Swallowing the dictionary

A drug which could implant the entire vocabulary of a language into the taker's body is being trialled in the UK. If successful, it's predicted that mankind's centuries-long struggles with foreign language learning could be over in a gulp.

 

In the past, people who have used too many complicated words to get their messages across have been accused of swallowing the dictionary. Now, thanks to the pioneering work of scientists at the Linguistic Institute of Artificial Replication, it's become possible to eat - and then regurgitate - the whole of the English language.

The drug, called Verbumisol, triggers a chemical reaction in the brain which creates a stockpile of words. Electrical impulses are then fired directly at the larynx. The mucous membranes stretch causing the air modulation to realign according to the patterns of English pronunciation. Within an hour, a person with no knowledge of English, can produce the vocabulary of a native speaker.

Professor Leugenaar, who is in charge of the trial, demonstrates with a volunteer from Indonesia:

"Stephani here took this pill just 59 minutes ago, so she should be able to simply think in her own language yet produce perfect English when the clock hits 60 minutes. Please start Stephani."

L. I. A. R. claim this invention has the potential to change human history, end all wars, and put a stop to boring grammar lessons. However, critics of the drug say that it has some serious side effects, such as verbal diarrhoea, a tendency to talk endlessly about the weather and a habit of apologising for no reason.

Vocabulary

Swallowing= eating, ingesting

Pioneering= advanced, revolutionary

Regurgitate= throw up

Triggers= causes

A stockpile= a collection

Modulation= intonation, tone

Native speaker= person who's language is their natural language

A volunteer= someone who offers to do something

Verbal diarrhea = an excessive flow of words

Apologizing = asking for forgiveness

Facebook organ donors

Facebook users in the United States and Britain will now be able to show on their page whether they wish to donate their organs. The hope is that it will encourage more people to register as organ donors.

 Nearly 7,000 people in the United States die each year while waiting for an organ transplant and around 10,000 people in Britain are on the waiting list for an organ. With the huge numbers of Facebook members in both countries, the social networking site hopes its foray into social engineering will make a big impact.

 An American liver transplant director at a major hospital, Dr Andrew Cameron, called it a historic day and speculated it may well eliminate the problem of people dying while waiting for a transplant.

 As well as registering as donors, people are posting their personal stories of why they are donating. Debbie Greenwood from Manchester, 336 friends: "My 5-year-old grandson had a combined liver and kidney transplant 18 months ago, his life is now 100% better and we are eternally grateful to the donor family, whom we have met."

Facebook says the initiative is about making it easier on families, as they are more likely to know their loved one's donor status in advance. It's also about encouraging people who may have thought about it, but not got around to it or who might be inspired to donate if they find out that their friends are doing it. The British site already has nearly 70,000 Facebook likes and climbing.

Listen

Vocabulary

an organ transplant= surgery to transfer part of someone's body to someone else's

the waiting list = a roll of people wanting to obtain something

foray= movement into an unfamiliar area

social engineering= measures to make changes to society

speculated= thought, reasoned, theorised

eliminate= remove

registering = enrolling, formally indicating interest

combined= joint, together at the same time

eternally grateful=  hugely thankful

in advance= ahead of time

Youth unemployment crisis

Many graduates are growing bitter that their education have brought no career. Around 75 million people between the ages of 15 and 24 are out of work, according to a report by the International Labour Organisation. Rob and Natalie talk about this and ILO's recommendation to governments to make job creation a top priority.

Question: Which one of these unusual jobs is NOT a real one?

a) A vibration consultant.

b) A trifle analyst.

c) A raven master.

Vocabulary

a bleak picture = a situation described as pessimistic

a forecast = a prediction by experts

entrenched=  fixed, rooted

to drop out= to exclude yourself from activities

marginalized= to be left to one side

temping, a temporary job= employment done for a fixed period of time

an apprenticeship = jobs designed to have the employee working while getting training on the tasks required