TRANSCRIPT

UNIT 1
Best to learn a new language before age of 10
A study suggests that it is best to start learning a language before the age of ten.
Researchers said the ability to learn grammar well is present up until the age of 18.
This is the limit of the “critical period” when language-learning ability starts to
decline. A researcher said children quite easily become bilingual because, “that’s when
you’re best at learning languages”. He said it’s difficult to become truly bilingual later
in life.
The research was based on 670,000 online grammar quizzes. The tests had grammar
rules designed to confuse non-native speakers. These helped to measure the language
ability of people who started learning a language at different ages. One researcher
suggested older people might be too busy to learn a language because they leave
home, go to university or start work. All of these affect language-learning ability.

Benefits of learning a second language

Researchers say that people who speak two languages are better able to focus on key
information. This helps you to prioritise tasks and manage multiple projects at once.
And there are long-range benefits, too. The onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms
can be delayed by about four years in people who speak two languages, research has
found.
Once you’ve chosen the language to study, make sure that whatever technique you use
includes an audio component. This is because pronunciation is key to feeling
comfortable using a foreign language. Keep in mind that you need to actively practise
your new language to get all the benefits – using two languages is what works the
brain. So, to keep challenging your grey matter, read books and watch foreign films in
that language. If you’re feeling adventurous, you might even take a trip to a country
where the language is spoken.

Learning languages “boosts” brain-power

Researchers from University College London studied the brains of 105 people - 80 of
whom were bilingual. They found learning other languages altered grey matter - the
area of the brain which processes information - in the same way exercise builds
muscles. People who learned a second language at a younger age were also more
likely to have more advanced grey matter than those who learned later, the team said.
The team took scans of 25 Britons who did not speak a second language, 25 people
who had learned another European language before the age of five, and 33 bilinguals
who had learned a second language between 10 and 15 years old. The scans revealed
the density of the grey matter of the brain was greater in bilinguals than in those
without a second language. The research demonstrates how the brain changes its
structure and how learning languages develops its plasticity.

UNIT 2
Piece 1: Digital detox
Digital devices are everywhere these days. Many of us are addicted to them. There are
many studies about the dangers to health of being glued to screens. Children are not
exercising; people are worrying about their body image; and people are being bullied
by cyber-criminals. A study of 1,000 adults found that half of the participants were
addicted to their smartphones and didn't realize it. The study called for people to try
"digital detox".
Digital detox involves turning off the Internet to enjoy "real life". It means talking to
people face to face and "doing everyday stuff". A digital detox organisation said detox
was "a catalyst for people to rethink their distance from their devices". People should
use devices less to avoid "nomophobia" – NO MObile PHOBIA. A psychologist
warned that being too absorbed in smartphones means ignoring responsibilities. She
said people should consider digital detox.

Piece 2: Bedtime
We all know that going to bed early is healthy. Scientists say the healthiest time to go
to bed is between 10pm and 11pm. This is because it lowers the risk of heart disease.
Six years ago, the scientists looked at the sleep patterns and sleeping and waking
times of 80,000 people. They then monitored the people's health for six years. Around
3,000 people developed heart problems. They went to bed earlier than 10pm or later
than 11pm.
One of the scientists commented on how sleeping times affect our heart. He said going
to bed early or late, "may be more likely to disrupt the body clock" and be bad for our
heart's health. He said our body liked to wake up to the morning light. He said: "The
riskiest time [to go to bed] was after midnight because it may reduce the likelihood of
seeing morning light, which resets the body clock."

Piece 3: Mental health

Amazon wants to help workers with mental health problems. It plans to put "wellness
chambers" in its warehouses so workers can relax. Workers can watch videos about
relaxation in the chambers. Amazon said the chambers are part of a system called
"AmaZen". It said: "Employees can visit AmaZen stations and watch short videos
featuring easy-to-follow well-being activities, including guided meditations...and
calming scenes with sounds."
After Amazon shared a video of its AmaZen chamber, many Twitter users criticised
the working conditions at Amazon's warehouses. An Amazon worker described his
experiences of working at Amazon. He said: "You don't get treated like a person.
They work you like a robot…You don't have time to go to the bathroom." Amazon
said: "The health and safety of employees is [our] number one priority and has been
since day one."

UNIT 3
Piece 1: Suneung college entrance exam day in South Korea
South Korea's college entrance exam also known as Suneung is underway.
Some call this a nine-hour marathon that can determine students' futures. Kim Jung-sil
reports.
Test takers are arriving at a testing site in Seoul. It's the day that more than
508-thousand test takers have been preparing for. The Suneung, South Korea's college
entrance exam. All the test takers started their first test, the Korean language test at
around 8:40 a.m. Korea Standard Time. For some test takers, the Suneung will last for
more than 9 hours. Parents and family members who came to wish the students good
luck didn't leave the school gate for a long time.
"It feels so special that my twins are taking Suneung that I have taken in the
past. I hope my twin sons do well."
"I also took my Suneung at this school. I was also very nervous at the time but
when I entered college, the Suneung was only a beginning of a whole new world. I
hope everyone does well and won't be too nervous as it's only the beginning."
The Suneung is similar to America's SATs, France's Baccalaureate, and China's
Gaokao. But some call it the most difficult test in the world or a "nine-hour
marathon". The reason the Suneung is so important is that some major universities in
Seoul, where many test takers aim to go , accept nearly 40% of freshmen by looking
only at their Suneung results.
The country basically comes to a standstill when the test begins. All the traffic
in front of the testing sites is controlled and banks and public offices open later than
usual to prevent congestion. The sound of planes or military exercises may bother
students so these are put on hold for 25 minutes during the English listening test.
Some might wonder why South Korea cares this much for a test. It's because
there's the national feeling that this test can be make or break for the students. It can
only be taken once a year and so they have to make sure they give it their best on test
day and without anything getting in the way.
This year is the third Suneung since the outbreak of COVID-19. And students
who tested positive could take the test in specially designated schools for COVID
patients. The Ministry of Education said 2,000 students with COVID-19 are taking
their tests in those schools, while three others are taking their test in hospital.

Piece 2: First woman cured of HIV - researchers

A patient in the US is the first woman to be cured of HIV, as well as the third ever
cured of the virus. That's according to research presented at medical conference on
Tuesday. Sharon Lewin is the head of the head of the international aid society “It is
exciting for the field because it's proof that a cure is possible for HIV.” The patient is
a middle-aged, mixed-race woman who got treatment to tackle acute myeloid
leukemia, a cancer that starts in the bone marrow. For that she received a stem cell
transplant. However, the donor was naturally resistant to the virus that causes AIDS.
And since then, her HIV has been in remission for over a year without the need for
antiretroviral. She was also the first to be treated using umbilical cord blood, a newer
approach that may be more accessible to a wider range of patients. Lewin, however,
remains hesitant. “We always are a bit cautious in this setting because this kind of
intervention, a bone marrow transplant would not be appropriate for people living
with HIV. This woman received a bone marrow transplant because she also had a
blood cancer that needed to be treated.” The case is part of a larger study following
25 people with HIV and cancer treated with an umbilical cord cell transplant. The
study suggests that an important element is the transplantation of HIV-resistant cells.
The two prior cases of males cured of HIV also used stem cells.

Piece 3:
Parthenon Temple dating back 2500 years are to be returned to Greece from the
Vatican where they've been kept for the last two centuries. The three fragments from
the temple known as the Parthenon marbles include a head of a horse, a head of a boy,
and a bearded male head. They've been held by the Vatican since the 19 th century.
Pope Francis termed the return a concrete sign of his sincere desire to follow in the
part of Truth notably. The pieces will go back to the Greek Orthodox church and not
to the Greek government. The Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports expressed
gratitude and hope the move will put pressure on the British museum, where a larger
collection of python and sculptures are kept. The British museum has refused to return
a larger collection of the sculptures also known as the Elgin models. Greece has
repeatedly appealed to the UK to return the sculptures which Britain's Lord Elgin had
removed from the Parthenon temple in the early 19th century.

UNIT 4
Piece 1: ‘Black Panther’ Movie Changed How People See Africa
The main actors of the new Black Panther movie, called Wakanda Forever, gathered
recently in London. They were celebrating the opening of the follow-up to the 2018
film.
The first movie was the top film of that year in the U.S. and Canada and the second-
biggest in the world. It sold $1.3 billion in tickets. The movie was the first superhero
film to have a mostly Black cast.
Ayodeji Aiyesimoju is a professor who studies television and film at Joseph Ayo
Babalola University in Nigeria. He said the first Black Panther movie changed the
way some people thought about Africa. "It opened conversations for questions. People
were genuinely interested in knowing about the continent," he said.
He said the next step is for movie studios in Hollywood and Britain to do more work
with Black actors and African moviemakers.

Piece 2: Will a Streaming Service Movie Finally Win Best Picture Oscar?
The American movie industry will hold the Academy Awards, known as the Oscars,
on Sunday in Los Angeles.
Some movie critics think CODA may be the first movie from a media streaming
service to win the best picture award. CODA is about a deaf family with a daughter
who can hear. The movie was made by Apple TV+, Apple’s streaming service. The
main competition for CODA this year appears to be from Netflix, another streaming
service. It is the film The Power of the Dog. That movie won the top award from three
other movie industry groups this year.
An Oscar win — even a nomination — lifts the financial performance of a movie. The
media market research company Comscore follows movie ticket sales. It said ticket
sales for Best Picture nominees Dune and King Richard each increased by about four
times after being nominated.

Piece 3: China tops US at box office for first time

China's box office is now bigger than the USA's. China's movie theatres now make the
most money. This is because millions of people went to the cinemas in China over the
New Year in February. More people went on Valentine's Day, which is now very
popular in China. China's cinemas made a record $650 million in February, compared
to $640 million in the USA. The biggest hit in China took $105 million.
China's film industry is growing very fast. There are now about 23,600 screens in
China. This is 475 per cent more than in 2008. China will overtake America's 40,000
screens. China's movie industry grew 27 per cent and 36 per cent in the past two
years. A lot of this success has been because of Chinese movies, not Hollywood
movies.
UNIT 5
Piece 1: More People Using ChatGPT to Create, Publish Books

Until recently, Brett Schickler never imagined he could be a published author. But
after learning about the ChatGPT artificial intelligence program, Schickler decided
that he had a good chance. Using the AI software, Schickler created a 30-
page illustrated children’s e-book in a few hours. He offered it for sale in January
through Amazon’s self-publishing section. There were over 200 e-books in Amazon’s
Kindle store as of mid-February that say ChatGPT is a writer or co-writer. And the
number is rising daily. But due to the nature of ChatGPT and many writers' failure to
admit that they have used it, it is nearly impossible to get a full count of how many e-
books may be written by AI. Some professional writers are becoming worried about
the effects that ChatGPT could have on the book publishing industry. Mary
Rasenberger is the executive director of the Authors Guild, a writer’s group. She said,
“This is something we really need to be worried about, these books will flood the
market and a lot of authors are going to be out of work.” she is worried that the ability
to create with AI could turn book writing from an art into a commodity – a kind of
simple raw material that is bought and sold.

Piece 2: US Schools Face Pressure to Discipline Students

Educators say children’s behavior reached crisis levels after the pandemic shutdowns.
Many schools are facing pressure from critics to rethink the ways
they discipline students. In recent years, some schools have adopted policies intended
to reduce suspensions and expulsions. Some experts say suspensions and expulsions
hurt students’ ability to learn and largely affect minority students. Misbehavior has
been on the rise since students returned to classrooms following COVID-19
lockdowns. The National Center for Education Statistics questioned school leaders on
the issue last summer. It found that 56 percent of school leaders said the pandemic led
to increased classroom disruptions from student misbehavior. Policy changes are
already happening. In Gwinnett County, Georgia, the school board approved the use
of a “restorative practices” program in August. The program was meant to center on
conflict resolution, repairing harm and rebuilding relationships in the classroom. But
the district paused the program in December. It did so after concerns were raised over
incidents in school, including a video of a student attacking a teacher at a high school.

Piece 3: Bird Flu Spreads to More Countries

Avian flu has reached new areas of the world and has become a year-round problem,
animal and disease experts warn. More than 20 experts and farmers on four continents
suggested that record outbreaks will not stop soon on poultry farms. They also warned
that farmers must view the disease as a serious risk all year, instead of doing
prevention efforts during spring movement seasons for wild birds. Egg prices set
records after the disease killed tens of millions of chickens last year. These record
prices, at a time of worldwide economic problems, are especially damaging to people
who use eggs as a main source of protein. Wild birds are mainly responsible for
spreading the virus, experts say. Waterfowl like ducks can carry the disease without
dying and pass it to poultry through contaminated waste, saliva and other means.
Farmers' best efforts to protect their birds are falling short. "Avian flu
is occurring even in a new poultry farm with modern equipment and no windows, so
all we could do now is ask God to avoid an outbreak," said Shigeo Inaba, who raises
chickens for meat in Ibaraki, near Tokyo.