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Six Minute English.

From BBC Learning English.

com.

Hello, this is six minute English from BBC learning English. I'm Neil and I'm Rob.

From the ancient Roman sea god Neptune to myths of mermaids to modern Hollywood films like Finding Nemo. People throughout history have been fascinated by the idea of living underwater.

In this program we'll be hearing about projects to create livable underwater habitats and the challenges they face.

We'll be finding out how realistic it is to believe that in a few years we could be eating breakfast whilst watching fish swim outside the

kitchen window before heading off to work in an office under the ocean.

And we'll be learning some related vocabulary as well. But first it's time for our quiz question. One of the first

adventure stories to fire the public's imagination about the underwater world was the

1870 novel 20,000 leagues under the sea. But who wrote this underwater

classic? Was it A. H.G. Wells? B. Arthur Conan Doyle or C. Jules Verne.

Oh, I think I know this one, Neil.

Wasn't it A. H.G. Wells.

OK, Rob, we'll find out later if you're right.

Now, one of the most ambitious designs for an

underwater city is ocean spiral, a huge transparent globe attached to the

seabed, the solid ground which lies deep below the sea level.

The top of the globe stands above the surface of the ocean and running through the

center is a tower to add strength and to provide space for homes, offices and even an amusement park for 5,000

...