2011年ESL之就医和人际交往 07 Walking or Running as Exercise（打印版）

2011年ESL之就医和人际交往 07 Walking or Running as Exercise（在线收听）

07 Walking or Running as Exercise

GLOSSARY

fitness – one’s level of physical health and strength; one’s ability to completephysical activities without great difficulty

* Vadim spends hours at the gym each week, because fitness is really importantto him.

to exercise – to do physical activities in order to make one’s body stronger andhealthier

* If we want to lose weight, we need to start eating better and exercising more.

psyched – an informal term meaning very excited, enthusiastic, and eager to dosomething

* Marleah is psyched about starting her new job at the hospital.

tennis shoes – comfortable shoes used to participate in sports and otherphysical activities, closed with shoelaces

* Lauren wears high-heeled shoes at work, but she carries tennis shoes in herbag so that she can wear more comfortable shoes while walking to the subwayafter work.

brand new – recently bought and never before used

* Why would you wear a brand new shirt to paint the house? It’s just going to getruined.

to break (something) in – to wear something, especially shoes, for shortperiods of time so that it adapts to one’s body and become more comfortable; touse something for short periods of time so that one becomes used to it

* Be sure to break your hiking boots in on some short walks before you go on anylong-distance hikes.

blister – a small, painful, raised area of skin that is filled with a clear liquid,usually caused by having something rub against that area repeatedly

* After raking all the leaves, Mariah realized that she had blisters on her hands.

to work up a sweat – to do a difficult physical activity that results in a smallamount of water on one’s skin, caused by the body’s efforts to stay cool

* It’s so hot outside today that we could work up a sweat just by walking aroundthe block!

to stretch – to move one’s body parts in unusual ways, pushing them as far asthey will go in a certain direction to make the muscles work and to become moreflexible

* If you stretch every morning, eventually you’ll be able to touch your toes withoutbending your knees.

to warm up – to do a physical activity gently or slowly for a few minutes,gradually increasing one’s heart rate and breathing before beginning moredifficult physical activity

* If we don’t warm up before playing basketball, we’re more likely to get injured.

heart rate – the speed at which one’s heart beats (contracts to move bloodthrough one’s body).

* His resting heart rate is 65 beats per minute.

to pick up the pace – to begin to do something more quickly; to hurry; to movemore quickly

* Let’s pick up the pace, or else we won’t get home before dark.

shin splints – a condition where one experiences pain on the front of one’s legbetween one’s knee and foot, often caused by running on hard surfaces and/orwearing shoes that do not have enough padding

* Shayna’s shin splints became so painful that she had to stop runningcompetitively.

low-impact – exercise that does not require hitting one’s body parts against hardsurfaces; exercise that is not very strenuous or difficult

* The doctor recommended low-impact exercise instead of running.

workout – a session or short period of physical exercise, especially when it issomething that one does regularly

* This morning Grant did a 30-minute aerobic workout at the gym, followed by 20minutes of lifting weights.

to race – to compete to see who can do something fastest, especially to see whocan run to a particular place most quickly

* Let’s race to see who can finish the test first.

ready, set, go – a phrase used to start a race, so that people prepare to dosomething when they hear “ready, set,” and then begin to do it when they hear“go”

* When I say, “go,” run to the fence. Ready, set, go!

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Why does Lars ask, “You haven’t broken them in yet?”

a) He’s surprised that this is the first time she’s wearing the shoes.

b) He’s surprised that she bought new shoes instead of used shoes.

c) He’s surprised that the shoes are still in good condition.

2. What does Reina mean when she says, “Pick up the pace”?

a) She wants Lars to run more quickly.

b) She wants Lars to take bigger steps.

c) She wants Lars to raise his legs higher.

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WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to break (something) in

The phrase “to break (something) in,” in this podcast, means to wear somethingfor short periods of time so that it adapts to one’s body and becomes morecomfortable: “Leather jackets are stiff at first, but once you break them in, theybecome more comfortable.” The phrase “to break in” means to enter a buildingwithout permission, usually to steal something: “Have the police caught the manwho broke into the store last night?” When talking about skin, the phrase “tobreak out” means for one’s skin to become covered in small red blemishes: “Is ittrue that eating chocolate can cause your skin to break out?” Or, “Hal’s skinbreaks out whenever he eats shellfish.” Finally, the phrase “to break out” canmean to leave a prison or jail without permission: “Some of the prisoners areplanning to break out next Thursday.”

to stretch

In this podcast, the verb “to stretch” means to move one’s body parts in unusualways, pushing them as far as they will go in a certain direction to make themuscles work and to become more flexible: “Taking a yoga class is a great wayto learn how to stretch.” The phrase “to stretch (one’s) legs” means to take ashort walk, especially after one has been seated for a long period of time: “It isn’tgood to sit in front of the computer for hours at a time. Why don’t we take abreak and stretch our legs?” Finally, the phrase “to stretch the truth” means toexaggerate or to say something that isn’t entirely true: “Raymond was stretchingthe truth when he said that he was an expert skier. The truth is, he has skiedonly three times.”

CULTURE NOTE

A “walkathon” is a “fundraiser” (an event designed to collect money for aparticular organization or purpose) where many people walk along a certain“route” (path). It is similar to a “marathon” (a race to run a long distance), but itisn’t “competitive,” meaning people aren’t really trying to be the first person to“cross the finish line” (finish a race by passing the final point). “Rather” (instead),the people in a walkathon enjoy walking along the entire route and supporting a“cause” (charitable purpose) they believe in.

Walkathons are often used to raise “funds” (money) for organizations that are“searching for a cure for” (conducting research to find a way to heal people whoare suffering from) a particular disease, or organizations that “promote”

(encourage) disease “prevention” (actions and behaviors that help one notbecome sick). Many of the participants walk as a way to remember “loved ones”

(relatives or close friends) who suffer from the disease or have died from thedisease, sometimes putting that person’s name and photo on their clothing forothers to see during the walkathon.

Typically, a person pays a “fee” (an amount of money) to register for thewalkathon. “Entrants” (people who participate in the walkathon) usually receive afree t-shirt that they wear during the walkathon. In other walkathons, entrantsask others to “sponsor” (financially support) them, perhaps by paying a certainamount of money when the entrant completes the race, or by paying a certainamount of money for each mile walked by the entrant. All the “proceeds” (moneyearned) are given to the sponsoring organization.

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

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 673: Walking orRunning as an Exercise.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 673. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com, you probably know that. But did you know we alsohave Learning Guides for all of our current episode on our website that you candownload? You knew that too, huh? Okay. You think you’re pretty smart, don’tyou?!

This episode is called “Walking or Running as Exercise.” Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Reina: Okay, I’m ready to walk my way to better fitness!

Lars: I’m glad you’re so enthusiastic about starting to exercise.

Reina: I’m totally psyched! Check out my new tennis shoes.

Lars: They’re brand new? You haven’t broken them in yet? I hope you don’t getblisters.

Reina: Stop worrying. Let’s go, I’m ready to work up a sweat!

Lars: Wait. There are a few things you need to know before we start. It’s agood idea to stretch and to warm up to avoid injuries.

Reina: I stretched already and as soon as we get started, I’ll warm up slowly.

Let’s go!

Lars: All right, here we go, nice and slow.

Reina: Come on! How are we supposed to increase our heart rate if we walkthis slowly? Pick up the pace!

Lars: I don’t want to get shin splints. It’s important that we start slowly andmaintain a low-impact workout.

Reina: Forget it! I’ll race you. The last one to the park buys lunch. Ready, set,go!

Lars: Wait!

[end of dialogue]

Reina begins our dialogue by saying to Lars, “Okay, I’m ready to walk my way tobetter fitness!” “Fitness” is the level of your health and your strength, your abilityto complete certain physical activities without a lot of difficulty. If you haveproblems walking up 10 stairs you may need to work on your fitness; you mayneed to exercise – to do exercises. Reina’s going to walk her way to betterfitness, meaning she’s going to help her health and her strength by walking;that’s her way – her method.

Lars says, “I’m glad you’re so enthusiastic about starting to exercise.” Toexercise,” of course, is to do some physical activity that will make your bodystronger or healthier. Reina says, “I’m totally psyched!” “To be psyched”

(psyched) is an informal expression meaning to be very excited about something,to be very eager and enthusiastic to do something. When it means this, it alwaysends in “ed” – “psyched.” The word “psych” has other meanings, which are notfound in our Learning Guide – not this one anyway. Reina says, “Check out mynew tennis shoes.” “Tennis” is a game, but “tennis shoes” are a kind of shoesthat you can wear when playing tennis but you can also wear them for othersports. It’s a type of shoe you would wear to participate in different physical orsporting activities, so it’s not just for tennis. When spoken normally the twowords run together so it sounds like “tennis-shoes.” Informally, you might evenhear someone talk about their “tennies,” meaning their tennis shoes.

Lars says, “They’re brand new (referring to the tennis shoes)?” “To be brandnew” means to be recently purchased; you bought them yesterday or thismorning. They’ve never been used before, that’s another meaning here of“brand new.” Lars says, “You haven’t broken them in yet?” “To break(something) in,” or “to break in (something)” is a two-word phrasal verb meaningto wear something, especially shoes, for short periods of time until your feet getused to the shoes, until the shoes begin to perhaps loosen up a little bit so that itisn’t uncomfortable to walk in them. So when you buy a new pair of shoes youmay wear them the first day for a couple of hours, the second and third day for acouple of hours until gradually you’re wearing them all the time, a little bit moreeach day. There are other meanings of this expression “to break in,” those canbe found in our Learning Guide. You see, those you can actually find in the Learning Guide! Lars continues, “I hope you don’t get blisters.” A “blister”

(blister) is a small, usually painful, raised area of skin that is filled usually withsome sort of clear liquid. It’s caused when you rub a certain part of your bodyagainst something for a long time. So if you’re wearing shoes that are too smallfor you, the shoes will rub against your skin and you will get blisters.

Reina says, “Stop worrying.” She’s not going to get blisters, that’s which she’simplying. She says, “Let’s go, I’m ready to work up a sweat!” The expression “towork up a sweat” means to do very difficult physical activity that will result or thatwill have the cause of water coming out of your skin. When that happens, orwhen you’re very hot, we say you are “sweating.” That’s what Reina wants to do;she wants to sweat – to work up a sweat.

Lars says, “Wait. There are a few things you need to know before we start. It’s agood idea to stretch and to warm up to avoid injuries.” “To stretch” (stretch) heremeans to move the different parts of your body – your arms and your legs, forexample – in sort of unusual ways so that the muscles begin to work, so that yourmuscles are more flexible. You might put your hands up in the air or put onehand against the other and start to pull. That would be stretching. You’ll oftensee athletes stretch before they participate in their sport. The theory is – and noteveryone agrees this is true – but the theory is by stretching you will avoidinjuries, meaning you won’t hurt yourself. For other meanings of the word“stretch” take a look at that Learning Guide. “To warm up” means to do aphysical activity gently or slowly for the first few minutes. So for example, if youare going to go running you may run slowly for the first four or five minutes untilyour body and muscles start getting used to what you are doing, and then youmay start running faster.

Reina says, “I stretched already and as soon as we get started, I’ll warm upslowly. Let’s go!” Reina just wants to start. Lars says, “All right, here we go,nice and slow,” meaning very slowly, comfortably. Reina says, “Come on!” Thatexpression, “come on,” when shouted at someone, can mean that you arefrustrated with them or it could mean that you want them to go faster. Reinaprobably has a little bit of both of those meanings. She says, “How are wesupposed to increase our heart rate if we walk this slowly? Pick up the pace!”

Your “heart rate” is the speed at which your heart “beats” (beats), which is theverb we use for the movements of the heart – the movements that the heartmuscle makes. “To increase your heart rate” means that your heart will startbeating faster; it will start working harder.

Reina wants Lars to pick up the pace (pace). “To pick up the pace” means tobegin to do something more quickly, to move more quickly, to hurry. Lars says, “I don’t want to get shin splints.” Your “shin” (shin) is the part of your leg – the frontof your leg between your knee and your foot. “Shin splints” is a condition whereyou experience pain in that part of your body, often caused by running on veryhard surfaces or wearing shoes that are not appropriate, that aren’t good forrunning. Lars says, “It’s important that we start slowly and maintain a low-impactworkout.” “Low-impact” is an exercise that doesn’t require that your body bemoving or jumping or running on a hard surface; it’s also a general term forexercise that isn’t very difficult, it’s sort of easier than doing other kinds ofexercise. The noun “workout” is a session or a short period of time of doingsome sort of physical activity, especially if you do it regularly. I work out Mondaythrough Friday by walking every morning; that’s my workout. Notice I also used“work out” (two words) as a verb, meaning to exercise. Here it’s used as a noun;it means that period of time when you are exercising.

So Lars wants to do a low-impact workout. Reina says, “Forget it!” meaning I’mfrustrated with you, I’m tired of you, I’m not going to do that. Reina says, “I’ll raceyou.” “To race (someone)” is to see who can run, in this case, the fastest, whocan do the activity the quickest. Reina says, “The last one to the park buyslunch,” meaning they’re going to race – they’re going to compete against eachother, and the last person to arrive at the park where they’re going in their run orwalk has to buy lunch. If you lose, in other words, you have to buy lunch. Reinasays, “Ready, set, go!” These three words are traditionally used to begin a race.

“Ready, set, go,” and then you begin after the word “go.” It’s sort of like “three,two, one,” but we use this expression, at least in American English, “ready, set,go.”

We’re not sure, in this dialogue, if Lars is lazy or Reina is not too smart and mayinjure herself!

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