Georgie

Bye.

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Yes, whether it's the rattle of train tracks, honking car horns or the roar of airplanes overhead, modern cities are full of noise, and this can have serious effects. The World Health Organization reports that by 2050 around 2.5 billion people will experience hearing loss, and exposure to loud noise has been linked to stress and anxiety.

Is it A, 3 decibels, B, 13 decibels or C, 30 decibels? Oh, that's really hard. I'll go for B, 13 decibels.

Well, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Let's start in one of the noisiest cities in the world, Mumbai in India, where daytime noise levels regularly hit 80 decibels, which is over 20 decibels higher than World Health Organisation recommendations. Listen to Mumbai native Chavi Sachdev share her experiences of living in this noisy city with BBC World Service programme People Fixing the World.

Sound artist Charles Montambo lives near the Parc de Magdalenon, a busy city park in Montreal, Canada. Charles was inspired to recreate the ocean sounds he heard on holiday in the Magdalen Islands, in his city park back home. On BBC World Service programme People Fixing the World, he tells reporter Natasha Fernandez that these sounds included ocean waves and some unusual sounding sand.

I asked you how loud a whisper is. Yes, and I said 13 decibels. Well, 13 is an unlucky number and you are wrong. It was actually 30. OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with decibel, the unit for measuring sound. Someone who dresses loud likes to wear clothes with bright colours and bold designs.

If you can't handle something, you find it difficult to deal with. An art installation is an artwork designed to create an interactive experience in a certain space. The adjective squeaky describes things which make a high-pitched sound, like a mouse. Squeak squeak!

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com

I would love to read more, but I don't read very much at the moment. I read mostly before bed because I feel like it helps me relax and go to sleep. And today we're talking all about reading. We'll be hearing from some experts about how reading can change our brains. And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases.

But Marianne Wolff, author of the book Reader Come Home, says that this isn't true.

Joten, koska meillä ei ole aineen osa, joka on suunniteltava lukemiseen, kun me oppimme lukemaan, me koottamme muiden osien aineen. Koottaminen tässä tarkoittaa, että joku tai jotkut voivat sisällyttää aineen. Kyllä, oppimaan lukemaan tarkoittaa käyttämään monia eri osia aineen, jotka ovat suunniteltaneet muiden asioiden, ja tämä vaihtaa aineen rakennus, verrattuna joku, joka ei ole oppinut lukemaan.

Koulutajat opiskelevat yksilöitä, jotka voivat lukea ja puhua ruotsia ja englantia. Hän on syntynyt syrjystä, joka on vaikuttanut osiin huoneesta, jolloin hänen voimaansa lukea ruotsia. Mutta mahtavaa, hän oli edelleen voinut lukea englantia. Marianne Wolff kertoo enemmän BBC World Serviceen. Se on kaunis esimerkki siitä, miten huoneen kirkko...

Inevitably means in a way that cannot be stopped or avoided. Marianne describes the symbolic Chinese characters as beautifully intricate. If something is intricate, it has lots of detail.

And intricate describes something which has lots of detail. That's it for this episode of 6 Minute English. Test what you've learned with the worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Thanks for joining us. Goodbye. Bye.

Welcome to the bonus episode of The Good Globe, brought to you with thanks to Boyne Valley Honey.

Boyne Valley Honey is the official breakfast partner of Pieta's Darkness Into Light 2026, proudly supported by Electric Ireland.

Why not take part in Darkness Into Light on May 9th at 4.15am at a location near you.

This is such a powerful moment of connection and support.

I'll be there at the Phoenix Park.