【英语趣味课堂】新的健身馆-New Gym

Rebecca: Hey, Todd, I'm going and looking for a gym. Actually, I hear you've joined a gym. Which one?

 

Todd: Yeah, actually, there's a real nice gym down town. It just opened about a month ago. Maybe two months ago. It's really nice.

 

Rebecca: OK, what's the name of it?

 

Todd: The name is Fitness¹ Club.

 

Rebecca: Good name.

 

Todd: Yeah, so, and it's pretty much has everything. I mean it has, you know, free weights, of course and it has all the latest machines.

 

Rebecca: Ah, good.

 

Todd: Actually some of the machines are kind of tricky², I really don't know how they work yet. I'll have to ask the staff.

 

Rebecca: So it's more than a treadmill³? It's a whole big machine that you don't know how what to do?

 

Todd: Exactly. I'm actually afraid to get on the thing. I don't want to break it, you know.

 

Rebecca: Is there people that can help you?

 

Todd: Yeah, actually, that's part of the problem is that you can't use any of the equipment unless you get trained for it. They're really specific, so you have to have guidance. It's kind of annoying actually because, you know, everything... they have a system and they know based on, you know, your membership⁴ what machines you can use and what you can't.

 

Rebecca: OK. But what happens if, like I've been to a gym before do I still need to get the training before I start?

 

Todd: Yeah. That's how I was. I told them that I, you know, had been lifting weights for awhile and they didn't care, so you have to get certified⁵ to use all the equipment. It's kind of inconvenient⁶.

 

Rebecca: OK, so, do they have classes though?

 

Todd: They do. Actually, they pretty much have everything. They have yoga, kick boxing, spin classes, dancing, so the schedule looks pretty diverse⁷.

 

Rebecca: Oh, that's good. I do prefer classes than the weights.

 

Todd: Only one thing that's bad about the classes though is that cause it's new, and it's a new gym and there's lots of people and it looks like it's pretty crowded in there, I think you have to reserve what classes you're going to join.

 

Rebecca: Oh, really.

 

Todd: Yeah, isn't that terrible.

 

Rebecca: Oh, geez, I usually just like to walk in.

 

Todd: Right, right, right.

 

Rebecca: Yeah, when you feel like going to the gym, you go.

 

Todd: Right, right. One thing that is nice though is they have an actual gym floor, like a basketball gym, so you can play basketball. They have volleyball tournaments, so I mean, if you like more traditional sport, like tennis, they also have tennis courts. You can do that as well.

 

Rebecca: Oh, that's good. I do like tennis. I love tennis actually.

 

Todd: Well, actually, if you're interested I'd be glad to take you down to the gym and show you. I think you get a free trial workout.

 

Rebecca: OH, that's good. That's good. So how much would it cost per month?

 

Todd: Well, cause it's new it's kind of expensive. It costs about fifty dollars a month.

 

Rebecca: Oh, wow!

 

Todd: Yeah, but if you buy a membership, a two-year membership, you can get a two year membership, I think for eight hundred dollars, so it saves you some money so it's kind of reasonable.

 

Rebecca: And I suppose if you pay for two, you know you have to go then.

 

Todd: Right. Right. It's eight hundred dollars for two years, five hundred dollars for one year, or fifty dollars a month.

 

Rebecca: OK, yeah.

 

Todd: Oh, one thing that's really cool too is that they have a social center. They have like an area where you can get like fruit drinks and coffee and stuff⁸ like that and just hang out. It's quite nice.

 

Rebecca: That's good. So after the workout, go and have coffee.

 

Todd: Right. Right.

 

Rebecca: Lovely. OK. So, yeah, I would love to come and have a look at it.

 

Todd: OK, well next week, anytime, just give me a call. I'll take you there.

 

Rebecca: Alright. Great. Thanks.

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

real nice

 

There's a real nice gym down town.

 

Here, the word 'real' means 'very.' In spoken English we sometimes say 'real nice' instead of 'really nice'. Notice the following:

 

He's a real nice guy.

That's a real nice place to hang out.

more than ... (noun)

 

It's more than a treadmill?

 

We use this phrase to show something as more features than most people think it does. Notice the following:

 

Hanoi is more than just a tourist town. It is a business center as well.

My dog is more than just a pet. He is a security¹⁰ guard and friend as well.

tricky

 

Some of the machines are kind of tricky.

 

When somthing is tricky, it is a little bit complicated¹¹. Notice the following:

 

This problem is very tricky.

The car navigation¹² system is tricky to use at first.

get certified

 

You have to get certified to use all the equipment.

 

When you get certified to do something, you get official permission to do so. Notice the following:

 

He just got certified to drive a cab⁹ in the city.

You must be certifiied to teach at a high school.

down

 

I'd be glad to take you down to the gym

 

Here, the word 'down' has no meaning, but is often added in spoken English with movement verbs. The following sentences have the same meaning.

 

I can take you down there.

I can take you there.

I am going down to the store. Wanna come?

I am going to the store. Wanna come?

1 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

2 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

3 treadmill   

n.踏车；单调的工作

参考例句：

• The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
• Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。

4 membership   

n.成员资格，会员全体，从属关系

参考例句：

• I must renew my membership of the sailing club.我必须延续我的航海俱乐部会员的资格。
• He made up his mind to apply for membership in the Party.他决心申请入党。

5 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

6 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

7 diverse   

adj.不同的；相异的；多种多样的；形形色色的

参考例句：

• Spain is a composite of diverse traditions and people.西班牙是一个汇集了多种传统和民族的国家。
• Society is now much more diverse than ever before.当今社会较之以往任何时候都要丰富多彩得多。

8 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。

9 cab   

n.计程车，出租车，出租单马车；vi.乘出租马车

参考例句：

• The cab drove over his legs.马车从他腿上碾过。
• Shall we walk or take a cab?我们步行还是坐出租车？

10 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

11 complicated   

adj.错综复杂的，麻烦的，结构复杂的

参考例句：

• The poem is so complicated that I cannot make out its meaning.这首诗太复杂，我理解不了它的意思。
• This is the most complicated case I have ever handled.这是我所处理过的最为复杂的案子。

12 navigation   

n.航行；航海；航空

参考例句：

• The compass is an instrument of navigation.罗盘是导航仪器。
• Navigation is difficult on this river because of hidden rocks.由于多暗礁，在这条河上航行很困难。