Note: This is not a word for word transcript
Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.
Sam
And I'm Sam.
Neil
Now Sam, I assume that you know your alphabet.
Sam
Of course, Neil – you mean my ABCs? We learn that at a very young age, you know?
Neil
Sorry to sound patronising. But you do you know why the letters in the alphabet are in that particular order?
Sam
No, I don’t. That’s really interesting. Why?
Neil
I don’t know either, I was hoping you might! But seriously, no one really knows how the order became established. However, some research has shown that if your surname, your family name, begins with a letter later in the alphabet, you could be at a disadvantage at school and in life. Before we get in to that though, a question. Where does the alphabet come from in its earliest form? Was it…
a) Ancient Egypt
b) Ancient Greece
c) Ancient Rome
What do you think, Sam?
Sam
Well, we refer to the English alphabet as having Roman characters, so I’m going with Ancient Rome.
Neil
OK. I』ll have the answer later in the programme. In the BBC radio programme Fry’s English Delight there was a feature about the alphabet and how it can have a negative impact on your school life. Can you remember all those years ago when you were at school? What’s the first thing that the teacher would do at the beginning of the day?
Sam
She would take the register – that’s what we call it in the UK. You can also call it the roll call.
Neil
Yes, this is when the teacher calls out the names of the students to check that they are all there. This is where the problem starts, according to, ironically, Professor Jeffrey Zax, from the University of Colorado. The further down that list your name is, the less noticed you are by the teacher. Why is that? Here’s Professor Zax.
Professor Jeffrey Zax
When it begins people are paying attention. As it proceeds, first the people who are already called, they no longer have any need to take things seriously. And the people who are waiting to be called, their attention is wandering as well. And so as you make your way through the roll call somehow the intensity of the engagement diminishes.
Neil
So, what is the problem?
Sam
Well, it’s a lot to do with paying attention. This means concentrating on something. At the beginning of the roll call everyone is paying attention - they are quiet and listening. But after the first names are called, those students don’t need to pay attention any more.
Neil
So they lose a bit of interest in what comes next, and the students later in the list are also now distracted and the teacher, him or herself, is not so focussed.
Sam
And by the end of the list the relationship between the teacher and the students whose names are being called later is not as strong as those at the beginning of the list.
Neil
Professor Zax describes this by saying that the intensity of the engagement diminishes. Diminishes means 『gets weaker』, and the intensity of the engagement is the strength of the communication, the level of enthusiasm for being involved. So this is the start of the disadvantage which can subtly affect students throughout their school years and after. This was discovered after some research in the US in the 1950s. So what were these disadvantages? Here’s Professor Zax again.
Professor Jeffrey Zax
They were less likely to have enjoyed their high school courses, graduate from college if they applied. They were more likely to drop out. They had first jobs in occupations that paid less. They were more likely to go to the military and they were more likely to have jobs whose prestige was lower.
Neil
So what disadvantages did they have?
Sam
Well, Professor Zax says that the research showed they enjoyed school less, were less successful academically and more likely to drop out of college or university. This means that they left the course before it was finished.
Neil
And he also said that they were more likely to find jobs that had a lower prestige. This means the jobs weren’t seen as high status or desirable. Let’s listen again.
Professor Jeffrey Zax
They were less likely to have enjoyed their high school courses, graduate from college if they applied. They were more likely to drop out. They had first jobs in occupations that paid less. They were more likely to go to the military and they were more likely to have jobs whose prestige was lower.
Sam
Well, Professor Zax seems to have done OK. Even with that surname!
Neil
Indeed, I guess this doesn’t apply to everyone. Right, well before we remind ourselves of our vocabulary, let’s get the answer to the question. Where does the alphabet come from in its earliest form? Was it…
a) Ancient Egypt
b) Ancient Greece
c) Ancient Rome
Sam, what did you say?
Sam
Pretty sure it’s Ancient Rome.
Neil
What does your surname begin with?
Sam
A 'B', actually.
Neil
Well, you are wrong, I’m afraid. It’s actually Ancient Egypt – so well done to everyone who got that. OK, now it's time for our vocabulary.
Sam
Yes – to pay attention to something means to concentrate on something, to not be distracted.
Neil
Then there was the phrase the intensity of the engagement, which is another way of saying the strength of the relationship, interaction and communication.
Sam
And if your surname comes at the end of the alphabet you may find that the intensity of engagement with the teacher diminishes. Diminishes means gets weaker.
Neil
If you drop out from a course, it means that you leave it before it’s finished.
Sam
And the prestige of a job is the respect it has. If it is seen as important or desirable then it has higher prestige.
Neil
OK, thank you, Sam. That’s all from 6 Minute English. We hope you can join us again soon. You can find us at bbclearningenglish online, on social media and on our app. Bye for now!
Sam
Bye bye everyone!
Vocabulary
to pay attention to something
to concentrate on something and not be distracted
intensity
strength
engagement
involvement in a communicative situation
diminishes
gets weaker
to drop out
to quit a college or university course without finishing it
prestige
respect and social status
雙語版Transcript
Hello. This is 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.
大家好，這裡是六分鐘英語，我是尼爾。
And I'm Sam.
我是薩姆。
Now Sam, I assume that you know your alphabet.
薩姆，我想你知道字母表吧。
Of course, Neil – you mean my ABCs?
當然，尼爾，你是說我學的A，B，C那些嗎？
We learn that at a very young age, you know.
你知道的，我們在很小的時候就學了。
Sorry to sound patronising. But you do you know why the letters in the alphabet are in that particular order?
抱歉，這聽起來有點自命不凡。但是你知道為什麼字母表裡的字母是按這種特殊的順序排列的嗎？
No, I don’t. That’s really interesting. Why?
不，我不知道。那真的挺有趣的。為什麼？
I don’t know either, I was hoping you might!
我也不知道，我還希望你能知道呢！
But seriously, no one really knows how the order became established.
但說真的，沒有人真的知道字母表的順序是如何確定的。
However, some research has shown that if your surname, your family name, begins with a letter later in the alphabet, you could be at a disadvantage at school and in life.
然而，一些研究表明，如果你的姓氏，你的姓，以字母表靠後位置的字母開頭，那你在學校和生活中可能處於劣勢。
Before we get in to that though, a question.
但在我們開始之前，有一個問題。
Where does the alphabet come from in its earliest form?
最早形式的字母表來自哪裡？
Was it… a) Ancient Egypt, b) Ancient Greece, or c) Ancient Rome?
是a)古埃及，b)古希臘，還是c)古羅馬？
What do you think, Sam?
你覺得呢，薩姆？
Well, we refer to the English alphabet as having Roman characters, so I’m going with Ancient Rome.
好吧，我們稱英語字母表有羅馬字符，所以我選擇古羅馬。
OK. I』ll have the answer later in the programme.
好的。稍後在節目中我將揭曉答案。
In the BBC radio programme Fry’s English Delight there was a feature about the alphabet and how it can have a negative impact on your school life.
在BBC廣播Fry 's English Delight節目中，有一個關於字母表以及它如何對你的學校生活產生負面影響的專題。
Can you remember all those years ago when you were at school?
你還記得你上學的那些年嗎？
What’s the first thing that the teacher would do at the beginning of the day?
老師在一天開始時要做的第一件事是什麼？
She would take the register – that’s what we call it in the UK.
她會登記——這是我們在英國的叫法。
You can also call it the roll call.
你也可以叫它點名。
Yes, this is when the teacher calls out the names of the students to check that they are all there.
是的，這是說當老師喊出學生的名字來檢查他們是否都在的時候。
This is where the problem starts, according to, ironically, Professor Jeffrey Zax, from the University of Colorado.
具有諷刺意味的是，據科羅拉多大學的傑弗裡·扎克斯教授稱，這就是問題的所在。
The further down that list your name is, the less noticed you are by the teacher.
你的名字越靠後，老師就越少注意到你。
Why is that?
為什麼呢？
Here’s Professor Zax.
這是扎克斯教授談到的。
When it begins people are paying attention.
點名開始時，人們會集中注意力。
As it proceeds, first the people who are already called, they no longer have any need to take things seriously.
隨著時間的推移，首先是那些已經被叫到的人，他們不再需要認真對待點名了。
And the people who are waiting to be called, their attention is wandering as well.
而那些等待被叫的人，他們的注意力也在分散。
And so as you make your way through the roll call somehow the intensity of the engagement diminishes.
所以當你被點名時，你的參與程度就會減弱。
So, what is the problem?
所以問題是什麼？
Well, it’s a lot to do with paying attention.
這和集中注意力有很大關係。
This means concentrating on something.
這指的是專注於某事。
At the beginning of the roll call everyone is paying attention - they are quiet and listening.
在點名開始的時候，每個人都在集中注意力——他們安靜地聽著。
But after the first names are called, those students don’t need to pay attention any more.
但是在叫到名字之後，這些學生就不再需要集中注意力了。
So they lose a bit of interest in what comes next, and the students later in the list are also now distracted and the teacher, him or herself, is not so focussed.
所以他們對接下來所發生的就失去了一點興趣，而排在人名單靠後位置的學生也會分心，而老師自己也沒那麼專注了。
And by the end of the list the relationship between the teacher and the students whose names are being called later is not as strong as those at the beginning of the list.
而且老師和點名靠後的學生之間的關係不像和名單靠前的學生之間那麼緊密。
Professor Zax describes this by saying that the intensity of the engagement diminishes.
扎克斯教授通過說參與程度降低來描述這一點。
Diminishes means 『gets weaker』, and the intensity of the engagement is the strength of the communication, the level of enthusiasm for being involved.
「減少」的意思是「變弱」，而參與程度就是交流的強度，參與的熱情程度。
So this is the start of the disadvantage which can subtly affect students throughout their school years and after.
因此，這就是劣勢的開始，它會潛移默化地影響學生的整個學生生涯及以後。
This was discovered after some research in the US in the 1950s.
這是在20世紀50年代美國的一些研究之後發現的。
So what were these disadvantages? Here’s Professor Zax again.
那麼這些劣勢是什麼呢？這是扎克斯教授再次談到的。
They were less likely to have enjoyed their high school courses, graduate from college if they applied.
他們不太可能享受他們的高中課程，如果申請的話，他們可以從大學畢業。
They were more likely to drop out.
但他們更有可能輟學。
They had first jobs in occupations that paid less.
他們的第一份工作是報酬較低的職業。
They were more likely to go to the military and they were more likely to have jobs whose prestige was lower.
他們更有可能參軍，而且更有可能從事社會地位較低的工作。
So what disadvantages did they have?
所以他們有什麼劣勢？
Well, Professor Zax says that the research showed they enjoyed school less, were less successful academically and more likely to drop out of college or university.
嗯，扎克斯教授說，研究表明，他們不太喜歡上學，在學業上也不太成功，更有可能從學院或大學退學。
This means that they left the course before it was finished.
這意味著他們在課程結束前就不上學了。
And he also said that they were more likely to find jobs that had a lower prestige.
他還說，他們更有可能找到聲望較低的工作。
This means the jobs weren’t seen as high status or desirable.
這意味著這些工作不被視為高社會地位或理想的工作。
Let’s listen again.
讓我們再聽一遍。
They were less likely to have enjoyed their high school courses, graduate from college if they applied.
他們不太可能享受他們的高中課程，如果申請的話，他們可以從大學畢業。
They were more likely to drop out.
但他們更有可能輟學。
They had first jobs in occupations that paid less.
他們的第一份工作是報酬較低的職業。
They were more likely to go to the military and they were more likely to have jobs whose prestige was lower.
他們更有可能參軍，而且更有可能從事社會地位較低的工作。
Well, Professor Zax seems to have done OK. Even with that surname!
嗯，扎克斯教授似乎做得不錯。他的姓氏可是Z開頭的呢！
Indeed, I guess this doesn’t apply to everyone.
事實上，我猜這並不適用於所有人。
Right, well before we remind ourselves of our vocabulary, let’s get the answer to the question.
好的，在我們複習詞彙之前，讓我們先揭曉問題的答案。
Where does the alphabet come from in its earliest form?
最早形式的字母表來自哪裡？
Was it… a) Ancient Egypt, b) Ancient Greece or c) Ancient Rome?
是a)古埃及，b)古希臘，還是c)古羅馬？
Sam, what did you say?
你說是什麼，薩姆？
Pretty sure it’s Ancient Rome.
相當確定，是古羅馬。
What does your surname begin with?
你的姓氏以什麼開頭？
A 'B', actually.
事實上以字母」B「開頭。
Well, you are wrong, I’m afraid.
好吧，恐怕你錯了。
It’s actually Ancient Egypt – so well done to everyone who got that.
它實際上是古埃及——所以答對的人都做得很好啊。
OK, now it's time for our vocabulary.
好了，現在是時候回顧我們的詞彙了。
Yes – to pay attention to something means to concentrate on something, to not be distracted.
是的，「集中注意力做某事」指的是專心做某事，不分心。
Then there was the phrase the intensity of the engagement, which is another way of saying the strength of the relationship, interaction and communication.
然後是「參與程度」這個短語，這是關係、互動和溝通強度的另一種表達。
And if your surname comes at the end of the alphabet you may find that the intensity of engagement with the teacher diminishes.
如果你的姓氏以字母表末尾字母開始，你可能會發現自己和老師的交流程度會降低。
Diminishes means gets weaker.
「減少」指的是變弱。
If you drop out from a course, it means that you leave it before it’s finished.
如果你退出一門課程，那指的是你在課程結束前就離開了。
And the prestige of a job is the respect it has.
而一份工作的聲望就是它所擁有的尊重。
If it is seen as important or desirable then it has higher prestige.
如果它被認為是重要的或合心意的，那麼它就有更高的聲望。
OK, thank you, Sam. That’s all from 6 Minute English. We hope you can join us again soon.
好的，謝謝你，薩姆。以上就是本期六分鐘英語的全部內容。我們希望你能很快再次加入我們。
Bye for now!
再見了！
Bye bye everyone!
再見，各位！