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BBC 6 Minutes English 2021, Environmental English (1)

Environmental English (1)

Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Rob.

Now Rob, we've talked before on this programme about our love of coffee.

Oh yes, indeed. I couldn't function without it.

But have you ever thought about the environmental consequences of all those disposable coffee cups?

Oh yes, indeed. I always carry a reusable cup with me so I don't have to throw one away.

So if a disposable cup is one you throw away,

a reusable one is one that you can use again and again.

Yes, there is a big problem with disposable cups in that many of them can't be recycled,

so there is a lot of waste for something we only use for a short time.

What are the big coffee shop chains doing about this problem?

We'll find out a little bit more shortly, but first, a quiz for you.

Which country drinks the most coffee per capita – so not the total amount of coffee but the average per person. Is it:

a) Japan b) Kenya, or

c) Finland What do you think, Rob?

Ooh, tricky. I don't think the Japanese are big coffee drinkers and I know they produce a lot of coffee in Kenya.

I'm surprised the USA isn't on the list but I'm going to go for Finland. wrong?→(with)

Just because.

Well, we'll see if you're right later in the programme. On a recent BBC You and Yours radio

programme they discussed the topic of coffee cups. Some of the big chains are now charging customers more for a disposable cup and giving discounts if people bring their own reusable.

However not all of the shops actually collect old cups and sort them for recycling in the shop itself.

Here's Jaz Rabadia from Starbucks, Is the store only interested in facilities inside their shops?

It's also not just our stores in which these cups end up. So we're doing a lot of work outside of our store environment to ensure that paper cups can be recycled on the go.

We're working with our environmental charity partner Hubbub to increase recycling infrastructure outside of our stores because that too is where a lot of our cups will end up.

So are they just working in their stores at improving recycling?

take their coffee out of the stores, so they are working on recycling infrastructure outside as

Rob Well no, after all most people take their coffee out of the stores, so they are working on recycling infrastructure outside as well.

And what about enabling recycling cups in store?

This will be things like bins and collection points which are clearly marked for coffee cups.

means introducing over a period of time. So it's starting to happen but is not finished yet.

Let's listen again.

It is something that we are in the process of rolling out and it will be in all of our stores.

It's also not just our stores in which these cups end up. So we're doing a lot

of work outside of our store environment to ensure that paper cups can be recycled on

the go. We're working with our environmental charity partner hubbub to increase recycling

infrastructure outside of our stores because that too is where a lot of our cups will end up.

Not everyone, however, believes that the coffee chains are doing everything

that they can. This is Mary Creagh, a member of the British parliament.

She compares the situation to that of the plastic bag charge. This was a law brought

in to force shops to charge customers for plastic bags, which previously had been free.

If you think you're having to pay extra for something, as we saw with the plastic bags,

we think a similar psychological measure is needed, a nudge measure,

to encourage people to remember to bring their reusable cup with them

and of course this is something that the coffee shops have been fighting tooth and nail.

Neil She

thinks that we consumers need a nudge to help us remember our reusable cups.

Rob Yes, we need a nudge,

which is a little push, a reason. In this case, she is thinking of a law to make them charge more.

But she says the coffee chains really don't want this, they are, she says, fighting it tooth and

nail. If you fight something tooth and nail you are against it completely and try to stop it.

Neil Let's hear MP Mary Creagh again.

If you think you're having to pay extra for something, as we saw with the plastic bags,

we think a similar psychological measure is needed, a nudge measure,

to encourage people to remember to bring their reusable cup with them

and of course this is something that the coffee shops have been fighting tooth and nail.

Time to review our vocabulary, but first,

let's have the answer to the quiz question. Which country drinks the most coffee per capita? Is it:

a) Japan b) Kenya, or

c) Finland What did you think, Rob?

I took a bit of a guess at Finland.

Well, congratulations, your guess was correct.

The Finns on average get through an amazing 12kg of coffee a year, each. Now, onto the vocabulary.

We had a couple of related but opposite words. Something disposable is designed to be used

once or a few times and then thrown away and a reusable is designed to be used again and again.

We then had 'rolling out' which in a business sense is the process

of gradually introducing something new. This could be a new system,

new product, new technology or even a new way of doing things.

New ideas often need new infrastructure. This is usually physical structures that

are needed to make something work, for example,

rail infrastructure includes tracks, stations and signals.

A nudge is a small push,

to encourage us to do something. You don't need a nudge to carry a reusable coffee cup, do you?

Oh, no, I'm all for it. In fact, I'd fight tooth and nail to keep hold of my reusable.

Which is quite a coincidence as that was our last expression today. To fight tooth

and nail means to make a strong effort to try to stop something or achieve something.

Well, that's all from us. We look forward to your company next time.

Until then, you can find us in all the usual places on social media,

online and on our app. Just search for 'BBC Learning English'. Goodbye!

Goodbye!

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

And I'm Sam. How are you, Neil?

I've been as busy as a bee this week, Sam.

Oh, don't you sound like the bee's knees!

All right, Sam, there's no need to get a bee in your bonnet!

As you can hear, English is full of idioms involving bees.

But the sad truth is that bee numbers are declining at an

alarming rate and in some places disappearing altogether.

And this has serious consequences for humans.

Today, one third of the food we eat depends on insects to pollinate crops, fruit and vegetables.

But bees are in trouble. In some European countries up to half of

all bee species are facing extinction, placing our food supply chain at risk.

Bees are vital in pollinating hundreds of crops, from apples and blackberries to cucumbers.

In fact, almost all plants need insects to reproduce – which is my quiz question – of

the world's top 50 crops, how many rely on insect pollination? Is it:

a) 35 out of 50?,

b) 40 out of 50? or c) 45 out of 50?

I reckon those busy bees pollinate b) 40 out of 50 of the most common crops.

OK, Sam, we'll find out the answer later. Now, if you think back to your school biology lessons,

you may remember that plants and flowers contain both male and female reproductive parts inside.

But what exactly is going on when bees pollinate a plant?

Here's Claire Bates from BBC World Service programme People Fixing the World to remind us:

What is pollination? All flowering plants need it to reproduce. Pollen is moved from the male part

of a flower to the female part of a flower, then fertilisation can happen causing fruit to grow.

Some staple crops such as wheat, rice and corn are pollinated by the wind however many plants

don't release their pollen easily and this is where insects, and especially bees, come in.

As they collect nectar to eat, pollen sticks to them and they carry it from flower to flower.

Pollination is the process in which pollen is taken from one plant to another

so that it can reproduce. This is the important work done by bees and insects.

Only after pollination can the next process occur – fertilisation - when the pollen carried

from another plant fertilises a female ovule to make new seeds.

Fertilisation occurs in all flowering plants, some of which like wheat,

potatoes and rice are staple crops - food that is eaten in large amounts as part of

a community's daily diet and provides a large fraction of their energy and nutrient needs.

Fewer bees reduces pollination levels, meaning fewer new seeds are created and fewer crops grown.

But it isn't just the decline in bee numbers causing a problem. Like us, bees need to rest

and this has led some to come up with creative new ways of supplementing bee pollination.

One such innovator is Keren Mimran, co-founder of agro-tech company, Edete. Here she is, explaining

how dropping pollen from drones can pollinate crops, giving a helping hand to hard-working bees.

How come our food security is so much dependent on an insect that we cannot really control? We

can bring the bees to the orchard or to a field but we cannot control their behaviour. They do

not come out of the hive when it's raining or when there's heavy wind, they work only during daytime.

There must be a possibility of developing a mechanical solution to the pollination challenge.

Keren Mimran speaking on the BBC World Service programme People Fixing The

World. Bees' behaviour can't be controlled - when it rains they won't leave their hive

– the structure where bees live, either built by people or made by the bees themselves.

So Keren's company has developed drones to drop

pollen on her orchard – an area of land on which fruit trees are grown.

The need for these high-tech solutions reflects

the seriousness of the pollination problem for food security -everyone getting enough

affordable and nutritious food to meet their daily dietary needs.

I had no idea bees were so important, Neil. Maybe I underestimated how hard they work.

Ah, you mean today's quiz question. I asked you how many of the top 50

world crops rely on insect pollination.

And I said b) 40 out of 50 of the top crops.

And you are right! They certainly are the bee's knees when it comes to pollinating plants!

So in today's programme we've been hearing about the important role

bees play in pollination – transferring pollen from plant to plant,

necessary for the next stage of fertilisation – producing new seeds and fruit inside a plant.

Bees and insects play a vital role in growing the world's staple crops - food which, eaten in large

amounts, makes up the majority of a community's daily diet and meets their nutrient needs.

So bee numbers are directly linked to the issue of food security - everyone getting enough

affordable, nutritious food to meet their dietary needs.

Which explains why, when bees won't leave their home - or hive – some people have

started using drones to pollinate their orchards – land growing fruit trees.

And that's it for this edition of 6 Minute English. Bye for now!

Goodbye!

Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.

And hello, I'm Rob.

Today we're talking about plastic.

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Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil. こんにちは、6分間英語へようこそ。私はニールです。

And I'm Rob. そして僕はロブだ。

Now Rob, we've talked before on this  programme about our love of coffee. Robe, už jsme v tomto pořadu mluvili o naší lásce ke kávě. ロブ、以前この番組で私たちのコーヒー愛について話したことがあるよね。 Rob, já falámos antes neste programa sobre a nossa paixão pelo café. 现在,罗布,我们之前在这个程序中谈论过我们对咖啡的热爱。

Oh yes, indeed. I couldn't function without it. |||||أعمل|| |||||機能する|| Ach ano, opravdu. Bez toho bych nemohl fungovat. そうだね。これなしではうまくやっていけなかった。機能しなかった。 Oh sim, de facto. Não poderia funcionar sem ele.

But have you ever thought about the environmental  consequences of all those disposable coffee cups? ||||||||العواقب البيئية||||ذات الاستخدام الواحد|| Ale přemýšleli jste někdy o ekologických dopadech všech těch jednorázových kelímků na kávu? しかし、使い捨てのコーヒーカップが環境に与える影響について考えたことはあるだろうか?

Oh yes, indeed. I always carry a reusable cup  with me so I don't have to throw one away. |||||||قابل لإعادة الاستخدام||||||||||| Ach ano, opravdu. Vždy s sebou nosím opakovaně použitelný kelímek, abych ho nemusela vyhodit. そうだね。私はいつも再利用可能なカップを持ち歩いているので、カップを捨てる必要がないんだ。 Oh sim, de facto. Ando sempre com um copo reutilizável para não ter de o deitar fora.

So if a disposable cup is one you throw away, Takže pokud je jednorázový kelímek ten, který vyhodíte, つまり、使い捨てのコップが捨てるものだとしたら、 Так, если одноразовый стаканчик - это тот, который вы выбрасываете,

a reusable one is one that  you can use again and again. opakovaně použitelný je takový, který můžete používat znovu a znovu. 再利用可能なものは、何度でも使えるものだ。 Многоразовый - это тот, который можно использовать снова и снова.

Yes, there is a big problem with disposable  cups in that many of them can't be recycled, ||||||||||||||||إعادة تدويرها そう、使い捨てコップには、その多くがリサイクルできないという大きな問題がある、 Да, существует большая проблема с одноразовыми стаканчиками, поскольку многие из них не могут быть переработаны,

so there is a lot of waste for  something we only use for a short time. لذا|||||||من أجل|شيء ما|نحن||||||وقت قصير だから、短期間しか使わないものには無駄が多い。 por isso, há muito desperdício para algo que só utilizamos durante um curto período de tempo. поэтому много отходов для того, что мы используем только в течение короткого времени.

What are the big coffee shop  chains doing about this problem? ||||القهوة||سلاسل المقاهي|||| 大手コーヒーショップ・チェーンはこの問題にどう取り組んでいるのだろうか?どのような対策を取っているのか? Что делают крупные сети кофеен для решения этой проблемы?

We'll find out a little bit more shortly, but first, a quiz for you. |||||||قريبًا|||||| 更なる詳細はすぐに分かるでしょう。その前にクイズだ。

Which country drinks the most coffee per capita – so not the total amount of coffee but the average per person. Is it: |أي دولة|||||لكل فرد|لكل فرد|||||||القهوة للفرد|||متوسط لكل شخص|لكل فرد||| |||||||一人当たり|||||||||||||| どの国が一人当たりのコーヒー消費量が最も多いか ─ つまり、コーヒーの総量ではなく、一人あたりの平均量、それは… 国民一人当たりのコーヒーの量 - つまり、コーヒーの総量ではなく、一人当たりの平均量。それは Qual é o país que bebe mais café per capita - ou seja, não a quantidade total de café, mas a média por pessoa. Será que é:

a) Japan b) Kenya, or

c) Finland What do you think, Rob?

Ooh, tricky. I don't think the Japanese are big coffee drinkers and I know they produce a lot of coffee in Kenya. ||||||||||شاربي القهوة|||||ينتجون|||||| おお、厄介だ。日本人はあまりコーヒーを飲まないと思いますし、ケニアでは多くのコーヒーが生産されていることを知っています。

I'm surprised the USA isn't on the list but I'm going to go for Finland. wrong?→(with) アメリカがリストに入っていないのは驚きだが、私はフィンランドだと思う。フィンランドにするよ。

Just because. なんとなくだけど。フィンランドだって。

Well, we'll see if you're right later in the  programme. On a recent BBC You and Yours radio |سنرى||||||||البرنامج الإذاعي|||مؤخراً||||| それが正しいかどうかは、番組の後半でわかるだろう。確認しましょう。先日のBBC『You and Yours』ラジオで

programme they discussed the topic of coffee cups. Some of the big chains are now charging customers more for a disposable cup and giving discounts if people bring their own reusable. ||ناقشوا||||||||||سلاسل المقاهي الكبيرة|||فرض رسوم||||||||||||||| 番組では、コーヒーカップの話題で盛り上がった。話題が取り上げられた。いくつかの大手チェーンは、今では使い捨てカップに対して顧客に追加料金を請求し、リユース可能なコップを持参すれば割引になる。     一部の大手チェーンは現在、客に料金を請求している。 No programa "O Café", falaram sobre o tema dos copos de café. Algumas das grandes cadeias de lojas estão agora a cobrar mais por um copo descartável e a dar descontos se as pessoas trouxerem o seu próprio copo reutilizável. программе они обсудили тему кофейных чашек. Некоторые крупные сети теперь взимают плату с клиентов

However not all of the shops actually collect old cups and sort them for recycling in the shop itself. |||||||يجمعون||||فرز|||إعادة التدوير|||| しかし、すべての店が実際に古いカップを回収し、店でリサイクルのために分別しているわけではない。 No entanto, nem todas as lojas recolhem efetivamente os copos velhos e separam-nos para reciclagem na própria loja. Джаз Рабадия из Starbucks, Интересует ли магазин только оборудование внутри своих магазинов?

Here's Jaz Rabadia from Starbucks, Is the store only interested in facilities inside their shops? ||||||المتجر|||||المرافق||| スターバックスのジャズ・ラバディアさんです。お店は店内の設備だけに興味を持っていますか? Джаз Рабадия из Starbucks, Интересует ли магазин только оборудование внутри своих магазинов?

It's also not just our stores in which these cups end up. So we're doing a lot of work outside of our store environment to ensure that paper cups can be recycled on the go. |||||المتاجر||التي فيها||||||||||||||||||ضمان||||||||| また、これらのカップが行き着くのは私たちの店舗だけではありません。ですから、私たちは紙コップが外出先でもリサイクルできるよう、店舗環境以外の場所でも紙コップのリサイクルを行っています。多くの取り組みを行っています。 Джаз Рабадия из Starbucks, Интересует ли магазин только оборудование внутри своих магазинов?

We're working with our environmental charity partner Hubbub to increase recycling infrastructure outside of our stores because that too is where a lot of our cups will end up. |||||جمعية خيرية بيئية|شريك خيري بيئي|هَبَب||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||インフラ設備||||||||||||||||| 私たちは環境団体のパートナーであるHubbubと協力し、店舗外のリサイクル設備を拡充する取り組みを進めています。なぜなら、そこにも私たちの多くのカップが最終的に行き着くからです。 за пределами нашего магазина, чтобы бумажные стаканчики можно было перерабатывать на ходу. Мы

So are they just working in their  stores at improving recycling?

take their coffee out of the stores, so they are  working on recycling infrastructure outside as |||||||||||||インフラ||

Rob Well no, after all most people take their coffee out of the stores, so they are working on recycling infrastructure outside as well. хорошо. Это такие вещи, как мусорные ведра и пункты сбора, которые четко обозначены для кофейных чашек.

And what about enabling recycling cups in store?

This will be things like bins and collection points which are clearly marked for coffee cups. |||||ゴミ箱||||||||||

means introducing over a period of time. So  it's starting to happen but is not finished yet. означает внедрение в течение определенного периода времени. То есть это начинает происходить, но еще не закончено.

Let's listen again.

It is something that we are in the process of  rolling out and it will be in all of our stores. ||||||||||展開中||||||||||

It's also not just our stores in which  these cups end up. So we're doing a lot

of work outside of our store environment to  ensure that paper cups can be recycled on

the go. We're working with our environmental  charity partner hubbub to increase recycling

infrastructure outside of our stores because  that too is where a lot of our cups will end up.

Not everyone, however, believes that  the coffee chains are doing everything

that they can. This is Mary Creagh,  a member of the British parliament. ||||||||||||英国議会

She compares the situation to that of the  plastic bag charge. This was a law brought

in to force shops to charge customers for  plastic bags, which previously had been free.

If you think you're having to pay extra for  something, as we saw with the plastic bags,

we think a similar psychological  measure is needed, a nudge measure, |||||||||促し| Мы считаем, что необходима аналогичная психологическая мера, мера подталкивания,

to encourage people to remember to  bring their reusable cup with them

and of course this is something that the  coffee shops have been fighting tooth and nail. ||||||||||||戦っている||| і, звичайно, це те, з чим кав’ярні борються зубами й нігтями.

Neil She

thinks that we consumers need a nudge  to help us remember our reusable cups.

Rob Yes, we need a nudge, |||||後押し

which is a little push, a reason. In this case,  she is thinking of a law to make them charge more. что является небольшим толчком, причиной. В данном случае она думает о законе, который заставит их брать больше.

But she says the coffee chains really don't want  this, they are, she says, fighting it tooth and ||||||||||||||戦っている|||

nail. If you fight something tooth and nail you  are against it completely and try to stop it.

Neil Let's hear MP Mary Creagh again.

If you think you're having to pay extra for  something, as we saw with the plastic bags,

we think a similar psychological  measure is needed, a nudge measure,

to encourage people to remember to  bring their reusable cup with them

and of course this is something that the  coffee shops have been fighting tooth and nail.

Time to review our vocabulary, but first,

let's have the answer to the quiz question. Which  country drinks the most coffee per capita? Is it: |||||||||||||||一人当たり||

a) Japan b) Kenya, or

c) Finland What did you think, Rob?

I took a bit of a guess at Finland. Я немного угадал с Финляндией.

Well, congratulations, your guess was correct.

The Finns on average get through an amazing 12kg  of coffee a year, each. Now, onto the vocabulary.

We had a couple of related but opposite words.  Something disposable is designed to be used

once or a few times and then thrown away and a  reusable is designed to be used again and again.

We then had 'rolling out' which  in a business sense is the process |||展開||||||||| Затем мы провели "развертывание", которое в деловом смысле представляет собой процесс

of gradually introducing something  new. This could be a new system, постепенного введения чего-то нового. Это может быть новая система,

new product, new technology or  even a new way of doing things.

New ideas often need new infrastructure.  This is usually physical structures that Новые идеи часто требуют новой инфраструктуры. Обычно это физические структуры, которые

are needed to make something work, for example,

rail infrastructure includes  tracks, stations and signals.

A nudge is a small push,

to encourage us to do something. You don't need  a nudge to carry a reusable coffee cup, do you? 再利用可能なコーヒーカップを持ち歩くのに後押しは必要ないだろう?

Oh, no, I'm all for it. In fact, I'd fight  tooth and nail to keep hold of my reusable. Oh, no, I'm all for it. In fact, I'd fight tooth and nail to keep hold of my reusable. いやいや、大賛成だよ。実際、私は再利用可能なものを持ち続けるために徹底的に戦うつもりだ。 О, нет, я только за. На самом деле, я буду бороться за то, чтобы сохранить многоразовое использование.

Which is quite a coincidence as that was  our last expression today. To fight tooth

and nail means to make a strong effort to  try to stop something or achieve something. そして|||||||||||||||

Well, that's all from us. We look  forward to your company next time.

Until then, you can find us in all  the usual places on social media,

online and on our app. Just search  for 'BBC Learning English'. Goodbye!

Goodbye!

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

And I'm Sam. How are you, Neil?

I've been as busy as a bee this week, Sam.

Oh, don't you sound like the bee's knees! ||||||蜂のひざ| О, не звучить, як коліна бджоли!

All right, Sam, there's no need  to get a bee in your bonnet! |||||||気にする|||||かぶり物 Ладно, Сэм, не нужно заводить пчел в своем капоте!

As you can hear, English is  full of idioms involving bees.

But the sad truth is that bee  numbers are declining at an

alarming rate and in some  places disappearing altogether.

And this has serious consequences for humans.

Today, one third of the food we eat depends on  insects to pollinate crops, fruit and vegetables. ||||||||||||受粉する||||

But bees are in trouble. In some  European countries up to half of

all bee species are facing extinction,  placing our food supply chain at risk.

Bees are vital in pollinating hundreds of crops,  from apples and blackberries to cucumbers. ||重要な|||||||||||

In fact, almost all plants need insects to  reproduce – which is my quiz question – of

the world's top 50 crops, how many  rely on insect pollination? Is it:

a) 35 out of 50?,

b) 40 out of 50? or c) 45 out of 50?

I reckon those busy bees pollinate b)  40 out of 50 of the most common crops. |思う||||||||||||

OK, Sam, we'll find out the answer later. Now,  if you think back to your school biology lessons,

you may remember that plants and flowers contain  both male and female reproductive parts inside.

But what exactly is going on  when bees pollinate a plant?

Here's Claire Bates from BBC World Service  programme People Fixing the World to remind us:

What is pollination? All flowering plants need it  to reproduce. Pollen is moved from the male part

of a flower to the female part of a flower, then  fertilisation can happen causing fruit to grow.

Some staple crops such as wheat, rice and corn  are pollinated by the wind however many plants |主要な||||||||||||||| Деякі основні культури, такі як пшениця, рис і кукурудза, запилюються вітром, незважаючи на багато рослин

don't release their pollen easily and this is  where insects, and especially bees, come in.

As they collect nectar to eat, pollen sticks to  them and they carry it from flower to flower. |||蜜液 (みつえき)||||||||||||||

Pollination is the process in which  pollen is taken from one plant to another

so that it can reproduce. This is the  important work done by bees and insects.

Only after pollination can the next process  occur – fertilisation - when the pollen carried ||||||||受精||||

from another plant fertilises a  female ovule to make new seeds.

Fertilisation occurs in all flowering  plants, some of which like wheat,

potatoes and rice are staple crops - food  that is eaten in large amounts as part of

a community's daily diet and provides a large  fraction of their energy and nutrient needs.

Fewer bees reduces pollination levels, meaning  fewer new seeds are created and fewer crops grown. Менша кількість бджіл зменшує рівень запилення, тобто створюється менше нового насіння та вирощується менше врожаю.

But it isn't just the decline in bee numbers  causing a problem. Like us, bees need to rest

and this has led some to come up with creative  new ways of supplementing bee pollination.

One such innovator is Keren Mimran, co-founder of  agro-tech company, Edete. Here she is, explaining ||革新者||||||||||||||

how dropping pollen from drones can pollinate  crops, giving a helping hand to hard-working bees. ||||ドローン|||||||||||

How come our food security is so much dependent  on an insect that we cannot really control? We

can bring the bees to the orchard or to a field  but we cannot control their behaviour. They do

not come out of the hive when it's raining or when  there's heavy wind, they work only during daytime. |||||巣箱|||||||||||||

There must be a possibility of developing a  mechanical solution to the pollination challenge.

Keren Mimran speaking on the BBC World  Service programme People Fixing The

World. Bees' behaviour can't be controlled  - when it rains they won't leave their hive |||||||||||||巣

– the structure where bees live, either built  by people or made by the bees themselves.

So Keren's company has developed drones to drop

pollen on her orchard – an area of  land on which fruit trees are grown.

The need for these high-tech solutions reflects

the seriousness of the pollination problem  for food security -everyone getting enough

affordable and nutritious food to  meet their daily dietary needs.

I had no idea bees were so important, Neil.  Maybe I underestimated how hard they work.

Ah, you mean today's quiz question.  I asked you how many of the top 50

world crops rely on insect pollination.

And I said b) 40 out of 50 of the top crops.

And you are right! They certainly are the bee's  knees when it comes to pollinating plants! І ви праві! Вони, безсумнівно, є колінами бджіл, коли справа доходить до запилення рослин!

So in today's programme we've been  hearing about the important role

bees play in pollination – transferring  pollen from plant to plant,

necessary for the next stage of fertilisation  – producing new seeds and fruit inside a plant.

Bees and insects play a vital role in growing the  world's staple crops - food which, eaten in large

amounts, makes up the majority of a community's  daily diet and meets their nutrient needs.

So bee numbers are directly linked to the issue  of food security - everyone getting enough

affordable, nutritious food  to meet their dietary needs.

Which explains why, when bees won't leave  their home - or hive – some people have

started using drones to pollinate their  orchards – land growing fruit trees.

And that's it for this edition  of 6 Minute English. Bye for now!

Goodbye!

Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil.

And hello, I'm Rob.

Today we're talking about plastic.