2015年ESL之就医和人际交往 08 Childhood Fitness

Childhood Fitness 

Mom: Hold it right there. Put that candy bar down. 

Justin: Mom, I just wanted a snack to tide me over. 

Mom: Don’t you remember what Dad said about this family’s need to improve our level of fitness? 

Justin: Only old people have to worry about getting fat. 

Mom: It’s not just about getting fat. 

Justin: But I’m just a kid. I’m in great shape. 

Mom: Childhood obesity¹ is a huge problem in this country. Even if you’re not overweight, people your age lead sedentary lives. 

Justin: Whatever that means. 

Mom: It means that you sit around all day as couch potatoes watching TV and playing videogames. In my day, kids went outside to ride their bikes, climb trees, and run around. 

Justin: I don’t have that kind of energy. 

Mom: Precisely²! You and your brothers are lethargic³ because you don’t get enough exercise. 

Justin: But exercise is tiring. 

Mom: That’s because you’re not fit. You have no stamina⁴ or endurance. 

Justin: I don’t need endurance. 

Mom: Stop grumbling⁵. It’s Saturday and you boys should be outside getting some fresh air. 

Justin: In Los Angeles? 

Mom: Are you smart mouthing me, young man? Get outside or you’ll all be helping⁶ me clean the house. 

Justin: We’re out of here! 

 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

2 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

3 lethargic   

adj.昏睡的，懒洋洋的

参考例句：

• He felt too miserable and lethargic to get dressed.他心情低落无精打采，完全没有心思穿衣整装。
• The hot weather made me feel lethargic.炎热的天气使我昏昏欲睡。

4 stamina   

n.体力；精力；耐力

参考例句：

• I lacked the stamina to run the whole length of the race.我没有跑完全程的耐力。
• Giving up smoking had a magical effect on his stamina.戒烟神奇地增强了他的体力。

5 grumbling   

adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的

参考例句：

• She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。
• We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。