TranscriptNote: This is not a word for word transcript
Neil
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.
Sam
And I’m Sam.
Neil
In this programme, we』ll be looking at an unusual food called microalgae and asking whether eating algae might be better for our health and the health of the planet. And of course, we』ll be looking at some of the related vocabulary along the way.
Sam
Yuck! I’m not sure about eating algae, Neil! I mean, what’s the strangest thing you』ve ever eaten?
Neil
Well, I once tried fried stick insect in Thailand… and I』ve had ants, as well, that were from Colombia.
Sam
Ah, OK, yeah – both fairly strange for us here in the UK. But what about pond scum, Neil?
Neil
Pond scum? Pond scum is the slang name for microalgae - green plant organisms, such as spirulina, which grow in water-like ponds and look a bit slimy or scummy before being dried. Here, we’re talking about edible algae, meaning it’s OK to eat.
Sam
More than OK, in fact – these types of food algae are actually good for your body! Microalgae like spirulina and chlorella are packed full of proteins, vitamins and antioxidants. Because they are so healthy, they’re having a moment right now, meaning they are becoming more well-known and popular.
Neil
Yes, microalgae is trending just now and for good reasons, which we』ll find out about later. But first, let me ask you our quiz question. What do the following three things have in common: oceans, snow and my garden patio? Is it…
a) They are all good places to relax
b) They are all very cold
c) They are all places where microalgae grow
Sam
Well, I know that oceans and snow are made up of water… but your garden patio? Did your barbeque get rained off again, Neil?
Neil
No, not quite, Sam! Well, hopefully you』ll know by the end of the programme. Now, I mentioned before that microalgae is sometimes called a superfood - a type of food which is essentially full of healthy vitamins, minerals and nutrients. But microalgae is not the first superfood to become popular.
Sam
That’s right. In the early 2010s, many juice bars started popping up in places around the world selling green smoothies - energy drinks made by blending healthy ingredients like kale, chard and spinach. The recent trend for microalgae and spirulina has been promoted in part by big drinks companies wanting to sell the latest brightly coloured smoothies.
Neil
And more and more, spirulina is also being used as a cooking ingredient – in hot dogs and meatballs – and as a protein-rich substitute for eggs in pasta and mayonnaise.
Sam
But as well as all these health benefits, there’s another advantage to microalgae superfoods - one that could potentially benefit the whole planet. BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme asked Professor Alison Smith, Head of Plant Sciences at Cambridge University, to explain:
Alison Smith
As the population of the world increases and the land that’s available for agriculture is becoming stretched, there’s an interest in trying to increase productivity by other means…so sustainable intensification of agriculture is one way…
Neil
So food security is an issue - making sure enough nutritionally-rich food is produced to feed the growing world population. Alison Smith says the amount of agricultural land available for growing food is becoming stretched, meaning there are not enough resources, in this case farm land, to meet everyone’s needs.
Sam
Yes, and she mentions that one possible solution is sustainable intensification of agriculture - which means increasing food production in ways which don’t damage the environment or use new land.
Neil
Well, we know that microalgae are superfoods, nutritionally rich in vitamins and protein, but how do they help reduce the need for agricultural land? Alison Smith explains:
Alison Smith
…they can be grown in all sorts of locations – in water, in oceans, in ponds, lakes and so on, even on your patio and on snow… so one of the possibilities is to produce these organisms in cities and towns because they don’t need the open landscape to be grown.
Sam
I think I』ve spotted the answer to your quiz question, Neil.
Neil
Oh yes? I asked what oceans, snow and my patio have in common.
a) They are all good places to relax
b) They are all very cold
c) They are all places where microalgae grows
Sam
The answer is c ) - places where microalgae can grow! What an amazing plant! I think I’m going to stop calling it pond scum and use the correct scientific name Prof Smith mentioned, organisms.
Neil
Today’s programme was all about microalgae like spirulina, a green, edible food algae which some people call pond scum, although scientifically speaking it’s an organism, meaning an animal or plant life form.
Sam
Yes, and this plant life form is also called a superfood, because it’s especially rich in vitamins, minerals and nutrients which promote good health.
Neil
Superfoods are having a moment right now, meaning they’re becoming more popular or trending because they’re so healthy.
Sam
And another benefit of microalgae is that it grows almost anywhere. So it doesn’t use much agricultural land, which is becoming stretched, meaning there’s not enough of it to meet the world’s food needs. Sustainable intensification is another possible solution to this problem, because it is a way of increasing food production without harming the environment or using new land. Don’t forget you can find lots more learning materials and topical vocabulary on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. And please join us again soon. Bye for now!
Neil
Bye!
Vocabulary
pond scum
a slang name for microalgae like spirulina and chlorella
having a moment
becoming more well-known and popular at this moment in time; similar to 『trending』
superfood
a type of food which is especially full of healthy nutrients like vitamins, minerals and protein
becoming stretched
not enough resources to meet people’s needs
sustainable intensification
food produced in ways which don’t damage the environment or use new land
organism
any plant or animal life form
This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.大家好，這裡是BBC英語學習的6分鐘英語，我是尼爾。In this programme, we』ll be looking at an unusual food called microalgae and asking whether eating algae might be better for our health and the health of the planet. And of course, we』ll be looking at some of the related vocabulary along the way.在這期節目中，我們將研究一種叫做微藻的不尋常食物，並詢問食用藻類是否對我們的健康和地球的健康更好。當然，我們將逐步研究一些相關詞彙。Yuck! I’m not sure about eating algae, Neil! I mean, what’s the strangest thing you』ve ever eaten?呃！我不確定要吃藻類，尼爾！我的意思是，你吃過的最奇怪的東西是什麼？Well, I once tried fried stick insect in Thailand… and I』ve had ants, as well, that were from Colombia.我曾經在泰國嘗試過炸竹節蟲……而且我也吃過來自哥倫比亞的螞蟻。Ah, OK, yeah – both fairly strange for us here in the UK. But what about pond scum, Neil?好的，是的-兩者都對我們在英國的人來說很奇怪。但是，池塘浮渣怎麼樣，尼爾？Pond scum? Pond scum is the slang name for microalgae - green plant organisms, such as spirulina, which grow in water-like ponds and look a bit slimy or scummy before being dried. Here, we’re talking about edible algae, meaning it’s OK to eat.池塘浮渣？Pond scum(池塘浮渣)是微藻的俚稱-綠色的植物有機體，如螺旋藻，生長在水樣池塘，曬乾之前看上去有點黏糊糊或渣渣的。在這裡，我們談論的是可食用藻類，這意味著可以吃。More than OK, in fact – these types of food algae are actually good for your body! Microalgae like spirulina and chlorella are packed full of proteins, vitamins and antioxidants. Because they are so healthy, they’re having a moment right now, meaning they are becoming more well-known and popular.不只是可以吃，實際上，這些藻類食物真正對你的身體有益！螺旋藻和小球藻等微藻中充滿了蛋白質，維生素和抗氧化劑。因為它們非常健康，所以現在有勢頭，這意味著它們正變得廣為人知並受到歡迎。Yes, microalgae is trending just now and for good reasons, which we』ll find out about later. But first, let me ask you our quiz question. What do the following three things have in common: oceans, snow and my garden patio? Is it…a) They are all good places to relaxb) They are all very coldc) They are all places where microalgae grow對，微藻正在形成新潮流，這是有充分理由的，我們稍後會對此進行介紹。但是首先讓我問你測驗問題。以下三個東西的共同點是什麼：海洋，大雪和我的花園露臺？是…Well, I know that oceans and snow are made up of water… but your garden patio? Did your barbeque get rained off again, Neil?我知道海洋和雪是由水組成的……但是你的花園露臺呢？你的燒烤又下雨了嗎？No, not quite, Sam! Well, hopefully you』ll know by the end of the programme. Now, I mentioned before that microalgae is sometimes called a superfood - a type of food which is essentially full of healthy vitamins, minerals and nutrients. But microalgae is not the first superfood to become popular.不是！好吧，希望你能在節目結束時知道。現在，我之前提到微藻有時被稱為超級食物-一種富含健康的維生素，礦物質和營養素的食物。但是微藻並不是流行起來的第一種超級食品。That’s right. In the early 2010s, many juice bars startedpopping up in places around the world selling green smoothies - energy drinks made by blending healthy ingredients like kale, chard and spinach. The recent trend for microalgae and spirulina has been promoted in part by big drinks companies wanting to sell the latest brightly coloured smoothies.是的。在2010年初，許多果汁吧在世界各地開始興起，他們銷售綠色冰沙-通過混合羽衣甘藍，甜菜和菠菜等健康成分製成的能量飲料。微藻和螺旋藻的近期趨勢一部分是由大型飲料公司推動的，他們希望出售最新的鮮豔冰沙。And more and more, spirulina is also being used as a cooking ingredient – in hot dogs and meatballs – and as a protein-rich substitute for eggs in pasta and mayonnaise.而且越來越多，螺旋藻也被用作食材-製作熱狗和肉丸-並且作為富含蛋白質的替代品，替代麵食和美乃滋裡的雞蛋。But as well as all these health benefits, there’s another advantage to microalgae superfoods - one that could potentially benefit the whole planet. BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme asked Professor Alison Smith, Head of Plant Sciences at Cambridge University, to explain:但是，除了所有這些健康益處外，微藻超級食品還有另一個優勢-可能使整個地球受益。BBC第四電臺的食物節目請劍橋大學植物科學系主任Alison Smith教授來解釋：As the population of the world increases and the land that’s available for agriculture is becoming stretched, there’s an interest in trying to increase productivity by other means…so sustainable intensification of agriculture is one way…隨著世界人口的增加以及可耕種的土地日益萎縮，人們有興趣嘗試通過其他手段來提高生產力……因此，可持續集約化農業是一種方式……So food security is an issue - making sure enough nutritionally-rich food is produced to feed the growing world population. Alison Smith says the amount of agricultural land available for growing food is becoming stretched, meaning there are not enough resources, in this case farm land, to meet everyone’s needs.糧食安全是一個議題-確保生產充足的營養豐富的食品來養活不斷增長的世界人口。Alison Smith說，可用於種植食物的農業用地越來越緊張(stretched)，這意味著沒有足夠的資源（在這裡是指農田）來滿足每個人的需求。Yes, and she mentions that one possible solution is sustainable intensification of agriculture - which means increasing food production in ways which don’t damage the environment or use new land.是的，她提到一種可能的解決方案是可持續的集約化農業-這意味著增加糧食產量，通過不損害環境、不使用新土地的方式。Well, we know that microalgae are superfoods, nutritionally rich in vitamins and protein, but how do they help reduce the need for agricultural land? Alison Smith explains:我們知道微藻是超級食品，營養上富含維生素和蛋白質，但是它們如何有助於減少對農業用地的需求呢？Alison Smith解釋說：…they can be grown in all sorts of locations – in water, in oceans, in ponds, lakes and so on, even on your patio and on snow… so one of the possibilities is to produce these organisms in cities and towns because they don’t need the open landscape to be grown.…它們可以在各種各樣的地方生長–在水，海洋，池塘，湖泊等，甚至在你的露臺和積雪上……因此，有一種可能是在城鎮中生產這些有機物，因為他們不需要開放的環境來生長。I think I』ve spotted the answer to your quiz question, Neil.Oh yes? I asked what oceans, snow and my patio have in common.a) They are all good places to relaxb) They are all very coldc) They are all places where microalgae growsThe answer is c ) - places where microalgae can grow! What an amazing plant! I think I’m going to stop calling it pond scum and use the correct scientific name Prof Smith mentioned, organisms.答案是c）-微藻可以生長的地方！多麼神奇的植物！我想我將不再稱呼它為池塘浮渣，而是使用Smith教授提到的正確的名稱，有機物。Today’s programme was all about microalgae like spirulina, a green, edible food algae which some people call pond scum, although scientifically speaking it’s an organism, meaning an animal or plant life form.今天的節目主要關於微藻類，例如螺旋藻spirulina，這是一種綠色的可食用藻類，有人稱其為池塘浮渣，儘管從科學上講，它是一種organism(有機物)，指一種動物或植物的生命類型。Yes, and this plant life form is also called a superfood, because it’s especially rich in vitamins, minerals and nutrients which promote good health.是的，這種植物生命類型也被稱為superfood(超級食品)，因為它特別富含維生素，礦物質和營養，促進健康。Superfoods are having a moment right now, meaning they’re becoming more popular or trending because they’re so healthy.超級食物現在having a moment，意思是它們變得越來越受歡迎或流行，因為它們很健康。And another benefit of microalgae is that it grows almost anywhere. So it doesn’t use much agricultural land, which is becoming stretched, meaning there’s not enough of it to meet the world’s food needs. Sustainable intensification is another possible solution to this problem, because it is a way of increasing food production without harming the environment or using new land. Don’t forget you can find lots more learning materials and topical vocabulary on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. And please join us again soon. Bye for now!微藻的另一個好處是它幾乎可以在任何地方生長。因此，它不會佔用太多的農業用地，而農業用地正變得越來越stretched(緊張)，這意味著沒有足夠的土地來滿足世界糧食需求。Sustainable intensification(可持續集約化)是解決該問題的另一種可能的方法，因為它是在不損害環境或使用新土地的情況下增加糧食產量的一種方式。別忘了，你可以在我們的網站bbclearningenglish.com上找到更多的學習材料和主題詞彙。下期節目我們再會。拜拜！