Rob: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Rob and with me is Jen.
Jen: Hello Rob. Rob I'm having a problem with my mobile phone today.
Rob: Oh yes?
Jen: Yes – it's stopped working – it's so old so I was thinking of throwing it away and
buying a new one.
Rob: No! Don't do that. That makes me angry – just throwing gadgets -or electronic
items – away and not repairing them.
Jen: Repairing? You mean, fixing them?
Rob: Yes. Fixing things can save you money and is less wasteful. That's why today we are
going to talk about 'restart parties' and looking at some of the words to do with
fixing and repairing.
Jen: 'Restart parties' – that sounds interesting – I like parties!
Rob: Yes, but it might not be what you expect. But first, let's see if you know the answer
to today's question.
Jen: Hmm, if it's about how to fix a gadget, I might not do very well.
Rob: Don't worry, it's not, but it is about mobile phones. Do you know approximately – so
roughly – how many phones are thrown away in Europe every year? Is it:
a) 1 million
b) 10 million
c) 100 million
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013
Page 2 of 5
Jen: I'll take a guess and say b) 10 million.
Rob: I'll give you the answer at the end of the programme. Now let me tell you more
about 'restart parties'. These are being held around the world because of concerns
or worries about the disposable society we're living in.
Jen: A disposable society – you mean we just throw things away when they break and
then buy another one?
Rob: Exactly. We could fix them instead or at least recycle them and make new things out
of them. I remember there used to be repair shops where people fixed broken
things but it's not something you see much of in the UK now. So, that's why some
people are learning the forgotten art – or the skill – of repairing things.
Jen: And is that what happens at a restart party?
Rob: It is. The word restart means to start something again or to make it work again.
The party is where you go to share your knowledge and skills or just to get
something repaired whilst learning about how to do it. So Jen, would you go to one?
Jen: Yes I would. It sounds like a great way to get something fixed.
Rob: I think it would be quite useful. Let's hear from Ugo Vallouri who organised one of
these parties in London. Why does he think people don't try to repair their gadgets
anymore?
Ugo Vallouri, Restart project:
Less and less repair manuals that people can use, spare parts are not available to consumers or
when they are they are priced in ridiculous ways that push people not to repair what they have and
instead to upgrade and keep buying new stuff.
Jen: OK, there aren't as many repair manuals now – a manual is a book of instructions
on how to fix things. He also says the small bits, or the spare parts, needed to fix
something are not available now – or cost a lot of money.
Rob: Yes, he said the price of spare parts were ridiculous – so silly prices! All this makes
people buy new stuff – or they upgrade – so get a newer or more modern design of
gadget. Let's hear Ugo give his reasons one more time:
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013
Page 3 of 5
Ugo Vallouri, Restart project: (repeat)
Less and less repair manuals that people can use, spare parts are not available to consumers or
when they are they are priced in ridiculous ways that push people not to repair what they have and
instead to upgrade and keep buying new stuff.
Rob: So Jen, is Ugo describing someone like you?
Jen: Well, personally, I don't have the skills to fix something – and anyway, it's often
cheaper just to buy a new one.
Rob: But buying new gadgets creates waste which is what these restart parties are hoping
to avoid. They don't want old gadgets to end up in the rubbish.
Jen: OK, it's a good point Rob but my worry is that if I went to one of these parties,
they'd be full of geeks – you know boring people who are just interested in
technology – and they usually wear glasses.
Rob: Well, I wear glasses and I like technology but I'm not a geek. And anyway, if
someone can fix your broken phone then I wouldn't call them a geek – more of a
hero!
Jen: If you say so. Shall we find out if I am a 'mobile phone geek' and see if I got today's
question right?
Rob: A good idea. Earlier I asked you if you knew approximately, how many phones are
thrown away in Europe every year?
Jen: I said 10 million.
Rob: And you were wrong. The answer, incredibly, is 100 million mobile phones – that's a
lot of phones that could be repaired or just recycled – so the spare parts could be
made into something else. OK Jen, could you now please remind us of some of
today's vocabulary?
Jen: We heard: gadgets
repairing
disposable society
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013
Page 4 of 5
the forgotten art
restart
manuals
spare parts
upgrade
geeks
Rob: Ok that's it for this programme. Do join us again soon for more 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English.
Both: Bye.
