English from BBC learning english hello I'm Catherine welcome to 6 minute
English where we engage in some lively debate and discuss six stimulating items
of vocabulary and let's start here's your cup of coffee Rob ah thanks but
what took you so long Catherine oh sorry Rob I bumped into someone I
knew in the cafe and we stopped for a chat
okay well that fits well with today's show where we're talking about cafes or
coffee houses did you know Catherine that coffee houses were originally a
meeting place for lively debate and intellectual discussion really I didn't
know that Rob and a debate by the way means a discussion that a lot of people
take part in so how long ago was this debate in society well the first coffee
house was set up in Oxford in 1650 but they quickly became popular and soon
they were all over London - you paid a penny to get in and this included access
to newspapers and stimulating conversation if something is stimulating
it encourages ideas and enthusiasm and I expect the coffee held without a bit did
it no it certainly helps me first thing in the morning which brings me on to
today's question Rob how many cups of coffee do we consume in coffee shops or
stores in the UK every year consumed by the way is another word for eat or drink
so is the answer a 2.3 million B 23 million Oh C 23 billion mmm oh I don't
mean oh but it's got to be a lot so I'm gonna go for C 23 billion that sounds
like a lot of coffee but I buy several cups a week and I expect you do -
Catherine I do indeed but I have to say while I was getting our coffees earlier
there was nobody as in the cafe talking except me my friend
everybody else was sitting on their own tapping away on their laptops let's
listen now to Douglas Fraser BBC Scotland's business and economy editor
describing the vibe or atmosphere in a typical 21st century cafe
ten or so in the morning the cafe has five people at tables with their backs
to the wall each staring into a screen plugged in ears plugged the flow of
bytes through this coffee shops free Wi-Fi is transporting these customers to
diverse destinations far from the person beside them collaborative working
research grant application a potential blockbuster novel and inevitably someone
distracted by kitten pictures on social media so the spirit of those 17th
century coffee houses had disappeared then no more lively debate and
intellectual discussion seems so Rob as Douglas Frazer says many people sit
alone plugged into their laptops and they're all doing different things
working writing messing about on social media and I think the cafe owners should
turn off the free Wi-Fi and force these cafe squatters to move on I don't think
people should be allowed to sit all day using the internet hogging tables and
not talking to anybody especially when some of them don't even buy coffee
that's a bit extreme Rob cafe owners need customers and they encourage people
to stay by having comfy sofas and newspapers to read and the free Wi-Fi a
squatter by the way is someone who lives in an empty building without paying rent
and if you hog something you use most or all of it in a selfish way I suppose
you're right Katherine now how about telling us the answer to today's
question then okay so I asked how many cups of coffee do we consume in cafes or
stores in the UK every year is it a 2.3 million be 23 million Oh see 23
billion like hooch in a cafe using their free Wi-Fi to search the answer but I
had a guess and I say 23 billion well you didn't need that free Wi-Fi Rob
because you were absolutely right ah 23 billion coffees per year works out on
average at forty five cups per adult in the UK okay I think it's time we look
back at the words we learned today our first word is debate a discussion that a
lot of people take part in forex I took part in a number of stimulating
debates at school number two if something is stimulating it encourages
new ideas and enthusiasm for example it's hard to have a stimulating
conversation with someone who's looking at their phone all the time
that's very true let me just slide my phone in my pocket our next word is
consume another word for eating or drinking but it can also mean to use for
example my car consumes a lot of petrol or how do I calculate my car's fuel
consumption so consumption there is the noun number four is vibe which means the
mood or atmosphere in a place for example Oxford is a city but it has a
small-town vibe well I'm getting bad vibes from our next word which is
squatter that's someone who lives in an empty building without paying rent the
building is called a squat so for example I lived in a squat for two years
really you squatted in a squat Rob no no no it's just an example I am NOT a
squatter oh so you've never squat it's no I now look we're wasting time here we
need to move on to our final word hog if you hog something you use all or most of
it in a selfish way for example Rob you've hugged the only comfy chair
that's so selfish I admit it Katherine I'm a chair hog that's the noun okay
well before we head off for another cup of coffee please remember to check out
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six weeks English from BBC learning english