Chugging

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Neil:  Hi there Jennifer. 

Jennifer:  Today's story is all about people who collect money for charity.  

Neil:  Yes, in particular, the people who stand in the street who ask for money as you walk past.  

Jennifer:  The charity sector¹ in the UK is huge, helping² millions of people across the world every year, so it's really important for them to collect as much money as they can. 

Neil: But one method of fundraising is becoming rather unpopular with the British public! 

Jennifer: We'll talk more about that in a moment, but as usual with 6 Minute English, I've got a topical question for you, all about charity fundraising. Are you up for the challenge, Neil? 

Neil: I sure am. 

Jennifer: Many people run marathons to raise money for charity. What is the most money raised by a single marathon runner in one go? Is it? 

a) Over ?200,000  

b) Over ?2 million 

c) Over ?20 million 

I'll give you a clue - it was during the London Marathon last year.  

Neil: Well, I really have no idea. But I can't believe ?20 million so I'll go for ?2 million. 

Jennifer: We'll find out if you're right at the end of the programme. So today's story is all about a phenomenon which people have come to call 'chugging'. 

Neil: It's a combination of the words 'charity' and 'mugging', and it's the name given to the charity fundraising which takes place on the high street. 

Jennifer: The so-called 'chuggers' - or charity muggers - are paid to line up along busy streets and get you to donate your money to charity.  

Neil: It's very different to shaking a tin to ask for any spare change - these fundraisers are very persuasive³ - that means they're good at talking you into signing up to make a regular, rather than a one-off, donation. 

Jennifer: Some people find the chuggers really irritating⁴ or annoying, though. They think that they go too far, harassing⁵ people into parting with their money. 

Neil: In fact, a survey conducted a couple of years ago found that two thirds of those questioned would rather cross the street than come face-to-face with a chugger. 

Jennifer: Here's what some people in London had to say about 'chugging'. What phrase does the first interviewee use to mean 'put under pressure'? 

Insert   

I don't like being put on the spot so I'd rather - if I wanted to give money to charity - have a think about it and select the charity rather than get my credit cards out on the street. 

There are so many - you'd never get anywhere if you stopped. 

I do stop and listen sometimes. I do give some money sometimes. 

Everyone's got to earn a living. Perhaps if they could just control it a bit better, perhaps one in certain areas. You don't need four or five on one stretch of the road. 

Neil: The phrase 'put on the spot' means to 'put under pressure' - a sales tactic⁶, or method, that many chuggers use. Lots of people don't like it. 

Jennifer: As we heard, many people would rather think about what charity they want to support rather than be asked about it in the street. Some prefer to donate their money privately⁷. 

Neil: Many charities are worried about the negative effects this might have on their public image. 

Jennifer: Listen to this part of a report from the BBC's Leana Hosea. What word is used to mean a charity's public image?  

Insert   

There was some unease amongst the public when it was discovered that the two men behind the biggest chugging company had made hundreds of thousands of dollars from the business. This has all led to concerns that potential donors⁸ are being chased away by chuggers and that a charity's reputation might be spoiled by using them. 

Neil: The word was 'reputation' and the UK's biggest charities were so worried about the effects of chugging that they held a summit⁹ to decide whether this method of fundraising should be dropped. 

Jennifer: But, even though it may be annoying to many, it seems that it is still of huge value to the charities themselves. Here's Peter Lewis of the Institute of Fundraising. What word is used to describe the profit the charity makes? 

Insert  

Last year, over 860,000 people signed up through face-to-face and door-to-door fundraising to support a charitable cause and that brought in over 1.3 million pounds to support good causes. So it's an incredibly important form of fundraising and the returns for the charity are huge. So they know that for every ?1 they invest in face-to-face fundraising, they will get back at least ?2.50 to support those vital causes. 

Neil: That word was 'returns'. The charities know that if they use this method, they will raise a lot of money, even if it isn't very popular… 

Jennifer: …so instead of dropping the method altogether, they are going to work on training the fundraisers face-to-face instead.  

Neil: I suppose every penny makes a difference for the charities, however they get it!  

Jennifer: Very true. Now, we started off the programme talking about a charity marathon runner in London last year. 

Neil:  Yes, you asked: what was the most money ever raised by a single marathon runner in one go?  

Jennifer:  The options were: 

a) Over ?200,000  

b) Over ?2 million 

c) Over ?20 million 

Neil:  And I said ?2 million. 

Jennifer:  And you were right. The most money ever raised by a single runner was in 2011 by a man named Steve Chalke. He raised ?2,330,159.38!  

Neil: An amazing effort - AND he had to run 26 miles too!   

Jennifer: We're almost out of time. Neil, would you remind us of some of the words we've heard today please? 

Neil: Of course. They are: 

 chugging 

persuasive 

harassing 

put on the spot 

public image 

reputation 

Jennifer:  That's all we have time for today, but do join us again for more 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com. Bye!  

Neil: Bye! (本文由在线英语听力室编辑)

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