【一起听英语】穿衣风格

每个人都有自己的穿衣风格，设想一下，如果哪天我们的穿衣风格都统一起来，那是不是很无趣？

Yvonne: Hello – this is 6 Minute English, I'm Yvonne Archer 1 - and Alice is with me

today. Hello Alice!

Alice: Hello Yvonne!

Yvonne: Now these days, BBC staff no longer wear formal clothes for work - like

dinner jackets and evening dresses.

Alice: What a shame – it would be nice to get really dressed up to go to work

sometimes.

Yvonne: So how would you describe your BBC work wardrobe, Alice – the clothes you

wear to work?

Alice: Well I suppose it's what you call 'smart casual'. So for women, that's quite a

smart skirt and blouse or dress or trousers. And for men - nice shirt, smart

trousers but perhaps no tie or jacket.

Yvonne: So that's 'smart casual'. Now recently – the Ukrainian government decided 2 to

publish a dress code for its workers on the official website. Alice, would you

explain for us what is meant by ‘a dress code’? 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

Page 2 of 5

Alice: Well here, it’s a set of written guidelines or rules about what people should and

shouldn’t wear to work. In some cases, workers get into trouble if they don’t

follow the dress code.

Yvonne: Thanks, Alice. But before we hear about the details of Ukraine’s dress code,

I’ve a question. Alice, following its independence, an African country banned

its men from wearing the western style suit with shirt and tie. This was done to

show that the country had broken links with its colonial past – but which

country was it?

Zaire, now known as The Democratic Republic of Congo

Rwanda or

Uganda

Alice: Ooh – that's difficult. I'm not sure, so I'm going to guess the second answer –

Rwanda.

Yvonne: As usual, we’ll find whether you're right or wrong later on! As mentioned

earlier, in the Ukraine, government workers now have an official dress code.

So, let’s find out what workers there used to wear - and what they’re being

asked to wear now. Here’s part of a report by the BBC’s David Stern from the

capital, Kiev…

David Stern, BBC reporter, Kiev

Ukrainian government workers have received their wardrobe marching orders. Gone

are the flashy, provocative 3 styles of the country's previous administration. In, are more

subdued 4 fashions and colours. 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

Page 3 of 5

Yvonne: So, the current government is trying to stop workers from wearing what they

used to by giving their wardrobes ‘marching orders’!

Alice: 'Marching orders' – it's a military term meaning to stop something.

Yvonne: And here, they're giving marching orders to ‘flashy and provocative’ clothes.

Alice, what does that mean?

Alice: Well, ‘flashy’ usually means something that's shiny, bright coloured –

something that attracts a lot of attention. And provocative clothes are those

usually worn to parties or nightclubs to help people look and feel as attractive

as possible.

Yvonne: So, we couldn't be described as 'flashy' dressers then, Alice?

Alice: Not exactly. We're both in grey today!

Yvonne: So we could say that we prefer 'subdued' fashion and colours – just the

opposite. But there were more details about what women should wear – or

rather, not wear…

Extract 2: David Stern, BBC reporter, Kiev

Women were told what perfume to wear - scents 5 with sharp aromas 6 should only be worn

in the afternoon, it suggested. They should also avoid short, tight skirts and outfits 8 that

revealed too much cleavage. Flats were preferred to high heels.

Yvonne: So, no scents with sharp aromas in the mornings.

Alice: That's - no strong perfumes. 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

Page 4 of 5

Yvonne: Well, I can understand how women showing a lot of their chest area –

revealing too much cleavage – isn’t appropriate for work, but I don't think I

like the rule about shoes!

Alice: It says it prefers women to wear ‘flats’ rather than ‘high heels’. Maybe that's

for safety.

Yvonne: That's true – could be. Well, you’ll probably be pleased to hear that men have a

few rules too…

Extract 3: David Stern, BBC Reporter, Kieve

As for men, the advice was more basic. They should dress in trousers that break across

their shoe fronts and their suit sleeves should reach the top of their palms. They should

also not wear the same outfit 7 two days in a row, the dress code suggested.

Yvonne: Men shouldn't wear suits that are too small for them and, they should wear a

different outfit each day. So Alice, what’s your reaction to that one?

Alice: I think that's difficult for me because suits can be very expensive. It is true men

don't look so good in suits that are too small - but I think I'd just say wear a

clean shirt and a different tie and you'll look different.

Yvonne: Good point. Now earlier, I asked which African country, following

independence, banned its men from wearing the western style suit with shirt

and tie to show it had broken links with the colonial past.

Alice: And I said 'Rwanda'? 

6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2010

Page 5 of 5

Yvonne: Hmm – good guess but it was actually Zaire, now known as the Democratic

Republic of Congo. And there's just time now for a reminder 9 of some of the

language we came across in today's programme.

Alice: Dinner jacket

Wardrobe

Dress Code

Flashy

Provocative

Subdued fashion

Flats

High heels

Yvonne: That's all for today's “6 Minute English”. Do join us again for more!

Both: Goodbye!