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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from 

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BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

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And I’m Sam.

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People in the UK are enjoying a four-day holiday as part of the celebrations

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for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

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A jubilee celebrates the anniversary of a special event, and the word is mostly

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associated with the Royal Family. In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her

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Platinum Jubilee, commemorating 70 years since she became Queen in 1952.

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People are doing all kinds of things to celebrate, from large events at

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Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, to smaller street parties in towns

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and cities up and down the country, and abroad. In this programme, we look at

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the Platinum Jubilee in an unusual way, by hearing about a cake competition

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to make the official jubilee cake - the Platinum Pudding. And, as usual,

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we’ll be learning some related vocabulary as well.

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This isn’t the first celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s reign

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– the period of time when a monarch rules a country. In 1977, the Queen

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celebrated her Silver Jubilee, marking 25 years as queen, followed by her Golden

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Jubilee in 2002, and her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

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But what’s so special about this year’s Platinum Jubilee is that Queen Elizabeth II

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is the first British monarch ever to spend 70 years on the throne.

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And I have a question about it, Sam.

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Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest-ever reigning monarch,

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but who was the previous longest-reigning before her?

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Was it: a) Henry VIII?

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b) Elizabeth I?

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or c) Queen Victoria?

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I know it’s c) Queen Victoria.

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OK. I’ll reveal the answer at the end of the programme. As the first monarch  

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ever to have a platinum jubilee, many celebrations are being planned for the Queen. 

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These include an official birthday parade, Trooping 

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the Colour, which ends with jet planes flying over Buckingham Palace,  

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and the Platinum Pageant - a live concert in front of the palace,  

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featuring music and dancing, puppets of the Queen’s  

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favourite pets - her corgi dogs - and a performance by Ed Sheeran. 

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And that’s just in London. All across the UK street parties 

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are being held for people to eat and drink with friends 

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and neighbours. There’s a tradition of inventing a new 

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food dish to commemorate jubilees, going all the way 

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back to the Victoria sponge, a cake named after Queen 

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Victoria. This year a competition was held to find a new 

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dish to become the official pudding of the jubilee. Here’s 

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BBC reporter, Daniella Relph, to explain more.

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First, there was a Victoria sponge, then coronation chicken, now we have a

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Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Pudding. The winning lemon Swiss roll

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and amaretti trifle is a twist on a traditional trifle, with layers of Swiss roll, 

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jelly, custard, mandarins, amaretti biscuits and cream. 

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In 1953, a mix of chicken and curry cream sauce called, 

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coronation chicken, was invented to celebrate Queen 

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Elizabeth’s coronation – the ceremony at which she was made queen. 

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This year, competition winner, Jemma Melvin, has invented a lemon and Swiss roll  

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amaretti trifle as the official jubilee cake. Trifle is  

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a sweet, cold pudding made of three layers – a  

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layer of fruit and cake, a layer of custard, and a top layer of cream. 

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Jemma’s jubilee trifle is a twist on a traditional trifle. 

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When talking about food, people use the phrase a twist 

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on something to describe a new variation of a traditional 

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recipe, using different, exciting ingredients.

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Jemma learned her winning recipe from her grandmothers. She wants her trifle to  

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be “the people’s pudding”, something to be enjoyed by everyone. Here is  

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Jemma Melvin describing how she felt to discover  

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her trifle had been chosen as the official Platinum Pudding: 

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I cannot believe it! Everything that I was up against 

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was just the most beautiful desserts and pudding with beautiful stories.... this  

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quite humble trifle has won is a bit surreal. 

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Jemma describes her trifle as humble – modest, and not proud.  

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Although the pudding contains ingredients like amaretti biscuits and cream,

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which are good enough for a queen, she wanted to base it on a humble 

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trifle, something everyone around the country can make. 

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Enjoying a bowl of Jemma’s Platinum Pudding sounds like a great way for

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some to celebrate the Queen’s seventy-year reign.

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Which reminds me of your question, Neil. We know Elizabeth II has reigned for

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70 years, but who was the second longest-serving monarch?

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I said it was c) Queen Victoria.

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I’m glad you were so sure, because you were correct.

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Victoria was queen for almost 64 years which is a long time, but not as long

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as Elizabeth.

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OK, let’s recap the vocabulary from this programme about the Queen’s jubilee

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– a celebration of the anniversary of a special event, usually involving

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the Royal Family.

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A king or queen’s reign means the period of time they rule a country.

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A coronation is the ceremony at which someone is made monarch

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– the king or queen.

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Trifle is a popular pudding made of a layer of fruit and cake, a layer of

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custard, and a top layer of cream.

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If you say a food dish is a twist on something, you mean it’s a variation of

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a traditional recipe, using new and exciting ingredients.

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And finally, someone who is humble is modest, and not proud.

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If you were inspired by this recipe, why not try making it.

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But that’s all from us. Goodbye for now.

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Goodbye!

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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam. 

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And I’m Neil.

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Have you ever played the game, Cluedo, Neil? The idea is that the person

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playing detective discovers who the murderer is, where the crime took place,

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and which weapon was used.

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The last time I played Cluedo it was Professor Plum, in the library, with the dagger!

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Cluedo is based on a very popular type of book– the murder mystery,

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sometimes called a whodunnit – a story about a murder which doesn't reveal 

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who the murderer is until the end.

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The queen of murder mysteries is a British writer who was born in 1890.

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Her books are read all over the world and have been translated  into

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a 103 different languages. Her name is Agatha Christie.

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To date over 2 billion copies of her crime novels have been sold worldwide,

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making her the best-selling novelist of all time… and the subject of this programme. 

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Perhaps her best-known story is ‘Murder on the Orient 

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Express’, a whodunnit featuring her most famous detective, Hercule Poirot,

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who starred in 33 of Agatha Christie’s books. 

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More about that later but as usual I have a quiz question 

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for you, Neil.

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Poirot may be Agatha Christie’s most famous detective, but he isn’t her only one

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– so who is Agatha Christie’s other fictional detective?

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Is it:

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a) Hetty Wainthropp?

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b) Jessica Fletcher? or,

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c) Miss Marple?

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I’ll guess it’s a) Hetty Wainthropp.

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OK, Neil. I’ll reveal the answer at the end of the programme.

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As mentioned, one of Agatha Christie’s most famous books is

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‘Murder on the Orient Express’. The story takes place

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on a train travelling from Istanbul in Turkey to Calais in northern France.

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Listen as writer and Agatha Christie superfan, Harriet Gilbert,

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summarises the story for BBC World Service programme, World Book Club.

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Poirot is on the train, heading back home to England from 

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Syria, when two unconnected events take place. In a 

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snowstorm in Croatia, the train comes grinding to a halt  

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and in one of the sleeping berths, a passenger is murdered. 

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Since it’s impossible for anyone to have reached the isolated 

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snow-trapped train or to have escaped from it without 

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leaving telltale footsteps in the snow,  

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the killer can only be one of the dozen people sharing  

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Poirot’s coach. Yet as he starts to investigate it  

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seems that each of them has an alibi for the time of the murder.  

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Impossible? Well, Poirot’s certainly perplexed… 

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During a snowstorm, the express train comes to a grinding halt

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– it slows down until it stops altogether. Then, someone is murdered! 

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The murderer can’t have escaped without leaving telltale footprints in the snow.

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When something is described as telltale, it reveals information which allows 

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a secret to be uncovered. For example, lipstick on your 

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husband’s shirt could be a telltale sign he’s having an affair. 

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The murder victim is found in bed stabbed with a knife. 

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Poirot begins to investigate, but as he questions the 

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train passengers one by one, it seems that everyone 

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has an alibi - proof that they were somewhere else when a crime was committed. 

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Naturally, this leaves the Belgian detective perplexed,  

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or confused because something is difficult to understand 

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or solve.

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I won’t spoil the story by telling you what happens next, Neil.  

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But let’s just say that, as usual, Poirot uncovers the murderer using his

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incredible powers of observation.

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In her stories, Agatha Christie describes Hercule Poirot as a very strange

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or eccentric man.

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The author, Sophie Hannah, has written several new Poirot stories based on the

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characters invented by Agatha Christie before her death in 1976.

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Here she is describing more of Hercule Poirot’s  

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strange characteristics to BBC World Service Programme,

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World Book Club

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There’s the sort of the outward things,  

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his appearance which is very striking and very unusual,  

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and his sort of, I suppose foibles is the best thing to call them,  

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he likes neatness, he likes order,  

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he approaches thing very methodically, he’s very proud of his

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luxuriant moustaches, you know, all of that.

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Sophie calls Poirot’s unusual behaviour his foibles - 

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habits or characteristics which are considered strange 

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or foolish but which harm no-one. 

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Yes, unlike the fictional murderers he uncovers, Poirot’s  

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foibles do no harm, but it makes me wonder if Agatha 

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Christie’s other famous detective also had unusual habits. 

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Well, first you’ll have to reveal the answer to your quiz question, 

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Sam. You asked me for the name of Agatha Christie’s other 

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famous detective, and I guessed

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it was a) Hetty Wainthropp.

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Well, I’m afraid that was the wrong answer!

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In fact, Miss Marple was the name of Agatha Christie’s second most famous

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character - although Hetty Wainthropp is a fictional detective on TV.

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Well. now that we’ve solved the murder and revealed the correct answer,

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let’s recap the vocabulary starting with whodunnit -  

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a murder story which does not tell you who the murderer is until the end.

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In the whodunnit, Murder on the Orient Express, the train 

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comes to a grinding halt – it slows down until it stops altogether.

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A telltale sign reveals hidden information so that a secret can be revealed.

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An alibi is proof that you were somewhere else when 

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a crime was committed.

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To be perplexed means to be confused because something 

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is difficult to understand.

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And finally,  

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someone’s foibles are their strange but harmless habits or behaviour.

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That’s all for our six-minute investigation into the 

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mysterious world of Agatha Christie. Goodbye for now.

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Goodbye.

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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam.

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And I’m Neil.

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In this 6 Minute English we’re celebrating the life of 

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one of modern South Africa’s founding fathers

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– the icon and Nobel laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

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Archbishop Tutu was one the leaders of the non-violent movement to end the system

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of racial segregation known as apartheid. Apartheid was enforced against the

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black population of South Africa by the white minority government from 1948

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until 1991.

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It’s impossible to imagine South Africa's difficult journey to freedom without

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Archbishop Desmond Tutu. While other anti-apartheid leaders, like his close friend

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Nelson Mandela, were imprisoned or even killed, Archbishop Tutu was there

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at every step of the struggle - the rebellious priest speaking out against

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the injustices of apartheid. Archbishop Tutu was a hero of the 20th century. 

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He died in December 2021 and was laid to rest in Cape Town in

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a state funeral on New Year’s Day. In this programme, we’ll hear about some

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important moments from his life and, as usual, learn some related vocabulary

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as well. But first I have a question for you, Neil.

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Nelson Mandela was sometimes affectionately called by his clan’s name, Madiba,  

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but do you know what nickname Archbishop Desmond Tutu was given? 

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Was it:

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a) The Des?

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b) The Bish?

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or c) The Arch?

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I don’t know, but I’ll guess his nickname was c) the Arch.

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OK, Neil. We’ll find out if that’s the correct answer at the end of the programme.

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Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born in 1931 in the town of Klerksdorp in northern

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South Africa.

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In this 2014 interview with BBC World Service programme, Outlook, he looks back on  

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some of his earliest childhood memories:  

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I had a very happy childhood. I am a boy child between two girls.

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My sisters sometimes thought that our mother  

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rather spoiled me, pampered me. My mother was not educated much but she had an 

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incredible loving for people and was very generous.

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Part of my own unhappiness was precisely that anyone could want to

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take advantage of such a gracious, gentle, generous person.

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As a child, Desmond Tutu’s mother would pamper him – give him special treatment

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and make him feel special by doing nice things for him 

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He also says his mother spoiled him – let him do or 

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have whatever he wanted. Spoiling a child usually has a bad effect on their  

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character as they grow up, but this doesn’t seem to be true for Desmond Tutu.

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What upset the young Desmond was how his mother 

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was treated by some white South Africans who would  

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take advantage of her - treat her unfairly for their own benefit.

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In 1955 Desmond Tutu married his wife, Leah. They had children and the family

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moved to London for a time, before returning to South Africa when Desmond 

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was made Dean of Johannesburg.

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He knew that returning to a racially segregated South Africa would be

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difficult for his family.

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In this interview with BBC World  

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Service programme, Outlook,

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Archbishop Tutu remembers one terrifying incident involving his wife, Leah,  

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who had gone to the Johannesburg traffic department to renew a car licence: 

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…they handcuffed her, and they walked with her in the 

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streets, she was paraded, and then when the court case was heard my wife  

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was acquitted - but they had done what they wanted to do  

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which was humiliate her, and in the process  

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hit at me. I have to say that I found those actions near unforgivable, because I was 

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the one who was out in the forefront...

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although Leah… she’s a toughie! (laughs).

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Police officers arrested and handcuffed Leah 

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to humiliate her – make her feel ashamed and stupid.

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When she went to court, Leah was acquitted – declared not guilty of

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committing a crime. But the police continued to harass her, even though his wife was,

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in his own words, a toughie – someone who is tough and determined.

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Archbishop Tutu describes the event as “near unforgivable” 

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but, in fact, he did forgive the white police officers, and 

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in 1991, at the end of apartheid, he started the Truth 

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and Reconciliation Commission as a way of healing divisions between

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black and white communities.

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What an inspirational life! But we still don’t know what his nickname was, Sam!

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00:17:26.800 --> 00:17:32.480
Right, in my question I asked Neil what Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s nickname was.

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I guessed it was, The Arch.

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00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:39.192
Which was the correct answer! Affectionately known as The Arch, Desmond Tutu

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00:17:39.192 --> 00:17:43.281
will be remembered as a man of peace and forgiveness.

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00:17:43.281 --> 00:17:47.025
Right, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned in this programme,

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starting with pamper – to give someone special treatment.

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If you spoil a child, you let them do whatever they want, but be careful  

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00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:59.120
because they might take advantage of you – treat you badly for their own benefit.

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00:17:59.840 --> 00:18:04.000
To humiliate someone means to make them feel ashamed or stupid.

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00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:08.080
If you are acquitted of a crime, it is judged that you are not guilty.

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00:18:08.080 --> 00:18:12.311
And finally, a toughie is a slang word to describe someone,

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00:18:12.311 --> 00:18:17.839
like Archbishop Desmond Tutu or his wife, Leah, who is tough and determined.

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Once again, our six minutes are up. Goodbye for now!

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Bye!

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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam.

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And I’m Neil.

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In this programme, we’re talking about a famous leader and teaching

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00:18:37.098 --> 00:18:41.680
you some useful vocabulary… ..like ‘chancellor’ – the person in the highest position 

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00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:44.480
in a government or a university – and especially the 

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00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:46.640
title for the head of the government in some  

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European countries.

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00:18:48.699 --> 00:18:50.320
A country such as Germany, 

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It’s a position like the prime minister in the UK.

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00:18:54.080 --> 00:18:56.880
And one of Germany’s longest serving chancellors was 

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00:18:56.880 --> 00:19:00.480
Angela Merkel, who led the country from 2005 until the 

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00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:03.759
recent elections in September 2021.

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00:19:03.760 --> 00:19:06.320
Well, we’re going to find out more about her soon 

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00:19:06.320 --> 00:19:10.732
but not before I’ve challenged you to answer this question, Neil.

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00:19:10.732 --> 00:19:13.655
Who was Germany’s first ever chancellor?

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00:19:13.655 --> 00:19:16.400
Was it: a) Otto von Bismarck,

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00:19:17.040 --> 00:19:19.333
b) Helmut Schmidt

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or c) Franz von Papen?

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00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:25.314
Well, my knowledge of German history isn’t great but I'll go for

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00:19:25.314 --> 00:19:28.560
a) Otto von Bismarck, sounds quite likely.

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00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:33.440
OK, I’ll reveal the answer later on. But let’s talk more 

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00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:34.880
about Angela Merkel now.  

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00:19:35.520 --> 00:19:40.079
She was in office for 16 years – ‘in office’ means ‘in power’  

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00:19:40.080 --> 00:19:43.200
or ‘in charge’, until she stepped down last month.

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00:19:44.080 --> 00:19:48.000
Yes, that’s a long time – which meant that she had to make lots of decisions,  

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00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:50.320
popular with some people and not with others.

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00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:54.720
Over that time, she’s gained a nickname – ‘mutti’ – 

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00:19:54.720 --> 00:19:58.480
German for ‘mother’. This could be seen as a compliment 

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00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:02.400
but started life as more of an insult, as BBC correspondent 

305
00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:06.240
Damien McGuinness, explained on the BBC Radio programme, 

306
00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:09.078
From Our Own Correspondent…

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00:20:09.078 --> 00:20:13.175
The ‘mummy Merkel’ image in fact, started off as an insult

308
00:20:13.175 --> 00:20:16.792
from conservative rivals. It was made up during her first term in office

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00:20:16.792 --> 00:20:20.822
by hardline conservatives in her predominantly male party.

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00:20:20.823 --> 00:20:23.680
A patronising put down behind her back.

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00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:26.800
to put her in her place as a woman, possibly even meant to 

312
00:20:26.800 --> 00:20:29.840
be hurtful, given that in reality she has no children.

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00:20:30.560 --> 00:20:33.440
Oh dear, so the nickname of ‘mother’ was really used 

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00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:37.440
as an insult to start with, probably invented by the men 

315
00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:40.960
in her political party – described as the hardline  

316
00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:45.440
conservatives – ones with traditional and strict beliefs 

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00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:46.800
that can’t be changed.

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00:20:47.520 --> 00:20:50.720
Yes, the nickname was used as a put down – that’s an 

319
00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:54.080
insult, used to make someone feel stupid or embarrassed. 

320
00:20:54.080 --> 00:20:55.119
And the intention was to  

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00:20:55.119 --> 00:20:58.559
make her feel less important – or to put her in her place.

322
00:20:59.280 --> 00:21:02.559
Well, politics is full of insults and critics, but it sounds 

323
00:21:02.560 --> 00:21:07.095
rather cruel, and Damien McGuinness does go on to say that this image

324
00:21:07.096 --> 00:21:10.320
is really a ‘media myth’ and not quite accurate.

325
00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:14.560
The media has not always been negative about Angela 

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00:21:14.560 --> 00:21:19.760
Merkel. She is the longest serving amongst current EU leaders and participated in an  

327
00:21:19.760 --> 00:21:23.680
estimated 100 EU summits. She has often been labelled  

328
00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:26.640
as "the only grown-up in the room". So, the media  

329
00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:28.400
has also labelled her ‘The Queen of Europe’.

330
00:21:29.280 --> 00:21:32.720
What is true is that following the recent elections in Germany, 

331
00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:38.000
her successor – the person who became chancellor - will lack the experience and  

332
00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:42.000
gravitas that Merkel has gained over her 16 years as chancellor.

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00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:45.520
But Damien McGuinness, in his report for the BBC’s 

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00:21:45.520 --> 00:21:49.654
From Our Own Correspondent programme, concludes that many people aren’t sure

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00:21:49.654 --> 00:21:51.840
which of her nicknames is accurate.  

336
00:21:51.840 --> 00:21:56.640
What word does he use to mean ‘phrases or ideas that have become meaningless  

337
00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:58.160
because they’ve been overused’? 

338
00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:01.999
But the confusion around these cliches does point to 

339
00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:05.440
another truth - The Chancellor is discreet, to the point 

340
00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:09.200
of sometimes being invisible. So, there's a fascination 

341
00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:13.280
about what's really going on behind that deadpan exterior. 

342
00:22:13.280 --> 00:22:17.069
Angela Merkel may have been in power for more than a decade and a half,

343
00:22:17.069 --> 00:22:20.400
but people are still not really sure they know who she is.

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00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:25.663
He used the word cliches to mean ‘phrases or ideas that have become

345
00:22:25.663 --> 00:22:30.833
meaningless because they’ve been overused.’ People are unsure which description

346
00:22:30.833 --> 00:22:35.040
of her is true because she is discreet – she keeps quiet about 

347
00:22:35.040 --> 00:22:37.520
things so as not to attract attention.

348
00:22:38.560 --> 00:22:40.960
Yes, it’s hard to know what she is thinking because 

349
00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:44.848
she looks deadpan – that means she looks serious and doesn’t show

350
00:22:44.848 --> 00:22:45.920
expression or emotion.

351
00:22:47.000 --> 00:22:53.074
Hmmm, I wonder if Germany’s first ever chancellor had a deadpan exterior?

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00:22:53.074 --> 00:22:57.588
Ah yes, earlier you asked me who that was, and I said it was Otto von Bismarck.

353
00:22:57.588 --> 00:22:58.088
Was I right?

354
00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:02.717
Yes, you were – well done.

355
00:23:02.718 --> 00:23:07.508
Wunderbar! Now it’s time to recap some of the vocabulary we’ve mentioned today,

356
00:23:07.508 --> 00:23:11.532
starting with chancellor - the person in the highest position in a government n some countries.

357
00:23:11.532 --> 00:23:12.319
in some countries.

358
00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:16.443
Hardline describes someone with traditional and strict beliefs

359
00:23:16.443 --> 00:23:18.160
that can’t be easily changed.

360
00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:23.200
A put down is an insult, used to make someone feel stupid or embarrassed.

361
00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:28.491
When someone is put in their place, they are made to feel less important

362
00:23:28.491 --> 00:23:29.443
than they are.

363
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:33.705
Cliches are phrases or ideas that have become meaningless

364
00:23:33.705 --> 00:23:36.980
because they’ve been overused. And deadpan describes

365
00:23:36.981 --> 00:23:39.760
someone’s serious facial expression that shows no emotion.

366
00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:44.880
Thanks, Neil. That’s all for now but don’t forget there 

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00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:48.545
are lots more 6 Minute English programmes to enjoy on our website

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00:23:48.545 --> 00:23:51.126
at bbclearningenglish.com.

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00:23:51.126 --> 00:23:55.038
You can also find us on social media and on our free app.

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00:23:55.038 --> 00:23:59.053
And if you enjoy topical discussion, like in 6 Minute English, why not

371
00:23:59.053 --> 00:24:02.960
try one of our other podcasts? In News Review we take a big  

372
00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:06.960
international story, discuss the vocabulary used in the headlines,  

373
00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:08.640
and teach you how to use it in your  

374
00:24:08.640 --> 00:24:10.424
everyday English.

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00:24:10.424 --> 00:24:14.382
That’s News Review from BBC Learning English. Try it out!

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00:24:14.382 --> 00:24:16.173
Thank you for listening and goodbye.

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00:24:16.173 --> 00:24:17.840
Goodbye.

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00:24:22.560 --> 00:24:25.513
Hello. This is 6 Minute English and I'm Rob.

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00:24:25.513 --> 00:24:26.319
And I'm Dan.

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00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:29.965
Now, Dan do you know who Michelle Obama is?

381
00:24:29.965 --> 00:24:35.185
Er, yeah. Maybe the most famous woman in the world? Former First Lady,

382
00:24:35.186 --> 00:24:39.528
which means she was the wife of the President of the United States of America.

383
00:24:39.528 --> 00:24:44.868
That is correct. She's just published her autobiography and has been talking in the UK

384
00:24:44.868 --> 00:24:47.600
about her life. Before we find out more,  

385
00:24:47.600 --> 00:24:49.278
here is this week’s question.

386
00:24:49.278 --> 00:24:54.936
When did the title First Lady first become used for the wife of the US president?

387
00:24:54.936 --> 00:24:56.589
Was it in the:

388
00:24:56.589 --> 00:24:58.146
a) 18th Century

389
00:24:58.146 --> 00:25:00.284
b) 19th Century

390
00:25:00.284 --> 00:25:03.069
or c) 20th Century? Any ideas, Dan?

391
00:25:03.069 --> 00:25:08.702
This could be a trick question. The first US presidents were in the 18th Century,

392
00:25:08.702 --> 00:25:13.523
and they had wives, but I think the actual term may only have been introduced

393
00:25:13.523 --> 00:25:18.400
much later – so I'm going to take a wild guess and say the 20th Century.

394
00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:21.599
OK. Well, I'll have the answer later in the programme. 

395
00:25:22.284 --> 00:25:26.402
Michelle Obama’s visit to the UK was covered on BBC News

396
00:25:26.402 --> 00:25:29.439
According to this report, where did she visit that 

397
00:25:29.440 --> 00:25:32.190
she had visited before?

398
00:25:32.190 --> 00:25:37.040
The former First Lady spoke openly about a number of issues and one of her main 

399
00:25:37.040 --> 00:25:39.768
messages was about empowerment.

400
00:25:39.768 --> 00:25:43.709
Earlier in the day Mrs Obama revisited a school in north London,

401
00:25:43.709 --> 00:25:49.201
a place where she says she was first inspired to focus on education during her time

402
00:25:49.201 --> 00:25:51.537
as the First Lady.

403
00:25:51.537 --> 00:25:54.624
So, where did she revisit on this trip?

404
00:25:54.624 --> 00:25:59.034
She went to a school in north London. She said it was at this school that she was

405
00:25:59.035 --> 00:26:05.016
first inspired to focus on education. If you are inspired to do something, you get a

406
00:26:05.016 --> 00:26:08.364
strong feeling that you want to do something, you feel a strong motivation to

407
00:26:08.364 --> 00:26:12.518
achieve something particular, often because of something someone else

408
00:26:12.518 --> 00:26:14.229
has said or achieved.

409
00:26:14.229 --> 00:26:19.598
The report also mentioned that she spoke openly about a number of issues.

410
00:26:19.598 --> 00:26:24.378
To speak openly about something is when you discuss a subject, often a difficult

411
00:26:24.378 --> 00:26:29.420
subject, without trying to hide the facts or your feelings. It’s a phrase that is used

412
00:26:29.420 --> 00:26:32.960
when people talk about things in their life that they find difficult or embarrassing.

413
00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:37.982
One of the things she spoke openly about was her own feeling that she didn’t

414
00:26:37.982 --> 00:26:41.040
really belong, that she didn’t have the skills or talent to be doing what 

415
00:26:41.040 --> 00:26:44.319
she was doing and that she didn’t deserve her position. 

416
00:26:44.320 --> 00:26:47.710
There is a name for that. It’s called imposter syndrome

417
00:26:47.710 --> 00:26:51.303
– that feeling where you think one day everyone will realise that you're

418
00:26:51.303 --> 00:26:53.683
really not very good at what you do.

419
00:26:53.683 --> 00:26:55.426
I get that feeling all the time!

420
00:26:55.426 --> 00:27:01.339
I wonder why? Because the thing with this imposter syndrome is that it isn’t justified.

421
00:27:01.339 --> 00:27:06.407
It’s more a lack of confidence or a result of the way society labels us.

422
00:27:06.407 --> 00:27:12.073
Well, anyway, back to the report. Michelle Obama was also keen to talk about the topic

423
00:27:12.074 --> 00:27:16.399
of empowerment. That's giving people the strength, confidence and power 

424
00:27:16.400 --> 00:27:20.000
to achieve what they want in life by themselves.

425
00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:24.603
Let’s hear from Michelle Obama herself now talking about how we sometimes

426
00:27:24.603 --> 00:27:28.640
judge people based on their class rather than their individual abilities.

427
00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:32.160
That’s often the mistake that we make, we assume  

428
00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:36.320
that working-class folks are not highly gifted in their 

429
00:27:36.320 --> 00:27:39.840
own right when a lot of times your station in life is 

430
00:27:39.840 --> 00:27:43.360
limited by the circumstances that you find yourself in.

431
00:27:44.240 --> 00:27:47.760
She says here that we assume things about people 

432
00:27:47.760 --> 00:27:52.080
based on their social status or station in life. To assume  

433
00:27:52.080 --> 00:27:55.428
means 'to make a judgement which is not based on the facts

434
00:27:55.428 --> 00:27:56.480
but on what we think is true'.

435
00:27:57.200 --> 00:28:00.400
She uses the phrase in their own right. When you say 

436
00:28:00.400 --> 00:28:03.040
that someone is talented in their own right, it means 

437
00:28:03.040 --> 00:28:06.412
that their talent comes from their own skills and abilities

438
00:28:06.412 --> 00:28:10.635
and not because of any connection with any organisation, individual or class

439
00:28:10.635 --> 00:28:12.858
that they happen to be associated with.

440
00:28:12.858 --> 00:28:16.468
Before we wrap up, time to get the answer to this week’s question.

441
00:28:16.468 --> 00:28:22.027
When did the title First Lady first become used for the wife of the US president?

442
00:28:22.028 --> 00:28:23.352
Was it in the:

443
00:28:23.352 --> 00:28:25.452
a) 18th Century

444
00:28:25.452 --> 00:28:27.609
b) 19th Century

445
00:28:27.609 --> 00:28:30.432
or c) 20th Century

446
00:28:30.433 --> 00:28:31.600
And Dan, you said?

447
00:28:32.160 --> 00:28:34.363
I thought it was the 20th Century.

448
00:28:34.363 --> 00:28:36.061
Well, you were right.

449
00:28:36.061 --> 00:28:37.303
Yay!

450
00:28:37.303 --> 00:28:38.528
But let me finish.

451
00:28:38.528 --> 00:28:43.156
You were right in that it was later than the 18th Century, which was when the first

452
00:28:43.156 --> 00:28:48.284
US presidents held their positions, but it wasn’t as late as the 20th Century.

453
00:28:48.285 --> 00:28:53.743
It was the second half of the 19th Century when the 
title First Lady began to be used.

454
00:28:53.743 --> 00:28:56.075
Now let’s review today’s vocabulary.

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We started with the phrase to talk openly about something.

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This means to discuss something, usually a difficult subject, without

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hiding your feelings, emotions or facts about that subject.

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Then there was the noun empowerment. This is the process of

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giving people the feeling that they are in control of their lives,

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making people more confident in their rights and abilities.

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The verb inspire was next.

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If you inspire people, you give them the feeling that they  

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want to and can do something,  

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something difficult or creative. If you have that feeling yourself, you are inspired. 

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Next there was the verb to assume something.

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To assume means 'to make a judgement about someone or something

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not based on proof, but on things you think or believe to be true'.

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The next phrase was in their own right. If someone 

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is successful in their own right, for example, it means 

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their success is because of their own skills and abilities, 

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and not because of who they work for, or work with or 

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which social group they come from.

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And finally there was the noun phrase station in life.

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Your station in life is your position in society – your social status.

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And that brings us to the end of this week’s programme. 

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We’ll be back soon and in the meantime you can find 

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us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube our app 

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and of course the website bbclearningenglish.com.

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Bye bye for now.

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Bye!