Pippa

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

I try to pay attention and buy stuff that's locally produced, but actually sometimes I don't really look. How about you? I actually have a calendar on my kitchen wall which tells me which fruits and vegetables are grown at what times of year.

The reality is that the supply of fresh food to the UK is fragile. The UK imports around 40% of its food, and this supply chain can easily be disrupted by wars, shortages and increasingly by climate change. In fact, the UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recently reported on the importance of food security, the term for having a reliable enough supply of affordable, healthy food to feed everyone.

But first of course, Pippa, I have a quiz question for you. I mentioned that Britain imports 40% of its food from other producers, mostly in Europe. But which European country does the UK import the most food from? Is it a. France, b. The Netherlands or c. Ireland? I've seen the Netherlands on a lot of food packaging in the UK, so I'm going to say b. The Netherlands.

Okei, well, we'll find out if you're right later in the programme. According to the UK government's recent report, there are many issues affecting Britain's food supply. Geopolitical conflicts like those in Ukraine and Iran, droughts and water shortages, loss of biodiversity caused by climate change. The list goes on and on. Here, climate reporter Mark Pointing discusses the report's conclusions with BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme.

Livestock, that's farm animals, such as cattle, sheep and pigs, contribute most of the carbon emissions from agriculture. Moving towards a sustainable food supply involves reducing the amount of meat and dairy we eat in favor of non-animal protein, such as beans and lentils.

Emma says it's important to think again about how farmland is used. For every cow or sheep taken off the land, something else, such as a fruit tree or vegetable crop, is put in its place. That way farmers become part of the solution, not the problem. An idiom meaning that if you are not actively trying to fix a problem, you are helping it continue.

Lots of ideas to chew over there, Neil. But now, isn't it time you revealed the answer to your question? My question was, which European country does the UK import the most food from? And you said b, the Netherlands. And you were absolutely correct, Pippa. It is the Netherlands. The UK imports 7.6 billion pounds worth of imports, especially vegetables and dairy.

OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with food security – the situation where a country has a reliable enough supply of food to feed its population. The worst case scenario is the worst possible thing that could happen in a particular situation. The adjective stark has several meanings, including obvious and severe. Livestock are animals and birds that are kept on a farm, such as cows, sheep or chickens.

The phrase a piece of the puzzle means a part of the solution to a problem.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes I go a while without reading anything. What about you? Well, I really love to read. I read on the train to work all the time. Well, that is a great way to get some reading in, I guess. Yes, and reading, of course, is a life skill, an essential skill which is useful or important in everyone's life. But reading can be a struggle for people with dyslexia, a learning difficulty making it hard for people to read, write or spell.

But first, I have a question for you, Phil. Studies have shown that people with dyslexia have enhanced abilities in certain areas and can excel in creative thinking, problem solving and inventiveness. So, which famous scientist was dyslexic? Was it A. Stephen Hawking, B. Albert Einstein or C. Marie Curie? I think it's B. I think it's Albert Einstein.

Well, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Now, the British charity Made by Dyslexia shares online learning tools and works with schools and teachers to raise awareness about the condition. The charity recently collaborated with British celebrities who have dyslexia for this promotional video.

Made by Dyslexia was founded by social entrepreneur Kate Griggs, and Kate co-authored a report showing that empowering dyslexic workers could boost the global economy by billions. BBC World Service Program, People Fixing the World, met Kate at the report's London launch event, where she explained why being dyslexic can actually give advantages in life, including some exciting job prospects.

Also present at the London charity event was space scientist and dyslexic herself, Dr Maggie Adarin-Pocock. Here, Maggie tells BBC World Service's People Fixing the World how being dyslexic contributes different skills and ideas to her project teams.

By valuing everyone's contribution, business and science teams can reach for the stars, an idiom meaning to be ambitious and try to achieve something difficult, even if it seems impossible. And talking of reaching for the stars, Pippa, I think it's time you revealed the answer to your question about successful scientists.

Yes, I asked you which famous scientist was dyslexic. Was it A. Stephen Hawking, B. Albert Einstein or C. Marie Curie? And you were right, Phil. It was Albert Einstein. Okay, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with life skill, an essential skill such as reading or problem solving, which is useful in everyone's life.

And finally, the idiom to reach for the stars means to have high or ambitious aims and try to achieve something difficult, even if it seems impossible. Once again, our six minutes are up, but remember you can find many more trending topics plus a quiz and worksheet for this episode on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Hope to see you there soon, but for now, it's goodbye. Goodbye.

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Pippa. And I'm Beth. Have you ever been scared of speaking in English? In this episode, we're talking about why speaking in a foreign language can be so stressful. So, Pippa, do you ever get nervous speaking in a different language?

But first I have a question for you, Pippa. So English has around one million words, but on average, how many words does a typical English speaker use in daily conversation? Is it A, between 2,000 and 3,000?