Hackers make freezers heat to 50C | BBC Learning English from the News

Hard words

The longest, least common words in this video. Say them slowly before you start.

• appreciating
• experiencing
• organisation
• temperatures
• supermarkets
• authorities
• journalists
• necessarily

Transcript: 89 sentences

Tap a sentence to start the drill right there.

1. 0:00 From BBC Learning English, This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.
2. 0:07 In this programme, hackers cause chaos by heating up fridges and freezers in supermarkets across Europe.
3. 0:18 Hello, I'm Neil.
4. 0:19 And I'm Becca.
5. 0:20 In this programme, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.
6. 0:26 You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a free worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
7. 0:35 So, let's hear more about this story.
8. 0:43 Supermarkets across Europe have been affected by cyber-attacks.
9. 0:48 A cyber-attack is when computer systems are attacked to cause disruption or steal things.
10. 0:54 The attacks caused fridges and freezers to heat up.
11. 0:57 The temperature of freezers in several shops across Europe reportedly rose to as high as 50C.
12. 1:04 The attacks were on shops in Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, Luxembourg and Estonia.
13. 1:09 Just weeks after hundreds of grocery stores in France were hit.
14. 1:14 And it's not just supermarkets that are experiencing this problem.
15. 1:17 Ikea, the Swedish furniture chain, was among those affected.
16. 1:22 So far, it's unclear who is behind the attacks.
17. 1:26 Let's have our first headline.
18. 1:28 This headline is from The Telegraph, a newspaper from the UK.
19. 1:32 Britain on alert as hackers shut down supermarket fridges across Europe.
20. 1:37 That headline again from the Telegraph.
21. 1:39 Britain on alert as hackers shut down supermarket fridges across Europe.
22. 1:45 This headline is about Britain's reaction to these cyber-attacks.
23. 1:48 We're going to look at the phrase on alert.
24. 1:50 Now you might know the verb to alert, which means to make someone aware of a potential danger or situation, or the adjective alert, which means to be attentive
25. 2:01 or ready for that situation.
26. 2:03 The phrase on alert has a similar meaning.
27. 2:06 Yes, on alert means to be watchful, attentive, and prepared to deal with a potentially dangerous situation or emergency.
28. 2:14 It can be used in a business or sales context as well.
29. 2:18 For example, you could be on alert for a good bargain or a business deal.
30. 2:22 Yes, you can use on alert in many contexts.
31. 2:25 You might also hear it as on high alert or on red alert.
32. 2:30 This adds an extra layer of urgency to the phrase, which you'll often hear when talking about the authorities, police, or military.
33. 2:41 We've had on alert, watchful, attentive, and prepared.
34. 2:49 For example, drivers need to be on alert for slippery roads in winter.
35. 2:58 This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.
36. 3:02 Today we're talking about the recent cyber-attacks on European supermarkets.
37. 3:08 The cyber-attack, which has increased temperatures in fridges and freezers across Europe, has forced stores to throw away lots of food.
38. 3:15 For example, a store manager in Sweden told journalists that an attack occurred at 02:00, but was only noticed hours later, once all the food had been ruined.
39. 3:26 In the attacks last month on supermarkets in France, raised temperatures led to fires as well as food loss.
40. 3:33 Let's have our next headline.
41. 3:35 This headline is from CBC, a news organisation from Canada.
42. 3:39 Another cyberattack on supermarket fridges sweeps Europe, leaving food spoiled.
43. 3:45 Again, that headline from CBC.
44. 3:47 Another cyberattack on supermarket fridges sweeps Europe, leaving food spoiled.
45. 3:53 This headline is about the outcome of these cyber-attacks.
46. 3:56 Lots of food has been left spoiled.
47. 3:59 Neil, what does spoiled mean?
48. 4:01 Well, when we talk about food and drink, spoiled means that it's gone bad and is no longer safe to eat or drink.
49. 4:08 For example, if I leave milk out of the fridge overnight it will spoil.
50. 4:12 That's the verb.
51. 4:13 And if we want to use the adjective, we can say that by the morning the milk will be spoiled.
52. 4:19 Yes, we can also use spoiled to talk about other things that have turned bad or negative.
53. 4:25 For example, my plan to go camping was spoiled by the rain or the surprise birthday party for my brother was spoiled because someone told him about it.
54. 4:35 We can also describe people, usually children, as spoiled.
55. 4:38 This means that they've been given everything they want without having to earn or work for it, and without really appreciating it.
56. 4:46 You might have noticed that we've said spoiled and spoilt.
57. 4:51 That's because it can be pronounced with a /t/ and spelt with a 't'.
58. 4:58 We've had spoiled, gone bad.
59. 5:03 For example, I don't think I should cook with this chicken.
60. 5:07 It's got a bad smell.
61. 5:08 I think it's spoiled.
62. 5:16 This is Learning English from the News, from BBC Learning English.
63. 5:19 We're talking about the cyber-attacks on fridges and freezers in Europe.
64. 5:24 Since these attacks on fridges and freezers, people are concerned about how much we rely on things that are connected to the internet.
65. 5:32 Yes, from industrial machinery to domestic appliances, smart devices which are connected to the internet can potentially be attacked by hackers.
66. 5:42 Though this doesn't necessarily mean that hackers can easily take control of your own washing machine and central heating, it does mean that brands that use smart technology
67. 5:51 will have to consider cyber-security and the risk of hacks.
68. 5:55 So, to our next headline.
69. 5:57 If hackers can take control of a supermarket freezer, how vulnerable is other tech?
70. 6:03 That's from BBC News.
71. 6:05 And that headline again, from BBC News.
72. 6:07 If hackers can take control of a supermarket freezer, how vulnerable is other tech?
73. 6:13 This headline considers the cyber-attacks on industrial supermarket appliances and raises a question of security for vulnerable tech.
74. 6:22 Yes, let's look at the word vulnerable.
75. 6:24 The adjective vulnerable means that something or someone is open to being physically, mentally, or emotionally hurt, attacked, or damaged.
76. 6:33 In this case, other smart technology is vulnerable or open to being hacked and controlled.
77. 6:40 Often when we talk about being physically vulnerable, we mean that someone is open to bodily harm, injury or disease.
78. 6:47 For example, older people are more vulnerable to diseases and infections.
79. 6:52 Yes.
80. 6:52 And when we talk about being emotionally vulnerable, we mean that someone has feelings, fears or weaknesses which might put them at risk of judgement or rejection.
81. 7:02 For example, I find it easier to be vulnerable with my close friends, but not with people that I've just met.
82. 7:10 We've had vulnerable, open to being hurt, attacked or damaged.
83. 7:16 For example, her house is really close to a river, so it's vulnerable to flooding.
84. 7:22 That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.
85. 7:25 But we'll be back next week with another news story.
86. 7:28 If you like our podcasts, sign up for our email newsletter to get the latest from BBC Learning English every week.
87. 7:34 There's a link in the notes to this episode, or you can go to our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
88. 7:42 Bye for now.
89. 7:43 Goodbye.

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