2009年ESL之就医和人际交往16 Getting Plastic Surgery_在线英语听力室

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16 Getting Plastic Surgery

GLOSSARY

plastic surgery / cosmetic surgery – one of many medical procedures that

involves cutting into one’s skin to make one more attractive or beautiful

* She’s thinking about having plastic surgery to make her nose smaller.

to go under the knife – to have surgery; to have a medical procedure that

involves cutting into one’s skin

* After the car accident, Kashif had to go under the knife three times for his knee

and shoulder injuries.

wrinkle – a small fold or line in one’s skin, usually caused by age and sun

damage

* Norah looked in the mirror and was surprised to see so many wrinkles around

her eyes.

sagging – hanging down and stretched longer than something shouldbe

* Jim’s pants are sagging. I think it’s because he has lost over 50 pounds in the

past year.

Botox – a chemical substance that is injected into the skin on one’s face to

reduce the appearance of wrinkles, making the skin smoother

* Have you considered using Botox to get rid of the lines on your forehead?

facelift – a surgical procedure that removes loose skin on one’s face,making

one’s face look younger

* I wonder what percentage of movie stars have facelifts as they start to get

older?

tummy tuck – a surgical procedure that cuts away unwanted fat and skin on

one’s abdomen (belly) to make one look thinner

* Janice decided to get a tummy tuck so that she’d look better in her swimsuit.

plastic surgeon – a medical professional who does surgeries to improve

people’s physical appearance, even if there are no healthbenefits

* Lana became a plastic surgeon to help people with face injuries.

liposuction – a surgical procedure that removes unwanted fat from one’s

abdomen (belly) by using suction, pulling the fat out of one’s body

* Mohamed was overweight and had liposuction, but he continued to eat too

much food, so within a year he had a big belly again.

nose job – a surgical procedure to change the shape of one’s nose, usually to

make it smaller or straighter

* I hate my big nose! Do you think I should get a nose job?

to go all out – to do 100% of something; to do all of something, not missing or

skipping anything; to do something to an extreme; to try very hard to do

something

* They went all out for their wedding, inviting more than 500 guests and serving

them the best food and wine available.

breast implants – bags of silicone that are placed inside a woman’s breasts

through a surgical procedure to make her breasts bigger

* Do men think women with breast implants are more attractive?

to go off the deep end – to go crazy; to stop thinking or acting realistically or

normally

* When Shelby saw how inexpensive stocks were, she went off the deep end and

spent all her money on stocks, not realizing how risky the investment was.

dead serious – extremely serious; not joking; speaking the truth

* At first we thought he was joking about wanting to start his own business, but

now we realize he was dead serious.

over-the-hill – old; past the best part of one’s life

* On Hal’s 50th

birthday, his employees decorated his office with balloons that

read “over-the-hill.”

Barbie doll – a children’s toy; a small plastic doll that looks like a very beautiful

woman, with large breasts, a small waist, and wide hips;a woman who works

hard to make her body perfect

* Yevgeny won’t let his daughter play with Barbie dolls because he thinks it will

make her unhappy with her own body.

(something) and all – a phrase used to emphasize that something is included in

the discussion

* It’s time that we got rid of all this stuff we neveruse, CDs and all.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Which of these treatments doesn’t require going under the knife?

a) A Botox injection.

b) A facelift.

c) A tummy tuck.

2. Which of these treatments would an overweight person be most interested in?

a) Liposuction.

b) A nose job.

c) Breast implants.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

sagging

The word “sagging,” in this podcast, means hanging down and stretched longer

than something should be: “Have you noticed the sagging skin around my eyes?”

Something that is “sagging” can also be weak or slow: “Weneed to find out why

our company’s sales have been sagging.” As a verb, “to sag” means to be pulled

down by something heavy: “The tree branches are sagging under the weight of

so many apples.” The verb “to sag” can also mean to sit heavily, deep into a

chair, especially when one is tired: “He sagged into his favorite chair at the end of

the long day.” Finally, the acronym “SAG” represents theScreen Actors’ Guild,

which is a professional group for American actors and actresses who work in

television and the movies: “Are you a member of SAG?”

to go all out

In this podcast, the phrase “to go all out” means to do 100% of something, not

missing or skipping anything, or to do something to an extreme: “They went all

out decorating their daughter’s room. Absolutely everything is pink!” The phrase

“to go out” means to leave one’s home to do something:“Do you go out most

Friday nights?” Or, “I’m going out to get some milk.”The phrase “to go out with

(someone)” means to date someone or to have a romantic relationship with

someone: “Did you hear that Charity is going out with Albert?” Finally, the

phrase “to go into (something)” means to begin working in a certain field or to

start a certain type of business: “Why did you decide to gointo car sales?” Or,

“Do you think our company should go into the book publishing business?”

CULTURE NOTE

Doctors have to meet many “requirements” (things that must be done) before

they can “practice” (work as doctors) in the United States. They have to

complete a certain amount of general education, general medical education, and

education in their “specialty” (an area of specialization, or the type of medicine a

doctor focuses on). Doctors also have to complete a “residency” (a period of

time where a new doctor works under the close supervision of another, more

experienced doctor).

Many “boards” (professional organizations) “certify” (officially say that someone

has met specific requirements) that someone has met published standards in

particular specialties. These are usually a combination ofeducation and

experience, as well as an exam. When the doctor has been certified by a board,

we say that he or she is “board certified.” Certification usually lasts only a few

years, so the doctors must recertify. This may require courses for “continuing

education” (education after one has already earned thedegree) and additional

exams.

The American Board of Medical Specialties helps 24 different boards develop

standards for different medical specialties. One of them, the American Board of

Plastic Surgery (ABPS) certifies plastic surgeons in the United States. If you

want to find a good plastic surgeon, ABPS can help you find a board-certified

plastic surgeon in your area. Most people agree that working with a boardcertified plastic surgeon – or any other type of medical professional – is a good

idea. If you don’t select a board-certified doctor, you“run the risk” (accept the

chance that something bad might happen) of selecting a doctor who doesn’t have

enough experience or education to correctly perform the surgery or procedure

you need.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 511: Getting Plastic

Surgery.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 511. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in

beautiful Los Angeles, California.

If you go to our website, eslpod.com, you can download aLearning Guide for this

episode, an to 8- to 10-page guide that contains our vocabulary, definitions,

sample sentences, additional definitions, cultural notes,comprehension

questions, and, most importantly, a complete transcript ofeverything we say on

this episode.

This episode is a dialogue between George and Joan about “plastic surgery,”

when people have medical procedures (surgeries) on theirbody to change the

way it looks. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

George: What are you doing?

Joan: I’m looking through these magazines to try and decide which plastic

surgery procedures I should have next year.

George: You’re not thinking of going under the knife.

Joan: Yes, I am. I’ve always wanted to improve on the way I look, and I’m tired

of these wrinkles and sagging skin. I want to look 25 again!

George: That’s ridiculous. Nobody who is 45 can look 25.People who get

Botox, have facelifts, or tummy tucks look weird.

Joan: That’s because they didn’t go to the best plastic surgeons. I won’t make

that mistake. Help me decide. Should I get liposuctionand a nose job, or should

I go all out and get breast implants, too?

George: I think you’ve gone off the deep end. We’ve been friends for over 20

years and you don’t need any cosmetic surgery. You’re perfect the way you are.

Joan: You can’t be serious!

George: I’m dead serious, and if you get all of that plastic surgery, you’ll look like

an over-the-hill Barbie doll, and I’m not going to be seen in public with you.

Joan: What’s wrong with a little plastic surgery? I just want to feel better about

myself.

George: You don’t need plastic surgery to do that. You just need to spend more

time with me and your other friends who like you just the way you are!

Joan: Sagging skin and all?

George: What sagging skin?

Joan: I feel younger already.

[end of dialogue]

The dialogue begins with George saying to Joan, “Whatare you doing?” Joan

says, “I’m looking through these magazines to try and decide which plastic

surgery procedures I should have next year.” “Plastic surgery,” sometimes called

“cosmetic surgery,” is one of many different medical procedures that involve

cutting into your skin, usually to make you more attractive or more beautiful. If

you think your nose is too big, you may have plastic surgery tomake your nose

smaller. My wife thinks my mouth is too big, so she wants me to have plastic

surgery to make it smaller!

Joan is interested in plastic surgery, which is very popular especially in cities like

Los Angeles where everyone is trying to look beautiful, especially those who are

on television or the movies. I, of course, am on a podcast, so you can guess

how ugly I am!

George says, “You’re not going under the knife.” The expression “to go under

the knife” means to have surgery; not plastic surgery exclusively, it could be any

kind of surgery. If you had a car accident you might have to have surgery, where

the doctor cuts open your body. That’s going under the knife. Plastic surgery is

just one type of surgery.

Joan says, “Yes, I am. I’ve always wanted to improve on theway I look (to make

myself look better), and I’m tired of these wrinkles and sagging skin.” “Wrinkles”

are small lines (or folds, we might call them) in your skin, usually caused by age.

As you get older, you have more wrinkles. They may also be caused by sun

damage. People who like to go out into the sun and get a tan so they look

younger, well, the problem is later in life then you have even more wrinkles and

you look even older. “Sagging skin” is skin that hangs down; it is not as tight as it

used to be. It would be, for example, loose skin on your face, rather than having

your skin that was tight, as you would see among younger people. Not me,

people who are really young! The word “sag” (sag) has several different

meanings in English; take a look at that Learning Guidefor some additional

explanations.

Joan says, “I want to look 25 again.” George says, “That’s ridiculous. Nobody

who is 45 can look 25.” That’s true; I’m 45 and I willnever look 25. In fact, even

when I was 25, I didn’t look 25! George says, “People who get Botox, have

facelifts, or tummy tucks look weird (look strange).” “Botox” (Botox) is a chemical

substance that is injected or put into your skin on your faceso that you have

fewer wrinkles. It makes your skin smoother. It also makes your skin unable to

move so that when you smile or try to have some expressionon your face, your

skin just stays the way it is; it doesn’t move. It looks very strange. It’s very

popular among a lot of people here in Hollywood; they get Botox, especially

women, but not just women. “To have a facelift” (one word) is to remove lose

skin on your face, making it tighter. The idea is to try to make you look younger.

A “tummy tuck” is a surgical procedure that cuts away fat and skin from your

abdomen – from what we call your tummy, which is in the middle part of your

body. The idea of a tummy tuck is to make you look thinner.

Joan says that people who get Botox, have facelifts, or tummy tucks look weird

because they don’t go to the best plastic surgeons. A “surgeon” is someone who

does surgery. A “plastic surgeon” is a medical doctor who does surgeries that

make people look better or younger. Joan says, “I won’t make that mistake (I

won’t go to any thing but the best plastic surgeons).” If you ever are in Los

Angeles and you pick up one of the weekly entertainment magazines or

newspapers, which are often distributed for free at coffee shops and restaurants,

you can open up the newspaper or magazine and you can see advertisements

from doctors who are plastic surgeons. It’s sort of funny;they’re so popular here

in Los Angeles that they advertise in the newspaper. Usually, the advertisement

has a beautiful woman in a bikini who has a very – how should we say – large

top of her body and a very small bottom of her body, obviously the result of

plastic surgery.

Joan says, “Help me decide (meaning help me make a decisionGeorge).

Should I get liposuction and a nose job, or should I go all out and get breast

implants?” “Liposuction” is a type of plastic surgery that removes unwanted fat

from your belly – your abdomen, your tummy. It pulls thefat out of your body so

that you look less fat. The “nose job” is when you get surgery to make your nose

smaller or to make it have a different shape. The expression “to go all out”

means to do 100 percent of something, to do everythingpossible, to go to the

extreme, to try very hard to do something. These are all meanings of “to go all

out.” “They’re going to go all out on their wedding,” they’re going to invite 500

people and spend 50,000 dollars – they’re going to go all out. “To go out” has

several different meanings in English; take a look at the Learning Guide for some

additional explanations of that phrasal verb.

So, Joan is wondering if she should go all out and getbreast implants. “To

implant (something)” is to put something underneath your skin or in your body.

“Breast implants,” for women usually, are when the woman’s breasts (her chest;

the top front of her body) are changed, usually madebigger by putting in little

bags of a type of plastic – of silicone. When I was talking about the

advertisements for the plastic surgeons in the newspapers in Los Angeles, well,

usually those are of women in bikinis who have breast implants.

George says to Joan, “I think you’ve gone off the deep end.” “To go off the deep

end” means to go crazy, to stop being realistic. George says, “We’ve been

friends for over 20 years and you don’t need any cosmetic surgery.” Remember,

cosmetics surgery is the same as plastic surgery. “You’re perfect the way you

are.” Joan says, “You can’t be serious (meaning you’re kidding, right?)!”

George says, “I’m dead serious.” When someone says they’re “dead serious,”

they’re saying they’re very serious, they’re extremely serious, they’re not joking

at all. George says, “if you get all of that plastic surgery, you’ll look like an overthe-hill Barbie doll.” There’s two expressions there: first, “over the hill” means

old; it’s an informal expression, somewhat of a negative expression. If somebody

says, “You’re over the hill,” they mean that you have already gotten to the top of

your life, and now you’re on the second part of your life. You’re old, in other

words. That’s what my nieces and nephews tell me, I’m over the hill: “You’re

over the hill Uncle Jeff!” A “Barbie doll” is a child’s toy, usually a young girl’s toy.

It’s a small doll that has, usually, blonde hair. It’s been around for several years,

since probably the middle part of the 20th

century. They’re very popular. Usually

they are dolls that are very beautiful women with large breasts and a small waist

– a small bottom. George says, “I’m not going to be seen in public with you.”

Joan says, “What’s wrong with a little plastic surgery? I just want to feel better

about myself.” And, of course, that’s one unfortunate reason why some women

have plastic surgery, I think. George says, “You don’t needplastic surgery to

(feel better about yourself). You just need to spend more time with me and your

other friends who like you just the way you are!” Joan says, “Sagging skin and

all?” The phrase “and all” is used to emphasize that something is included in the

discussion. It would be another way of “even my sagging skin.” George says,

“What sagging skin?” Joan says, “I feel younger already,” meaning telling me

that makes me feel younger.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.