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  • Neil: Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute

  • English. I'm Neil.

  • Rob: And hello, I'm Rob.

  • Neil: Now, then, Rob, what do you

  • know about unicorns?

  • Rob: Ah, well, the unicorn is a

  • fantasy creature from history. In our

  • tradition it looks like

  • a white horse with a single

  • spiral horn coming out of its head.

  • Why do you ask?

  • Neil: Well, funnily enough, unicorns

  • are the topic of this programme.

  • Before we learn more

  • though, a question. What do we call

  • the study of legendary creatures

  • like the Loch Ness Monster,

  • Big Foot and unicorns? Is it:

  • a) Cryptozoology, b) Protozoology,

  • or c) Paleozoology?

  • Have you got any idea about that, Rob?

  • Rob: Ah, well, I know this because it was

  • the topic of a 6 Minute English

  • programme a while back, in 2008,

  • to be exact. So I think I'll keep

  • the answer to myself.

  • Neil: OK, well for everyone else, we'll

  • have the answer later

  • in the programme. Over the

  • last few years unicorns have been

  • popping up all over the place -

  • On T-shirts, in movies, as

  • toys and even in political conversations.

  • Why is this? Natalie Lawrence is a natural

  • historian. She appeared on the BBC's

  • Woman's Hour programme to discuss

  • the topic. Listen out for the answer

  • to this question: Why does she say people

  • used to drink out of unicorn horns?

  • Natalie Lawrence: Those original stories

  • were developed in a time when

  • magic actually existed

  • in the world. The world was still very

  • enchanted... the idea that the unicorn

  • is a very strong animal and also

  • that could achieve magical feats, so

  • unicorn horn used to be seen as

  • a panacea for all sorts of ills and a guard

  • against poison. So people used

  • to drink out of unicorn horn cups

  • to prevent themselves getting poisoned,

  • and I think that idea of

  • it being magical and having

  • magical powers has still

  • come through today.

  • Neil: Why did they drink from

  • unicorn horn cups?

  • Rob: Well, they were supposed to have

  • magical powers so people drank

  • from them so they wouldn't

  • get poisoned.

  • Neil: Yes, she said they could perform

  • magical feats. A feat is something

  • that is difficult to do or achieve -

  • like recording this programme

  • without making a mistake,

  • that's a real feat!

  • Rob: Well, we usually do it. It must

  • just be unicorn magic.

  • Neil: No, just the magic of editing, Rob!

  • Now, she also said that

  • unicorn horn was seen

  • as a panacea. What does that mean?

  • Rob: A panacea is another word for a cure

  • - something that can protect you

  • from illness or help you recover

  • if you are sick. But is all this true,

  • about the unicorn horn?

  • Neil: Well, seeing as how unicorns don't

  • and never have existed, it's unlikely

  • to be true.

  • She says these stories come from a time

  • when the world was enchanted.

  • This means it was a time when

  • people believed in magic and

  • the possibility of mysterious creatures

  • from mysterious parts of the world.

  • It seems as if these days people are

  • looking for a bit of magic, a bit

  • of enchantment in their lives.

  • The unicorn has also come to be

  • a term commonly used in

  • politics to refer to unrealistic ideas

  • and plans. Why is this?

  • Here's Natalie Lawrence again.

  • Natalie Lawrence: Because it's

  • such a potent cultural symbol at the

  • moment it's being deployed

  • in one of the most pressing issues of our

  • time, as well, so... and the idea of the UK

  • trying to be its own

  • special unicorn potentially...

  • Neil: So Rob what is she

  • talking about here?

  • Rob: Well, we are in a very complicated

  • time politically in the UK at the moment.

  • She says they are

  • pressing times. A term which means

  • something important but difficult has to

  • be done in a very short time.

  • A pressing matter is an important

  • one that has to be dealt with urgently.

  • Neil: Now, at the time of recording

  • our parliament can't agree

  • on the current pressing matter

  • of Brexit and each side says the other

  • has unicorns. There's nothing special

  • or magical about these unicorns -

  • it's a negative comment - a unicorn

  • is a fantasy idea - a plan that

  • has no chance of working,

  • Rob: She says unicorns are a potent

  • symbol - which means they are a very

  • strong and recognisable symbol.

  • Neil: And this symbol is being used, or as

  • she said being deployed. This is the same

  • word that would be used when you

  • send a military force somewhere.

  • You deploy the army in a

  • military conflict, and in the current

  • political conflict they are deploying

  • the word 'unicorn'!

  • Here's Natalie Lawrence again.

  • Natalie Lawrence: Because it's such

  • a potent cultural symbol at the moment

  • it's being deployed in one of the most

  • pressing issues of our time, as well, so...

  • and the idea of the UK

  • trying to be its own

  • special unicorn potentially...

  • Neil: Right, our pressing matter now is the

  • vocabulary review. Before that though, the

  • answer to this week's question:

  • What do we call the study of

  • legendary creatures like the

  • Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot

  • and unicorns. Is it:

  • a) Cryptozoology, b) Protozoology,

  • or c) Paleozoology? Rob, you knew the

  • answer to this, didn't you?

  • Rob: I did, yes. If you look back at

  • our archive to September 2008

  • you will find an episode

  • all about a) Cryptozoology.

  • Neil: Well done, if you got that right -

  • particularly if you remember that

  • programme! Now, vocabulary

  • from this programme. There was

  • enchanted to talk about a time

  • when magic was believed to be real.

  • Rob: A feat is something that is

  • very difficult to achieve and

  • a panacea is a cure.

  • Neil: Something that's potent is strong

  • and powerful and if you

  • deploy something, you

  • use it, you put it into operation.

  • Rob: And something pressing is urgent,

  • it needs to be done soon.

  • Neil: Right, that's it from us for now.

  • Hope you can join us again soon.

  • If you can't wait, you can find

  • bbclearningenglish on social media,

  • online and on our very own app.

  • Bye for now.

  • Rob: Bye bye!

Neil: Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute

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為什麼獨角獸又開始流行了?聽6分鐘英語 (Why are unicorns back in fashion? Listen to 6 Minute English)

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