环球英语 — 151：The Belly Button
Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for Spotlight! I’m Rebekah Schipper.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Are you an ‘innie’ or an ‘outie?’
Voice 2
If you are like ninety [90] percent of the world, you are an innie.
Voice 1
But if you are like the other ten [10] percent, you are an outie!
Voice 2
What are we talking about? Well, everyone has one. Look down at your stomach. Over your stomach there is either a small hole, or a raised part of skin, a small bump. This is what we are talking about. It is, of course, your belly button!
Voice 1
Today’s Spotlight is on the belly button.
Voice 2
Belly button is the common English name for this part of the body. But there are many different names for the belly button. Some people call it the ‘navel.’ This word comes from the ancient English word ‘nafela.’ It probably meant the hub, or center of a wheel.
Voice 1
The ancient Greeks called the belly button an ‘omphalos.’ Omphalos also meant ‘knob’ or ‘hub.’ In fact, there are even ancient Greek stories about the navel, or center, of the world. One story says that the Greek god Zeus sent out two birds. He wanted them to meet at the center of the world. There, he put omphalos stones to mark the center. The ancient Greeks believed these stones helped them communicate with their gods.
Voice 2
The technical name for the belly button, though, is the ‘umbilicus.’ This word comes from the term ‘umbilical cord.’ An umbilical cord is long and thick. It looks like a rope. It connects a forming baby to his mother.
Voice 1
The umbilical cord of an unborn baby, or fetus, begins to form during his second month of life. The umbilical cord carries nutrients and life-giving substances from the mother to the fetus. And it carries the fetus’ waste out.
Voice 2
Shortly after birth, a doctor or health care worker clamps the umbilical cord. This stops the exchange between the mother and baby. Then, the doctor cuts the umbilical cord. A short stump of the cord remains. But after a few days, the small remaining piece falls off. The mark that appears there is your belly button. Your belly button is your first scar. It is usually the first mark on your body after you are born.
Voice 1
Each belly button has a special and different shape. So no two people’s belly buttons are exactly the same. But in general, belly buttons have two basic different shapes: ‘innies’ and ‘outies.’ Innies look like a small hole. Outies look like a small raised part of the skin. People used to believe that a doctor could cut the umbilical cord of a baby to shape it into an innie or an outie. But today, experts say that the shape of a belly button is decided completely by chance. However, many people like the look of an innie belly button the most.
Voice 2
Different cultures have different opinions about belly buttons. In some Western cultures some people think showing a belly button is too sexual. But in southern India many women proudly show their belly buttons. The belly button makes them think of birth and life.
Voice 1
But there is one question about the belly button that all people around the world ask. Have you ever observed a little ball of fluff or soft material in your belly button? This is belly button fluff. Belly button fluff is especially common in innie belly buttons. Have you ever wondered how it gets there? Have you ever wondered what it is made of?
Voice 2
These are questions that people everywhere ask. And many people - scientists and others - have tried to find the answers. Well they believe that belly button fluff is a mix of dead skin cells and fibre from clothes. Experts believe that these dead skin cells and fibres travel along body hair to this central point - the belly button. They get trapped inside of it. And they usually remain there until you clean your belly button.
Voice 1
It may sound strange, but some people even collect this belly button fluff! In November 2000, the Guinness Book of World Records officially recognized Graham Barker’s belly button fluff collection as the largest collection of belly button fluff in the world!
Voice 2
Every morning Graham empties the belly button fluff from his belly button. He places it in a glass container. Graham has collected his belly button fluff for over twenty [20] years - since January 17, 1984! He says that his belly button produces about one point one [1.1] grams of fluff every year. Today he has over two [2] full containers of belly button fluff. And he is still collecting it!
Voice 1
For some people, the belly button can be a place to find other “treasures”. Stephen from Canada tells about something he found in his belly button:
Voice 3
“One September I went alone on a canoe trip. On the very first day my canoe boat turned over in the water and I lost some of my equipment in the water. ... I lost all my extra clothes. So I knew I would have to wear the same clothes for the rest of the trip.
Six days later I was finally back home. The first thing I wanted to do was change clothes and clean myself. But when I took off my shirt, to my amazement, I could see something sticking out of my belly button! I could not believe it; something was growing in there! It was a small plant!
... It was actually rooted in some fluff! I have never heard of anything like that in my whole life! Well, I guess that seed found everything it needed in my belly button: fluff as a place to grow, water from my body sweat and the river water splashes, warmth from my body heat, and some sun-light through my loosely knit shirt. I kept the small plant in a container. But, it died a few days later.”
Voice 2
Sometimes people do not remember the little or seemingly simple things in life - like the belly button. Christians believe that God made the whole world. He made the huge mountains, and he made every little detail of our bodies. There are so many parts of the world to celebrate. Take a short time today to think about what a detailed world we live in! And then celebrate something simple - even if it is just your belly button!
