today. Starting with insomniac.

An insomniac is someone who can't sleep 

easily. They suffer from insomnia.

Next, we talked about to get sucked into 

something. This informal phrase means not  

being able to stop yourself getting involved 

with something that you don't want to do.

If you are sleep deprived, 

you do not have enough sleep.
And if you resist the urge, you stop yourself 
acting on a strong feeling to do something.  

For example, resisting the 

urge to buy something online.

But if you don't resist the urge to buy 

something, it might have a feel-good  

factor. A feel-good factor is something 

that makes you feel happy and positive.

But after buying something you may have 

regret. That's a sad feeling you get  

when you've made a mistake and wished you 

hadn't made the mistake in the first place.

Well, hopefully you haven't regretted spending 6 

minutes listening to us! Please join us next time  

and in the meantime, why not check us out on your 

favourite social media platforms and on our app.

Goodbye!
Goodbye!

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Dan.

Neil
Let me just sit down. Ah! And I'm Neil.

Dan
Neil, are you wearing high heels?

Neil
Hang on. Ah! Not any more!

Dan
How did they feel?

Neil
Agony! How do women do this?

Dan
Why on earth are you wearing them?

Neil
Well,  

I wanted to look fashionable and cool! 

Everyone knows that high heels are the  

height of fashion – on the street, at work 

and at parties. I'm ready for anything!

Dan
I'm not so sure you're right there,  

Neil. Our topic for this 6 Minute English is about 

the rise in popularity of the comfy shoe. However,  

before we step into that, let's have our quiz 

question. Which famous sports clothing company's  

first pair of running shoes was inspired by the 

square pattern on a waffle-making machine? Was it:

a) Adidas

b) Nike, or

c) Puma

Neil
Well,  

I have no idea, so I'm going to say 

Adidas because that's got marks.

Dan
We'll have  

to wait until later to find out. So, what 

do you think of when I say comfy shoes?

Neil
Well,  

comfy is an adjective which is an informal way 

of saying 'comfortable'. So, I suppose we're  

talking trainers. But I was always told that 

trainers weren't appropriate for everywhere,  

like work and many formal or social 

places, such as parties, bars and clubs.

Well, that certainly used to be the case, but 

that may not be as true any more. Victoria Moss  

is the Senior Fashion Editor at the Telegraph 

newspaper in the UK. Here she is speaking on  

BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour about why trainers 

are considered more fashionable these days.  

Is it something that's happened very recently?

Well I think it's been, sort of, coming on for  

a while. And I think one thing in fashion in 

the last 10 years has been a, sort of, mass  

casualisation of everything. And there's been a 

big streetwear trend, which has filtered through.

So, is it something that's happened very recently?

Apparently not, no. She said 

that there has been a mass  

casualisation of things over the last 10 years.  

Casualisation here means 'the process of becoming 

less formal and more relaxed' – 'more casual'.

Yes! Society has relaxed its idea of 

what is considered formal or appropriate.  

In addition, we're told there has been a 

big streetwear trend. Streetwear is a style  

of casual clothing worn especially by young 

people from urban settings – that's the city.

This trend has filtered through.  

If something filters through, it 

appears or happens gradually over time.

So, presumably, the trend for 

streetwear filtered through  
from its specialised area into mainstream 
fashion until everyone was following it.

Well, that explains why trainers 

are more fashionable these days,  

but it doesn't explain why people are wearing 

them more. Not everyone follows fashion, you know.

Yes, Neil I can see that when I look at you. But 

you're forgetting the comfy part. Emma Supple is  

a podiatrist – a foot doctor - who also spoke 

on Woman's Hour. Here she is explaining why  

being comfy is so important. What are people 

doing more these days that they weren't before?

So what we're actually talking about is, 

actually, people, for wellness walking more  

and doing more… and they're not going to do that 

in a lot of high heels… so trainers are changing  

the materials. There are now a lot of fabric 

trainers and if you've inherited foot problems,  

then that kind of fabric… they're wrapping 

around knobbly bits, and knobbly bits hurt.

What are people doing more?

They're walking more and they're doing it for 

wellness. Wellness is the state of being healthy.

As a result, trainers have had to 

change their materials to fabric  

to make themselves more comfortable.

Not only that, but if you have any 

foot problems, these fabric, or cloth,  

trainers are better at fitting to the shape 

of your foot. That means if you have any  

knobbly bits, they won't hurt as much, which 

makes trainers more comfortable for everyone!
Knobbly is an adjective that means 'lumpy' 
– 'having many raised areas on the surface'.

So, it's the combination of a change 

in fashion and a change in materials  

that's made trainers and other comfy 

shoes more popular than ever, right?

Exactly! And hard on the heels of that 

revelation, we can reveal the answer to our  

quiz question. Earlier I asked which famous sports 

clothing company's first pair of running shoes  

was inspired by the square pattern 

on a waffle-making machine. Was it:

a) Adidas

b) Nike, or

c) Puma

Neil, you said?

I said Adidas

Sorry. The answer is Nike. In 1971 

their co-founder Bill Bowerman was  

having breakfast when he saw the waffle machine  

and it inspired the design of Nike's first 

running shoe. Let's hope it was comfy one.

Aha! It must be time to review our vocabulary!  

So, first we had comfy – an adjective which 

is an informal ways of saying 'comfortable'.

Then we had casualisation. This 

describes the process of things,  

such as fashion or behaviour, 

becoming less formal and more casual.
Next was streetwear. That describes a style 
of casual clothing that is worn especially  

by young people who live in cities.

Then we heard filtered through. If something 

filters through, it appears or happens gradually  

over time. For example, has it filtered through 

to you yet, Neil, that high heels were a mistake?

Yes it has! They didn't do 

anything for my wellness,  

I can tell you, which means'the 

state of being healthy'.

And lastly, we had knobbly. This adjective 

means 'lumpy' or 'having many raised areas  

on the surface' - like skin when it gets cold. 

Do you have anything knobbly on your foot, Neil?

Probably! My feet are killing me!

I think we've found your Achilles 

heel! However, it's time to go.  

But we will be back. In the meantime, 

you can find us in all the usual places  

online and on social media, just look 

for BBC Learning English. Bye for now.

Goodbye!

Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Neil.

And I'm Rob.

Rob, it's good to see you keeping up 

with fashion by wearing the high-vis  

jacket – although I have to 

say it is a bit dazzling.

Neil, I'm no fashion victim – this high-vis 

or high-visibility jacket is for safety.  
I wear it when I'm cycling around London 
and I've just forgotten to take it off.

And a fashion victim, by the way, is someone who 

always wears what's thought to be fashionable,  

even if it doesn't actually look good 

on them. But wearing high-vis clothing  

has become the latest fashion statement 

– that's something you wear to attract  

attention and people who 

know something about fashion.

Well, I can assure you, I don't wear my bright 

jacket to look cool but in today's programme we'll  

be discussing why some people do. But first Neil, 

have you got a question for us to think about?

OK, we know that fashions come and go but in which 

decade were leg warmers worn as a popular fashion  

accessory? Was it…

a) the 1970s, 

b) the 1980s or
c) the 1990s?

I do remember these so I'll say b) the 1980s.

Well, we'll reveal the answer at the end of 

the programme. Now let's talk more about the  

oddest item of clothing to hit the catwalk 

this year - the humble high-vis jacket.

Yes, they were designed to be worn 

for safety by people like cyclists  

and pedestrians and by workers who 

need to be seen if, for example,  

they're working in the road or directing 

traffic. So it's strange to think that now  
people choose to wear them to be on-trend 
– that's following the latest fashion.

Hannah Marriott is the Fashion Editor of 

the Guardian newspaper. She told the BBC  

Radio 4 programme You and Yours, why she 

thought people were turning to bright,  

luminous clothing. What was the reason?

There's also just a trend at the moment for people 

wearing very bright things, very eye-catching  

things, it feels that with social media, you 

know, everyone's scrolling down their Instagram  

screens at such speed and anything that sort of 

catches the eye, that seems yeah, like a bit of a  

talking point, something that's going to get a bit 

of attention - those kind of trends are getting a  

bit more traction at the moment - than the sort 

of understated cashmere jumper kind of fashion.

So her reason is social media. In our fast-paced 

lives, we're quickly scrolling through our  

social media feeds and people want to stand 

out, attract our attention and be noticed.

And these attention-seekers need to 

wear some eye-catching – something  

that will catch your eye and be noticed. 

High-vis clothing certainly does that!

Hannah mentioned that wearing something different 

creates a talking point – something that you or I  

may discuss at work or on social media – even 

if it is to say "that guys looks ridiculous"!  

And she also mentions that 

people are becoming interested in  

and accepting these kinds of trends 

– the word she used was traction.

Traction here means this fashion 

trend is starting to stick.  

Of course fashion comes at a price. 

While an ordinary high-vis vest  

used for workwear is normally affordable, when 

they're sold as a fashion item they can go for  

much higher prices, particularly if they 

have a designer label showing on the front.

This raises an important question. We 

know that many people wearing high-vis  

jackets are doing important jobs, so does 

this fashion devalue what they're doing?

Yes, it's something Hannah Marriott talked about.  

Let's hear from her again. What word does 

she use to describe a difficult issue?

Every time fashion borrows from 

workwear, there're always some  

sort of thorny issues around it - particularly 

when you're charging £2000 for something that  

is actually very similar to, you know, a 

uniform that somebody might be wearing who  

doesn't actually make that much money, you know, 

there's obviously some thorny class issues there.

So she used the word thorny to describe the issue 

of things worn at work becoming expensive fashion  

items. Thorny issues are subjects that are 

difficult deal with. Here she particularly  

mentioned the issue of class – so different 

groups of people in society in different  

economic positions – some can afford clothing for 

fashion, others can only afford clothing for work.
And the other issue is that if everyone 
starts wearing high-vis clothing,  

then the people who need to stand out for 

their own safety may not stand out as easily.

And we wouldn't want to miss you when you're out 

cycling on your bike, Rob. But would we miss you  

if you were wearing a pair of leg warmers? Earlier 

I asked in which decade were leg warmers worn  

as a popular fashion accessory. Was it…

a) the 1970s, 

b) the 1980s or
c) the1990s?

Yes, and I said b) the 

1980s. It's got to be right!

Well, you know your fashion, 

Rob – it was indeed the 1980s.  

Leg warmers were originally worn by dancers to 

keep their muscles from cramping after stretching,  

but in the early 1980s they became 

fashionable for teenage girls to wear.

OK, let's move on and recap on some of the 

vocabulary we've mentioned today. Starting  

with fashion victim – that's someone who always 

wears what's thought to be fashionable, even  

if it doesn't actually look good on them. Like 

that pair of red jeans you used to wear, Neil.

They, Rob, were on-trend – that means 'in 

keeping up with the latest fashion'. Of course  

wearing something red is very eye-catching which 

means attracting attention and being noticed.

Next we mentioned traction. If something gains 

traction it becomes accepted and popular.  
And then we had understated. In fashion,  

this describes something that does not 

attract attention and is not that impressive.

And then we discussed the word thorny. A tree or 

bush with thorns is difficult to touch and handle  

and similarly a thorny issue is a subject 

that is difficult to deal with and discuss.

Well, we've covered some thorny 

and less thorny issues today  

but we know that fashions change and maybe 

high-vis fashion won't be here forever.

That's it for now but please join us next time 

for 6 Minute English. See you soon. Goodbye.

Bye bye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English 

from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

And I’m Sam.

Are you a saver or a spender, Sam?

Well, I’m trying to limit my spending right now  

because I’m saving up for 

a deposit to buy a house.

Saving money is not always easy - as we’ll find 

out in today’s programme, which is all about  

‘thrift’. ‘Thrift’ is not a simple idea to define.  

It’s to do with living a simple life free from 

the need to constantly buy the latest products.

Today’s consumer culture encourages 

us to ‘spend, spend, spend’,  

but it hasn’t always been that way. The 

Victorians for example told people to  
‘save up for a rainy day’, meaning to keep some 
money back in case of unforeseen emergencies.

But before we discover more about that, 

it’s time for today’s quiz question.  

If you’re trying to save money you probably 

know how hard it can be. So my question is:  

what percentage of people in the UK, do 

you think, have less than £1000 in savings?  

Is it:
a) 5%, 

b) 15 %, or
c) 30%?

Well, if I’m anything to go by I’d say c) 30%.

OK. Well, we’ll find the correct answer out later.  

I mentioned before that ‘thrift’ is a difficult 

idea to define, so here’s Alison Hulme, a lecturer  

at the University of Northampton, explaining 

more to BBC Radio 4’s programme Thinking Allowed:

There are two dictionary definitions of thrift. 

The older of the two comes from the word ‘thrive’  

etymologically, and described thrift as 

the ability to live well and to flourish,  

so it’s that sense of human flourishing. 

The more recent definition is the one we’re  

probably more familiar with which is about 

frugality. All of that said, it’s been used  

historically of course by various people in 

various moments in various different places  

in very different ways and they’ve 

often had a social or religious agenda.

It seems the oldest definition of ‘thrift’ 

has nothing to do with saving money and is  

connected to the verbs ‘thrive’ and ‘flourish’ 

Err:509

It was only later with the Puritans - 16th 

century English Christians with a reputation for  

strict discipline - that the meaning of 

thrift changed and became associated with  

frugality - being careful not to spend 

too much money or eat too much food.

The Puritans believed that 

being frugal was a religious  

virtue and that people ought to save 

money in order to give to others in need.

Later on the meaning of ‘thrift’ 

changed again. During the Victorian era,  

it was connected to the idea of managing your 

own money in order to be a responsible citizen.

Throughout history then, there have 

been different versions of ‘thrift’,  

and this may be because different religions 

or social groups had their own agenda - a  

specific aim or reason for a particular group 

to do something. For example, the Victorian  

definition of thrift was based on a social agenda 

about being a respectable member of society.

Ideas about frugality and thrift changed again 

during the Second World War when the public  

was encouraged to avoid waste so that every 

material resource could go into the war effort.

And in the post-war period, it changed again as  

people’s wealth and standard of living 

increased. Here’s Alison Hulme again:
It’s the idea that once people had 
enough to meet their kind of basic needs  

there was this kind of moral 

slide into consumerism.  

It’s not a view that I subscribe to in a 

simplistic sense myself - I think there’s  

a very fine line to tread here. There’s no point 

denying that, certainly in the developed world,  

there’s been a rise in consumer capitalism, 

that’s just a truism, but thrift hasn’t declined.

In modern times, people’s motivation 

to save up and be thrifty declined once  

they had enough to meet their basic needs - the 

basic necessities needed to survive, like food,  

clothes and shelter and nothing extra.

Alison mentions that once these basic 

needs were satisfied, people moved  

away from thrift into consumerism, 

the desire to buy ‘luxury’ products  

which were not absolutely necessary. According 

to some, this created a moral slide – a decrease  

in the standards of behaving 

in good, fair and honest ways.

The rise in consumer capitalism we 

have seen around the world is an  

example of a truism - something that is so 

obviously true it is not worth repeating.

What is worth repeating is 

the quiz question, Neil.

Yes, I asked you how many British 

people had savings of under £1000.
And I said, c) 30%.

In fact, Sam, it’s b) 15%.

So I guess I’m not such a bad saver after all!

OK. Well, today we’ve been talking 

about the changing meanings of ‘thrift’,  

an idea connected to frugality - being 

careful not to spend too much money.

The original meaning of ‘thrift’ 

was to flourish - grow or develop  

successfully - but that definition 

changed as different religious groups,  

like the Puritans, promoted their own agenda - aim 

or reason for a particular group to do something.

In recent times, people’s ability to meet 

their basic needs – the necessities for  

survival like food and shelter, have 

reduced the importance of ‘thrift’,  

which some believe has created a moral slide 

– a reduction in standards of moral behaviour.

And the associated rise of consumer capitalism  

is an example of a truism - something that is 

obviously true and generally accepted by all.

That’s all for now. Join us 

again next time for more topical  

discussion and vocabulary. Bye for now!

Bye bye!

Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Rob.

And hello, I'm Neil.

Now, Neil, how do you feel about surf and turf?

Surf and turf? Love it. What's 
not to love? Some lobster,  

a juicy steak – fries on the side. Mmm, delicious.

Ah, you know what you've done there?

No, do tell.

You've got completely the wrong end of the stick.

I said steak, not stick – a juicy steak.

No! Wrong end of the stick. You misunderstood me.  

I'm not talking about the surf and turf meal, but 
the online shopping habit of surfing and turfing.

Oh, my bad – but to be fair, this is quite 

a new use of this expression, isn't it?

Yes, it is. Now, you probably know that 'surfing' 

is a verb we use for looking at things on the  

internet. Surf and turf refers to when we go 

to an online store, select lots of things for  

our virtual shopping basket but when we get to 

the checkout, which is the place where we pay  

for our shopping, we don't actually complete the 

purchase. We turf out the basket. We abandon it.

To turf something out is a phrasal verb for 

'throwing something out'. Although it's normally  

used about people – for example, someone who is 

behaving badly might be turfed out of a club.

Indeed. Well, I'm sure I'll get 

turfed out of the presenter's union  

if I don't get to today's quiz 

question. According to recent research,  

which items are the most likely 

to be surfed and turfed? Is it:
a) Books

b) Watches

c) Women's knitwear­­

What do you think, Neil?

Right, I think... I'm also certain it's a) books.

Well, we'll find out if you're right later in the 

programme. Now, this research also revealed that  

approximately 40% of people have abandoned 

an online shopping basket in the last year.

And it was calculated that this meant there  

was approximately 18 billion 

pounds worth of lost sales.

I have to say, I'm a bit sceptical about that 

figure. I don't trust it. We don't always intend  

to buy everything we put in our baskets. It's 

a bit like window shopping. We just browse and  

find it convenient to put things in our basket 

to think about later. Have you ever done that?

Sure. It's a bit like browsing in a 

shop, isn't it – except you can save  

items you are interested in to look at later. 

You might also make a basket in one online store,  

then go to another to see if you can get the 

same or similar items cheaper there. So I agree:  

I don't think that the figure of 18 billion 

represents a total. Some of that was never  

intended to be spent – and some 

would have gone to other stores.

But there are other reasons we don't complete 

our purchases. For some it's finding out at  
the end that there will be a high delivery 
cost or that paying is very complicated.

Yes, I agree with that. That's so annoying.  

You spend time collecting all the things in the 

basket, then find you have to create an account,  

or you can't use your favourite payment method, 

or have to pay more to use a credit card and you  

have to fill out so many details. Sometimes 

you get so frustrated that you just give up.

Exactly, and this is a subject that 

retail expert Clare Bailey discussed  

in the BBC programme You and 

Yours. She talks about retailers,  

which are the businesses that sell things. 

What does she say 70% of retailers hadn't done?

We found that something over 70% of the 

retailers hadn't invested in the payment process  

in the last two years, so the technology 

is really out of date – whereas they have  

potentially invested in getting us 

to that page and then they fell foul.

70% of retailers hadn't 

invested in the payment process.  

They hadn't changed the way people 

pay online for at least two years.

Because online technology develops so 

quickly, that means that their systems are  

out of date. Something that is out of 

date is too old, it's no longer suitable.

She says that companies invest in the shopping 

experience of their sites but have ignored the  

checkout process. This is where they fall foul. 

This is where they make a mistake and get into  

trouble – where they can lose customers. 

Right, before we fall foul of the listener,  

let's have the answer to the quiz. I asked you 

which items were the most commonly abandoned  

at the virtual checkout. Was it books, watches 

or women’s knitwear? So Neil, what did you say?

I'm pretty certain it's books.

The answer was actually women's 

knitwear. Not books, as you thought.

Ah well, I can't be right all the time.

Some of the time would be nice. Anyway, 

let's have a look at today's vocabulary.  

First surf and turf is an 

expression for online shopping  

without the actual shopping. You put items 

in your basket but never actually buy them.

It's also a delicious meal 

of seafood and red meat.

Not if you're a vegetarian, Neil.

Ah, good point, good point.

The verb to turf out means 'to remove 

someone from a place or organisation,  

possibly because they've broken 

the rules or behaved badly'.  

For example, if we don't finish the programme 

on time we might be turfed out of this studio.

The place where you pay for your shopping, 

either in a real shop or online is the checkout.  

That can be a verb as well as a 

noun: you check out at the checkout.
The businesses that sell you things are retailers.

And with hope they don't sell 

you things that are out of date  

because that would mean they are past 

their best; too old to be suitable.

And finally there was to fall foul of something 

or someone, which is 'to make a mistake and get  

into trouble with someone'. And as we don't 

want to fall foul of the next team who need  

to use this studio, it's just time for us to 

say goodbye and to remind you to join us again  

for 6 Minute English next time - and if you 

can't wait, you can always catch us on Facebook,  

Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and our website 

bbclearningenglish.com where you can find lots  

of useful audio and video programmes to help you 

improve your English. That's all for now. Bye bye!

Goodbye!

Welcome to 6 Minute English, the programme 

where we explore an interesting topic and bring  

you some useful items of vocabulary. I'm Rob.

And I'm Neil. And today we are discussing manbags.

Yes, manbags - they are the height of fashion at  

the moment – a stylish accessory that 

modern men are carrying. An accessory  

is an additional item added to something 

to make it more useful or attractive.

I'm not so sure Rob. I mean, I wouldn't 

be seen dead carrying a manbag!

Really! So what do you carry your lose change, 

your credit cards, tickets and mobile phone in?
I just stuff everything in my pockets Rob 
– it's better than being a laughing stock,  

carrying a handbag around!

By laughing stock you mean everyone 

thinking of you as silly – but you  

wouldn't be because it's a manbag 

Neil – not a woman's handbag.  

Maybe I can convince you to change your mind 

by the end of the programme. But now let's not  

forget to ask you today's question…

Is it about manbags by any chance?

It is so it might be tricky for you to answer! 

According to market research company Mintel,  

how many men bought a manbag 

in the UK last year? Was it…

a) 5%
b) 15% 

c) 25%

Well obviously not many, so I'm going 

to say 5%. And I'm not one of them!

OK, you've made that very clear! We'll find 

out the answer at the end of the programme  

anyway. Now let's talk more about manbags. 

For hundreds of years women have carried  

their possessions around in handbags, so 

why can't a man do the same with a manbag?

Maybe it's the name. Why can't it just be a 

bag? Why does a bag have to have a gender?

It's a trend Neil – a stylish fashion item 

designed to look good on men. Many big names have  

flocked to adopt the trend. Pharrell Williams, 

David Beckham and Kanye West, are just some  

of those who've been spotted rocking a manbag. 

Rocking is an informal way of saying 'wearing'.

But what's wrong with a sturdy briefcase – sturdy  

means strong and not easily damaged. Are 

you saying manbags are just fashionable?

No, they're practical too. We've always 

needed bags to carry stuff around  

but what we carry these days 

has changed – you know laptops,  

mobiles, even our lunch – so why not have a trendy 

looking bag to carry these things around in?

I think part of the problem is carrying 

one is not seem as very a British by some  

people. We're not always as stylish as our 

some of our European neighbours, are we?

Well, speak for yourself! But Nick Carvell, GQ 

Contributing Fashion Editor has a reason for this.  

Here he is speaking on BBC Radio 

4's You and Yours programme…

In Britain we are still very tied up 

with that idea of masculinity that is  

almost so fragile that it can 

be dented by carrying a bag.  

We think a lot about that in this country in a 

way that I don't think a lot of European men do.

So Nick feels some British men 

are still tied up with the idea of  

masculinity – these are the characteristics 

traditionally thought to be typical of men.  

And for us British men, these characteristics 

are fragile – they can be easily broken.
Yes, we can also call it manliness – things like 
not crying during a sad film. It's a slightly  

old-fashion idea but it could still be dented – or 

affected – if a man was caught carrying a manbag.

Whereas some European men don't give it a 

lot of thought, according to Nick Carvell.

But with people like Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci 

and Dolce and Gabbana designing these bags,  

they're bound to have a hefty price tag – 

that's an informal way of saying a high price.

Well fashion comes at a price Neil – you 

need to shake off your inhibitions – that's  

a feeling of embarrassment that 

stops you from doing something.  

And if you really want to be on trend 

you could also splash out on a 'murse'  

that's a man's purse, or a 'mote' – a 

man's tote bag? Have I convinced you?

No, not really Rob. I have a feeling 

that a manbag by any other name is, well,  

a bag – and I have one - my trusty backpack.

Well for some people, manbags are the thing – 

but, as I asked earlier, according to market  

research company Mintel, how many men actually 

bought a manbag in the UK last year? Was it…

a) 5% 

b) 15%
c) 25%

And I said a) 5%. Come on, I must have been right!

You were wrong Neil. The answer was actually 15%.  

And nearly a quarter of 16-34 
year olds have bought one.

Well as I say Rob, a good practical backpack 

is for me. But now shall we unpack some of the  

vocabulary we've discussed today. Starting with 

'accessory' which is an additional item added to  

something to make it more useful or attractive. 

A tie is a smart accessory to wear with a suit.

Maybe, but you wouldn't catch me wearing 

a suit in my media job – it's all  

t-shirts and jeans for us! If I 

came to work in a suit I would be  

a 'laughing stock' – I mean, I would be seen 

as someone who people think of as silly.

Our next word was 'sturdy' – something that 

is sturdy is strong and not easily damaged.  

If you're walking up a mountain you 

need to wear some sturdy walking boots.

Good advice – if I was going 

up a mountain, which I'm not.  

Next we mentioned 'masculinity'. These are the 

characteristics that are traditionally thought  

to be typical of men. So we sometimes 

refer to it as being macho! Like:  

Neil went swimming in ice cold 

water to prove his masculinity.

That I would never do – 

I'd rather carry a manbag –  

despite their hefty price tag 

– that means 'high price'.

Finally, we also mentioned the word 'inhibitions' 

– that's feelings of embarrassment that stop you  
from doing something. "Neil's inhibitions 
are stopping him from carrying a manbag."

It's a bag Rob – just a bag! But we've 

talked enough about this so that's it for  

this edition of 6 Minute English. But before 

you rush off to purchase a designer manbag,  

don't forget to visit our Facebook, Twitter, 

Instagram and YouTube pages. Bye for now.

Bye.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whb80ZkoxRY&t=123s

nglish mega-class! One hour of new vocabulary!

Olá. Este é o inglês de 6 minutos de

BBC Aprendendo Inglês. Eu sou a Georgina…

E eu sou Neil.

Neste programa, estamos falando sobre a compra

roupas e só usá-los alguns
vezes antes de comprar mais roupas!

Isso é algo conhecido como

fast fashion – é popular,

pode nos fazer sentir bem, mas

não é bom para o meio ambiente.

É por isso que muitas pessoas este ano estão prometendo

– ou prometendo publicamente – não comprar roupas novas.

eu pelo menos estou vestindo o mesmo

camisa que comprei há sete anos.

Você certamente não é uma moda

vítima, Neil! Mas primeiro,

vamos testar seus conhecimentos sobre

moda rápida com uma pergunta.

Você sabe quantas peças de roupa foram

enviado para aterro no Reino Unido em 2017? Foi isso…

a) 23 milhões de itens,
b) 234 milhões de itens ou

c) 2,3 bilhões de itens

O que você acha, Neil?

Tenho certeza que são muitos, mas não bilhões,

então eu vou dizer 23 milhões de itens.

Eu vou te dizer se você está certo

no final do programa.

Vamos falar mais sobre fast fashion, que é

sendo acusado de contribuir para o aquecimento global.

E roupas descartadas - isso significa aquelas

que são jogados fora - também estão acumulando

em aterros sanitários e fragmentos de fibra são

fluindo para o mar quando as roupas são lavadas.

Não é ótimo - e eu ouvi a média

tempo que alguém usa algo é apenas sete!

Então, por que isso acontece e o que está levando

nosso desejo de continuar comprando mais roupas?

Acho que devemos ouvir de

jornalista de moda Lauren Bravo,

que está falando na BBC

Programa da Rádio 4, Você e os Seus.

Ela explicou que as roupas hoje são relativamente

mais barato do que os da época de seus pais...

Muita produção de roupas foi terceirizada

- offshore para o mundo em desenvolvimento,

países como Indonésia, Índia, Bangladesh

e a China são agora responsáveis por fazer o

grande volume de todas as roupas que são vendidas

no Reino Unido. E com isso, vimos o que

chamamos de "perseguir a agulha mais barata" por aí

o mundo, então a indústria da moda constantemente

procurando superar os concorrentes e, com isso,

roupas cada vez mais baratas e baratas.

Certo, então roupas - no desenvolvido

mundo, pelo menos - tornaram-se mais baratos

porque são produzidos em países em desenvolvimento.

São países que estão tentando se tornar

mais avançados economicamente e socialmente.

Portanto, a produção é terceirizada - isso significa trabalho

geralmente feito em uma empresa é dado a outra
empresa a fazer, muitas vezes porque essa empresa
tem as habilidades para fazê-lo. E no caso de

produção de moda, pode ser feito mais barato por

outra empresa sediada em um país em desenvolvimento.

Lauren usou uma expressão interessante

‘perseguindo a agulha mais barata’ – então o

indústria da moda está sempre procurando

encontre a empresa que pode fazer roupas

mais barato – uma empresa que pode reduzir o preço de outra

um significa que eles podem fazer o mesmo trabalho mais barato.

Portanto o preço de
as roupas ficam mais baratas para nós.

OK, então pode ser bom ser

capaz de comprar roupas mais baratas.

Mas por que temos que comprar mais –

e usar itens apenas algumas vezes?

É tudo sobre a nossa obsessão

com compras e moda.

É algo que Lauren Bravo vai

para explicar sobre o Você e o seu

programa de rádio. Veja se você pode ouvir

o que ela culpa por essa obsessão...

Comprar coisas novas quase virou tendência

em si por certas gerações. Eu penso

aquela sensação de que você não pode ser visto no mesmo

coisa duas vezes, realmente vem da mídia social,

particularmente. E muitas vezes as pessoas estão comprando

aqueles looks para tirar foto para colocar no instagram.

Parece ilógico, mas acho que quando todos os seus

amigos estão fazendo isso há

essa pressão invisível ali.
Lauren faz alguns pontos interessantes. Primeiramente,

para algumas gerações, há

apenas uma tendência para comprar coisas.

Parece muito desperdício, mas, como diz Lauren,

algumas pessoas não gostam de ser vistas usando o mesmo

coisa duas vezes. E essa ideia é causada pelo social

mídia – ela usa a expressão ‘stems from’.

Ela descreve a pressão social de precisar

ser visto vestindo roupas novas no Instagram.

E a disponibilidade de barato
roupas significa que é possível postar

novas imagens de você vestindo

roupas novas com muita regularidade.

Hmm, parece muito desperdício e para

eu, ilógico - não razoável ou

sensata e mais movida pelas emoções

em vez de qualquer razão prática.

Mas, há um pouco de reação agora - isso é

uma forte reação negativa ao que está acontecendo.

Algumas pessoas agora estão prometendo comprar em segunda mão

roupas, ou ‘roupas vintage’, ou contentar-se com

roupas que têm e consertam as de que precisam.

Pode ser o início de uma nova tendência da moda.

Sim, e pela primeira vez, eu vou

estar na moda! E poderia

reduzir a quantidade de roupas enviadas para

aterro que você mencionou anteriormente.

Sim, eu perguntei se você sabia quantos itens

de roupas foram enviadas para aterro sanitário no

Reino Unido em 2017? Foi isso…

a) 23 milhões de itens,

b) 234 milhões de itens ou

c) 2,3 bilhões de itens

O que você disse, Neil?

eu disse a) 23 milhões item

E você estava errado. Na verdade é 234

milhões de itens - isso é de acordo com

Comitê de Auditoria da Enviro. Também descobriu que 1,2

bilhões de toneladas de emissões de carbono são

lançado pela indústria da moda global.

Bem, estamos claramente jogando fora muitas roupas

mas talvez possamos reciclar alguns

o vocabulário que mencionamos hoje?

Acho que podemos, começando com a promessa

Err:509

algo. Você pode fazer uma promessa de fazer algo.

Quando algo é terceirizado,

é dado a outra empresa para fazer,

muitas vezes porque essa empresa tem as habilidades

para fazê-lo ou pode ser feito mais barato.

E se uma empresa reduz a outra, isso

cobra menos para fazer um trabalho do que seu concorrente.

A expressão deriva de significa "é causado por" ou

'um resultado de'. Mencionamos esse aumento em rápido

a moda decorre do compartilhamento de imagens no Instagram.

E mencionamos que isso é ilógico.

Portanto, parece irracional - não é sensato,

e mais movido por emoções

em vez de qualquer razão prática.

E uma reação é um forte negativo

reação ao que está acontecendo.

E isso nos leva ao fim de nossa discussão

sobre moda rápida! Junte-se a nós novamente em seguida

tempo. Tchau.
Tchau.

Olá e bem-vindo ao Six Minute English.

Eu sou Neil e se juntando a mim hoje é Dan - que

está sobrecarregado com sacolas de compras e vestindo

algo muito... estranho. O que está acontecendo Dan?

Oi pessoal. Bem, eu estava me sentindo um pouco miserável

então resolvi me animar indo às compras!

Bem, isso é sorte porque o link

entre compras e humor é o que

estamos vendo nestes 6 Minutos

Inglês – e é claro que seremos

dando-lhe seis humor e relacionados com compras

itens de vocabulário. Mas primeiro, nosso teste:

Compradores online em que

país gasta mais por família

do que os consumidores de qualquer outro país, de acordo com

a um relatório da Associação de Cartões do Reino Unido?

a) EUA

b) Noruega

c) Reino Unido

A Noruega parece estar no topo de muitas listas, então

só por isso vou dizer Noruega.

Vamos descobrir no final do show.

Agora, Dan, você disse agora há pouco que você foi

compras porque você estava se sentindo para baixo.

É isso mesmo – eu gosto de um pouco de terapia de varejo.

A terapia de varejo é uma expressão humorística que

significa ir às compras para se sentir melhor.
Ah, eu faço isso o tempo todo.

Sim eu consigo ver. E você não está sozinho.

De acordo com algumas pesquisas feitas pelo

website moneysupermarket.com, as pessoas são mais

propensos a comprar coisas das quais se arrependerão mais tarde

quando estão tristes, entediados ou estressados.

Bem, eu estava me sentindo um pouco para baixo no

lixões. E essa é uma maneira de dizer 'triste'.

Oh querido, Dan. Lamento saber que você está para baixo

nas lixeiras. Eu só espero que você também não receba um

pontada de arrependimento sobre suas compras quando você chegar

levá-los para casa – a pesquisa sugere que você o fará.

Uma pontada é uma dor aguda. Nós frequentemente

ouvi-lo usado figurativamente para falar

sobre emoções fortes como culpa, arrependimento e

remorso. Você está me fazendo sentir pior, Neil

Desculpe Dan - é tudo para fins educacionais!

Nosso público aprenderá com sua dor!

O remorso é como o arrependimento – e há uma boa

expressão para descrever exatamente aquele sentimento ruim

você consegue quando percebe que realmente não precisa

ou quer o que você comprou. Remorso do comprador.

OK, OK, OK o suficiente sobre mim. Vamos ouvir Sam,

Phil e Catherine da equipe Learning English

para ver se seu humor afeta as compras

escolhas que eles fazem. Ouça com atenção. Pode

você ouve os três tipos de coisas que eles dizem

que eles compram quando estão deprimidos?

Honestamente, eu costumo comprar comida. Qualquer coisa que

vai me trazer conforto, então pode ser qualquer tipo de

bebida quente, bebida quente, mas também qualquer coisa

de quente e aconchegante - assim como um bom jumper.
Definitivamente, se eu tive um dia ruim no trabalho,
ou por qualquer motivo ou me sinto péssimo,

cansado, estou mais propenso a

comprar algo no caminho para casa.

Oh, quando estou me sentindo triste, provavelmente compro um

pouco de vinho e muitas vezes algo para

vestir. Acho que é um pouco de terapia de varejo quando

Estou triste geralmente faz o truque na hora,

então isso me faz sentir melhor. Mas eu sim

descubro isso quando olho no meu guarda-roupa,

as coisas que eu comprei quando

Fiquei triste - nunca os uso.

Sam, Phil e Catherine lá

da equipe da BBC Learning English

falando sobre que tipo de coisas eles compram

quando eles estão se sentindo para baixo. Quais eram eles?

Comida, bebida e roupas.

Isso mesmo. Sam mencionou que ela compra

comida, bebidas quentes e um bom jumper

para mantê-la confortável. esse é o sentimento

de estar aquecido, confortável e relaxado.

Catherine também mencionou bebidas – desta vez

vinho. E ela também disse que comprar roupas

faz o truque. Isso significa alcançar o resultado

ela pretendia. Ela se sente para baixo, ela compra

roupas, ela se sente melhor – faz o truque.

Mas o que é interessante é que

Catherine disse que nunca usa o

roupas que ela compra quando está se sentindo

triste. É exatamente isso que a pesquisa

encontrado – as pessoas se arrependem das compras que

fazem quando estão tristes, entediados ou estressados.

Parece um caso de remorso do computador

De fato. Bem, agora é hora da resposta

à nossa pergunta do questionário. Eu perguntei isso:

Compradores online em que país gastam mais por

agregado familiar do que os consumidores de qualquer outro país,

de acordo com um relatório do

Associação de Cartões do Reino Unido? É isso:

a) EUA

b) Noruega
c) Reino Unido

Eu disse b) Noruega.

E temo que você precise ir

e comprar mais algumas coisas para animá-lo

para cima - você está errado! O correto

a resposta é o Reino Unido. Aparentemente,

As famílias do Reino Unido gastaram o equivalente a US$ 5.900

(£ 4.611) usando cartões de pagamento online em 2015.

Bem, eu espero que eles tenham ficado felizes quando

eles fizeram essas compras ou eles

pode sentir a pontada de arrependimento estou com medo

Eu poderia ficar depois da discussão de hoje!

Bem, uma boa recapitulação do vocabulário

deste programa pode fazer o truque.

Vamos começar com a primeira palavra? Você

já fez um pouco de terapia de varejo, Neil?

Na verdade, eu tento evitá-lo. Especialmente depois

lendo esta pesquisa – não acho que a felicidade

você sente depois de comprar algo dura muito tempo.

Na verdade, você pode acabar se sentindo deprimido.

Down in the dumps - significando triste/infeliz. Sim

e uma pontada de arrependimento pode seguir uma vez que você

perceba que você gastou muito dinheiro

em algo que você realmente não precisa.

Uma pontada é uma punhalada - usada aqui

figurativamente para significar uma dor aguda

costumava falar sobre emoções fortes. E

depois da dor pode vir o remorso do comprador.

Hmm, estou começando a sentir o remorso do comprador de

este macacão de pele de leopardo. Pareceu

como uma boa ideia na época.

Bem, parece aconchegante -

quente confortável e relaxado,

então eu acho que se é isso que você

queria, ele faz o truque.

Faz o truque, o que significa

atinge o resultado desejado.

OK antes que Dan saia para comprar ainda mais coisas

ele não precisa, por favor, lembre-se de conferir nosso

Páginas do Facebook, Twitter e YouTube.

Tchau!

Olá, bem-vindo ao 6 Minute English. Eu sou Neil.

E olá, sou Rob.

Agora, Rob, o que você sabe sobre unicórnios?

Ah, bem, o unicórnio é uma fantasia

criatura da história. Em nossa tradição,

parece um cavalo branco com uma única espiral

chifre saindo de sua cabeça. Por que você pergunta?

Bem, curiosamente, os unicórnios são o assunto

deste programa. Antes de aprendermos mais, porém,

uma pergunta. Como chamamos o estudo da

criaturas lendárias como o Monstro do Lago Ness,
Big Foot e unicórnios? É isso:
a) Criptozoologia,

b) Protozoologia, ou
c) Paleozoologia?

Você tem alguma ideia sobre isso, Rob?

Ah, bem, eu sei disso porque era o tópico

de um programa de inglês de 6 minutos há algum tempo,

em 2008, para ser exato. Então eu acho

Vou guardar a resposta para mim.

OK, bem para todos os outros, teremos

a resposta mais tarde no programa.

Ao longo dos últimos anos, os unicórnios têm surgido

em todos os lugares - em camisetas, em filmes,

como brinquedos e até em conversas políticas. Por que

é isto? Natalie Lawrence é uma historiadora natural.

Ela apareceu no programa Woman's Hour da BBC

programa para discutir o tema. Ouça

para a resposta a esta pergunta: Por que ela

dizem que as pessoas costumavam beber chifres de unicórnio?

Essas histórias originais foram desenvolvidas em um tempo

quando a magia realmente existia no mundo. O

mundo ainda estava muito encantado... a ideia de que

o unicórnio é um animal muito forte e também isso

poderia realizar feitos mágicos, então chifre de unicórnio

costumava ser visto como uma panacéia para todos os tipos de

doenças e uma proteção contra venenos. Então gente

costumava beber em copos de chifre de unicórnio para

prevenir-se de ser envenenado, e

Eu acho que essa ideia de ser mágico e

ter poderes mágicos tem

ainda hoje.
Por que eles bebiam em copos de chifre de unicórnio?

Bem, eles deveriam ter poderes mágicos

então as pessoas beberam deles então

eles não seriam envenenados.

Sim, ela disse que eles podiam realizar proezas mágicas.

Uma façanha é algo que é difícil de fazer

ou conseguir - como gravar este programa

sem errar, é uma verdadeira façanha!

Bem, nós geralmente fazemos isso. Isto

deve ser apenas magia de unicórnio.

Não, apenas a mágica da edição, Rob!

Agora, ela também disse que o chifre do unicórnio era

visto como uma panacéia. O que isso significa?

Uma panacéia é outra palavra para uma cura

Err:509

doença ou ajudá-lo a se recuperar se estiver doente.

Mas tudo isso é verdade sobre o chifre do unicórnio?

Bem, vendo como os unicórnios

não existem e nunca existiram,

é improvável que seja verdade. Ela diz essas histórias

vêm de uma época em que o mundo era encantado.

Isso significa que era uma época em que as pessoas acreditavam em

magia e a possibilidade de criaturas misteriosas

de partes misteriosas do mundo. Parece como se

hoje em dia as pessoas procuram um pouco de magia,

um pouco de encantamento em suas vidas. O

unicórnio também passou a ser um termo comumente

usado na política para se referir a ideias irrealistas e

planos. Por que é isso? Aqui está Natalie Lawrence novamente.

Por ser tão potente

símbolo cultural no momento
está sendo implantado em um dos
questões mais prementes do nosso tempo,

também, assim…