THE WONDER OF BLOOD

ENGLISHCONVERSATIONFriday9thDecember
– 18H00
THEWONDEROFBLOOD
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep150709
What part of our body have scientists discovered can heal and help us?
For centuries, people have known that human blood is a remarkable substance. But they never
really knew just how complex it was. Modern science is now showing us all the amazing things it
does. Rob and Finn talk about how detailed research into blood's properties has given us all sorts of
new ways to heal our bodies and improve the quality of our lives.
This week's question
If you laid out all the blood vessels in an adult body end to end how long would they be?
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a) 30,000 miles
b) 100,000 miles
c) 200,000 miles
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.
Vocabulary
faint
lose consciousness
rejuvenate
give new life
transfusion
a medical procedure where an amount of blood is put into a human
cholesterol-high
a lot of a substance that contains fat and is found in the body tissue and blood of all animals
veins, arteries
tubes that carry blood from the heart and around the body
clotting
forming a solid lump
accelerate
go faster
treated
changed or transformed
probed
investigated
adapt
change in an appropriate way
Transcript
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript
Rob
Hello, I'm Rob. Welcome to 6 Minute English. With me today is Finn. Hello, Finn.
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Finn
Hi Rob!
Rob
In this programme we're going to be talking about blood.
Finn
Yes. Blood? Did I ever tell you, Rob, that I really hate the sight of blood? And I've even been
known to faint – that's to lose consciousness - at the sight of a needle.
Rob
Come on, Finn. I think you've got a lot to learn. You wouldn't be here without it, you know! It's a
fascinating topic. All sorts of discoveries are being made these days, which could change medical
science for ever.
Finn
Yes. Well, you are right, of course. Blood was even thought to relate to human character. People
were hot-bloodied – quick to anger – or cold-bloodied – lacking in passion.
Rob
There were all the myths about vampires when young blood was thought to revitalise older people.
There's a dreadful story that a Hungarian countess had hundreds of young women killed so she
could bathe in their blood and stay youthful-looking.
Finn
Right. OK. And in Roman times, if a young gladiator died in battle, people used to drink his blood
because they thought it would keep them healthy.
Rob
For 3,000 years, people have been cut or given leeches to let out the blood because they thought that
would make people better. Incredibly, it carried on until the 19th century. But it actually made
people worse, or even killed them.
Finn
So I won't be doing that today.
Rob
OK. Instead, how about answering a question all about blood Finn?
Finn
Go on then.
Rob
If you laid out all the blood vessels in an adult body end to end how long would they be? Would
they be…
a)
30,000 miles
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b)
100,000 miles or
c)
200,000 miles long?
Finn
Well, let's say 100,000 miles. That's b).
Rob
OK. Well, we'll see if you got the right answer at the end of the programme. OK, well let's talk
more about blood now. We've heard about blood in history but Finn, did you know that today
beauticians are running businesses in which people pay to have their blood extracted, then injected
into their face?
Finn
Yes I have heard about this. It's thought to rejuvenate – that's to give new life to - their skin.
Michael Mosley has had just that done to his face as an experiment. He's a doctor and presenter
with the BBC. Let's listen to him talking about it. He uses an expression that means "go faster". Can
you tell me what it is?
Michael Mosley, TV presenter and doctor
Sometimes known as the Vampire Facelift, PRP – Platelet Rich Plasma therapy – claims to
accelerate healing and reverse the signs of ageing. First my blood is treated to make a
concentrated solution of platelets in plasma. Next, this is injected directly into my face.
Finn
Ouch! And the word he used was "accelerate". Now that means to make faster.
Rob
And he said they "treated" his blood. This means "changed or transformed" it.
Finn
Well, today, of course, controlled blood transfusion is a completely normal medical practice that
saves countless lives. And blood donors – the people who give their blood – are an important part of
healthcare.
Rob
Yes, Finn, but there's all sorts of other amazing things that blood can do. If we are running at
altitude – high up - the limbs get tired because there's not enough oxygen. The blood then starts
creating new red cells and pours them into the system. That's why athletes often train in the
mountains.
Finn
Altitude training, isn't it? And, apparently, the different types of food you eat have an immediate
effect on your blood, or rather the element of blood called plasma. So, if you eat a cholesterol-high
breakfast, for example, very soon after that you can see the fat in the blood.
Rob
Nice. Ideas about how blood moves around your body have changed a lot over the years too. The
Romans thought blood flowed one way and came out of our feet and hands and was then burnt
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away. But William Harvey in the 17thcentury found that blood circulated via veins and arteries –
these are the tubes in our body where blood is carried around.
Finn
And let's not forget clotting – that's when the blood hardens. If our blood didn't clot when we cut
ourselves we'd be dead within minutes. It is really fascinating isn't it? And we're just beginning to
understand stem cells. These are also in the blood and are used to repair various organs in the body
Rob
Modern science is really helping us to understand blood properly for the first time and showing us
the way forward.
Finn
Now Rob, before my blood boils, could you let me know the answer to the quiz question Rob?
Rob
Yes. So, I asked you if you laid out all the blood vessels in an adult body end to end how long
would they be: 30,000 miles, 100,000 miles or 200,000 miles?
Finn
Well, I said 100,000 miles.
Rob
Wow. And you know your blood vessels, because you got that question right.
Finn
Well, I measured them earlier.
Rob
Good. And how do you feel about blood now?
Finn
Well, I'm probably a bit scared of it still. But now that I know all of these wonderful things that it
does, I really get why it's so important.
Rob
Great. So, let's remind ourselves of some of the words we've said today, Finn.
Finn
Here we are:
faint
rejuvenate
transfusion
cholesterol-high
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veins and arteries
clotting
accelerate
treated
Rob
Thank you. Well, that's it for today. Please visit bbclearningenglish.com to find more 6 Minute
English programmes. Until next time. Goodbye!
Finn
Goodbye!
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