Slow News Speeds Learning
Did you know that the first bacteria we encounter as newborns could shape our health for life? Or that retired police dogs in the UK might soon receive pensions? Welcome back to Adept English, the podcast where you learn English through fascinating, real-world stories—from global news to wildlife conservation and scientific breakthroughs.
Today’s episode is a slow news special, four bite-sized stories in under 13 minutes, perfect for practising your listening skills and expanding your English vocabulary. We’ll cover everything from groundbreaking research on babies’ microbiomes to an elephant in Thailand who ‘raided’ a shop like a midnight snack enthusiast.
“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things.”
▪️ Flora Lewis
Improve your English with our podcast subscription! Every month, for less than your daily coffee, you get 8 new premium episodes designed to strengthen your listening skills with real-world language examples.
🔹 Get lots more English listening now!
If you’ve followed our episodes before, you know we focus on clear, immersive English—no jargon, just natural speech (complete with the occasional stumble!). Press play, and let’s get started!
More About This Lesson
Did you know that bacteria you meet as a baby could keep you out of the hospital? Or why police dogs might deserve a pension? What about an elephant that casually walks into a shop for a snack?
You heard that right—today’s podcast is packed with weird, wonderful, and super relevant news stories to boost your English! And hey, if you’ve ever been annoyed by someone ‘raiding the fridge’ (I mean, we’ve all been there, haven't we?), wait till you hear about the elephant who took it to the next level. Stick around—this is your slow news fix, perfect for learning real-world English in under 13 minutes!
“The gut microbiome is the key to health. It influences everything from immunity to mental well-being.”
▪️ Dr. Emeran Mayer
Listening to this English lesson will help:
- You learn current vocabulary like "microbiome" and "sterile" with clear explanations.
- You understand idioms like "raids the fridge" in real-world contexts.
- You hear natural pronunciation of complex words (e.g., "bacteria," "retire").
- You practice listening to varied accents (UK/US) and news-style narration.
- You grasp grammar in action, like passive voice ("were introduced").
- You expand conversational topics with cultural insights (e.g., police dogs).
- You follow structured storytelling with numbered news segments.
- You recognize transitional phrases ("So there you have it").
Why does this matter for your English? Well, news stories like these are gold for learners! You’ll pick up vocabulary (like "microbiome" or "suspect"), improve listening comprehension with clear, slow narration, and even learn cultural phrases, like "raiding the fridge" or "thin blue line."
Plus, these topics are great for conversations. Imagine chatting about health, animals, or quirky news with friends—in English! So hit replay, note down new words, and get ready to sound fluent while discussing real-life stories. Easy, right?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How can listening to slow news help improve my British English fluency?
Listening to slow news, like the Adept English podcast, helps you learn British English by exposing you to current, relevant vocabulary in context. The host explains difficult terms, making it easier to understand and retain new words. Regular listening improves comprehension, pronunciation, and familiarity with natural speech patterns, which are key to fluency.What is the microbiome, and why is it important in the news story?
The microbiome refers to the collection of bacteria living in and on our bodies, crucial for health. In the news story, researchers found that the bacteria babies encounter in their first days can significantly impact their immune systems and reduce hospital visits. Understanding terms like "microbiome," "bacteria," and "immune system" helps you discuss health topics in English.Why are retired police dogs in the UK being suggested for pensions?
Retired police dogs often retire early due to injuries sustained in duty, leading to ongoing medical costs. A charity called The Thin Blue Paw advocates for pensions to cover their vet bills. Learning terms like "retire," "pension," and "vet" helps you engage with animal welfare discussions in British English.What is the significance of the Madeleine McCann case being back in the news?
The case resurfaced because the main suspect, Christian Brueckner, is nearing release from prison in Germany. Authorities are searching for new evidence before he potentially disappears. Vocabulary like "suspect," "prison," and "investigation" is useful for understanding crime-related news in English.How can humorous news stories, like the elephant raiding a shop, aid language learning?
Light-hearted stories make learning enjoyable and memorable. The tale of an elephant eating snacks in a Thai shop introduces playful phrases like "raids the fridge" and "reversed out like a car." Such anecdotes help you learn colloquial expressions and cultural references, enriching your conversational English.
Most Unusual Words:
- Microbiome: The collection of tiny living things, like bacteria, that live in and on our bodies.
- Sterile: Completely clean with no living things, like bacteria, present.
- Stool: A medical word for solid waste from the body; also called poo or poop.
- Pension: Regular money paid to someone who has stopped working, usually because of age.
- Vet: A doctor for animals; short for veterinarian.
- Suspect: A person thought to have committed a crime but not yet proven guilty.
- Prison: A place where people are kept as punishment for breaking the law.
- Raids: Takes things quickly or by force, often used humorously for taking food.
- Footage: Recorded video or film of an event.
- Snacking: Eating small amounts of food between main meals.
Most Frequently Used Words:
| Word | Count |
|---|---|
| Their | 15 |
| Bacteria | 14 |
| Police | 14 |
| Which | 12 |
| English | 9 |
| Babies | 9 |
| There | 8 |
| Story | 5 |
Listen To The Audio Lesson Now
Transcript: Learn English With Slow News-Police Dog Pensions
Slow News: Four Global Stories in Under 13 Minutes
Hi there! I know most of you love it when we do slow news. I cover current news stories from the UK and around the world and I explain any difficult vocabulary so that it's easy to understand. I haven't done slow news in a while, so let's do that today. This is four news stories from around the world in under 13 minutes. This is so that you can practise your English language understanding on interesting, current and relevant topics. And today, listen right until the end if you have a family member who 'raids the fridge', as we say, who goes to get food from the fridge when it's not meal times. You'll feel better about that problem when you've listened to this podcast!
Hello, I’m Hilary, and you’re listening to Adept English. We will help you to speak English fluently. All you have to do is listen. So start listening now and find out how it works.
Supporting Your English Learning Journey
If you like what we do, then don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube. And if you'd like to listen to much, much more Adept English material that's really good for English language learning, then sign up for our paid subscription service. Not only do you get eight new episodes per month, but you also get access to all the previous subscription episodes. That's over 80 Adept English subscription episodes, which is amazing value for our small monthly subscription fee! You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts or using Spotify, but you can listen on lots of different platforms. Any questions on subscription, go to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the website, adeptenglish.com. You know it makes sense for your English language learning!
Boost Your Learning With Adept English
News Story One: How Early Bacteria Exposure Affects Health
News Story Number One. This was on the BBC news website, Thursday 5th of June, and has the headline, "First bacteria we ever meet can keep us out of hospital".
This article talks about how our microbiome - that's the natural bacteria that we carry in our bodies from the moment we're born - how this microbiome can mean that we don't get sick, we don't become ill and it can prevent us needing to go to hospital. That's what the headline means. So vocabulary here? 'Bacteria', B-A-C-T-E-R-I-A, are all those little tiny microorganisms that live inside us. There are harmful bacteria which make us ill, but there are lots of good bacteria which keep us healthy and well. These bacteria not only help our immunity to disease, but they are essential to life.
And the word 'microbiome'? That's M-I-C-R-O-B-I-O-M-E. The 'microbiome' refers to the collection of bacteria which each of us carry with us. On our skin, in our ears, inside our mouths, and of course, in our digestive system, the system of the body which processes the food that we eat. But babies inside their mother's wombs - that's W-O-M-B - babies are in a 'sterile' environment. S-T-E-R-I-L-E - that means 'no bacteria'.
So as soon as newborn babies come into the world, as soon as they're born, they start to collect the bacteria which will form their microbiome, probably for most of their lives. This happens during the process of being born and in their first few days of life. So what bacteria babies are introduced to in these early days forms their microbiome and determines their health to some extent. The BBC News article discusses recent research where scientists took samples of newborn babies' microbiomes and then followed each baby's progress to see which babies got sick and which were healthy. The conclusion of the research?
Research Findings on Infant Microbiomes
Well what bacteria we are introduced to in the first few days of our lives really matters. A quote from the article, "The first bacteria our bodies meet in the hours after we're born could protect us from dangerous infections. For example, having good microbiome bacteria halves the chances of being admitted to hospital for lung problems for young children". Cuts it by half! That's amazing.
📷
A German sheppard dog being looked after by an elderly man. Perfect for learners—slow, simple explanations of complex topics.
Your lungs, L-U-N-G-S, are what you use to breathe. This research was done by University College London and the Sanger Institute. They collected 'stool samples' from babies, that means their 'poo' in UK English or 'poop' in US English. They did this for 1,082 newborn babies in the first week of their lives. They analysed what types of bacteria were present and then tracked what happened to those babies, using hospital data, for the next two years. And the results showed massive health differences between babies with good bacteria and babies with bad bacteria. So much so, it's believed that this may affect the development of babies' immune systems.
That's I-M-M-U-N-E. So on the back of this, what if we were able to influence the bacteria that babies were exposed to in the first week of life? Make sure that they get the good ones, in other words. This could have a massive impact on their overall health. I'm sure there'll be more research into this.
News Story Two: Calls for Police Dog Pensions
News Story Two. There was a call this week for retiring police dogs to be given a pension.
Vocabulary here? If you retire, that's the verb 'to retire', R-E-T-I-R-E, that means 'you stop work'. That's usually because you're old and it's time to wind down work and enjoy yourself while you still can. That's 'retirement'. And if you're retired and lucky, you have a good payment from your pension that comes in every month. That's 'pension', P-E-N-S-I-O-N. And generally, we think of human beings, people, as having a pension.
But calls this week for retiring police dogs to be given police pensions. So these are dogs which have served on the UK police force. There is a charity in the UK called 'The Thin Blue Paw'. A 'paw', P-A-W, is an animal's foot. Dogs have paws. Four of them. Why is it called 'The Thin Blue Paw'?
Well, it refers to an expression sometimes used to describe the police as the 'Thin Blue Line' that protects our community. The Thin Blue Paw is a charity for retired police dogs and it finds homes for them once they finish their service. Apparently, every year, 50 to 70 police dogs are retired and new homes are found for them. Sometimes with their handlers, the people who work with them in their police job, or just simply members of the public that take these dogs in. What a nice idea, adopting an old police dog! I might quite like that.
Why Police Dogs Need Support After Service
But why the suggestion that they need a pension? Well, the reality is that some of the retiring police dogs are actually quite young. They have to retire because they've been injured while doing their work. 'In the line of duty', as we say. Sometimes these injuries mean that the dogs come to their new owners with a need for vet bills every month. A 'vet' or 'veterinarian' is an animal doctor, of course. So there can be the need for frequent medical treatment, which of course costs money. Hence the need for a police dog pension. Seems pretty reasonable to me. If police officers get a pension, then perhaps also so should police dogs, especially the ones who need medical treatment.
News Story Three: Renewed Investigation in Madeleine McCann Case
News Story Number Three. You may have noticed that the case of Madeleine McCann is back in the news again. This was the British three-year-old girl who disappeared from her holiday accommodation while sleeping one evening in the town of Praia da Luz in the Algarve in Portugal. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, campaigned to keep the news story in the headlines in the hope that their missing daughter would be found. But 18 years later and this case is still unsolved. No one has ever been charged with taking Madeleine McCann and there's no new evidence since the investigation. So why is this story back in the news again? Well, the main suspect, that's S-U-S-P-E-C-T, 'suspect', the person suspected of committing the crime, is a man called Christian Brueckner. He's been serving a prison sentence.
That means he's been in prison, P-R-I-S-O-N, in Germany for rape. And his sentence is due to come to an end this September. So he will be released. So after that, he will be a free man and it's possible he will disappear. So at the point of making this podcast, German police are in Portugal, searching land around the resort to see if they can find new evidence. As ever with news stories, the situation could change over the weekend before this podcast goes live. But as I'm making it, I think there is no new evidence. This must be really difficult for the parents, Kate and Gerry McCann. I know that they will live each day with what happened, but this must bring it all back to them once again.
Improve Your English | Why Listening Helps You Speak
News Story Four: Elephant "Raid" on Thai Shop
Fourth and Last News Story. If you've ever had a complaint that your teenager, your husband, or your wife 'raids the fridge' - that means they take food from the fridge when it's not actually a mealtime, but rather when they feel a bit hungry - then spare a thought for the owners of a shop in Thailand, in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Kamploy Kaekow is the owner of a shop, and she posted a video online of an elephant who visited her shop. The elephant came from nearby Khao Yai National Park in northeastern Thailand. Kamploy Kaekow said the elephant simply wandered into the shop and ate about nine bags of sweet rice crackers, a sandwich, and some dried bananas, which she bought that morning.
Download The Podcast Audio & Transcript
Solve The Maths Problem To Download Audio & Transcript
He is the most enormous elephant, and he did no damage to the shop other than the roof, which was damaged simply because he could only just fit underneath it! When he'd finished snacking, the elephant simply reversed out of the shop, rather like a car going backwards, still with bags of snacks held in his mouth. Off he went and simply got on with his day! So a damaged roof and a bit of mud on the floor was all that was left behind. I do wonder whether he might be back for more. There is video footage if you follow the link in the transcript if you're interested to see that one.
“Elephants are not just animals; they are a force of nature. Respect them.”
▪️ Dr. Jane Goodall
Practising Your English with Current News
So there you have it, my quick news round-up to help your English language learning. Four news stories from around the world. Use this podcast to practise your understanding and listen a number of times to work on any English words that you don't already know. If you like our channel, don't forget to subscribe. And let us know of any interesting or unusual news stories in your country.
Goodbye
Thank you so much for listening. Please help me tell others about this podcast by reviewing or rating it. And, please share it on social media. You can find more listening lessons and a free English course at adeptenglish.com
Enough for now. Have a lovely day. Speak to you again soon. Goodbye.
Links
- The first bacteria we meet could save us
- Police dogs deserve to get a pension.
- Police searching again in Portugal for Madeleine.
- Hungry elephant.
- Join our premium podcast subscription
- Premium podcast subscription explained | FAQ
- If you feel we have helped you please consider supporting us https://adeptengli.sh/donate
- Help us make more content with a donation https://adeptengli.sh/donate
- More great fluency lessons
- Find us on Spotify
- Read along on YouTube
- Apple Podcasts
- Find our 🎧 podcast on other platforms here 👈
- FREE English language course
- English language courses
- Listen & Learn
- Downloads
