[0:00]From BBC Learning English, this is Learning English from the news, our podcast about the news headlines. In this program, fastest glacier melt in modern history.
[0:15]Hello, I'm Beth. And I'm Georgie. In this program, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it. You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a worksheet on our website bbc-learningenglish.com. Okay, so let's learn about this story.
[0:41]An Antarctic glacier named Hectoria shrunk by nearly 50% in just two months, three years ago. According to a new study, this was the fastest a glacier has retreated that scientists have recorded in modern history. Retreated means melted and got smaller. Hectoria is a type of glacier which rests on the seabed and doesn't float. Glaciers like this generally retreat only a few hundred meters a year. But between November and December 2022, Hectoria retreated by 8 km, according to the study. Scientists are concerned because if more glaciers like this shrink as quickly, there could be a much faster rise in sea level. And our first headline is about the glacier shrinking. This is from New Scientist, a scientific magazine. Antarctic glacier's alarming retreat is the fastest ever seen. And that headline again from New Scientist, a scientific magazine. Antarctic glacier's alarming retreat is the fastest ever seen. So this headline says the glacier is retreating. Again, that means melting and moving backwards, faster than ever before. We're looking at the word alarming. Is this related to alarm by any chance, Beth? It is. Yeah. So Georgie, if you think about a fire alarm or a burglar alarm, they warn you about danger. Now, the adjective alarming is used here, and it means that something is causing fear or serious worry. Yes, so in this headline, the glacier retreating is happening so quickly that scientists find it worrying, or alarming. And alarming has this sense of danger and urgency, so it's often used in serious situations like this where there is concern. You might see a headline about an alarming rise in temperatures, or crime levels could be alarming if they keep increasing. We've had alarming, cause fear and worry. For example, the nurse called for help when the patient had an alarming drop in blood pressure. This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines. Today, we're talking about an Antarctic glacier that has retreated very quickly. This glacier, Hectoria, was small, but scientists say that if this speed of melting happens in other areas of Antarctica, it could speed up sea level rise. Climate change is making the loss of ice shelves, those are the big areas of ice that you see in the Antarctic and Arctic regions, much more likely. And our next headline is about the relationship between the glacier melting and rising sea levels. This comes from CNN, which is an American news broadcaster. Antarctic glacier saw the fastest retreat in modern history; it could spell trouble for sea levels, report finds. And that headline again: Antarctic glacier saw the fastest retreat in modern history; it could spell trouble for sea levels, report finds. And that is from CNN in the United States. This headline is about what melting glaciers could mean for the planet. We're focusing on this phrase, spell trouble. Now, I can spell trouble. T, R, O, U, B, L, E. Well done. You can. But, Georgie, that is literal, and this headline is metaphorical. When something spells trouble, it means it will lead to problems in the future. So we use it to predict a negative result. So, in this story, scientists are warning that the glacier's very quick retreat could cause a rise in sea levels, which would be a very serious problem, especially for coastal areas. Exactly. Spell trouble is quite dramatic. It suggests there is danger or bad news coming. So, for example, falling sales could spell trouble for a shop. Yes, and we can change the word trouble to other nouns like disaster, change, or maybe the end of something. Spell in this context means to cause something to happen. Yes, so another example could be, a new manager could spell change for the structure of a company. We've had spell trouble, cause trouble. For example, a new supermarket could spell trouble for smaller local shops. This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines. Today we're talking about the fastest retreating glacier in modern history. Now, at first, scientists say there was no obvious cause as to why this glacier retreated so quickly. But researchers on this new study say they have now found out why it happened. It's a complicated scientific process that scientists say has never been seen in the modern world. Although other researchers have questioned the study's findings. Our next headline comes from an article about this. It's from BBC News. Antarctic glacier's rapid retreat sparks scientific 'whodunnit' And that headline again from BBC News: Antarctic glacier's rapid retreat sparks scientific 'whodunnit'. Okay, so this headline describes how scientists have been trying to understand why the glacier melted so quickly. We're focusing on 'whodunnit' and, Georgie, this makes me think of a mystery. Well, Beth, that's where it comes from. Whodunnit is an informal noun which comes from the question, who has done it? It's most commonly seen in crime or detective stories, where the question would be, who committed the crime? Okay, so why is it being used here? So, in the headline, whodunnit is a quote. The scientists describe the investigation as a whodunnit. It was used metaphorically to mean they are investigating the mystery of the glacier melting so quickly. And just like detectives, they're looking for clues by gathering evidence. Now, we should say that in this case, nobody has done it. We're not looking for a person here. But using whodunnit is quite a dramatic way of encouraging the audience to read the news article. We can use whodunnit in other non-crime situations, but there always needs to be a mystery that needs solving. For example, the missing cake created an office whodunnit. We've had whodunnit, a story about a mystery or crime. For example, when money went missing from the business accounts, it turned into a whodunnit. That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News. We'll be back next week with another news story. And if you want to practice what you've learned, go to our website to see more example sentences and try our free worksheet. And don't forget to follow us on social media. Find us at @bbclearningenglish. Goodbye for now. Goodbye.
