6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.com

Hello this is 6 minute English from BBC learning English. I'm Neil and I'm Beth.

Being in nature has benefits for our

physical and mental health. So wouldn't it be good if instead of giving you a

bottle of pills your doctor recommended spending time in nature.

That's an interesting idea, Neil.

Being outdoors always makes me feel better

and in Japan there's even a word for it.

Shinrin yoku, translated into English as forest bathing.

Forest bathing is a type of relaxation that involves being calm and quiet amongst the trees

and using all your senses to observe nature around you whilst

breathing deeply. It sounds wonderful Beth. In this program we'll be hearing

how one of the world's oldest building materials, wood, is being used in new ways to build a greener future.

And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

Great, but first I have a question for you Neil.

Britain used to be covered in trees. In Roman times it's estimated that as much as

40% of the land was forest. Trees provided wood, the building material

needed for many things including buildings, furniture, and chips.

So how many trees do you think were needed to build the HMS victory,

Nelson's famous ship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Was it A 4,000 trees, B 5,000 trees or C 6,000 trees.

Well, I have no idea, but I'll guess it was 5,000 trees.

Okay, Neil, I'll reveal the correct answer at the end of the programme.

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