【英语趣味课堂】食物和健康-Food and Health

 Adrienne: So, Mike, you don't eat fast food, huh?

 

Mike: No, no. I find fast food not very healthy and I try to eat healthy and try to live a healthy kind of lifestyle.

 

Adrienne: How do you do that?

 

Mike: Well, I'm going to the gym, not smoking¹, just generally trying not to do too much bad stuff² for your body I guess, you know like over doing things.

 

Adrienne: What kind of things do you think are bad for your body?

 

Mike: Stress, probably the worst thing is stress, but of course I think anything you do to much of, like you know, for example, if you, if you're somebody who smokes then smoking too much is probably a bad thing, although of course smoking I think is not good at all, but anyways, or, like if some people, if you want to go out for drinks then drinking too much is probably a bad thing, or eating too much is a bad thing so, so everything I think in balance is the healthiest thing.

 

Adrienne: Moderation is the key!

 

Mike: That's the word.

 

Adrienne: So what kind of things do you do to stay healthy?

 

Mike: Um, well, wake up, I mean wake up early, go for a run or go to the gym in the morning, everyday, and then just try to eat a balanced diet, not eat a lot of, like you said at the beginning, like fast food and stuff I stay away from in general, and not try to over do it with, try not to get too stressed³ out about things at work, and also try not to party too much.

 

Adrienne: Do you have any fast food that you like to eat just once in awhile, just as a special treat?

 

Mike: Um, yeah, sure! I mean I love chocolate, so you know, for sure. I've lived in Belgium for several months and I got used to really, really good Belgium chocolate.

 

Adrienne: Very good chocolate there!

 

Mike: Absolultely, so yeah! It's kind of, if I do occasionally⁴ I'll have a little bit of Belgium chocolate.

 

Adrienne: Mm, that sounds good. Maybe we should get some.

 

学习内容：

 

fast food

 

I don't eat fast food because I find them not very healthy. 

'Fast food' is food that a restaurant can make very quickly or already has made when you order it. People frequently⁵ eat fast food in their cars to save time when they are traveling. Hamburgers are a very common type of fast food. Notice the following:

 

This is the most popular fast food restaurant around here.

Fast food makes me feel terrible.

moderation

 

Moderation is the key, because anything that's too much is a bad thing. 

You are showing 'moderation' when you avoid extremes⁶ of anything. You keep something at a healthy limit. For example, if you go shopping and there are 4 shirts that you want but you only buy one because you only need one you are showing moderation. Notice the following:

 

He used to buy everything in sight, but now he shows more moderation.

Moderation is not an easy thing to have when the food is this good.

balanced diet

 

I try to eat a balanced diet and stay away from fast food. 

If someone has a 'balanced diet' he eats healthy foods from the important food groups, like vegetables, fruits, meats and grains. If everything you eat is from one food group you do not have a balanced diet. Notice the following:

 

The doctor told me that I need to try to have a more balanced diet.

It's hard to have a balanced diet when you eat in restaurants all the time.

special treat or treat

 

Do you have any fast food that you like to each once in a while, just as a special treat? 

A 'special treat' is something that you do or eat once in a while as a reward⁷. It is something that is not a good idea to do or eat all the time. Typically a food 'treat' is considered something sweet, but it can really be anything that isn't very good for you but you enjoy. Notice the following:

 

I get a coffee from here once a week as a special treat.

Eating in a nice restaurant like this is a special treat for me.

occasionally

 

Occasionally, I'll have a little bit of Belgium chocolate. 

'Occasionally' is the same as 'once in a while.' Notice the following:

 

He spends most of his time at his university, but he comes home occasionally.

Occasionally I walk to the supermarket instead of going in my car.

1 smoking   

n.吸烟，抽烟；冒烟

参考例句：

• He was wise to give up smoking.他戒烟是明智的。
• He has decided to cut out smoking and drinking.他已决心戒烟、戒酒。

2 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

3 stressed   

adj.紧张的，有压力的

参考例句：

• Loud music makes me stressed out.大声的音乐让我很紧张。
• He stressed that we should always be honest.他强调我们应该永远诚实。

4 occasionally   

adv.偶然地；非经常地

参考例句：

• He went on talking,occasionally wiping at his face with a towel.他继续说着，偶尔用毛巾擦一下脸。
• I like playing football best,but occasionally I play table tennis,too.我最喜欢踢足球，偶尔也打打乒乓球。

5 frequently   

adv.常常，屡次，经常地，频繁地

参考例句：

• Please write to me frequently.请经常给我来信。
• I like that you should call on me frequently.我喜欢你经常来拜访我。

6 extremes   

极端( extreme的名词复数 )； 极端政策（或办法、手段、行动、措施等）； 极端不同的感情（或境况、行为方式等）； [常用复数]在两末端的事物

参考例句：

• He could not tolerate the extremes of heat in the desert. 他忍受不住沙漠的酷热。
• It's a difficult place to live because of its climatic extremes. 该地气候极端，很难让人生存。

7 reward   

n.报酬，酬谢，赏金；vt.奖赏，酬谢，报应

参考例句：

• He will expect some reward after working so hard.他工作很努力，会得到报偿的。
• I didn't do it for reward;I did it for love.我做这件事不是为了报酬，而是出于爱好。