Evolution and anxiety

6 Minute English

语言学习

2019-05-02

6 分钟
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  • Hello, this is Six Minute English, I'm Rob.

  • And I'm Neil.

  • Do you ever experience anxiety, Neil?

  • Anxiety?

  • Yes, you know, a feeling of being really worried or nervous without any real reason.

  • Well, not really, but I know for some people it can be quite a serious problem.

  • Well, anxiety may be a result of natural selection.

  • Natural selection, you mean the principle behind evolution?

  • Yes, the idea that life on this planet has developed as a result of random changes in biology over many, many years.

  • So why have anxiety?

  • That seems like a negative rather than a positive thing to develop.

  • Well, we'll find out more in this programme.

  • But before we do, a quiz.

  • Charles Darwin is famous for describing evolution by natural selection.

  • What was the name of the ship he travelled on when he made his discoveries?

  • Was it A, HMS Beagle B, HMS Badger, or C, HMS Bear?

  • What do you think, Neil?

  • Well, I'm pretty sure I know this one, so I'm not going to give away the answer just yet.