– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

I'm Phil, and I'm Beth.

Nowadays, I often see people carrying water bottles with them

to make sure they drink enough.

How much water do you drink a day, Phil?

Oh, I don't know. Um, maybe about a litre.

OK. And do you know how much water you should drink a day?

I think it's probably about two litres.

Ah, well, the number many people have heard is two litres a day.

Of course, everyone needs to drink some water.

Over half the human body is made up of it.

But exactly how much water do we need to stay healthy?

That's what we'll be discussing in this programme,

along with some useful new vocabulary as well.

And speaking of vocabulary, remember you can download all the new words

and phrases from this programme, plus worksheet exercises

to help you learn them on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

Great! but first I have a question for you, Phil.

I mentioned that over half the human body consists of water,

but there's an even higher percentage of water in our blood,

but how much? Is our blood

a) around 80% water?

b) around 90% water? Or c) 100% water?

I think it's around 80% water.

OK, I will reveal the correct answer later in the programme.

Our blood needs water so it can carry nutrients

to the body's cells and organs.

The amount recommended is often given as two litres a day.

But why? Here to discuss this with BBC World Service programme

'The Food Chain' is biologist, Professor John Speakman.

So, I'm not sure how it was arrived at,

but it seems to be a number that has taken grip

on a very large number of countries.

So, if you look at government recommendations around the world,

they're pretty much all the same,

they pretty much all say everybody's got to be drinking two litres of water.

Professor Speakman doesn't know how the number

of two litres a day was arrived at - how it was decided or calculated.

Nevertheless, the idea of drinking two litres a day has taken grip

on many governments around the world.

When you say an idea has 'taken grip' on something,

you mean it's taken control of it.

Yes, Professor Speakman says that pretty much all governments

are giving pretty much the same recommendation.

He uses the phrase 'pretty much' to mean 'almost'.

For example, 'pretty much all governments advise drinking two litres a day'

means, 'almost all governments advise it'.

What Professor Speakman doesn't have, however, is any scientific evidence

for this advice.

The number of exactly two litres isn't based on scientific fact.

It's more of a ballpark

figure - a number, which is a guess,

but which you still believe is approximately correct.

Actually, the amount of water in our bodies is changing all the time.

Like your bank balance, which goes down when you spend money,

your body loses water all the time when you breathe, sweat,

or go to the toilet.

Exactly how much you need to drink depends

on how much water your body needs to replace,

and that mainly depends on your size.

But what happens when we drink less than we should?

Here's hydration expert, Dr Nidia Rodriguez-Sanchez,

describing the effects of dehydration to BBC World Service's, 'The Food Chain'.

And also, many times we start getting dehydrated and

we don't realise we are dehydrated.

So it's very common that we feel tired or we feel, like, with a bit of a headache

or even we think we are hungry and we go and get some food.

And actually what is happening is that we are thirsty,

that we are dehydrated.

We're starting to show some signs, or some symptoms of dehydration.

Dr Sanchez describes the effect of dehydration, the condition

of not having enough water in your body so that you feel ill or weak.

She mentions feeling tired, having a headache,

or a dry mouth as symptoms of dehydration.

Symptoms are signs or feelings in the body showing the presence

of some illness or condition.

So, whether you drink a little more or a little less, it seems that

around two litres of water a day is a good way to keep your blood

and body healthy.

Speaking of which, Phil. It's time to reveal the answer to my question,

what percentage of our blood is water?

You said 80%, and the answer is 90%. Our blood consists of around 90% water.

OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've used,

starting with the phrase 'to arrive at a number',

meaning to decide it by doing calculations.

If an idea takes grip on something, it takes control of it.

The phrase 'pretty much' means 'almost'.

For example, pretty much everyone likes chocolates,

which means, 'almost everyone likes chocolate'.

A ballpark figure is a phrase meaning 'a number, which is

an acceptably accurate approximation'.

Dehydration is the condition of not having enough water in your body

so that you feel ill or weak.

And finally, a symptom is a sign

or feeling in the body showing the presence of an illness or condition.

Once again, our six minutes are up, why not join me now,

and head over to our website bbclearningenglish.com,

download the worksheet for this programme,

and test yourself to see how much you remember.

See you there soon. Bye.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
drink /drɪŋk/ A1	verb - to take liquid into the mouth and swallow it
water /ˈwɔːtər/ A1	noun - a clear liquid essential for life
healthy /ˈhɛlθi/ A2	adjective - in good physical or mental condition
recommend /ˌrɛkəˈmɛnd/ B1	verb - to suggest something as useful or beneficial
dehydration /ˌdiːhaɪˈdreɪʃən/ B2	noun - the condition of losing too much water from the body
symptom /ˈsɪmptəm/ B2	noun - a physical or mental feature indicating an illness
nutrient /ˈnjuːtriənt/ B2	noun - a substance providing nourishment for growth or health
approximate /əˈprɒksɪmət/ C1	adjective - close to the actual value but not necessarily exact
ballpark /ˈbɔːlˌpɑːrk/ C1	noun - a rough estimate or guess
reveal /rɪˈviːl/ B1	verb - to make known or show something previously secret
consist /kənˈsɪst/ B2	verb - to be made up of certain elements or parts
replace /rɪˈpleɪs/ A2	verb - to put something new in the place of something old
depend /dɪˈpɛnd/ A2	verb - to be influenced or determined by something
tired /ˈtaɪərd/ A1	adjective - feeling a need to rest or sleep
headache /ˈhɛdˌeɪk/ A2	noun - pain in the head
thirsty /ˈθɜːrsti/ A1	adjective - feeling a need to drink
calculate /ˈkælkjʊleɪt/ B1	verb - to determine the amount or number using math
government /ˈɡʌvərmənt/ A2	noun - the group of people who run a country
scientific /ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk/ B2	adjective - relating to science or based on scientific methods
essential /ɪˈsɛnʃəl/ B1	adjective - absolutely necessary or extremely important

Key Grammar Structures

• Nowadays, I often see people **carrying** water bottles with them

  ➔ Present Continuous (Progressive)

  ➔ Describes an action happening *now* or around *now*. The use of 'carrying' indicates an ongoing action or habit.

• How much water **do** you drink a day, Phil?

  ➔ Present Simple (for habits and routines)

  ➔ Used to ask about a general fact or a repeated action. The auxiliary verb 'do' is used in the interrogative form.

• And **do** you know how much water you should drink a day?

  ➔ Modal verb 'should' (for advice/recommendation)

  ➔ 'Should' is used to give advice or make a recommendation, indicating what is considered a good or appropriate thing to do.

• But exactly how much water **do** we need to stay healthy?

  ➔ Present Simple (for general truths/facts)

  ➔ Used to talk about things that are generally true or happen regularly. The auxiliary verb 'do' is used in interrogative form.

• That's **what we'll be discussing** in this programme,...

  ➔ Future Continuous

  ➔ Indicates an action that will be in progress at a particular time in the future.

• I **mentioned** that over half the human body consists of water,...

  ➔ Past Simple

  ➔ Describes a completed action in the past.

• When you **say** an idea has 'taken grip' on something,...

  ➔ Present Simple (to describe general facts or definitions)

  ➔ Used here to define a phrase. The present simple is used to describe a fact or general truth, in this case, the definition of the phrase.

• What Professor Speakman **doesn't have**, however, is any scientific evidence...

  ➔ Present Simple (negative form)

  ➔ Describes what is *not* true in the present, using 'doesn't' (does + not) and the base form of the verb.

• But what **happens** when we drink less than we should?

  ➔ Present Simple (for general truths/facts and questions)

  ➔ Used to ask about what generally happens, or for general facts. 'Happens' is the third person singular form.