Media Blackout

    Dan: This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Dan Walker Smithand today I'm joined by Alice. Hello Alice!
    Alice: Hi Dan.
    Dan: Alice, you've got some news about a media blackout in an English town, right?
    Alice: That's right; a media blackout; that's a ban on all media. It's happening atBournemouth University on the south coast of England.
    Dan: OK, so there's no media anywhere in Bournemouth?
    Alice: Well it's not a complete media blackout; the ban is just affecting hundreds ofuniversity students, as part of an experiment to see how they react withoutmedia.
    Dan: Aha! OK, well before you go on, I've got a media question for you: accordingto the latest Facebook figures, how many active Facebook users are there in theworld? Is it:
    a) 300 millionb) 500 millionc) 800 millionAlice: Oh I've just recently seen that film about Facebook, so I'm going to guess 800million.
    Dan: OK top number there. Well we'll see if you're right later on in the programme.
    Now Alice, tell us a bit more about this experiment.
    6 Minute English ? bbclearningenglish.com 2010Page 2 of 5Alice: Absolutely. Well the experiment's called Unplugged, because the peoplewho've volunteered have been asked to unplug their media devices, such aslaptops, phones and TVs, for 24 hours. And they're not allowed to listen to theradio or read newspapers either.
    Dan: OK, so no access to any media. But 24 hours doesn't seem like a very longtime.
    Alice: No it doesn't, but some of the volunteers have found it really difficult, as youcan hear from one of the guinea pigs in the experiment.
    By the way, a guinea pig here is a strange term for describing someone whotakes part in a new experiment or test. They're usually little furry¹ animals, a bitlike short-eared rabbits, and make very nice pets. But in this case it meanssomeone who takes part in an experiment.
    This is one of the guinea pigs, Charlotte Gay:
    Extract 1: Charlotte GayIt’s been a real struggle to be honest, even here in the student union here, you have toliterally shut down and try and avoid all contacts with media; it's really difficult.
    Dan: So our guinea pig Charlotte there said it was a real struggle to avoid all contactwith the media. She said she had to shut down; basically just stop doinganything.
    Alice: Yeah, the media's everywhere, so not surprisingly Charlotte said it was reallydifficult.
    Dan: OK, but how has this media ban affected² the students' mental well-being³,Alice?
    Alice: Well their mental well-being; you'd think 24 hours, how will they feel aboutthemselves and their emotional health? Well, Doctor Roman Gerodimos, is amedia lecturer at Bournemouth University. He helped with the experiment andhe here is describing some of the students’ symptoms:
    6 Minute English ? bbclearningenglish.com 2010Page 3 of 5Extract 2: Roman GerodimosThey are reporting withdrawal⁴ symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, feeling isolated⁵,disconnected, they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time, just going roundtheir room or their house in silence and they really hate that!
    Dan: Wow, so it sounds like the media ban had a very negative effect on thestudents.
    Alice: Yeah, Doctor Gerodimos said some students were overeating; they wereeating too much food. And they were also feeling nervous and isolated.
    Isolated means lonely or detached from other people. They also feltdisconnected, which is another word meaning detached or cut off.
    Dan: Let's have another listen to the clip.
    Extract 2: Roman GerodimosThey are reporting withdrawal symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, feeling isolated,disconnected, they don’t know what to do with themselves all the time, just going roundtheir room or their house in silence and they really hate that!
    Dan: So a lot of problems there in just 24 hours. And have there been any long-termeffects?
    Alice: Long-term effects – changes that last for a long time. Well, the experiment hasonly just finished, so we don’t know the full findings yet. But let’s hear somethoughts from another student, Caroline Scott, and also afterwards the voice ofBBC correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones.
    Extract 3: Caroline Scott and Rory Cellan-JonesCaroline: Yeah it is quite nice to be totally separated for about two hours I would say,maximum. Other than that I would like to have my phone on me, or the internet, orsomething.
    Rory: As a nation we now spend half our waking hours using the media in some formand these young people can’t imagine being permanently⁶ unplugged.
    Dan: So Caroline said it's nice to be separated from the media for two hoursmaximum, but after that she wanted her phone or the internet.
    6 Minute English ? bbclearningenglish.com 2010Page 4 of 5Alice: Exactly, as Rory Cellan-Jones concluded, as we spend half our waking hours– that's half the time we're awake – using media, a lot of young people can’timagine being ‘permanently unplugged’.
    Dan: Well, there's just time for a reminder⁷ of some of the language we've comeacross today. Alice, could you help us out with those please.
    Alice: Of course; we had:
    media blackoutunpluggedguinea pigmental well-beingovereatingisolateddisconnectedlong-term effectswaking hoursDan: And our question of the week: How many active Facebook users are there inthe world? Is it:
    a) 300 millionb) 500 millionc) 800 millionAlice: Well I guessed 800 million.
    6 Minute English ? bbclearningenglish.com 2010Page 5 of 5Dan: Yeah, you're actually a bit too high with 800 million. 500 million users at thelast count, but that is rising by the day, so it could be 800 very very soon.
    Alice: Amazing!
    Dan: It really is. But I'm afraid that's all we have time for in today's 6 MinuteEnglish. So thanks so much for joining us, and goodbye.
    Alice: Bye!

1 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

4 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

5 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

6 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

7 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。