世界末日？ End of the world?

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English: we’ll be talking about a story in the news and learning some vocabulary along the way. I’m Alice and joining me today is Kaz. Hi Kaz.
大家好，欢迎收听本期BBC六分钟英语。我们会在新闻中一边讲述故事，一边学习单词。希望大家能够喜欢。我是Alice，今天我的搭档是Kaz。你好，Kaz。
Hi there Alice.
你好，Alice。
Now, if you’re listening to this programme on the 21 December 2012 or after, then I’m very happy to say that the world hasn’t ended.
如果你是在2012年12月21日或该日之后收听的本节目，那么我要很高兴地说世界并没有结束。
Alice, what do you mean the world hasn’t ended?
世界并没有结束？Alice，你这么说是什么意思呢？
Well, according to the ancient Mayan civilisation, the people who lived in Central America 4,000 years ago, the world was supposed to end on December 21, 2012.
呵呵，是这样的。根据古玛雅文明预测，2012年12月21日将是世界末日。而所谓玛雅人，则是4000年前生活在中美洲的人类。
Well, thank goodness they got the day wrong.
啊，谢天谢地，他们把日期弄错了。
It’s very interesting though, because the ancient Mayan calendar said December 21 2012 marked the end of a 5,000 year cycle. We’ll find out more in a minute, but first my question of the day.Kaz, December 21 is an important day in the calendar because it is usually the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.Now, what’s the word in English for this? Is it: a) the winter equinox b) the winter solstice c) midwinter
但是这很有趣，因为古玛雅日历上显示2012年12月21日标志着为期5000年的周期结束了。稍后我们再讨论这件事，首先让我们来看看今天的问题。在日历中，12月21日是很重要的日子，因为这天通常是北半球白昼最短的一天。那么Kaz，你知道这个词用英语怎么表达吗？是冬分，冬至还是仲冬呢？
I’d say midwinter.
恩，我觉得是仲冬。
Well, as usual, we won’t hear the answer until the end of the programme. Now let’s find out more about the Mayan people and their calendar, which dates back over 5,000 years.Professor Pedro Yac, from Guatemala, held a ceremony on a beach in Havana, Cuba, to mark the end of the Mayan calendar cycle.December 21, 2012 may not mark the end of the world, but Yac hopes people will use it as a day to think about what is important in life:
好的，像往常一样，我们会在节目最后揭晓答案。Kaz，咱们来聊聊玛雅人和他们的日历吧，这可是要追溯到5000多年前呢。危地马拉教授Pedro Yac在哈瓦那市（古巴）的海滩上举行了一个仪式，以此来标记玛雅日历周期的结束。2012年12月21日可能不是世界末日，但Yac希望人们能利用这天，仔细想想生命中什么才是重要的。
Enough of the culture of fear. We should stop planting fear. Not in the present generations, not in the future generations. We have to return to our roots. We are the children of mother earth. When we forget this everything becomes complicated.
这是一种文化恐惧现象。我们应该停止传播恐惧，既不在本时代传播，也不在未来几代传播。我们应该追本溯源。我们都是地球母亲的孩子，当我们忘记了这一点，所有事情都会变得很复杂。
So, Professor Pedro Yac says he hopes humanity returns to its roots – to think about where we came from, how we were created.
Pedro Yac教授说，他希望人类能追本溯源，去想想我们来自哪，我们是怎样被创造出来的。
He says people are children of mother earth – the earth is considered to be the source of all living things.
他还说，人类是地球母亲的孩子。也就是说，地球是万物之源。
And he thinks that when people forget where they come from, everything becomes complicated.
而且他认为，当人类忘记了自己从哪里来，一切都会变得很复杂。
He says we should stop planting fear – spreading fear.
Yac教授还说，我们应该停止种植恐惧的种子，也就是停止传播恐惧。
What’s really interesting is how many people believe that the end of the world will happen soon. According to a poll by Reuters IPSOS earlier this year, nearly 10% of people believe that the end of the world is nigh - is coming soon.Here are two interesting pieces of language to listen out from the next speaker. "Humanity’s time on earth is up", which means people will die out, and "Doomsday". What’s Doomsday Kaz?
但真正有趣的是，有多少人相信世界末日即将到来。据路透社和伊普索斯于年初联合进行的一项民调显示，近10%的人相信世界末日即将来临。下面是两句很有意思的话，请仔细听好。第一句是：“人类在地球上的时间已到”，意思就是说人类即将灭亡。第二句话是“Doomsday”。Kaz，你知道这个词是什么意思吗？
Doomsday is the name given to the day the world will end.
Doomsday就是世界末日的意思，即世界结束那天的另一种说法。
Here’s reporter Tom Santorelli:
恩，让我们听听Tom Santorelli怎么说。
Last May a Reuters IPSOS poll found that nearly 10% of people worldwide go along with the interpretation that humanity’s time on earth is up.The Doomsday prediction has spawned a glut of films and books on the subject.
今年5月份，路透社和伊普索斯联合进行了一项民调。调查显示，世界上有近10%的人相信人类在地球上的时间已到。世界末日的预言催生出了很多关于这一主题的电影和书籍。
Reporter Tom Santorelli says the Doomsday prediction has spawned a glut of films and books about the end of the world. A glut of – it means a lot of.
记者Tom Santorelli说，世界末日的预言催生出了很多关于这一主题的电影和书籍。A glut of，就是很多的意思。
And he used the verb ’spawned’ – we usually hear that in the terms of frog spawn, the thousands of little eggs that a frog lays, which grow very fast.
他还用到了“spawned”这个动词。我们通常会听到frog spawn（青蛙产的卵），即青蛙孵出的成千上万颗小卵，其生长速度很快。
And as the world hasn’t ended, I wonder what we can conclude from the end of this Mayan calendar cycle.Here’s archaeologist Richard Hensen, who says it marks a new era – a new period in time.
既然世界没有结束，我在想我们可以从玛雅日历的周期结束中得出什么结论。下面是考古学家Richard Hensen的观点，他表示，玛雅日历周期的结束标志着新纪元，即一个新的时代。
What we see is a new era. We are privileged to witness and enjoy the end of one era that started 3,114 years before Christ. It’s rare to have an opportunity like this to experience a very important date.
我们看到的将是新时代。现在这个时代在公元前3114年就开始了，能目睹并享受时代的终结，这是一种荣幸，毕竟我们很难有这样的机会去体验非常重要的日子。
Archaeologist Richard Hensen, who says we are privileged, fortunate, to witness and enjoy the end of one era, and experience a new one.
考古学家Richard Hensen称，目睹并享受时代的终结，感受经历新时代的开始是我们的荣幸。
He says it’s rare to have an opportunity like this to experience a very important date.
他还说，难得有这样的机会去体验非常重要的日子。
Now, that question I asked you at the beginning of the programme, Kaz. What’s the name in English for the event that usually happens on or around December 21 every year in the northern hemisphere?
好了，Kaz，让我们回到节目一开始的问题。每年12月21日左右通常发生在北半球的事件用英语怎么说？
And I said midwinter.
我当时说仲冬。
Well, it’s a bit of a trick question. Midwinter can be around December 21, but we usually think of it as a longer period of time.And the winter equinox doesn’t exist. Equinox means that the day is the same length as the night – so that usually happens in March and September.So the answer I was looking for is ‘the winter solstice’. It’s the day when the sun at noon is at its lowest altitude above the horizon.
其实这个问题有点小陷阱。仲冬可以在12月21日左右，但我们通常用它形容一段更长的时间。至于冬分，这个词根本不存在。二分点指的是昼长和夜长相等的那天，所以通常发生在3月和9月。所以我想要的答案是冬至。当冬至来临时，太阳在正午时的海拔将达到最低。
I see. So, that usually occurs in the northern hemisphere sometime aroundDecember 21.
我明白了。所以这一天通常发生在北半球的12月21日左右。
That’s right. And before we go Kaz, could you read us some of today’s words and phrases?
没错。Kaz，在我们走之前，你能给我们读一下今天学习的单词和词组吗？
I’d be delighted. We heard: equinox, solstice, return to our roots, mother earth, spawned, a glut of.
我很愿意。今天我们听到了以下单词：equinox（春秋分，二分点）、solstice（至日）、return to our roots（追本溯源）、mother earth（地球母亲）、spawned（催生，大量产生）、a glut of（很多，许多）。
Thanks Kaz. And please join us again soon for more 6 Minute English frombbclearningenglish.com.
非常感谢你，Kaz。同时也欢迎大家登录网站（bbclearningenglish.com）收听更多的BBC六分钟英语节目。
Bye.
下期见~~~