听播客学英语 275 沙发

 　　A couch¹ is a sofa, such as people have in their sitting-rooms, often in front of the television. Some people spend a lot of time sitting on the couch watching television, and probably getting fat for want of exercise. We have a name for such people in English – couch potatoes. And, as British people are well known for watching TV a lot, perhaps we are a nation of couch potatoes.

　　Google, the company that runs the internet search engine, has just published a survey which claims that British people now spend more time on the internet than they do watching television – 164 minutes a day on average on the internet, 148 minutes watching television.

　　It was only about 10 years ago that people first started to access the internet from home computers. Now, according to Google, everyone in Britain spends the equivalent² of 41 days a year surfing the net. Of course, this figure includes net access at work as well as at home. Still, if true, it is astonishing. Moreover³, the time that Google says we spend watching TV and the time we spend on the net, added together, comes to over 5 hours a day. Can this really be true? Are we British now a nation of couch-and-computer potatoes? If I search the web, can I find a website with more information about this?

1 couch   

n.睡椅，长沙发椅；vt.表达，隐含

参考例句：

• Lie down on the couch if you're feeling ill.如果你感觉不舒服就躺到沙发上去。
• The rabbIt'sprang from its grassy couch.兔子从草丛中跳出。

2 equivalent   

adj.（to）相等的，等价的；n.相等物，等值物

参考例句：

• Nodding your head is equivalent to saying "yes".点头就等于说“赞同”。
• You will receive the full equivalent of your money.你将收到与你的款项价值完全同等的物品。

3 moreover   

adv.再有，此外，而且

参考例句：

• The rent is reasonable, and moreover,the location is perfect.这房租合理，而且地点优越。
• The task is difficult, and moreover,time is pressing.任务艰巨，并且时间紧迫。