6분 영어

https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026/ep-260101

BBC Learning English - 6 Minute English / Is it OK to disagree?

Neil
Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

Beth
And I'm Beth. Neil, when you're chatting with friends, do you usually have the same or different opinion on things going on in the world?

Neil
Ooh... well, that's interesting. I think I probably have quite similar opinions and that's, kind of, why we're friends.

Beth
Ah! Well, we might like to believe that we're accepting and tolerant of others' beliefs, but for many people it can be difficult to communicate with people who have very different opinions to our own. And this lack of acceptance could be increasing with our use of social media. For example, algorithms tend to show us what we already like and agree with.

Neil
Of course, we can't always agree with everyone else. We all have personal opinions and beliefs on topics like religion and politics. But some worry that it's becoming more and more common to react with violence when they disagree, than to solve disagreements together peacefully.

Beth
So, are we becoming a more divided society? Divided means in disagreement with and separated from others – to not be together. And how can we be more accepting and open to the opinions of others? That's what we'll be discussing in this programme and, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases. Remember, you can find all the vocabulary from this programme on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

Neil
But first I have a question for you, Beth. According to a recent Ipsos poll, what percentage of the British population believes society is divided? Is it:

a)    20%,
b)    50%, or
c)    80%?

Beth
Ooh... I'm going to say 50%.

Neil
Well, we'll find out the answer later in the programme. Paul Dolan, professor of behavioural science at the London School of Economics, thinks we should learn how to control our emotions and be open to discussions when we disagree. Here, he explains more about how to do this on BBC World Service programme All in the Mind:

Paul Dolan
Generally, we're going to be making better decisions, and more respectfully, if we calm down. I mean, one of the things that people could do on their social media is have a five-minute delay before sending it. It takes 15 minutes when you're proper aroused for the amygdala to calm down, but within a few seconds it can start calming down, right? You take a deep breath and you start feeling calmer. It's not to say that always being calm is good. Anger can be motivational and positive emotions actually can be very good for us. Generally, people make better decisions and are more engaging and more open when they're happier, but much of the time it will be just a case of calming down to try and take some of the heat out of the environment.

Beth
Paul thinks we should take time to calm down when we feel aroused, which here means to feel anger or strong disagreement. He said it takes 15 minutes for the amygdala, the part of the brain that experiences emotions, to calm down when we're aroused.

Neil
While anger can be motivational – make us more determined and enthusiastic – Paul says people can speak more openly when they're happier, when heat is taken out of the environment. Heat in this context means an intense feeling like anger.

Beth
Now, one recent dating experiment looked into what people say they want in an ideal partner according to their dating profile. Researchers found that many single people included details on things like what they want their partner to look like, their height, the political party they vote for, but many also say they want a partner who is open-minded and tolerant of different views. If you are open-minded, you're willing to listen to and consider new ideas.

Neil
However, the researchers concluded that while people want a partner to be open-minded and tolerant, they don't want to be very open-minded themselves. So, how can we be more open to getting to know people that we might disagree with? Here's Paul Dolan again, talking to presenter Claudia Hammond of BBC World Service's All in the Mind.

Paul Dolan
So, I guess one very obvious answer is to get offline. I mean, to actually just get out more and meet people because it's what political scientists think is the silver bullet. You know, the more you're around people that are different, the more you realise that actually they're not that different, and you become more tolerant and open-minded. So, being around people that are different – I think that's probably the way that we're going to tackle that problem.

Neil
Paul says political scientists think the silver bullet is to get offline and meet people. A silver bullet means a simple solution to a complicated problem. By meeting people who have different opinions and beliefs to you, the more you'll realise they're not that different to you at all.

Beth
And that could make you more accepting and lead to a society that is less divided. And speaking of divided, isn't it time you revealed the answer to your question, Neil?

Neil
Yes, I asked, "What percentage of the British population believes society is divided, according to a recent poll by the organisation Ipsos?"

Beth
I said 50%. Was that correct?

Neil
It was not correct. It is in fact 80%.

Beth
Wow, that's a lot!

Neil
OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned in this programme, starting with divided, which means in disagreement – not together.

Beth
Aroused means feel a strong emotion like anger.

Neil
If something is motivational, it makes us determined and enthusiastic.

Beth
Heat means an intense feeling, like anger.

Neil
If you are open-minded, you are willing to listen to and consider new ideas.

Beth
And finally, a silver bullet means a simple solution to a complicated problem. Once again, our six minutes are up. If you've enjoyed this programme, why not try practising the new vocabulary you've learnt with our worksheet? It's available to download now from our website, bbclearningenglish.com, and you could also try out the quiz while you're there. Goodbye for now.

Neil
Goodbye!


https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2025/ep-251225

BBC Learning English - 6 Minute English / Was Christmas better in the past?

Beth
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Beth.

Neil
And I’m Neil. Now, it’s Christmas time in the UK at the moment. And like with celebrations around the world, lots of people have many happy memories about Christmas. Beth, do you have any happy Christmas memories?

Beth
I have a lot. Um, my cousins and I used to always put on a Christmas performance for the family. That was always fun. What about you?

Neil
Christmas was magical. I lived in Canada when I was a kid and it was always snowing, so it just felt perfect.

Beth
Amazing. Well, at this time of year, we might look back at the Christmases from the past, from our childhood, and feel like they were happier or more magical than Christmas feels today.

Neil
Yes, thinking about the past can make us feel happy and sad at the same time. It’s a strange feeling we call nostalgia. And we’re going to be talking about nostalgia today as well as Christmas memories and traditions.

Beth
And as usual, we’ll be learning some useful new words and phrases. You can practise these with the quiz and the worksheet on our website. Go to bbclearningenglish.com.

Neil
First, Beth, I have a question for you. In the UK, the most popular Christmas meal is a roast turkey.

Beth
Ooh yes, and all the roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

Neil
That’s right, yes. But which of these has become a popular food to eat at Christmas time in Japan?

a) turkey ramen
b) fried chicken
c) takeaway pizza

Beth
I think the answer is fried chicken.

Neil
Well, we’ll find out at the end of the programme. Now, at Christmas people often create family traditions that they repeat every year. Common traditions in the UK including putting out a snack for Father Christmas, that’s Santa Claus, who delivers presents for children.

Beth
Well, here is host of BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind, Claudia Hammond, talking to psychology professor Daryl O’Connor about his Christmas traditions.

Claudia Hammond
Hello Daryl, I wonder whether you think nostalgia for Christmas past influences your Christmas present plans?

Daryl O’Connor
Well, indeed it does, Claudia. So, actually, I look back on my childhood Christmases with lots and lots of nostalgia. So, when I was a child, every single Christmas morning we would have to queue up on the stairs, and my father would go in the front room of the house, just to double check, just in case Santa Claus was still there, and then we had to wait. And then of course, I have repeated that exact same thing for my children.

Claudia
They line up on the stairs as well? How sweet. Dying for their presents!

Neil
When Claudia asks Daryl whether nostalgia influences his present-day Christmases, Daryl responds, indeed it does. This is a common conversational way to say yes, or agree with someone, we say indeed, followed by do in the present tense.

Beth
On Christmas morning, Daryl asks his children to queue up on the stairs so he can check for Santa Claus, just like Daryl’s father did when he was small. And Claudia likes this tradition, imagining the children waiting on the stairs, dying for their presents. We use the phrase dying for informally when someone really wants something.

Neil
Now, when we remember Christmas from the past and feel nostalgia, we often remember things in a very positive way. But was the past definitely better? Are we remembering correctly?

Beth
This is what Claudia Hammond asked Catherine Loveday, who's a professor of cognitive neuroscience, on BBC Radio 4 programme, All in the Mind.

Claudia Hammond
How accurate are nostalgic memories? Are they accurate?

Catherine Loveday
Well, they’re often going to be rose-tinted and made more positive of course, and that’s what we do with our past generally, but it doesn’t really matter. I mean, in our work we’ve just shown that the function of memory is not about accuracy. It doesn’t matter if some of the details are wrong, it doesn’t matter how we frame it. In fact, it’s actually better for us in a way to reframe our memories and to slightly adjust them to suit who we are now.

Neil
Catherine says that our memories are often rose-tinted. If a memory is rose-tinted, we only see the positive things about it, and don’t remember any of the bad parts.

Beth
But, according to Catherine, it doesn’t always matter. She says the function of memory is not accuracy. Function means the purpose of something.

Neil
In fact, Catherine says that how we frame a memory doesn’t matter. Frame can be used as a verb to mean how we think of or describe something, like a memory.

Beth
So, our memories aren’t that accurate, and it isn’t that important, unless of course, we need to remember factual details about something important.

Neil
So, our nostalgia about Christmas memories might not be based on what things were actually like in the past, but we shouldn’t worry too much! And I think it’s time I revealed the answer to my quiz question, Beth. I asked what has become a traditional food to eat in Japan at Christmas time?

Beth
And I said fried chicken, was I right?

Neil
You are absolutely correct.

Beth
Let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learnt, starting with nostalgia, a feeling of happiness and also some sadness when you think about a thing that happened in the past.

Neil
The phrase indeed followed by the present simple form of do can be used informally instead of answering yes. For example, Beth, do you enjoy eating Brussels sprouts at Christmas?

Beth
Indeed, I do!

Dying for something is an informal phrasal verb we use to say that we really want something.

Neil
Rose-tinted means seeing only the positive parts of something, and not the bad parts.

Beth
Function means the purpose of something.

Neil
And frame can be used as a verb to mean how we think of or describe something.

Beth
Once again, our six minutes are up. Test what you’ve learnt in the episode with the quiz and worksheet on our website.

Neil
To all our listeners who are celebrating Christmas, Merry Christmas! And we hope you all have a good end to the year. See you soon.

Beth
Bye.