| 1 |
keeping any pet is time-consuming, but it's very rewarding. |
| 2 |
all pets are unsuitable if there are young children in the home. |
| 3 |
cats are really destructive in the home. |
| 4 |
dogs are the most faithful and affectionate animals. |
| 5 |
they're always eager to please. |
| 6 |
all pets are harmless if they're trained properly. |
| 7 |
enthusiastic pet owners are boring. |
| 8 |
breeding animals can be very lucrative especially if the animals are very rare. |
| 9 |
even naturally fierce animals can be trained. |
| 10 |
it's outrageous to exploit animals for entertainment. |
| 11 |
tarantulas are very weird and exotic pets. |
| 12 |
owning exotic animals can become addictive. |
| 13 |
i'm always impressed when animals obey their owners. |
| 14 |
John Wilkins goes in search of the world's most expensive and collectable fish. |
| 15 |
before i went to the British Koi Keeper's Annual Show, i didn't understand how people could take fish so seriously. |
| 16 |
however, the more i learned about koi, the more interested i became. |
| 17 |
as one expert was eager to tell me, "Collecting koi is far more addictive than you might think." |
| 18 |
they're as beautiful as butterflies and very calming to watch. |
| 19 |
Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, would have agreed. |
| 20 |
the pool in his specially-built Japanese garden was home to 89 koi, which cost up to $10 000 each. |
| 21 |
at the show i met koi enthusiast Jean Kelly. |
| 22 |
"breeding koi is getting more and more lucrative," she told me. |
| 23 |
one recently sold for $250 000. |
| 24 |
but that was a record, admitted Jean. |
| 25 |
the normal price is nowhere near as high as that. |
| 26 |
i later found out that the koi in question was a particularly rare specimen. |
| 27 |
nevertheless, it seemed outrageous to me - that's almost as much as i paid for my house. |
| 28 |
serious collectors can pay up to $18 000 for a fully grown koi, which is nearly as expensive as luxury car. |
| 29 |
the bigger they are, the more they cost. |
| 30 |
the cheapest i could find were $75 each, but they were only about twice as big as my goldfish. |
| 31 |
Jean wasn't impressed by some of the koi on sale either. |
| 32 |
"actually, these koi aren't any nicer than mine," she commented. |
| 33 |
they're slightly bigger than the ones i've got, but i paid considerably less than this. |
| 34 |
when i asked her why she liked koi so much, she replied, they're just so amazing to look at. |
| 35 |
i think of them as living jewels. |
| 36 |
i certainly wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Jean, |
| 37 |
however, i did consider buying one, but then i remembered that all but five of Freddie Mercury's koi died when someone accidentally turned off the electricity supple to their pool. |
| 38 |
Jean assured me that with all the new equipment available the survivale rate was getting better and better. |
| 39 |
and that looking after koi was no more time-consuming than taking care of any other pet. |
| 40 |
however, in the end i decided to stick with my goldfish. |
| 41 |
they're not nearly as exotic as koi - but they're a great deal cheaper to replace. |
| 42 |
people often argue about whether cats make better pets than dogs. |
| 43 |
while dogs are nowhere near as independent as cats, they tend to be a great deal more affectionate. |
| 44 |
cats can be more destructive in the home than dogs and are more likely to damage the furniture. |
| 45 |
it's considerably easier to look after a cat, but dogs are far better at protecting your property. |
| 46 |
generally the smaller the dog, the easier it is to take care of. |
| 47 |
in fact, dogs get lazier and lazier as they get older and don't need |
| 48 |
nearly as much exercise. |
| 49 |
so an old dog is no harder to look after than a cat. |
| 50 |
and they're both ten times easier to look after than children. |
| 51 |
koi are much more exotic than goldfish ~ goldfish aren't anywhere near as exotic as koi. |
| 52 |
looking after animals isn't nearly as time-consuming as looking after children ~ looking after children is fare more time-consuming than looking after animals. |
| 53 |
young children are far more affectionate than teenagers ~ teenagers are nowhere near as affectionate as young children. |
| 54 |
in the past people lived half as long as they do now ~ people now live twice as long as they did in the past. |
| 55 |
being self-employed is much more rewarding than working for someone else ~ working for someone else isn't nearly as rewarding as being self-employed. |
| 56 |
unemployment figures are a bit higher than they were last month ~ last month unemployment figures were slightly lower than they are now. |
| 57 |
keeping a pet can be time-consuming but it can also be rewarding if you do it well. |
| 58 |
rats can seem very strange or unnatural (weird) pets but the British first started keeping them over 150 years ago. |
| 59 |
pet smuggling can be sth that makes a lot of money (lucrative) for criminals. |
| 60 |
monkeys are fortunately uncommon (rare) as pets because they need constant attention and can be physically violent (fierce) towards people. |
| 61 |
children are usually interested in and excited (enthusiastic) about pets for the first few months but many will lose interest in their animals after this. |
| 62 |
there are an estimated 15 000 lions, tigers and other big cats kept in private homes in the US. |
| 63 |
i don't think a snake is a good pet for a five year-old. |
| 64 |
Mark's cat loves sitting on people. |
| 65 |
Thomas has a snake but it's a non-poisonous one. |
| 66 |
Chihuahuas love chewing sofas and cushions. |
| 67 |
Sally's dog is always with her, like a best friend. |
| 68 |
i think spiders are far scarier pets than snakes | yes, they frighten me almost as much as rats. |
| 69 |
keeping a rabbit is no harder than keeping a goldfish | i agree, it's just as easy. |
| 70 |
hippos are not nearly as friendly as i thought they would be | that's right. they're considerably more dangerous than people think. |
| 71 |
cats are nowhere near as hard works as dogs | yes, they're a great deal easier to look after, aren't they? |
| 72 |
a ticket to our local zoo is nearly as expensive as going to a concert | yes, and it's only slightly cheaper for children than adults. |
| 73 |
over a million people in the UK keep some kind of exotic pet. |
| 74 |
although that's considerably fewer people than those who have a cat. |
| 75 |
it's nearly as many as the number of people who own a goldfish. |
| 76 |
why would anyone decide to keep a snake as a pet? |
| 77 |
they're only slightly more attractive than tortoises. |
| 78 |
they're nowhere near as cute as rabbits. |
| 79 |
and they're far harder to look after than many other pets. |
| 80 |
last week i met Carla, who has had pet snakes for almost 10 years. |
| 81 |
keeping snake as pets, she told me, is much less unusual than i might expect. |
| 82 |
i must admit i was considerably less enthusiastic than Carla about meeting her two pythons, Bart and Lisa. |
| 83 |
unlike their cartoon 'cousins', Bart is not quite as lively as Lisa and sits quietly throughout our conversation. |
| 84 |
Lisa, on the other hand, is clearly ready to play. |
| 85 |
"don't worry," says Carla. She's no more dangerous than me. |
| 86 |
when you can't come to class do you always catch up on the work you missed? |
| 87 |
do you often need cheering up? |
| 88 |
do you usually try to fit in with what other people want to do? |
| 89 |
do you pass by any interesting places on your way home from class? |
| 90 |
do you ever get talked into doing things you don't want to do? |
| 91 |
have you ever gone ahead and booked a flight without checking your holiday dates first? |
| 92 |
do you ever feel you're putting people out when you ask for a favour? |
| 93 |
how old is the place? |
| 94 |
what was its original purpose? |
| 95 |
has this changed in any way? |
| 96 |
which famous people are associated with it? |
| 97 |
when is it open to the public? |
| 98 |
what should visitors do before they visit and why? |
| 99 |
Windsor Castle is in the heart of Windsor and is the oldest and largest occupied royal castle in the world. |
| 100 |
it is the official residence of the Royal Family and its rich history spans almost 1000 years. |
| 101 |
the castle employs 300 people and 160 of them actually live within the castle walls. |
| 102 |
one of the most majestic views of the castle can be seen from The Long Walk in Windsor Great Park. |
| 103 |
Windsor Castle is open to visitors almost every day of the year and it takes around two hours to explore all its treasures. |
| 104 |
because this is a working royal palace, opening arrangements may change at short notice. |
| 105 |
please check before planning a visit. |
| 106 |
across the river from Windsor Castle lies Eton College, where Princes William and Harry were educated, as well as 19 British prime ministers. |
| 107 |
Eton was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI to provide free education for 70 poor schoolars who would then go on to King's College, Cambridge. |
| 108 |
Eton now has over 1,300 boys, many from very privileged backgrounds. |
| 109 |
their school uniform dates from the 1850s and consists of a black tailcoat, waistcoat, and pinstriped trousers. |
| 110 |
all tours of the college are guided and are available from April to October. |
| 111 |
please note it may be necessary to close the college to the public so please call before you visit. |
| 112 |
hello Zoe. how lovely to hear from you. how are you doing? | hi Abby. i'm fine, thanks. |
| 113 |
how are Rick and Alice? | they're fine. |
| 114 |
Alice is doing her end-of-term exams at the moment. |
| 115 |
how are they going? | she did so little preparation. i think she's going to fail some of them. |
| 116 |
i'm sure, she'll be fine. |
| 117 |
anyway, the reason i'm calling is that we're heading down to your part of the world next week on holiday. |
| 118 |
really? | yes, we're going to Windsor. |
| 119 |
where are you staying? | we're staying in a bed-and-breakfast for a few days. |
| 120 |
Rick found a really cheap deal on the internet. |
| 121 |
well done. | it's not easy finding cheap deals at this time of year. |
| 122 |
Windsor is packed out during school holidays. |
| 123 |
have you got any plans for whilre you are here? | not really, but we're going to take Alice to Windsor Castle, of course. |
| 124 |
she really likes history. |
| 125 |
Rick's not too keen, but i think we've talked him into it. |
| 126 |
well, i'm sure he'll enjoy Windsor Great Park. |
| 127 |
that's really lovely. |
| 128 |
right, i'll tell him. that'll cheer him up. |
| 129 |
what else have you got planned? | well, we're going to visit Eton College. |
| 130 |
oddly enough, Rick really wants to go there. |
| 131 |
he says he's going to complain about the standard of politicians they keep giving us. |
| 132 |
actually, we were wondering if you'd like to come with us. | Sure. i have been on a tour of the college once before, but i'd love to go again. |
| 133 |
it's fascinating. |
| 134 |
by the way, there's a documentary on about Eton. |
| 135 |
it's on BBC2 tomorrow night. |
| 136 |
i think it starts at 8:30. | great! we'll watch it. |
| 137 |
which day would you like to go to Eton? | i'll fit in with whichever day suits you. |
| 138 |
well, we're driving down next monday and Eton's on our way. |
| 139 |
so we could go then. | hang on a minute. |
| 140 |
i'll just write that down. |
| 141 |
monday, you said. |
| 142 |
yes, but tha's a weekday, of course. |
| 143 |
will you be working that day? |
| 144 |
don't worry, i'll just take the day off. | right, that's settled. |
| 145 |
i'll go ahead and book a tour for monday afternoon. |
| 146 |
we'll be passing by your place on the way to Eton. |
| 147 |
so we'll call you when we're nearby. |
| 148 |
and we'll come and pick you up. |
| 149 |
and then we can tack you back afterwards. |
| 150 |
sure you don't mind i don't want to put you out. | no, it's fine. |
| 151 |
so, this time next week we'll be walking round Eton College and we can catch up on all the news. |
| 152 |
come out with us tonight. it'll cheer you up. | no, i'm fine. i want to catch up on some work. i'm really behind at the moment. |
| 153 |
Martin says he wants to come on holiday but he's happy to fit in with out plans. | ok, i'll go ahead and book the flights then. |
| 154 |
i often pass your house on the way home. are you busy on Wednesday? | it'd be lovely to see you but i don't want to put you out. |
| 155 |
i can't believe i let Sally talk me into going to Windsor on Friday. | you're mad! it'll be packed out with families at this time of year. |
| 156 |
we're going to visit Buckingham Palace. |
| 157 |
if you need me, i'll be sitting outside in the garden. |
| 158 |
they're coming to lay a new lawn this afternoon. |
| 159 |
i'm going to buy some fresh herbs. |
| 160 |
the castle doesn't open until ten. |
| 161 |
the pollen will probably make me sneeze. |
| 162 |
i'll water the plants if you like. |
| 163 |
i imaging we'll be working in the garden all weekend. |
| 164 |
it says here that the pottery class begins at 6.30. |
| 165 |
look at all those trees. you're going to have to clear up a lot of leaves in the autumn. |
| 166 |
you'll be seeing her son, won't you? |
| 167 |
i'm giving her a rabbit for her birthday. it's at my house. |
| 168 |
we'll find the weather a lot warmer in the future. |
| 169 |
are you going to get a pet of any kind? |
| 170 |
i've got an idea! i'll use that tree trunk to make logs for the fire. |
| 171 |
we'll be watching you in the race on television. |
| 172 |
i'll be waiting outside your house tomorrow morning at six o'clock. |
| 173 |
they'll have enough time if they leave right now. |
| 174 |
what's that book? |
| 175 |
don't tell my you're thinking of getting an iguana! |
| 176 |
i'll probably get one, but i'm not completely sure. |
| 177 |
will you be able to look after it? |
| 178 |
i'm going on a course about keeping exotic pets next week. so we'll see. |
| 179 |
i won't be coming in tomorrow morning. |
| 180 |
well, if my train to London goes at one, i won't have time. |
| 181 |
yes, you will. i'll be leaving work at around midday for a meeting in town, so i can take you to the station. |
| 182 |
we must leave on time. |
| 183 |
traffic gets terrible around the station during the lunchtime rush hour. |
| 184 |
if i miss my train, i'll be asking you for a lift to London. |
| 185 |
when they arrive, we'll be having dinner. |
| 186 |
i'll be thinking of you while you're in your exam. |
| 187 |
i'll be meeting her again in a few weeks if you want to come. |
| 188 |
i should go. my mum will soon be wondering where i am. |
| 189 |
at midnight we'll be flying somewhere over the Atlantic. |
| 190 |
will you be staying at home this evening? |
| 191 |
why are you going to buy a new mountain bike? |
| 192 |
don't phone between 8.00 and 9.00. i'll be staying then. |
| 193 |
look out! that tree is going to fall! |
| 194 |
let me know as soon as Louise gets there. |
| 195 |
great news! Jean and Chris are coming to stay with us. |
| 196 |
according to this timetable, the bus arrives at 6.00. |
| 197 |
can you call me at 7.00, because i'm leaving tomorrow. |
| 198 |
if you arrive late at the sale, the best things will have gone. |
| 199 |
i can't see you on Thursday afternoon. i'm visiting our Birmingham branch. |
| 200 |
George won't be back until six. can i take a message? |
| 201 |
what are you going to buy with the money you won in the lottery? |
| 202 |
i don't think you'll have any problems at the airport. |
| 203 |
are you going to take your dog with you to Scotland? |
| 204 |
all the hotels are full. where will we spend the night? |
| 205 |
you'd better not come in July. my mother is stayin with me then. |
| 206 |
what time does your plane leave? |
| 207 |
by the time we reach home, the rain will have stopped. |
| 208 |
this time next week i'll be lying on the beach in Spain. |
| 209 |
in ten year's time i'll be working for a different company. |
| 210 |
if we don't get there by 6.00, Jack will have left. |
| 211 |
in July they will have been married for twenty years. |
| 212 |
in the year 2500 a lot of people will be living/ will live on the moon. |
| 213 |
when you get to the station, i'll be wating for you outside. |
| 214 |
don't worry! the plan is landing in a moment. |
| 215 |
come round between eight and nine. we'll be watching the match on television then. |
| 216 |
have you ever wondered what you'll be doing in ten years time? |
| 217 |
well, according to computer expert Tom Vincent, will soon be able to make accurate predictions about the future. |
| 218 |
professor Vincent, from Cambridge, is holding a press conference next week to describe the computer which he calls 'computafuture'. |
| 219 |
this computer can tell us what life is going to be like, based on data describing past events, explains Professor Vincent. |
| 220 |
for example, Computafuture can predict how many people will live/be living in a particular area, or whether there will be a lot of rain during a particular period. |
| 221 |
Professor Vincent also believes that by the year 2050, computers will have replaced teachers, and will also be doing most of the jobs now being done by the police. |
| 222 |
'computers are becoming more intelligent all the time,' says Professor Vincent. |
| 223 |
soon they'll be directing traffic and will be (or just teaching) teaching our children. and telling us about the future. |
| 224 |
when i see you tomorrow, i'll tell you my news. |
| 225 |
as soon as we get there, we'll phone for a taxi. |
| 226 |
i'll go to the library before i do the shopping. |
| 227 |
we'll wait here until the rain has stopped. |
| 228 |
i'll get $50 from the bank when it opens. |
| 229 |
after you have taken the medicine, you'll feel better. |
| 230 |
you have to stay until you'll have finished your work. |
| 231 |
i'll let you know the minute i've heard the results. |
| 232 |
before we paint the wall, we'll have a cup of tea. |
| 233 |
we'll climb over the wall as soon as it has got dark. |
| 234 |
are you one of those people who know exactly what they will be doing every day next week? |
| 235 |
when the different days arrive, will you get out your diary, or are you the kind of person who just guess? |
| 236 |
some people write their appointments in a diary, but others just hope that they remember. |
| 237 |
for example, tonight i'm going to the cinema, but perhaps i'll forget all about it. |
| 238 |
you see, i never keep a diary. |
| 239 |
i try not to forget my appointments, but i know that i usually do. |
| 240 |
i just don't like planning my future. |
| 241 |
i know that one day i'm going to make a serious mistake. |
| 242 |
i'll miss an important examination, or by the time i remember it and get there, it will have finished. |
| 243 |
perhaps that will be when i finally buy a diary. |
| 244 |
in among the glittering sunlit buildings of Dubai, a city which has risen out of the desert, there's a worrying problem - thousands of pigeons. |
| 245 |
each of these birds produces 12 kilogrammes of dirty and unsightly droppings a year. |
| 246 |
if left unchecked, these acidic droppings eat away at the very fabric of the city. |
| 247 |
they would cause serious damage to Dubai's orderly towers of concrete, steel and glass. |
| 248 |
however, there's a solution to the problem. |
| 249 |
keeping Dubai pigeon-free is down to one man and his falcons. |
| 250 |
the Arabs call him Al Hurr, the free one. |
| 251 |
he is in fact David Stead, an Englishman. |
| 252 |
the businesses and hotels which flourish in Dubai employ David to keep the pigeons off their property. |
| 253 |
and he's using the ancient Arab sport of falconry to solve this very modern problem. |
| 254 |
falcons are bird hunters and can reach amazing speads of 280 kph as they swoop and dive towards their prey. |
| 255 |
they are the deadly enemy of all Dubai's pigeons. |
| 256 |
even a pigeon which has never seen a falcon before seems to know and fear this predator just from its shape against the sky. |
| 257 |
by exploiting this fear, David and his falcons make their living. |
| 258 |
the falcons don't actually harm the birds they chase. |
| 259 |
all the pigeons survive. |
| 260 |
that's because once the pigeons fly into the air David tempts the falcon back to the ground with pieces of meat - so there's no need for a kill. |
| 261 |
David's daily routine begins with checking the falcons are in good health. |
| 262 |
cleaning their aviary and then preparing them for their journey to the day's clients. |
| 263 |
falcons have tremendous eyesight. |
| 264 |
the think visually and the bottom line is, once they can't see, they stop thinking. |
| 265 |
so we hood them up so can travel happily in the car. |
| 266 |
all of David's birds have names such as Mary or Nimma. |
| 267 |
each day when they go to 'work' they have a transmitter clipped to their backs so that if David loses one of them he can locate it. |
| 268 |
we have lost birds. |
| 269 |
it does happen. |
| 270 |
but by and large, when we lose a falcon we tend to get it back within a day at most. |
| 271 |
David's been obsessed with falconry for a long time. |
| 272 |
when i was a small boy i had two heroes, the falconers and spider-man. |
| 273 |
spider-man is still important to me, but falconry took over. |
| 274 |
whether you find them cute or you're frightened of them, we all know that in the streets of London there are more and more foxes taking up residence. |
| 275 |
with us today we have Rachek Hudson who has made a documentary about our urban foxes. |
| 276 |
what first interested you in this subject? |
| 277 |
i was looking out of my window one morning and i saw a pair of foxes playing with their cubs in the garden. |
| 278 |
here we were in the middle of London. |
| 279 |
the last thing i expected to see the wild animals. |
| 280 |
you say you were surprised but were you also scared? |
| 281 |
not really. they looked so cute. |
| 282 |
the perfect family. |
| 283 |
and the principle i like the idea of there being lots of wildlife in my garden. |
| 284 |
so, what aspect of urban foxes did you programme focus on? |
| 285 |
i looked into how different neighbours in the area dealt with foxes. |
| 286 |
some people would treat the foxes as potential pets. |
| 287 |
they even bought meat and dog food, especially for them. |
| 288 |
they fed them? | yes. |
| 289 |
but others saw them as a health hazard. |
| 290 |
a lot of the foxes had mange - an awful skin disease. |
| 291 |
and many of them had little fur left. |
| 292 |
so, initially you thought they were quite cute. |
| 293 |
but did your attitude change at all as you were filming? |
| 294 |
yes, as time went on, i realised there was a potential danger to health here. |
| 295 |
and i have young children, so i no longer wanted foxes in my garden. |
| 296 |
so what did you do? |
| 297 |
i heard that they didn't like the scent of lion's dung, i even went to london zoo to buy some and i put it down in my garden. |
| 298 |
did that do the trick? |
| 299 |
a bit at first, but it's an ongoing problem. |
| 300 |
all our gardens, which are quite large, back onto one another. |
| 301 |
so the foxes just go through the fences and travel from garden to garden. |
| 302 |
so the problem didn't go away? | certainly not. |
| 303 |
one of my neighbours who kept chickens in his garden. |
| 304 |
he kept them for their eggs. |
| 305 |
he came out into his garden one morning to find that foxes had got all the chickens. |
| 306 |
it was a dreadful sight. |
| 307 |
they killed all the chickens? | yes. |
| 308 |
and they have been known to coming into people's houses. |
| 309 |
so, how long's it going to take to get to Gstadd? |
| 310 |
quite a long journey by train, 12 hours in all with 4 changes. |
| 311 |
i'm beginning to think i should have flown there. |
| 312 |
carrying my snowboard's going to be a real pain. |
| 313 |
it's a lot better for your carbon footprint? |
| 314 |
my what? | your carbon footprint. |
| 315 |
i worked mine out last week. |
| 316 |
it was a bit disturbing, actually. |
| 317 |
it told me that if everyone in the world had a lifestyle like me, we'd need 2.3 planets to survive. |
| 318 |
yeah, makes you think, doesn't it? sth has to be done. |
| 319 |
i don't see how we can make a big difference. |
| 320 |
i recycle newspapers and packaging and stuff. |
| 321 |
and i turn off the tv at night, that kind of thing. |
| 322 |
are you suggesting we all, er, go and live in caves or sth? |
| 323 |
no, that's not what i'm trying to say. |
| 324 |
what i meant was that there are lots of other things we can do, not just recycling or saving energy. |
| 325 |
like what? | take food shopping, for example. |
| 326 |
it'd be much better if everyone bought food that's produced locally. |
| 327 |
not stuff that's flown half way round the world. |
| 328 |
that't an interesting point. i've never really thought about that. |
| 329 |
if we all stopped eating, say, bananas, then the economies of some countries would collapse of overnight. |
| 330 |
how moral or ethical would that be? |
| 331 |
fair enough, but i still think we should eat more locally grown stuff and avoid buying things with lots of packaging. |
| 332 |
yes, but then again, the packaging keeps the food fresh. |
| 333 |
nobody is going to buy food that's gone off, are they? | no, of course not. |
| 334 |
but i just don't think it's right that the food industry creates so much rubbish. |
| 335 |
ok, then, what else could i do? | let me think. well, you could become a vegetarian. |
| 336 |
why do you say that? | one argument in favour of being vegetarian is that farming animals is wasteful and uses so much energy. |
| 337 |
did you know that the same area of land can produce enough soya beans to feed 600 people, but only enough beef to feed 20 people? |
| 338 |
i think people should have the right to eat whatever they want. |
| 339 |
i mean, are you saying that human beings should be allowed to eat meat? | not, that's not what i meant. all i'm saying is that meat production is very damaging to the environment. |
| 340 |
well some people would argue that humans have always eaten meat. |
| 341 |
and we've been around for one and a half million years. | yes, but there weren't billions of us then. |
| 342 |
anyway, let's go eat. |
| 343 |
all this talk of food is making me hungry. |
| 344 |
we can eat at the station cafe. |
| 345 |
what do you fancy? | it's hard to say. |
| 346 |
i was looking forward a burger, but maybe i'll just have a salad sandwich. |
| 347 |
it'd be much better if everyone were charged for the amount of rubbish they produced | i've never really thought about it, but it does sound a good idea. |
| 348 |
one argument in favour of organic food is that it simply tastes better | yes, but then again if often costs twice as much. |
| 349 |
how many languages will die out before the end of the century? | it's hard to say. but estimates say about half of the existing number. |
| 350 |
so you're saying that the Earth will be uninhabitable by 2100? | no. that's not what i meant. all i'm saying is that it's going to get a lot warmer. |
| 351 |
what proportion of the world's population doesn't have access to clean water? | let me think. about 1 billion people so that's about 15%. |
| 352 |
i just don't think it's right that over half of the world's population live in poverty. | maybe, but i don't see how we can change the situation. |
| 353 |
it'd be much better if everyone bought fruit locally. | well, some people would argue that it would be a bit boring. |
| 354 |
imagine if we didn't have bananas. | yes, but then again, imagine how interesting it would be when you travelled abroad. |
| 355 |
one argument in favour of nuclear power is that it's relatively cheap. | i've never really thought about that. |
| 356 |
but doesn't it produce a lot of waste? | that's an interesting point. in fact, very little waste, but the waste is highly dangerous. |
| 357 |
i don't think it's right that we waste so many resources on transport. | maybe, but i just don't see how we can stop people from buying cars. |
| 358 |
no, that's not what i meant. all i'm saying is that our oil supplies are not sustainable. |
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