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6 Minute English
INTERMEDIO
Time capsules
EPISODE 150101 / 01 JAN 2015
A centuries old time capsule has been discovered in Massachusetts, US. It's thought to have been buried by American revolutionaries in 1795. Rob and Neil talk about what to include in a time capsule - a device used to keep the memory of a place in time alive.
Listen to the conversation and learn some new vocabulary.
Vocabulary
time capsulea kind of box or container where you can store objects and information so that people in the future - yourself included - will know how we lived at that particular time
remind memake me remember something or someone
historical recorda piece of writing - maybe a document - or a narrative of events at a particular time
cornerstonea stone representing the starting place in the construction of a monumental building. Usually it has the date carved on it
deteriorateddecayed, decomposed or became worse over time
eternalexisting forever
metal detectorselectronic devices which can indicate the presence of metallic objects underground
Transcript
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript
RobHello, I'm Rob. Welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm joined today, at the start of a brand new year, by Neil.
NeilHello, Rob! I'm really looking forward to 2015, but I have to say that last year was great. So great I'm thinking about creating my own time capsule.
RobReally? A time capsule? You mean a kind of box or container where you can store objects and information so that people in the future - yourself included - will know how we lived at this particular time?
NeilThat's it! And I'm already collecting items. My old mobile phone which I don't use anymore. And a woolly jumper with a snowman on it my granny gave me that I never wear...
RobYou never wear?
NeilIt's a pretty silly jumper, Rob. She said it's to remind me of how much she loves me. Remind, which means, makes me remember - but all it makes me think of is that she still treats me like a child! I'll include the Christmas card which came with it!
RobWell, you've got to choose the items you wish to keep as a memory of our time very carefully. It's a historical record - that usually means a piece of writing or a narrative of events at a particular time. Well, let's discuss time capsules and vocabulary related to memory. But first, a question to test your knowledge of time capsules. The International Time Capsule Society is based at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, in the US, and it studies these artefacts. According to this organisation, how many time capsules are estimated to exist in the world today? Is it:
a) up to 15,000
b) up to 150,000 or
c) up to 1,500,000
NeilI'm gonna go for (a) 15,000.
RobOK, up to 15,000.
NeilThat's the one.
RobOK. Well, as usual, you'll have the answer to that question at the end of the programme. Right, now, let's talk more about time capsules. One of them was in the news in the last couple of weeks. A capsule was found in a public building in Boston.
NeilAh, I've heard about this. Historians believe it was put there by Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, and other American revolutionaries in the 18th century!
RobOK. Let's listen to BBC reporter Rajini Vaidyanathan. Can you tell me exactly where this time capsule was hidden?
Rajini Vaidyanathan, BBC reporter in WashingtonIt was during repair work at the Massachusetts State House in Boston that the time capsule was discovered hidden in the cornerstone. It’s thought the time capsule was first placed there in the 1795, when the building was constructed. Officials believe it contains old coins and newspapers which could have deteriorated over time.
NeilAh, the time capsule was hidden in the cornerstone, which is a stone representing the starting place in the construction of a monumental building. Usually it has the date carved on it.
RobYes the time capsule's items date from over 200 years ago, so the historians are concerned about opening it. The newspapers particularly might have deteriorated, decayed or decomposed over time.
NeilPaper doesn't last long. But my old mobile phone - the one I'm going to put in my own time capsule - will be eternal, it means it will exist forever! And the historians of the future will be grateful!
RobWell, if you want to make the historians happy, put things which are current in your life and things you actually use in your time capsule. There are famous capsules to be opened: the American company Westinghouse created two of them. One for the 1939 New York World's Fair and the other for the same event in 1964.
NeilAnd when are they going to open it?
RobIn the 25th century!
NeilWow! Well, that's it, Rob. I'm going home and I'm going to start working on my own time capsule!
RobGood. I'm glad to see you're so enthusiastic, Neil. But be careful not to make the mistake these guys in the Writtle Junior School here in England made. They put their items in a box 25 years ago and they buried the capsule in the garden.
NeilAnd what happened to it? It isn't centuries later but it must be interesting for these people who are now adults to see what's inside.
RobWell, it would have been interesting. But it didn't happen. Listen to Headteacher Nick Taylor and tell me why they didn't open their time capsule.
Nick Taylor, Writtle School HeadteacherThere were letters in it, coins, various things so we called in Writtle Heritage and they had a good explore around the garden with their metal detectors, and they couldn't find any evidence of it. I think we’ve dug about three holes around our school garden but we had to stop because we were slowly destroying it.
NeilThey forgot where they buried it!
RobYes. And they used metal detectors - electronic devices which can find metallic objects underground - and even so they couldn't find their time capsule! And before I forget, let's go back to the question I asked at the beginning of the programme.
NeilYou asked how many time capsules are estimated to exist in the world today.
RobYes, and the options were up to 15,000, up to 150,000 or up to 1,500,000. And you said...
NeilYes, I said up to 15,000.
RobAnd this is the right answer!
NeilHurrah!
RobWell done! Yes, the International Time Capsule Society has set up a registry of time capsules, and it estimates there are 10,000 to 15,000 time capsules worldwide. And the organisation believes that more than 80% of all time capsules are lost and will not be opened on their intended date.
NeilWell, I will remember where I kept mine. That's for sure.
RobGood for you. Well, that's it from us for the moment. We've been talking about time and... we've run out of it. But let's just remember some of the words used today. Neil...
Neiltime capsule
remind
historical record
cornerstone
deteriorated
eternal
metal detectors
RobThat's it for today. Do log on to bbclearningenglish.com to find more 6 Minute English programmes. And we wish you all a Happy New Year! Bye bye!
NeilBye!
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO LISTEN TO THE AUDIO
The bitter taste of sugar
How much sugar do you have a day? Rob and Neil talk about the recent recommendation by the World Health Organisation for people to reduce the amount of sugar they eat even more than previously advised. They say that it should account for 5% of the total energy we take from food – down from 10%.
What do experts suggest to help people eat less sugar? Follow the discussion and learn some food-related vocabulary.
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