BBC 6 Minute English | THE COMMUTE | English CC | Daily Listening

source: Daily Listening     2016年10月8日
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0:04 Now Neil, how do you get to work?
0:06 I cycle.
0:07 I didn't know that!
0:08 Somehow I hadn't imagined you as a cyclist.
0:11 And where's all your bike gear?
0:13 Well, I sneak in the mornings, have a shower, and get changed.
0:16 That's my bike in the corner over there.
0:18 Oh, you've got a foldaway bike – which means it folds up so it's easy to carry or put away.Do
0:24 you wear lycra, Neil?
0:25 Yes, I do… it's very comfortable.
0:27 I wear lycra as often as I can.
0:30 Lycra by the way is a stretchy fabric used in tight-fitting sports clothes.
0:34 Well, I'll have to see if I can catch you on your way into the building – I'm intrigued
0:39 about this sporty Neil I didn't know about!
0:43 'Intrigued' means to be very interested in something.
0:45 Well, Alice, I'm flattered.
0:48 And today's show is about commuting – or travelling between your home and your work.
0:52 So how did you commute this morning, Alice?
0:54 I got the Tube – that's the subway system here in London, also known as the underground
1:00 – and it was a nightmare.
1:03 We stopped in a tunnel for so long that people started talking to each other.
1:07 And for those of you who aren't Londoners, that's unusual!
1:10 Do you ever talk to people on the train?
1:13 No.
1:14 People think you're crazy if you talk to strangers.
1:16 Well, maybe now's a good time to talk about today's quiz question, Alice.
1:20 What question do you have for me?
1:22 Alright then.
1:23 I know you like my questions, Neil.
1:25 So here we go: What did the word 'commuter' originally describe?
1:31 Was it someone who… a) travelled with other people?
1:35 b) paid a reduced fare to travel?
1:38 Or c) travelled by train to work?
1:40 Oh, that's easy.
1:41 I'm going to go for c) travelled by train to work.
1:45 Well, we'll find out later whether you're right or not.
1:48 Now let's listen to a commuter in Nairobi who takes a matatu to get to work.
1:54 These are minibuses used as shared taxis in East Africa.
1:58 Can you spot a word that means being quick to notice things going on around you?
2:04 When I'm stuck in the matatu there is a lot of strange things happen around you, so you
2:12 have to be alert in Nairobi.
2:13 When you open… when you leave your window open somebody can run away with your belongings.
2:20 You may be speaking… using the phone… somebody just snatch your phone… you may
2:26 expect the unexpected!
2:27 The word used by this commuter in Kenya is alert.
2:36 And in these noisy, crowded buses you need to be alert in case someone runs away with
2:40 your belongings – belongings are the things that you own.
2:44 Right.
2:45 Somebody might snatch your phone – snatch means to take something quickly.
2:50 Public transport in Nairobi sounds stressful!
2:52 If I was taking the bus I'd want to have a nap – or short sleep.
2:55 Yes.
2:56 Well, people have done research on commuting and stress levels – and interestingly women
3:02 are more likely to experience stress during their journey than men.
3:06 Why's that?
3:07 Well, they're more likely to do something which is being called 'trip chaining' – where
3:12 they make one or more stops on the way to work or going home – for example to drop
3:17 off or pick up the kids from school – and this makes it more likely that something will
3:21 go wrong with their journey.
3:23 Even if you aren't trip chaining it's no fun being stuck in a traffic jam – that's a
3:27 large number of vehicles close together moving slowly – or being packed into a crowded
3:32 train like sardines.
3:34 Let's face it – travelling by car or by public transport can be really miserable!
3:39 Yes.
3:40 Packed in like sardines describes people standing so close together that they can't move – like
3:45 fish in a can!
3:47 So let's hear how longer commutes can affect your health from US researcher Christine Hoehner.
3:56 My study found that adults who commuted longer distances from home to work were less physically
4:02 active, less physically fit, weighed more and had higher blood pressure than those people
4:07 who had shorter commutes.
4:10 The American researcher must be talking about commuters who aren't engaged in active travel,
4:15 mustn't she?
4:16 Because if you cycle a longer distance then you're being more physically active.
4:21 I think you're right, for once, Neil!
4:24 Yeah.
4:25 And I'd better start going to the gym more.
4:26 I don't like the sound of high blood pressure.
4:29 Why don't you hop on your bike, Alice?
4:31 Then we can both wear lycra to work.
4:34 That's a fantastic idea, Neil!
4:37 Moving on!
4:38 Here's the answer to today's quiz question.
4:41 I asked: What did the word 'commuter' originally describe?
4:45 Was it someone who… a) travelled with other people?
4:49 b) paid a reduced fare to travel?
4:52 Or c) travelled by train to work?
4:56 And I said c) travelled by train to work.
4:58 It must be right.
4:59 And you were wrong I'm afraid, Neil!
5:03 It's b) someone who paid a reduced fare to travel.
5:07 The Oxford Dictionary says the word 'commute' comes from Latin commutare, from com-'altogether'
5:13 + mutare 'to change'.
5:16 The word was used in the US in the 1840s, when people paid a reduced or commuted fare
5:22 to travel by rail from the suburbs into the city.
5:25 OK.
5:26 Can you tell us the words we heard today again, Alice?
5:28 Of course I can.
5:29 Here they are: foldaway bike
5:33 lycra intrigued
5:36 commuting the Tube
5:38 alert belongings
5:43 snatch nap
5:47 traffic jam packed in like sardines
5:51 commuted Well, that's the end of today's journey with
5:54 6 Minute English.