Chuffed

Kaz: (Very happy) Hello, I'm Kaz.

Yang Li: And I'm Yang Li. Hey Kaz, you're looking very happy today, what's up - what's happened?

Kaz: Well Li, you know that singing competition I went in for?

Yang Li: Oh yes, the singing competition, what about it?

Kaz: Ah (with pride) I came first.

Yang Li: You did? Congratulations! You came first in the singing competition! Wow! No wonder you're so happy.

Kaz: I certainly am Li. I'm feeling really chuffed.

Yang Li: Feeling really chuffed?

Kaz: Yes, I'm feeling really chuffed - I'm feeling really pleased with myself.

Yang Li: 'Chuffed' - so 'feeling chuffed', means feeling pleased with yourself?

Kaz: That's right.

Yang Li: So, for example, when I passed my driving test - many years ago - I felt chuffed with myself.

Kaz: I'm sure you did Li - I'm sure you were really chuffed with yourself.

Yang Li: OK. So, 'to feel' or 'to be' chuffed about something means to be pleased with life - to be pleased with achieving something. 'Chuffed' - I like the sound of it. Let's listen to some more examples:

• I say Alice. I'm feeling rather chuffed with my exam results. I got a distinction!
• Congratulations! You've been promoted. You must be feeling well chuffed!
• She's lost four kilos, she must be very chuffed.

Yang Li: Kaz, in those examples, I noticed that you can say 'rather chuffed' and 'well chuffed' what's the difference?

Kaz: Well spotted Li. I'd say that 'rather chuffed' is quite formal and perhaps even a little old fashioned.

Yang Li: And 'well chuffed'?

Kaz: 'Well chuffed' is much more informal and more colloquial口語的.

Yang Li: Which one would you prefer then?

Kaz: I think I prefer 'rather chuffed'.

Yang Li: Well, I think we can be rather chuffed with ourselves today.

Kaz: How so Li?

Yang Li: We've successfully completed another programme.

Both: Bye!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2012/12/121225_tews_103_chuffed.shtml

Clever spider

With the help of small pieces of leaf, dead insects and other debris廢墟, 瓦礫, a spider in the Amazon rainforest has created a detailed replica複製品 of a spider larger than itself.

The crafty聰明的 spider is thought to be a new member of the genus種 Cyclosa, a family of spiders which has created decoys誘餌 before using spare egg sacs囊. But this new spider's sculpture雕塑 is the first to have leg-like appendages附屬物.

Phil Torres, a biologist from the Rainforest Expeditions, thinks they might have discovered a completely new species:

When you first see it, it just looks like a spider hanging in a web. It's about an inch and an half long.

As you approach接近, it kind of looks like a dead spider as well but as you approach it starts to move back and forth. There's a little spider hanging on the back of it so you'll see little pieces of leaf, little pieces of twig枝. There's even a dead insect in there.

There must be very heavy predatory掠奪性 influence that it would evolve演變 to have such an intriguing奇妙 defence防禦.

Mr Torres will be returning to the Amazon rainforest in January next year to investigate further as this masterful spider is yet to be recognised as a new species.

Mr Torres' discovery will be registered, verified and his findings published if this spider proves to be biologically different from the known species of Cyclosa.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/12/121224_clever_spider.shtml

Britain's Olympic legacy

Britain finished third in the gold medal table at the London Olympics. The target is for the country to become the first host nation to improve on its tally符合 at the following Games. And so UK Sport, which divides up the cash available to individual sports, has increased its funding to five hundred and sixty two million dollars, a rise of eleven per cent. But those sports which underperformed in 2012 have seen their allowance津貼 go down. Liz Nichol is the Chief Executive of UK Sport: 

"We're very confident that the system can be even better in Rio. We're very confident信心 there is more medal-winning potential to come. And so we're setting out with a very ambitious有雄心 goal, we want to be the first nation in recent history to be more successful in both the Olympics and the Paralympics post hosting." 

In this century Australia, Greece and even China failed to match their medal count in the years after they staged the summer Olympics. Britain has a no-compromise approach to investment. It means the likes of cycling, rowing and boxing, which delivered in London, get a financial windfall意外的收入. But the amount set aside for swimming, which failed to meet expectations, has been slashed削減 by six and a half million dollars. And there are four sports - basketball, handball, wrestling and table tennis - which will receive no money at all. Meanwhile, Paralympic sports were given a huge boost; their pot of cash has been swollen腫大 by 43%.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/12/121221_witn_britains_olympic_legacy.shtml

Depardieu to hand back passport

He is prone to慣於 more than just the occasional偶然 outburst爆發 but this time Gerard Depardieu is at the centre of an almighty非常 political storm. Last week, the actor announced he had quit Paris for a small town 800 yards from the French border; seemingly to dodge a 75% top rate of tax expected to come into force生效 next year.

The Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said it was "shabby破舊", and suggested he was shirking推卸 his patriotic愛國 responsibilities. "How pathetic is that?" writes the actor in today's Journal du Dimanche. "I am leaving because you believe success, creation, talent, anything different must be sanctioned合法,批准."

The actor claims he has paid £120m ($194m) in taxes since beginning work as a printer at the age of 14. "And people more illustrious傑出的 than me," he railed抱怨, "have gone into tax exile逃亡." Belgium is an attractive option for French people since it doesn't impose any additional taxes on wealth富豪. And three months ago France's richest man Bernard Arnault applied for Belgian citizenship. The government might question their loyalties忠誠; but what sort of message is being sent to the outside investors France is hoping to attract, when some of the country's biggest names are heading for self-imposed exile自我放逐?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/12/121217_witn_depardieu_passport_story.shtml

Two-handed writer

It's a talent that very few possess.

Most who try writing with both hands simultaneously 同時 end up with an illegible潦草 scrawl亂塗.

Not so for 24-year-old Chen Siyuan, an ambidextrous二心 translator from northern China.

Chen's gift is the ability to focus on two separate things at the same time.

She discovered it while struggling to cope with應付 large quantities of English language homework.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/12/121219_vwitn_two_handed_writer.shtml

Hit the ground running

Kaz: (Breathless) Hello, I'm Kaz.

Yang Li: I'm Yang Li. Hey Kaz, you're out of breath and wearing running shoes, what's going on?

Kaz: Wait a minute Li (gulp for breath), let me catch my breath. Yes, I'm wearing my running shoes because I've been running.

Yang Li: You've been running – why? Were you late?

Kaz: No it was because of something my boss told me to do.

Yang Li: Your boss told you to run to the studio – hmm strange.

Kaz: No no, she said "Kaz, when you start tomorrow's programme, I want you to hit the ground running".

Yang Li: "I want you to hit the ground running" – sounds rather dangerous.

Kaz: Well, I thought I'd do it literally字面上 – you know, just for fun.

Yang Li: Oh I see. You thought you'd literally hit the ground running – so you leapt off跳下

 a fast moving bus and ended up running all the way to the studio!

Kaz: That's right, that's why I'm out of breath. I literally hit the ground running!

Yang Li: But I get the feeling your boss didn't want you to literally "hit the ground running".

Kaz: You're absolutely right Li. When she said, "Kaz, when you start tomorrow's programme, I want you to hit the ground running" she meant "When you start tomorrow's programme, I want you to immediately work very hard on it to make it successful".

Yang Li: OK. Kaz's boss wanted him to get today's programme off to a brisk and successful start. She wanted him 'to hit the ground running'. I think Kaz, you did exactly that. Let's listen to some more examples:

• If you want to succeed in your new job, you'll need to hit the ground running, from day one.
• You guys will have to hit the ground running on this new project.
• The President promised that if he was re-elected he would hit the ground running on the question of unemployment.

Yang Li: Kaz, the expression 'to hit the ground running' sounds American - is that right?

Kaz: Yeah, I think you're right Yang Li but we're beginning to hear it more often in British English

Yang Li: It's an American import then?

Kaz: Yes, I think it is. You tend to hear it in connection with speed and efficiency especially on new projects.

Yang Li: Great!

Kaz: But one thing's for certain Li.

Yang Li: What's that?

Kaz: On this programme we always hit the ground running!

Yang Li: You're right there Kaz. On this programme we always hit the ground running! We always give it 110%! Bye!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2012/12/121218_tews_102_hit_ground_running.shtml

The Great Firewall of China

Xinhua has had an English-language account on Twitter for months, and it's not clear why China's regional press chose to mention its existence now. But it's provoked挑釁 both anger and amusement娛樂 among Chinese web users, whose every mouse-click is monitored by what's known as the Great Firewall.

One comment left on the website of the news magazine Caijing, said Xinhua's officials should be arrested for jumping the wall. Another ventured冒險 plaintively悲哀, "please allow us to visit Twitter too".

Xinhua's cyber-journey網路之旅 to the West may be news to many of China's netizens網民, but it hasn't gone there alone. Also posting on Twitter in English are the official China Daily and Global Times, in what seems to be an attempt to promote China's soft power.

Joining them on the other side of the Great Firewall are some of the best-known Chinese dissidents持不同意見者, including the artist and activist社會運動家 Ai Weiwei, who used special software to circumvent規避 the controls. This doesn't mean there's contact between them. More than six thousand people worldwide follow Xinhua's frequent posts on Twitter - but the news agency itself doesn't follow anyone at all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/12/121214_witn_chinas_great_firewall.shtml

Australians are divided over carbon tax

Protestors say they are just ordinary Australian workers and taxpayers who feel betrayed背叛 by the government's plans to put a price on carbon. They insist it would damage the economy and drive up抬高 the cost of living by making energy far more expensive.

Man 1: "There is a ground swell地面隆起 of people that have finally had a gutful."

Man 2: "Since the Labor government has come into this country, the union rules. We just cannot do it anymore. We have no more money left to pay the taxes."

Reporter: The demonstrators have the support of the conservative保守的 opposition leader, Tony Abbott. He says that without a global carbon pricing agreement, Australian businesses would be less competitive:

Tony Abbott: "A one-sided carbon tax, a unilateral單方面 carbon tax is an act of economic self-harm."自我傷害

Woman: "Here we have 12,000 signatures supporting action on climate change."

Man 3: "12,000. Fantastic."

Reporter: Supporters of the tax believe it will cut pollution污染 in Australia, which is one of the world's worst per capita emitters人均排放量 of greenhouse gases, and will also encourage the development of a low-carbon economy.

The Prime Minister Julia Gillard says that opposition won't derail出軌 the plan:

Julia Gillard: "Now, I understand there's always going to be a variety各種 of views in the community. We'll see that on display today, but pricing carbon is the right thing for our nation's future and that's why I am determined to do it."

Reporter: The Prime Minister hopes to bring in a tax on carbon next year, before introducing an emissions排放量 trading scheme as early as 2015. She insists that without these key economic reforms, Australia will be left behind by its international competitors.

Phil Mercer, BBC News, Sydney

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2011/03/110323_witn_australia_carbontax_page.shtml

Women and Wal-Mart case goes to court

As protesters outside chanted高呼, the judges inside the US Supreme最高 Court were hearing evidence聽證會 on what could turn into the largest sex discrimination性別歧視 lawsuit訴訟 in American history. This group of women are suing their bosses at Wal-Mart, claiming they've been passed up for pay and promotion in favour of men.

It's been a ten-year battle, but they are calling on their case to be heard as a class action集體訴訟, so the grievances怨氣 of all women employees can be heard together. The women claim thousands of workers have been held back from opportunities based on their gender.

It's for the Supreme Court to decide in the coming weeks whether the lawsuit should cover all female retail零售 staff who've worked in Wal-Mart stores in America since 1988.

Wal-Mart says any grievances should be heard on a case-by-case basis, rather than be lumped together混為一談 as one, and deny any claims of sexism.

Many big businesses fear that if the Supreme Court does allow a class action lawsuit to go ahead, it could open the floodgates打開閘門 to many similar large-scale discrimination cases.

Rajini Vaidyanathan, BBC News, Washington

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2011/03/110330_witn_walmart_page.shtml

Japanese disasters hit UK car production

Honda says it's cutting production at its Swindon plant, in southern England, by 50% from next week, as it grapples with抓住 shortages短缺 of key components關鍵部件 from Japan. 

Wide swathes大部件 of Japanese industry are working at well below full capacity due to power shortages, following the nuclear accident at Fukushima. The earthquake and tsunami devastated蹂躪 a region that's home to some key parts suppliers to the motor and electronics industries. The effect is being felt in the supply chains供應鏈 of many companies around the world, not just Japanese ones, that rely on依靠 Japanese made components. 

The problem's been exacerbated加劇 by the prevalence of患病率 so-called 'just-in-time' production systems, where manufacturers製造商 don't keep large stockpiles庫存 of parts on-site. Instead, they rely on timely deliveries made just before the parts are needed, more efficient when things are going well, but prone to 易發生 disruption if the parts don't arrive on time.

Mark Gregory, BBC News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2011/04/110406_witn_hondaswindon_page.shtml

Language of the blogosphere

Yang Li: Hello, I'm Yang Li, and welcome to The English We Speak. In this programme, we teach you about words and phrases that you might not find in the dictionary. Joining me in the studio today is Finn, hi Finn! Hi Finn!

Finn: (Typing) Hi Li, bear with me one second, I'll just... finish... this... There! Done.

Yang Li: What are you up to?

Finn: Well, it's quite exciting really. I've just entered the blogosphere for the first time!

Yang Li: The what? I think you're mistaken, you're in the studio.

Finn: No, I don't think you understand. Haven't you heard of the blogosphere?

Yang Li: No, I haven't. Is it in space?

Finn: Li, you're thinking of the atmosphere. Let me try and explain it to you. Have you heard of blogs before?

Yang Li: Of course. A blog is a piece of writing on a website, particularly social networking sites, where you write your own views and opinions.

Finn: That's right. The word blog is actually short for 'web log' - 'blog'. Blogs can be long or short, and they are very popular.

Yang Li: So what is the blogosphere?

Finn: The blogosphere is a general word used to describe the world of blogging and the people in it. If you read a blog or write - or post - one, you are part of the blogosphere.

Yang Li: Very interesting. So you said you have become part of the blogosphere yourself - have you written a blog?

Finn: I've written a microblog - that's a very short blog post which is limited to a certain number of characters. Usually it's only about one or two sentences.

Yang Li: So a microblog is short and sweet!

Finn: It is!

Yang Li: Tell me, Finn, what did you blog about?

Finn: I wrote: "I'm presenting with Li in the studio today, I can't wait to explain some more great phrases. #bbclearningenglish."

Yang Li: Ooh you mentioned me!

Finn: I did!

Yang Li: But what was that you said at the end of it, handbag BBC Learning English?

Finn: No, I said #bbclearningenglish. A hashtag is something else that you often see on social networking websites. If you type a hash mark (#)井號 before a word, it highlights a key word or area of interest, and you can use it to search for other blogs which use that word.

Yang Li: It sounds very complicated. So, if I want to write a short blog post about James Bond, I can type #jamesbond, and people searching for James Bond will be able to see my post?

Finn: Yes, in fact, the whole of the blogosphere will be able to see your post!

Yang Li: I'd love to be part of the blogosphere and try this for myself!

Finn: Well, did you know that BBC Learning English has pages on Facebook and Twitter? Why not try it out there and post your first ever microblog?

Yang Li: Thanks, I think I will. Join us again for another edition of The English We Speak. Bye for now!

Finn: Bye!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2012/12/121211_tews_101_blogosphere.shtml

Driving school for dogs

Meet Monty: a four-legged friend on four wheels.
No, it's not a shaggy毛茸茸 dog story, this pooch狗 really is driving the car, after being trained by a charity in New Zealand.
Six months ago he was abandoned by his owners. But the charity hopes that by showing how intelligent dogs can be, more people will adopt them, putting dogs like Monty back in the driving seat.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/12/121212_vwitn_dogs_driving.shtml

Spell as you pronounce?

School children in English-speaking countries have difficulty spelling words such as 'people' and 'friend'. They contain the odd vowels元因 which are not pronounced. SAYPU suggests it is about time we started spelling what we pronounced and not just in English, but in all languages. Say, for instance, the word 'oui' - or 'yes' in French - would be spelled WEE and the word 'Leute' in German - meaning 'people' - as LOITE. The director of Logos Capital, Jaber George, who is launching the programme today, insists their aim is to help raise worldwide literacy文化 levels by making spelling easier.

"One of the reasons why, in some cultures and in certain languages, there is higher illiteracy文盲 rates than in others is because of the difficulty in learning how to read and write, and by having, actually, a phonetic拼音 alphabet, then you don't have this problem anymore; everyone will be able to read and write much more easily. So Esperanto世界語, basically, is to have a single language spoken by everyone; here, what we are trying to do is just to have all these languages written using the same alphabet.

Even though there might be linguists語言學家 out there frowning at皺眉 the project already, Jaber insists their programme won't undermine破壞 the beauty and the playfulness嬉鬧 of words and languages. They aim to create their own dictionary of words from around the world. And if you are so inclined願意, you could log in and add a word or two from your part of the world.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/12/121210_witn_spell_as_you_pronounce.shtml

Exploring Antarctica

The ship's mooring停泊處 is wintry cold冬天的寒冷. Nothing, though, compared to Antarctica. Temperatures can hit minus 90 celcius. And Sir Ranulph will be skiing the 2000 miles.

On the ship's bridge, the 68 year old says he hopes to raise millions for charity, and conduct進行 scientific research. The team of six must be self-sufficient自給自足, so they're taking bulldozers推土機 to drag拖 their living quarters住處 and supplies. 

Sir Ranulph Fiennes: "The vehicles, I would think, personally, are a bigger potential problem than the people. Minus 80 could be… damage to lung tissue組織 when you're breathing in when you're skiing. But, in the vehicles, you have got steel, you've got rubber, which don't like minus 70, never mind when they're towing拖帶 everything that they have to tow."

Can he do it? Even Britain's most acclaimed廣受好評 living explorer says he just doesn't know.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/12/121207_witn_exploring_antarctica.shtml

Floating Christmas tree

The festive佳節 season has got underway in Rio de Janeiro in spectacular壯觀的 style.

The world's largest floating Christmas tree has been lit up照亮 in the heart of the city.

Over 100,000 people flocked to蜂擁 the lagoon潟湖 to watch a six-minute fireworks show. It's become one of Rio's main tourist attractions.

This year, the decorations on the 85 metre-high structure have been based on the four seasons.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/12/121205_vwitn_floating_christmas_tree.shtml

Texting turns 20

When Neil Papworth sent the first text message from his computer to a colleague's mobile phone on the 3rd of December 20 years ago, he didn't wait for a response. In those days it wasn't possible to send a message from a phone. 

But the spread of mobile technology, combined with the cheapness and brevity簡短地 of texts, ensured that they became a global phenomenon, changing language in the process. 

In the past year though, in a number of countries including the United States and Britain, the volume of text messages has fallen slightly for the first time. The SMS has been hit by the free messaging alternatives available on smartphones.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/12/121203_witn_texting_turns_20.shtml

Carla Bruni: no need for feminism?

Carla Bruni never quite managed the transformation from diva to Première Dame. Maybe it's because she lives in a very different life to the voters she once encountered. In the interview with French Vogue magazine, she said women of her generation don't need feminism女權主義 any more. "There are pioneers先驅 who opened the breach邊界, 突破口," she says, "but I'm not at all an active feminist. On the contrary相反的, I'm bourgeoise中產階級. I love family life, I love doing the same thing every day."

The French group "Dare to be Feminist" has vented spleen憤怒, inviting people to respond on Twitter with the hashtag 'Dear Carla Bruni'. And there have been hundreds of messages. "Dear Carla, my generation needs feminism because there's no equality平等的 in salaries," said one. "My generation needs feminism," said another, "because 75,000 women were raped last year".

The MEP Corinne Lepage weighed in: "Dear Carla, there are no women on the board of the ECB". And, in a press conference today, government spokeswoman Najat Belkacem Vallaud said: "We need everyone to be feminist, so long as one sex dominates the other," which all goes to show that, outside Carla's bourgeois bubble, feminism is alive and fighting fit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/11/121130_witn_carla_bruni_feminism_story.shtml

The last ninjas

They are the heroes or villains惡棍 of countless movies and comics.

But after more than 500 years of history and myth神話, only a handful of masters hold the secrets of the deadly致命地 art of ninjutsu.

Now Japan is looking to its ninjas to boost促進 tourism. 

And while their legacy遺產 will no doubt live on, it might be less about assassinations暗殺 and more about entertainment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2012/11/121128_vwitn_last_ninjas.shtml

Irons in the fire

Jen: Hello, I'm Jennifer. Welcome to The English We Speak. Joining me in the studio today is Helen. Hi Helen!

Helen: Hi Jen! I wasn't expecting to see you in the office today; I thought you were on leave?

Jen: No, that's next week. I'm taking two weeks off work and I can't wait!

Helen: Are you going on holiday?

Jen: I haven't planned anything just yet, but I do have a few irons in the fire that will keep me busy across the fortnight兩星期.

Helen: Irons in the fire? What do you mean? When did you become an ironmonger鐵器?

Jen: No, Helen, I'm not an ironmonger...

Helen: ...because that could be great! I saw a lovely wrought-iron bed in a shop in London, but it was too expensive... Perhaps with your new iron-making skills鍛鍊能力 you can make me one, instead!

Jen: I definitely don't have any iron-making skills!

Helen: But you said you had a few irons in the fire... Oh! I suppose you mean that you've got a lot of ironing燙衣服 to do; you do wear a lot of different clothes so I suppose it would take a long time to iron克服 them all...

Jen: No, that's not what I meant!

Helen: So what did you mean when you said you have 'a few irons in the fire'?

Jen: This is another English phrase which you shouldn't take too literally字面上. If you have a few irons in the fire, it means that you have a few different projects or potential ideas going on at the same time.

Helen: I see. So you have a few irons in the fire because you have different options for your fortnight off?

Jen: That's right - I can't wait.

Helen: So tell me, Jen, what are your irons in the fire - what are you planning?

Jen: Well, I have a friend in Paris who I haven't seen for ages, so I could go there... I'd like to pop up to Scotland to visit my sister and her children for a few days... There's also a cheap deal to Turkey that I've seen and I already have some yoga classes booked in!

Helen: Wow, that's a lot!

Jen: There was one thing you were right about, though...

Helen: What's that?

Jen: I do have a huge pile of ironing to do! Join us again for another edition of The English We Speak from bbclearningenglish.com. Bye for now!

Helen: Bye!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2012/12/121204_tews_100_irons_fire.shtml