Can we live without plastic? ⏲️ 6 Minute English
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ธ.ค. 2023
- Is it time to start living without plastic? Neil and Beth discuss this and teach you some useful vocabulary. 👇👇👇
❓❓❓ This week's question: Which items did plastic first replace?
a) Snooker balls
b) Shopping bags
c) Hairbrushes
[Cover: Getty Images]
You can download audio and a free programme transcript here 👉
www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish...
Vocabulary:
✔️single-use plastic - plastic products which are designed to be used just once before being thrown away
✔️microbeads - tiny plastic particles found in personal care products like toothpastes and body scrubs
✔️synthetic - non-natural; made by combining artificial man-made chemicals
✔️biodegrade - decay naturally, in a way that is not harmful
✔️few and far between - very rare; not happening very often
✔️unsightly - ugly; unattractive; unpleasant to look at
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Do you think that you could live without plastic? What would be the most difficult things to live without?
Electricity
Yes, I could. I think it's difficult to live without car, cell phone and computer. Our modern life is easy with things like that. We created needs that we don't really need 😢
yes,but unfortunately my job is about plastic production.
This is actually a very good question. According to my point of view, I would like to say that it might be difficult to live without plastic. For example, if we don't have plastics for garbage, we might pollute our environment.
In my opinion live without plastic is not essay. Because our food items and lots of other goods which we used in our daily life are made dy this widely used product of the world and these items are totaly covered by plastic are made by that . it is changeable, but not soon it will take tim.
VOCABULARY FROM VIDEO:
A big thank you to BBC Learning English for this insightful video. It sheds light on the environmental impact of plastic, prompting us to reconsider our relationship with this versatile yet challenging material.
VOCABULARY:
0. Single-use Plastics (noun phrase) 00:42
-Context: 'pollution caused by single use plastics - plastic products designed to be used just once'
-Explanation: Single-use plastics are items intended for one-time use, contributing significantly to global pollution.
1. Microbeads (noun) 01:08
-Context: 'tiny plastic pieces known as microbeads found inside the human body'
-Explanation: Microbeads are minuscule plastic particles present in products like toothpaste, posing environmental and health risks.
2. Synthetic (adjective) 05:28
-Context: 'Plastic is synthetic, made by combining manmade chemicals.'
-Explanation: Synthetic refers to materials produced by combining artificial chemicals, contrasting with naturally occurring substances.
3. Biodegrade (verb) 05:38
-Context: 'plastic doesn't biodegrade - it doesn't decay naturally'
-Explanation: Biodegrade means the natural breakdown of a material without harming the environment.
4. Few and Far Between (phrase) 05:43
-Context: 'plastic-eating microbes are few and far between - rare'
-Explanation: Few and far between means something is very rare or occurs infrequently.
5. Unsightly (adjective) 05:49
-Context: 'waste which is often unsightly - ugly and unpleasant to look at'
-Explanation: Unsightly describes something that is visually unappealing and unpleasant.
I posted more learning listening video on my youtube too!
How long did it take to write this
课代表
BBC is perfect❤
I have learnt English for a long time. But i was hesitant to choose a video. I stumbled across BBC podcasts and gradually it affects my english. Thanks for your contributions to English learners!
tebrikler kardeşim
@@mavivatan9417 tesekkurler, kardesim
Thank you dear BBC❤
I'm learning English and I use BBC English videos for improve my speaking and listening skills.
It may be expressed as"improving",I'm afraid.
thank you for subtitles
I was looking forward to the new podcast coming.By the way I love the harmony between Neil and Beth. Thank you.
I thought we can’t live without plastic materials because we use it all the time. For example, plastic bags, game controllers, and food containers. We should reduce our consumption.
I totally agree with you, instead of quit the plastic we have to recycle or reuse it
Agree also. We can't avoid in our live using plastic every day. In fact in my country, indonesia plastic using every day. So In my family, i start to recycle since 5 years ago.
i agree with you too. we need to recycle them.
Could anyone tell me what is the answer means?
Thank you very much.
Thank you for the article, I found it quite intriguing.
@bbclearningenglish thank you for everything
Wonderful lesson ❤❤❤❤
Thanks for your support at our way of learning english
Wonderful lesson 😊😊😊😊😊thank you
That's a very good question!
Wow awesome thank you ❤
Thank you BBC🤍
Thanks 😊
Thank you for this episode about plastic, very interesting.
Thanks for podcast lessons this video is very useful for me ❤
Wonderful episode!
thank u for u share
Awesome videos to learn English.
Great. This video is so useful.
Thank you so much BBC ❤
Thanks for studying with us 🥰
Wonderful 👍
In my opinion, we would not be able to live without plastic. Nowadays, plastic plays a pivotal role in our society, not only to provide paramount convenience to every human but also to reduce the cost of manufacturing different products. Different plastic products have already become an ubiquitous part of our everyday lives, such as plastic bags, plastic straws, and plastic containers, it will be a great challenge if we want to get rid of plastic as people have familiarised with the lives of plastic. Some people may argue that we can use other materials like metal or paper to replace plastic, in fact, it is not feasible as those natural resources are limited, the amount available is not enough to satisfy the growing population and consumption. Also, extraction of metal requires a large amount of electricity which is generally generated by burning fossil fuels, at the same time, cutting down trees will also cause a more severe air pollution.
In this tech-savvy era,smartphones will definitely be the most difficult things to live without because people depend too much on the social media platforms and electronic payment systems, they may have adversities when facing some daily tasks if they have their phones locked. Furthermore, smartphones is the most common way to contact others, thus living without smartphones will be a thorny problem
I totally agree with you. Plastics are simply one of the greatest inventions that aimed to help humankind, but the consequences of such invention have been paid off at the expense of our health. Any change to happen must take time; gradually, we will see less consumption of synthetic plastic.
This podcast can be used as a medium to learn and practice English listening. Thank youu
Bbc learning English İs the most useful programme👏👏👏
Current i'm learning English and suddenly i got this video, it's really helpful for my learning.❤❤
Great! I like it.
Very Interesting
Thanks for cool content
I suggest to write new vocabulary when saying it
It’s in subtitle
That's exactly what I do
Both single-use plastic bags and paper bags thrown away at the side of the road are unsightly, but paper bags will biodegrade. However, plastic ones won't, because it is a synthetic material. There are some plastic-eating microbes, but these are few and far between. Something even worse than single-use plastic bags is thrown away. They are tiny and can even be passed on from mother to child through breast milk.
I forgot to add some things. Here is the corrected and updated version.
Both single-use plastic bags and paper bags thrown away at the side of the road are unsightly, but paper bags will biodegrade. However, plastic ones won't, because it is a synthetic material. There are some plastic-eating microbes, but these are few and far between. Something even worse than single-use plastic bags thrown away is microbeads. These tiny plastic particles are often found in personal care products. They can even be passed on from mother to child through breast milk.
Some material even worse than single use plastics being thrown away is microbeads which are tiny and can even be passed on from mother to child through breast milk
This topic is quite meaningful as single-use plastic has caused a lot of pollution to the environment. In nowadays, more the more brands and stores choose to use degradable plastic rather than the old one. Although the price is higher, it's more friendly to our living environment.
yes we can do this 😊🎉
In my opinion, It's hard to phrase out plastic products due to several reasons:
Firstly, it is inexpensive material, light and convenient. A lot of items can be reduced in price after changing their original material to plastic.
Secondly, people are used to it, for example, plastic bags. I believe that all of us know they are harmful to the environment but it's hard to stop using them.
But there's a lot of solutions for that like biodegrade plastic bags... We got to take care of our home for yesterday. Habits can be changed, can't it? Plus, one day petroleum will run out.
++
I really appreciate your videos
TRANSCRIPT
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.
Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.
Beth
And I’m Beth. “Plastic is fantastic!” This phrase was used a lot in the 1950s when mass- produced plastic items started to become part of our everyday lives. The following decades saw a revolution as plastic became the most commonly used material in modern life, found in everything from cars to furniture to packaging. Take a quick look around and you’ll soon see how many everyday items contain plastic.
Neil
But now our love of plastic is being questioned, mostly thanks to climate change and pollution caused by single-use plastics - plastic products which are designed to be used just once before being thrown away. 11 million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into our oceans every year. It’s believed that single-use plastics make up 40% of all plastic pollution globally.
Beth
What’s more, it’s not just land and water being polluted - tiny plastic pieces known as microbeads have even been found inside the human body, and can be passed from mother to child through breast milk. And because plastic comes from fossil fuels, the process of making it creates problems at every stage, from burning coal, to transportation, to recycling. In this programme, we’ll be asking: is it time to live without plastic? And, as usual, we’ll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.
Neil
But first I have a question for you, Beth. One reason why plastic became so popular is that it’s a very flexible material. It can be formed into different shapes, making it useful for keeping food fresh, or holding liquid. Originally, plastic was invented to replace the decreasing supply of natural materials like metal, wood and glass. So which items did plastic first replace? Was it:
a) snooker balls?
b) shopping bags? or,
c) hairbrushes?
Beth
Hmm, I guess the first thing to be made of plastic was a hairbrush.
Neil
OK, Beth, I’ll reveal the answer later in the programme. Dr Sherri Mason is Professor of Chemistry at Penn State University in the US, and a specialist in plastic pollution. Her award-winning 2017 research into microplastics in rivers led to the US Congress banning microbeads. Here, she explains the problem of plastics to BBC World Service programme, The Real Story:
Dr Sherri Mason
Plastic is synthetic and, as a consequence of that, nature doesn't really know what to do with it. Like, a paper bag that's sitting on the side of the road - it's unsightly but within weeks there are organisms in the soil that can use that paper bag as a food source, right… they have evolved to basically chew up that paper bag and turn it back into soil, turn it back into carbon and nitrogen and oxygen. But with regard to plastic because it is a synthetic material you don't have that evolution. There are some organisms that can use it as a food source, but they're few and far between, especially when you're talking about water systems, aquatic systems and the temperatures that exist, and so they can't really use it as a food source so plastic doesn't biodegrade…
Beth
Plastic is a synthetic material, meaning that it’s made by combining man-made chemicals, instead of existing naturally. Natural materials like paper decay and harmlessly turn back into soil - they biodegrade. But plastic is not like this. It doesn’t decay and get broken down by microbes and bacteria.
Neil
In fact, some plastic-eating microbes and bacteria do exist, but these are few and far between, they’re rare, and don’t happen very often. It’s the fact that plastic doesn’t decay which is responsible for the waste we see in the environment, waste which is often unsightly, meaning ugly and unpleasant to look at.
Beth
Fortunately, help is at hand. The plastic-eating microbes Neil mentioned, especially one called Rhodococcus ruber, have been tested by scientists and seem capable of breaking down plastic into its basic components. What’s also needed is an emphasis on reducing plastic production, especially packaging and other single-use products, rather than simply recycling. Action like this should help plastic achieve its original purpose - to help preserve, not pollute, our natural resources. And speaking of the origins of plastic, isn’t it time to reveal the answer to your question, Neil?
Neil
Right. I asked you which object made of natural materials was the first to be replaced by plastic. You said it was a hairbrush which was… the wrong answer I'm afraid, Beth. In fact the first plastic-moulding machine was used in 1872 to produce snooker balls. OK let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme starting with single-use plastics - plastic products which are designed to be used just once before being thrown away.
Beth
Microbeads are tiny plastic particles found in products like toothpastes and body scrubs which can enter and pollute rivers, seas, and the human body.
Neil
The adjective synthetic describes a non-natural material made by combining chemicals.
Beth
To biodegrade means to decay naturally, in a way that is not harmful to the environment.
Neil
The phrase few and far between means very rare or not happening very often.
Beth
And finally, if something is described as unsightly, it’s ugly and unpleasant to look at. Once again our six minutes are up. Join us next time for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English. Goodbye for now!
Neil
Goodbye!
I am used to write full transcriptions of programme to catch each word. why english is not spoken in my town❤but making enviroment is easy with BBC😊goodluck Neil , Sam , Beth , Georgy❤
Dalbayob 😂😂😂😂😂
tq
Gorgeous
We should reduce plastic use. Create awareness about ill effects of plastic
Thank you bro❤😅
Woo❤
The cost of switching to degradable plastics might be higher, but the long-term benefits for our planet's health are invaluable.
Thanks BBC
My summary while listening
Plastic has become the most commonly used material in modern life, found in everything from cars to furniture to packaging. Take a look around and you'll soon see how many everyday items contain plastic. But now our love of plastic is being questioned, mostly thanks to climate change and pollution caused by single-use plastics. 11 million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into our oceans every year. It is believed that single-use plastics make up 40% of all plastic pollution globally.
From now on,we all need to use less plastic bags and use the paper bags that are biodegradable. As for Christmas wrapping, prefer to use nice paper bags so that they can be used repeatedly.
Few and far between!
We were using a glass bottle for drinking like ,milk, or Pepsi..but we are using plastics plates ,bottle. Can to keep many things, vegetables,...
I assume living with no plastics is impossible. But as they mentioned in the program it would be so good for humans.
I hope we'll live without plastic
Everyone is responsible for recycling plastic. We must save our planet.
●timestamp for my shadowing
00:14~01:42
02:44～03:32
04:49
No words __ full of knowledge _ but need pdf of each lecture _if possible _ that will b urs most kindness
You can download audio and a free programme transcript here 👉
www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-231214
Such a big percentage of inelastic minds. So many of them condemned to think in terms of black & white! You say "let's pollute less", and they answer "there could be no life without pollution".
I bought, at Ikea, two reusable normal (but not the big blue ones) foldable plastic bags for daily shopping more than ten years ago. Strong and resistant. Almost never got / bought throwaway bags. And there's the widespread lobby of bottled water dealers ...
Quite an elegant lecture.
i live russia its very good ilearn english by bbc learning english did you replay mr?
1862. At the Great International Exhibition in London, the world saw the first example of man-made plastic in the form of medallions, combs, and knife handles made of Parkesine. The material, invented by Alexander Parkes, was originally conceived as a substitute for ivory.
We can't live without plastic but we can limit of fabrucate it and remplace it by paper for exemple
In my opinion, nowadays we can’t live without plastic because in daily life we use a lot of plastic a day and plastic involves our every life.
💕💕💕💕
Why doesn't upload this article on app as well?
People lack strong commitment to avoid unnecessary single-use plastics.
please tell us too, what is the best way to replace the plastic bottles
😲😲😲
1:45
synthetic A new word i learn today
🤔 Can you use it in a sentence?
I liked to use synthetic medicine while I was ill @@bbclearningenglish
I wish I could say yes, but actually it's impossible to go a day without plastic!!
3:52 it doesn't decay and get broken down by microbes and bacteria.
What does broken down mean here?
What is the alternative to plastic? If plastic is indecomposable in soil is there other types of plastic which can be decomposed in soil ?are the benefits of plastic more than its disadvantages?
Can you tell me why you stopped the application???
Belt seems coming down with a cold,
I hope she will get better soon
Well, from my point of view plastic has been invading our lives and one of the best solution is if we try as much as possible to not use it in daily life, such as refusing plastic bags or any other product packed in plastic, to use a refillable aluminium bottle and also to not use one single use cutlery or cups.
It is true that in recent years it was a significant progress in terms of paper bags or cups, but plastic created modern technology and it is commonly used in medicine...
Finally, we need and we don't need plastic in the same time, but I hope in one day plastic will be rarely used.♻️
Plastic is everywhere! Who else was shocked to see polyester used in pretty much ALL CLOTHING during Black Friday shopping this year?
👍🤝👏
This video teaches about the many benefits of plastic
Would you please add the transcript??
This video has subtitles - please make sure you have enabled them. Click here for a free downloadable pdf transcript: www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-231214
single-use plastic, microbeads, biodegrades,
I am Uzbek
🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
I have larn a lot, long time, correct pronunciation and vocabulary,
It's interesting, captivating and fun to listen to you guys love your content!
🥰 Stick with us for more great content!
He didn’t have to say that she is unsightly. I haven’t seen him in such a bad mood, it is few and far between. I am afraid of these dangerous microbeads in toothpaste.
A very interesting and controversial topic. I believe one day plastics will just be a memory, either because we ran out of fossil fuel or we had to banned its production.
Plastic is the most brilliant and worst invention at the same time
I can't believe that for example we use toothpast ,the chemical factores put insight ...plastic ,in general fact Kids for the taste drink this matherial
We find plastic materials anywhere, for example keyboard, mouse, pet, etc. But, in nature the pet takes time between 450 and 500 years to decompose; because of this, the recycling must be part our lives. Please people, recycle!
Hi! Where can we find the quizz of this video? Cheers!
Hi, we have a question in this video which we answer towards the end - 'Which items did plastic first replace?'
@@bbclearningenglish Hi, thanks for answering. I meant the one we used to find on the app or website with 5/6 questions
Now,the plastic is being adds of more come in the world because people's has a responsibility of safety in the sea.but people must be learn of safety sea in child.
227.🇹🇼🇬🇧👍
Snooker ball
It seems as if Beth’s got a cold as her voice is a bit strange than usual, if it is hope she will get better soon 😅
No..its not easy to get rid of plastic....plastic products are all around us...for me its unimaginable to live without those items...just look around and see....its not very easy to find alternatives to all these items...although natural products are there
What level is this program ?
In their website its included within intermediate level
I cann't get the file transcript pdf on the link :
Try this: downloads.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/6min/231214_6_minute_english_living_without_plastic.pdf
Thanks so much :>>@@bbclearningenglish
we lived without plastic before then we can live without plastic now
Would you show a context for them?😅😅😅😅
Are there learning English peopgle for IELTS
Me
Plastice is fantastic