【英语听和读】胖还是瘦

 Jackie: Hello, I'm Jackie Dalton, welcome to Entertainment! Today we're going to look

at an issue¹ which often comes up in the world of Entertainment, and that's

being fat or thin.

It's a big issue in the British media² at the moment. One report says that weight

is the new divide between people – 'the new divide' – what separates³ people. So

forget social class – how rich you are, where you live: you are being judged on

how heavy you are! The report says that 8 out of 10 people judge others by

their weight. Most people think that thin people are more likely to be rich and

successful. And poor people are fat and stupid! So let's hear more of people's

views on all this and look at some of the expressions they use.

The first man will use the word 'culture'. In this context⁴, it means⁵ the attitudes

or beliefs that are shared by people in a certain society or group. Listen to some

examples of how the word might be used in different contexts⁶.

Voice: There's a culture of laziness in this organisation⁷, which is very damaging.

Voice: There's a culture of secrecy⁸ within the government when it comes to security⁹

matters.

Jackie: We'll also hear the term 'socially inept¹⁰'. If you're inept, you're not good at doing

something. In this case, being 'socially inept' means you're bad at personal

relationships and don't fit into society. So listen out for those two expressions

now: 'culture' and 'socially inept'. 

Entertainment – Fat or thin? bbclearningenglish.com

Page 2 of 3

Clip¹¹

There is this culture, especially in London, it's a prime¹² example, where being fat is seen as

being socially inept. And it's driven by your magazines…

Jackie: So this man says people are seen as socially inept if they're too fat. He says this

is 'driven' by magazines, which means magazines are encouraging this kind of

attitude. Next, he'll go on to talk about how his mother feels when she goes

shopping. What expression does he use to describe how she feels?

Clip

There is this culture, especially in London, it's a prime example, where being fat is seen as

being socially inept. And it's driven by your magazines, clothes only being produced to certain

sizes so only certain people can fit into them… and only certain people fit into what society's

built as this perfect person, this perfect look almost, yeah. I mean, my mum's the perfect

example, she wants to go into the shops, she doesn't fit into the clothes and she's made to feel

as though she's almost a second class citizen.

Jackie: Did you catch that expression? He said his mum feels almost as though she's a

second class citizen because she can't find the clothes she wants in a big enough

size. A 'second class citizen' is someone who is seen as less important and less

valuable than other people – not a very nice feeling to have! Let's hear some

more views on the issue. Does this girl think it would be good to have more fat

women pictured on the covers of magazines?

Clip

I think it does matter. I mean, I don't want to be fat. Especially in magazines and things like

that, you never see, like, a big girl and if I do see a big girl on a magazine cover I would think

'Why did they put her there?' 

Entertainment – Fat or thin? bbclearningenglish.com

Page 3 of 3

Jackie: This girl doesn't want to be fat and says she'd find it strange to put someone fat

on the front of a magazine. What do this girl and this boy think?

Clip

I think it does matter but only, like, on a superficial¹³ level. Like, when you look at someone,

that's the first thing, I suppose that you notice - what they look like. But after that other things

matter. I think it's important to be healthy. It shouldn't be about weight, it should be about

health and happiness and other issues¹⁴ that are so important than what you look like.

You shouldn't judge a person by his physique.

 

Jackie: Phew, so there are some people who think your weight shouldn’t be so

important. The boy said you shouldn't judge someone by their physique – you

shouldn't make decisions about what a person is like based on their body – their

physique. The girl said it only matters on a 'superficial level', it's not really

important. Listen again.

(repeat clip)

Jackie: Well, I have to say, I agree with those last views– life is too short to spend it

worrying about what people look like! Let's finish with a recap of some of the

language that came up. We talked about 'a culture of…', which means a set of

shared beliefs or attitudes about something. 'Socially inept' is an expression to

describe someone who doesn't really fit in and is bad at personal relationships.

'To be driven by something' means to be encouraged by or caused by it. 'A

second class citizen' is someone who is seen as less valuable than other people.

If something only matters on a 'superficial level', it doesn't really matter much.

'To judge' someone is to make a decision about what they are like. And your

'physique' is the size and appearance¹⁵ of your body. That's all for now, but keep

practising your English and finding out more about the world around you with

 

1 issue   

n.出版，发行，（报刊等）期、号，论点，问题，结果， （水，血等的）流出；vt.使流出，放出，发行（钞票等），发布（命令），出版（书等）发给；vi.发行，流出，造成...结果，进行辩护，传下

参考例句：

• I bought the book the day after its issue.这书出版后的第一天，我就去买了它。
• I'll support her down the line on that issue.在那个问题上我将全力支持她。

2 media   

n.(medium的复数)媒体，新闻媒介，传播媒介

参考例句：

• The local media reported rioting across the country.当地媒体报道了全国范围的骚乱。
• His latest movie is being hyped up by the media.他新近的电影正被媒体大肆炒作。

3 separates   

n.可搭配穿着的女服v.分开( separate的第三人称单数 )；（使）分离；区分；隔开

参考例句：

• A chasm separates my generation from my parents'. 分歧使我这一代人不同于我父母那一代。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Bering StraIt'separates Asia and America. 白令海峡隔开了亚洲和美洲。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 context   

n.背景，环境，上下文，语境

参考例句：

• You can always tell the meaning of a word from its context.你常可以从上下文中猜出词义来。
• This sentence does not seem to connect with the context.这个句子似乎与上下文脱节。

5 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

6 contexts   

上下文( context的名词复数 )； 背景； 投资环境； 设备场境

参考例句：

• Even seemingly innocuous words are offensive in certain contexts. 甚至看似毫无恶意的言辞在某些语境下都会引起冒犯。
• Handheld devices are used in a variety of specific contexts. 手持设备会用在各种各样的具体情境下。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

8 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。

9 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。

10 inept   

adj.不恰当的，荒谬的，拙劣的

参考例句：

• Whan an inept remark to make on such a formal occasion.在如此正式的场合，怎么说这样不恰当的话。
• He's quite inept at tennis.他打网球太笨。

11 clip   

n.夹子，别针，弹夹，片断；vt.夹住，修剪

参考例句：

• May I clip out the report on my performance?我能把报道我的文章剪下来吗？
• She fastened the papers together with a paper clip.她用曲别针把文件别在一起。

12 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

13 superficial   

adj.肤浅的，浅薄的，表面的

参考例句：

• He has a superficial knowledge of this subject.他对这门学科略知皮毛。
• A superficial injury is not serious.表面的伤不太严重。

14 issues   

（水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题

参考例句：

• Let's start with the more easily addressable issues. 我们先从较容易处理的问题着手。
• Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter issues of politics. 就业和征税是很重要的政治问题。

15 appearance   

n.出现，露面；容貌

参考例句：

• In appearance, he was a little like his father.他看起来有点像他的父亲。
• She was a young woman of good appearance.她是一位年轻貌美的女子。