BBC 6 Minute English 使用方式 (附中譯)

本文雖然很舊，但學習的方法是一樣的。同學可以學會方法後，用在新的六分鐘英文上面。
BBC廣播公司的「6 Minute English」節目每週五更新一次。這是個非常適合英語學習者練習「聽力」跟「口說」的一個教學節目。

​同學們進入網頁後，先讀一下畫面上的資訊與問題，然後點選畫面的右邊的Audio檔收聽。切記，不可以急著點PDF檔去看錄音稿喔！
聽的時候手不是閒著，而是要重點聽寫關鍵字。什麼叫「聽到」關鍵字（不分語言）我覺得是現代人應具備的基本常識，真的不知道多聽幾次就是了。

不會拼的字很多的話表示程度太弱，拼字方面要多加強。但希望同學聽寫的字不要都是化學原素或photosynthesis這種偏難的。先從簡單的例如下方粗體字等級的單字開始練聽寫。
聽完一次若有很多聽不懂的地方，或才寫下兩三個字，那應該是同學程度真的太弱，若真有心可以再聽個十遍，但若是我，我會先停止用六分鐘英文來當練習教材，先從簡單的英文學習雜誌開始練習聽寫。

接下來，同學可以點選Text文字檔（PDF檔）進去看錄音的文字稿。這時請同學要勤勞一點，去查一下不認識的單字與發音。

當然也要檢查自己剛才聽寫的拼字有沒有拼對，或根本有沒有聽對。
最後，再聽一次錄音檔，但這次，就不可以看文字稿囉！
然後省略以下重覆X次。到底要幾次，真的是看人、看個性。就跟仰臥起座一次做幾組一樣，當然不可能每個人都一樣。自己的身體自己應該蠻了解的。
聽力（或腹肌），就是在一點一滴的努力下進步的！

如果同學真的有心，還可以再叫出一遍文字稿，跟著兩位老師一句一句的跟讀shadowing練習。當然，這個過程會花掉很多時間，這也是很多學生停止努力的地方。健身影片常常說，最後那幾下，最痛苦的那幾下，就是最容易長出肌肉的時間。
有一天，你就會發現你突然說得一口純正，人人羨慕的英國腔！這時你就出運啦！
以下就是某期「六分鐘英語」加中文翻譯。
 
BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
Media Blackout (媒體管制)
NB [註]: This is not a word for word transcript [錄音稿跟實際錄音會有點差異]
 
文章內容來自BBC英國廣播公司　6 Minute English ©bbclearningenglish.com 2010 
 
Dan: This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Dan Walker Smith and today I'm joined by Alice [今天和我一同主持的是Alice]. Hello Alice!

Alice: Hi Dan.

Dan: Alice, you've got some news about a media blackout in an English town, right? [你帶來一則有關一個英國城鎮有媒體管制的新聞, 是嗎? ] 

Alice: That's right; a media blackout; that's a ban on all media [禁止所有的媒體的使用]. It's happening at Bournemouth Universityon the south coast of England [伯恩矛斯大學, 在英國南岸].

Dan: OK, so there's no media anywhere in Bournemouth? [在伯恩矛斯這裏任何地方都不能有媒體的使用?] 

Alice: Well it's not a complete media blackout [並不是整個禁媒體]; the ban is just affecting hundreds of university students [這項禁令只有影響到數百個大學生], as part of an experiment to see how they react without media [這是一項實驗的一部份, 要看他們對於不能使用媒體的反應如何].

Dan: Aha! OK, well before you go on [在你繼續講下去之前], I've got a media question for you [我有一個有關媒體的問題要問你]: according to the latest Facebook figures [根據最新的臉書資料], how many active Facebook users are there in the world [世界上有多少活躍的臉書使用者]? Is it: 
a) 300 million [三億]
b) 500 million [五億]
c) 800 million [八億] 版主OS：基本上我認為這些問題的橋段很無聊，在為了summary而聽或讀的時候我都會跳過。但同學若聽寫能力很差，那這些問題是可以當成練習的材料就是了。

Alice: Oh I've just recently seen that film about Facebook [我才剛看過那部有關臉書的電影], so I'm going to guess 800 million [我要猜八億人].

Dan: OK top number there [最高的數字]. Well we'll see if you're right later on in the programme [節目後面我們再看看你有沒有答對]. Now Alice, tell us a bit more about this experiment. [告訴我們多一點關於這項實驗的事]

Alice: Absolutely [沒問題]. Well the experiment's called Unplugged [這個實驗叫做「不插電」], because the people who've volunteered have been asked to unplug their media devices [因為自願參加的人們被要求拔掉所有的媒體裝置], such as laptops, phones andTVs, for 24 hours [譬如筆電、電話跟電視24小時]. And they're not allowed to listen to the radio or read news papers either [而且, 他們也不准聽收音機或讀報紙].

Dan: OK, so no access to any media [不能接觸任何媒體]. But 24 hours doesn't seem like a very long time [但24小時似乎沒有很長啊].

Alice: No it doesn't [對啊, 不長], but some of the volunteers havefound it really difficult [但有些自願者覺得非常困難], as you can hear from one of theguinea pigs in the experiment [你可以聽到一隻實驗白老鼠的心聲].
By the way [對了], a guinea pig here is a strange term for describing someone who takes part in a new experiment or test [白老鼠用來形容一個參與一項新實驗或新試驗的人是不太常見]. They're usually little furry animals [他們通常是有毛的小動物], a bit like short-eared rabbits [有點像短耳兔], and make very nice pets [他們是非常可愛的寵物]. But in this case it means someone who takes part in an experiment [但在這裏指的是參與一個實驗的人]. This is one of the guinea pigs, Charlotte Gay [Charlotte是其中一隻白老鼠]:
 
Extract 1: Charlotte Gay
It’s been a real struggle to behonest [說實話, 這真的有點痛苦], even here in the student union here [即便是在學會這裏], you have to literally shut downand try and avoid all contacts with media [你真的要完全關掉, 並且試著避免跟媒體有任何接觸]; it's really difficult.

Dan: So our guinea pig Charlotte there said it was a real struggle to avoid all contact with the media [所以我們的白老鼠Charlotte說真的很痛苦, 要避免跟媒體的接觸]. She said she had to shut down; basically just stop doing anything. [她說她必須關掉, 停止做所有的事]
*literally在英國是強調用字, 通常只能被翻成「整個」，不太能夠翻成中文。譬如說, I literally cleaned every corner of the house.我真的「整個」把家裏的每個角落都打掃一遍。在美式英文裏, 這個字則是指「逐字翻譯」或是「照字面上來說」。

Alice: Yeah, the media's everywhere, sonot surprisingly Charlotte said it was really difficult [對啊, 媒體無所不在, 也難怪Charlotte說很痛苦] .

Dan: OK, but how has this media banaffected the students' mental well-being, Alice? [但這個媒體禁令對於學生們的精神狀況影響如何呢?]

Alice: Well their mental well-being;you'd think 24 hours, how will they feel about themselves and their emotionalhealth [你可能會想, 才24小時, 他們會覺得怎麼樣]? Well, Doctor Roman Gerodimos,is a media lecturer at Bournemouth University [Gerodimos博士是普利矛斯大學的媒體講師]. He helped with the experiment and he here is describing some of the students’ symptoms [他忙幫做這個實驗。他描述一些學生的症狀]:
 
Extract 2: Roman Gerodimos
They are reporting withdrawal symptoms [他們產生戒斷症狀], overeating [大吃], feeling nervous [緊張], feeling isolated [感到孤立], disconnected [跟外界斷絕連絡], they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time [他們整個不知道該怎麼辦], just going round their room or their house in silence and they really hate that [在寂靜的房子裏走來走去, 他們真的很恨這樣]!

 Dan: Wow, so it sounds like the media ban had a very negative effect on the students. [哇, 聽起來這個媒體禁令對學生們產生非常負面的影響]

Alice: Yeah, Doctor Gerodimos said some students were overeating [是的, Gerodimos博士說有些學生大吃]; they were eating too much food. And they were also feeling nervous and isolated. Isolated means lonely or detached from other people [isolated指的是孤獨或者跟其他人拆散了]. They also felt disconnected, which is another word meaning detached or cut off[disconnected指的是detached, 與人群切斷了].

Dan: Let's have another listen to the clip[我們再來聽一次錄音].
 
Extract 2: Roman Gerodimos
They are reporting withdrawal symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, feeling isolated, disconnected, they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time, just going round their room or their house in silence and they really hate that!
 
Dan: So a lot of problems there injust 24 hours[所以短短24小時之內就有很多問題]. And have there been any long-term effects [那長期下來有什麼影響嗎]?

Alice: Long-term effects – changes that last for a long time. Well, the experiment has only just finished[這個研究才剛結束], so we don’t know the full findings yet[所以我們還不知道完整的研究結果]. But let’s hear some thoughts from another student, Caroline Scott[但我們聽聽另一個學生Caroline的想法], and also afterwards the voice of BBC correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones[之後則是BBC特派員的報導].
 
Extract 3: Caroline Scott andRory Cellan-Jones
Caroline: Yeah it is quite nice to be totally separated for about two hours I would say, maximum [是啊, 若是差不多兩小時, 完全隔離是還蠻好的, 最多兩小時]. Other than that I would like to have my phone on me, or the internet, or something [不然的話, 我會想要帶著我的手機或網路, 或什麼的].
Rory: As a nation we now spend half our waking hours using the media in some form and these young people can’t imagine being permanently unplugged [我們英國人現在花一半我們醒著的時間在使用某種形式的媒體, 這些年輕人無法想像永遠的「不插電」].

Dan: So Caroline said it's nice to be separated from the media for two hours maximum[所以Caroline說最多兩小時跟媒體隔離還蠻好的], but after that she wanted her phone or the internet.

Alice: Exactly, as Rory Cellan-Jones concluded  [就像Rory的結論], as we spend half our waking hours[醒著的時間]– that's half the time we're awake – using media, a lot of young people can’t imagine being ‘permanently unplugged’.

Dan: Well, there's just time for a reminder of some of the language we've come across today[剩下的時間剛好夠我們複習今天碰到的語言]. Alice, could you help us out with those please[請你幫我們練習那些單字]?

Alice: Of course; we had:
media blackout[____________] 同學們可以考一下自己, 還記得這些字的意思嗎?
unplugged [____________]
guinea pig [____________]
mental well-being [____________]
overeating [____________]
isolated [____________]
disconnected [____________]
long-term effects [____________]
waking hours [____________]
 
Dan: And our question of the week: Howmany active Facebook users are there in the world? Is it:
a) 300 million
b) 500 million
c) 800 million

Alice: Well I guessed 800 million.

Dan: Yeah, you're actually a bit too high with 800 million [八億有一點太多了]. 500 million users at the last count [最後一次統計是五億人], but that is rising by the day [但這個數字天天在增加], so it could be 800 very very soon [所以很快就要八億了].

Alice: Amazing! [了不起]

Dan: It really is. But I'm afraid that's all we have time for in today's 6 Minute English [今天的6分鐘英文時間到囉]. So thanks so much for joining us, and goodbye [謝謝大家收聽, 掰~].

Alice: Bye! 
 
「六分鐘英文」跟BBC公司其他的線上教學教材，都是我們課堂上會補充的資源。

看完這樣一篇文章，我會要求學生們把整篇文章中，覺得最適合拿來當摘要的語言劃線，然後自己加入串場句，做成一個一分半鐘的summary，然後錄音給我們，我們會給學生feedback。

說話的過程要好像你跟朋友敍述你讀過這篇文章一樣地自然，初學者盡量多用文章中自己可以理解＋背得起來的句型（當然有時必須改主詞，可能文章中用的是I think... 那你就要改成The professor/The writer thinks...）。

不要把summary的所有文字抄在紙上然後背起來，這樣聽起來會很死板，看著剛才自己劃底線的地方，邊看邊講邊翻頁，才是有可能實際發生的情況。若照我上面落落長講那麼多的方式做，多講幾次應該就會自動記住很多，不需要背。

學英文最後一定要能夠「用」出來，而6 Minute English是個很棒的教材。

★ 外師進階口說課程 - 針對發音、文法、流暢度、單字，四個面向給同學回饋，內容充滿刺激的批判性思考，長久以來的錯誤也能夠被糾正，讓你在實際上完課後「大大有感」英文口說進步！
★ 實用商用英文課程 - 以「提升商務溝通效率」為核心，揮別你腦袋裡長灰塵阻礙你溝通的紙上英文法，提升書信寫作與口語表達的精準度。根據學習主題或情境進行聽說讀寫不同類型的練習，實際演練課堂所學來提升英文實戰力！