Learning english

BBC Learning English 6 Minute English 20 December, 2012
End of the world?
Alice: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English: we’ll be talking about a story in the news and learning some vocabulary along the way. I’m Alice and joining me today is Kaz. Hi Kaz. Hi there Alice. Now, if you’re listening to this programme on the 21 December 2012 or after, then I’m very happy to say that the world hasn’t ended. Alice, what do you mean the world hasn’t ended? Well, according to the ancient Mayan civilisation, the people who lived in Central America 4,000 years ago, the world was supposed to end on December 21, 2012. I see. Well, thank goodness they got the day wrong. It’s very interesting though, because the ancient Mayan calendar said December 21 2012 marked the end of a 5,000 year cycle. We’ll find out more in a minute, but first my question of the day. Kaz, December 21 is an important day in the calendar because it is usually the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Now, what’s the word in English for this? Is it: a) the winter equinox b) the winter solstice c) midwinter I’d say midwinter. Well, as usual, we won’t hear the answer until the end of the programme. Now let’s find out more about the Mayan people and their calendar, which dates back over 5,000 years. Professor Pedro Yac, from Guatemala, held a ceremony on a beach in Havana, Cuba, to mark the end of the Mayan calendar cycle. December 21, 2012 may not mark the end of the world, but Yac hopes people will use it as a day to think about what is important in life:

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Professor Pedro Yac: Enough of the culture of fear. We should stop planting fear. Not in the present generations, not in the future generations. We have to return to our roots. We are the children of mother earth. When we forget this everything becomes complicated. Alice: Kaz: So, Professor Pedro Yac says he hopes humanity returns to its roots – to think about