Grumpy Londoners（在线收听） |
| BBC Learning EnglishLondon LifeGrumpy LondonersJackie: Hello, welcome to London Life with BBCLearning English and me,Jackie Dalton. Growling pussycatJackie: Do you ever feel a bit like this in themorning? Well you're not theonly one and it's now official, Londoners are the mostgrumpy people in England when it comes to getting up in themornings. 'To be grumpy' means to be in a bad mood. WhenI'm feeling grumpy I findeveryone else really annoying and get very cross when mybus to workis late – like it was this morning. Well, a new survey by the Sleep Council shows that peopleliving in London are more grouchy in the morning thanpeople in the rest of England. Listen to this news report. What percentage of people in London spends most of theirmorning in a bad mood? News reportLondoners are the grumpiest in the morning compared toanyone else in the country. That's according to researchersat the Sleep Council, who say nearly twenty per cent of usin the capital stay in a bad mood for up to four hoursafter waking up. Jackie: Did you catch that figure? Nearly twentyper cent of Londoners stay in a bad mood for up to fourhours – that's a lot of people! I asked three people whomoved to London in the last few years whether they agreedthat Londoners are especially irritable. What did they haveto say? Listen out for some more words meaning 'grumpy'. InterviewsLondoners are definitely more grumpy. I don't know about grumpy, but I find them kind of quietand sullen and surly and sort of sulky, even. On the tube in the morning, Londoners look really seriousand nobody is smiling and it's a really solemn atmosphere. As long as anyone's had a cup of coffee they're not toobad, but I don't think you should speak to anyone beforethey've had their morning cup of coffee. Jackie: Well, that's pretty unanimous; we are amiserable bunch here in the capital. Did you spot any newwords? We heard 'sullen', 'surly' and'sulky' – all good words to describe someone who isgrumpy. We also heard 'solemn', which means very serious. So what is it that makes people miserable in the earlyhours of the day? InterviewsWell, I'm pretty good in the mornings, I don't really getto grumpy but I think if my routines is disturbed in anyway, I can get quite grouchy about that. I think I'm quite grumpy in the mornings especially if I amstill sort of half awake and have people ringing me in themorning that makes me grumpy. If I can’t get into the bathroom in the morning, thatmakes me grumpy…if I've run out of milk and I can't havemy breakfast and if I'm late – if I'm running late. Jackie: No milk, not being able to get into thebathroom, being late – all things that get people into asulk. Life just seems too difficult sometimes! BBC Learning English dot comJackie: Another finding in the research was thatwomen are generally more grumpy in the morning than men. Why could that be? Let's hear now from Judith Holder, whohas just published a book called The diary ofa grumpy woman. Why does she think women are more grumpyin the mornings? JudithWell I'm not surprised that women are more grumpy… areyou, really? I mean, we've got so much more to do and Ithink most women actually feel if they don't do absolutelyeverything then it's not going to get done, nobody else isgoing to do it and I think that's the main kind of thrustof it, isn't it? Jackie: Judith thinks women are more irritable inthe mornings because they've got so much to do. What sortsof things have they got to do? JudithWe are our own worst enemy because we've got to have thebeds made and the dishwasher on and I'm sort of like a badtempered Mary Poppins in the morning, kind of doing allthese things that really I'm the one that cares about. Jackie: Judith complains women have to do thingslike make the beds, put the dishwasher on. Although shedoes admit that women are they own worst enemies – nowthat's an interesting expression. 'To be your own worstenemy' means to behave in a way that causes problems toyourself. Judith is arguing that actually the beds don'treally have to be made and the dishwasher doesn't reallyhave to go on. But women create their own problems byconvincing themselves that these things do have to happen. Women are their own worst enemies. Now let'shear from another author, Mike Gayle. What's his advice? MikeI leap out bed with a smile on my face and I'm ready forthe day. I think it's just about being a bit more chilled. You don't have to get everything perfect, you don't have toget everything done. Jackie: Some good advice from Mike there: just be abit more chilled – relax! It's not the end of the world if the beds aren't made andlife is there to be enjoyed. BBC Learning English dot com |
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