英语听力—环球英语 1342 2012: The End of the Earth?

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　　Hello and welcome to Spotlight 1. I'm Ruby 2 Jones,
 
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　　And I'm Steve Myersco. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
 
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　　'The IHC has discovered evidence showing that the terrible events of 2012 are real and unavoidable. We believe that some these events will wreck 3 our planet 4 and many who live on it. We are 94 percent certain that this will happen. We cannot ignore December 21st 2012.'
 
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　　This was part of message sent by the IHC - the Institute of Human Continuity 5. This international organisation 6 informs people that the world is going to end in 2012. It has a website where people can learn more about the end of the world. People can even win the chance to be one of the lucky survivors 7.
 
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　　Does this sound frightening? Well do not worry. The message is just a joke. The Institute of Human Continuity is not real. It was created to excite people about a new film. The film is called 2012. It centres on a particular idea that the world could end in that year. Today's Spotlight looks at the idea behind this film. Why are some people expecting big things to happen in 2012? Is there any evidence for their claims?
 
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　　The film 2012 will be released 8 worldwide this coming November. The film is based on a theory that a number of serious events will happen in the year 2012 - and these events will destroy the Earth!
 
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　　This theory is not new. Many people have been discussing it on the internet for some time now. They believe that there is evidence that the world will end in 2012.
 
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　　One of the main reasons for this concerns an ancient kingdom - the Mayan kingdom. The Mayans lived in Central America thousands of years ago. They understood more about the world and sky than most other people at the time. They studied the stars and planets 9. They also had a highly 10 developed system of mathematics. But it is the Mayan calendar that is causing people to worry. The calendar was their system for measuring the beginning, length and order of years. And the last day in the Mayan calendar is the 21st of December 2012. Some people think this is a sign that the Mayans knew when the world would end.
 
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　　So could the Mayans really have known when the world would end? Well, this is not the first time that people have tried to state when the end would come. For thousands of years, many different people have said that the world will end on a particular day. So far, they have all been wrong. Here are just a few of these false ideas.
 
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　　In the year 1000 many people thought the world would end. People around Europe worried about this important date. The New Year celebrations for 1001 must have been extra big.
 
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　　On the first of February 1524, thousands of people left their homes in London. They feared that a flood would start in the city and then destroy the whole world. In fact, it did not even rain in London on that day.
 
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　　In more recent times, some people thought the end could come in July 1999. The French writer Nostradamus wrote about this month hundreds of years ago. But he too was wrong.
 
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　　Many ideas about the end of the world are based on the Christian 11 Bible 12. Parts of the Bible suggest what will happen soon before the end of the world. Some people claim that these events are already happening.
 
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　　The Bible says that the world will end when Jesus returns to Earth. But it does not say when this will be. It also says that no one will know exactly when he will return. So no one can claim that the Bible states when the world will end. But Christians 13 do look forward to Jesus' return. They do not know when this will be. But they believe it is important to be ready for it.
 
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　　A number of people have created their own theories about the end of the world. Some ideas are more believable than others. One idea is that the Earth will pass through a particular area of space - our galaxy 14, the Milky 15 Way. They say this will cause global problems that will destroy the world. Another idea is that the earth will turn upside down. So the North Pole will become the South Pole. Scientists have dismissed 16 both these ideas.
 
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　　Other people think the end will come after another world war. However the most popular idea is that an unknown planet will hit the Earth. People call this planet ‘Nibiru' or ‘Planet X'. However, scientists say Planet X does not even exist. If it was going to hit the Earth in 2012, we would be able to see it in the night sky now. But we cannot.
 
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　　There seems to be no reason to think that any of these terrible events will happen in 2012. But this has not stopped some people from worrying. David Morrison works 17 for NASA. He says he gets lots of people asking about Nibiru and what could happen in 2012. He says,
 
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　　‘Go to the NASA website. You will see many reports that show that the Nibiru/2012 story is a hoax 18 - a lie. Scientists, inside and outside of NASA, see that the Nibiru theory is an attempt to frighten people. However, it takes interest away from the more important science concerns. These include global warming and loss of some kinds of plant and animal life. If you think clearly I am sure you can identify the lies. As we near 2012 it will be easier to see the lies.'
 
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　　December 2012 is not very far away. As it gets nearer more and more people will be talking about the possible events of December 21st. But hopefully fewer and fewer people will believe they will happen. However for many, the 22nd of December 2012 may still seem extra special.
 
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　　The writer and producer of today's programme was Steve Myersco. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom, the United States. You can hear more Spotlight programmes on our website, at http://www.radio.english.net This .programme is called "2012: The End of the World?".
 
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　　Spotlight is also on Facebook. To join our group, just search for Spotlight Radio. Thank you for listening today, goodbye.