CRI实用英语课堂 Unit 38 Body Building 强身健体

Part 1 Sports and Games 体育运动  

    What fun it is to jump into a pool or go swimming in a river in summer! How joyful 1 and relaxing it is to have a game of table tennis after a day of study at school! And how exciting it is to play or watch a close game of basketball or volleyball! All over the world millions of people take part in different kinds of sports. Sports are perhaps the most popular from of relaxation 2 that almost all can enjoy, whether boys or girls, men or women, young or old.

    Some people seem to think that sports and games are unimportant 3 things that people do at times when they are not working, instead of going to the cinema, listening to the radio, or sleeping. But in fact sports and games can be of great value, especially to people who work with their brains. They could not be treated only as amusements.

    Sports and games build our bodies, prevent us from getting too fat, and keep us healthy. But these are not their only uses. They give us valuable practice in helping 4 the eyes, brain and muscles to work together. In table tennis, the eyes see the ball coming, judge its speed and direction, and pass this information on to the brain. The brain then has to decide what to do, and sends its orders to the muscles of the arms, legs, and so on, so that the ball is met and hit back where the players wants it to go. All this must happen with great speed, and only those who had a lot of practice at table tennis can do this successfully. For those who work with their brains, the practice of such skills is especially useful.

    Sports and games are also very useful for character-training. In their lessons at school, boys and girls may learn about such virtues 5 as unselfishness, courage, discipline and love of one's country, but what is learned in books cannot have the same deep effect on a child's character as what is learned through experience. The ordinary school can not give much practical training in living, because most of the students' time is spent in classes, studying lessons. So what the students do in their spare time is of great importance. If each of them learns to go all out for his team and not for himself on the sports field, he will later find it natural to work for the good of society, for the good of his country.

    在夏天的时候跳进游泳池或河里游泳是多么有趣阿！完成一天的学习工作后打一场乒乓球赛是多么轻松愉快阿！参加或者观看一场势均力敌的篮球赛或排球赛是多么令人兴奋阿！体育运动大概是所有人都喜欢的最普遍的令人松弛的娱乐形式，不管男孩女孩，男女老少都喜欢体育运动。

    有些人似乎认为体育运动不是那么重要的事情，只是在人们不工作，不看电影，不听广播，不睡觉的时候才去参加的活动。其实，体育运动很有好处，特别是对那些脑力劳动者来说。体育运动不应该只是被当作娱乐活动来对待。

    体育运动能够增强人的体质，防止我们发胖，让我们保持身体健康。但是体育运动的作用不仅仅限于这些方面，体育运动让我们的眼睛、大脑和肌肉得到锻炼，促使他们更好地协同工作。比如说，打乒乓球的时候，眼睛看到球打过来，判断其速度和方向，马上将这个信息传给大脑。接着大脑决定怎么办，立即将命令传达给手臂、大腿等处的肌肉，结果球被击回到运动员希望它着落的地方。整个过程完成得很快，只有那些训练有素的人才能做到。

    对那些脑力劳动者来说，这样的技巧型运动特别有用。体育运动对人的性格培养也很有用。孩子们在课堂上也许对富有勇气，遵守纪律，热爱祖国这样的美德有所了解，但是从书本上学到的东西不可能像通过亲身体验了解到的东西那样对孩子的品质产生深刻影响。

    普通的学校不可能在生活方面给孩子们很多的实用技能的培训，因为他们的大部分时间都花在了功课上，所以学生们业余时间的体育运动是非常重要的。在体育运动中，不仅可以培养孩子们坚韧不拔的品格，还可以通过足球、篮球等运动培养他们的团队精神。

Part 2 Benefits from Sports 强身健体的好处  

Dialogue Script 1  对话原文 1  

Sam: Hi, Tina, how is everything in New York?
Tina: Couldn't be better. How are you? How is the family?
Sam: Everyone's fine. But actually, I'm feeling a little tired these days.
Tina: Yes, we're not getting any younger. Hey, you look heavier than you used to be.
Sam: Yes, I know. I want to lose some weight. Everyone gets older. But you look younger than ever. What's your secret?
Tina: There is no secret. I get more exercise than you. And I'm more careful about my diet. You should too.
Sam: You're right. When the weather becomes warmer, I'll do it.
Tina: No, you should start right now.
Sam: OK. I'll start today. Thank you for your advice.
Tina: That's nothing. And remember the most important thing is perseverance 6.

讲解：

1. 在对话中，Tina和Sam两个老朋友见了面，发现大家都有了一些变化，不同的是Tina越来越年轻，而Sam却日显老态，这是为什么呢？原来是Tina坚持锻炼和注意饮食的缘故。两个人见面后，Sam问Tina，在纽约怎么样，Tina回答 Couldn't be better. 好得不能再好了。就是说她对纽约的生活很满意。大家要注意这样的表达方式，因为整句话的意思是用一个否定的形式来表现的，很容易让人用错。

2. 比如说，It can't be worse. 就是说没有比这更糟的了，这是最差的了。记得我们以前还说过，It could be better. 意思就是说“还可以更好一点，还有改进的余地”，那么It could be worse. 就可以表示“现状已经很好了，没有变的更糟”。总之大家分清用的是肯定还是否定就好了。Sam抱怨说他最近总是觉得很累。Tina也表示同意，她说we're not getting any younger. 是说“我们大家都不再年轻了”。

3. Tina还发现Sam发福了，you look heavier than you used to be. 你比过去看起来重多了。注意，这里没有用fat这个词，因为在英语中fat是一个略带有贬义的词。Sam也意识到自己的体重问题了，说正想减肥呢。他还夸Tina比以前看起来年轻多了，还向她讨教保持青春的秘诀。

4. Tina告诉他并没有什么特殊的秘诀，就是多做运动，注意饮食。她建议Sam也这样做。这里的be careful about something表示“小心，当心，警惕”，例如：Be careful about what you say to her. 跟她说话可要小心，还可以是be careful with something，比如说：Be careful with glasses. 小心玻璃杯，不要打破了。He is very careful with money. 他用钱很仔细。

5. Sam很赞同Tina的说法，但是他想等天气变暖了，再开始体育锻炼。但是Tina建议他最好现在就开始。Sam决定今天就开始锻炼。Tina鼓励他说And remember the most important thing is perseverance. 记住最重要的就是要持之以恒。perseverance的意思是“坚持不懈，不屈不挠”，是从persevere 7 这个动词演变来的。persevere的用法是persevere at / in /with something，比如当你鼓励别人的时候，你就可以说You'll need to persevere if you want to succeed. 要想成功就要持之以恒。再来举两个例子，She persevered 8 in her efforts to win the scholarship. 她为了获得奖学金而不断努力。It's difficult, but I'm going to persevere with it. 难是难，但是我一定要坚持到底。 我们还可说persevere with sb，意思就是“不放弃某人”，比如说，He was hopeless at French, but his teacher persevered with him. 他怎么也学不会法语，可是老师还是坚持帮助他。

Dialogue Script 2  对话原文 2  

Susan: Why? Peter, you are sweating heavily. Where have you been?
Peter: I've just been to Fitness 9 Center to learn Jiewu.
Susan: What is Jiewu?
Peter: Jiewu is a newly emerged 10 way of keeping fit. It was introduced into China in 1999.
Susan: As I know, there are different kinds of aerobics 11, Latin dance, fox and so on. Why do you choose Jiewu?
Peter: Of all the kinds of body-shaping exercises I tried, I found that this class is the most interesting. I've enjoyed it a lot in gym room.
Susan: Oh, really, tell me more about it.
Peter: Well, Jiewu is using its music, its basic movements, and also its freedom for self-expression.
Susan: It sounds like an aerobics class.
Peter: Not exactly. The participants and the instructor 12 are dressed in their ordinary casual wear. Moreover, the music they use is not the dancing music that an aerobics class usually uses.
Susan: Is that the main difference from normal aerobics?
Peter: No, Jiewu is a lot more tiring. Even though I'm exhausted 13, I still enjoyed it.
Susan: Does it mean you feel like being tired out?
Peter: Ha, no. I think it is a good way to relax. And it is too challenging for me to follow the instructor through the motions, but I will continue to learn it.
Susan: Is there any age or one's skills level limit for entering?
Peter: No. In our class, the youngest student is 15 and the oldest is 50. And everyone can choose whatever difficulty level he or she wants to.
Susan: Sounds interesting. I'll go with you next time.

讲解：

1. 对话中Peter在跟Susan介绍街舞，也就是我们说的Street Dance，对话中直接用的是街舞的汉语拼音，也是可以的。Susan见Peter大汗淋漓，问他去哪了。You are sweating heavily.当中的sweat是作为动词，表示“流汗，出汗”，那么sweat heavily就表示“流很多汗，大汗淋漓”。比如说，The long climb made us sweat. 我们攀登了很远的距离，已经大汗淋漓了。

2. 关于这个sweat还有几个比较有意思的用法，在口语中，sweat有“处于万分紧急的状态”的意思，举个例子，They're waiting for my decision but I think I'll make them sweat a little. 他们都在等着我做决定，但是我想让他们先着一阵子急，就是说先不告诉他们这个决定是什么。

3. sweat over something 这个词组表示“辛苦工作”，比如说，I really sweat over my last essay. 我写上一篇文章可是费了劲了。还有短语sweat something off表示“通过努力锻炼减肥，减轻体重”，比如说，I sweated off ten pounds in a week by playing squash 14. 我每天都去打比球，一周后体重减轻了10磅。

4. 还有一个短语大家会用得上，就是sweat something out，意思是说，用发汗的办法治疗感冒、发烧等，估计大家都会有这方面的经验。I'm sweating the cold out. 就是说，我在发汗，希望能治好我的感冒。好，sweat作为动词的用法就讲到这了。接下来，Peter告诉Susan他去了健身中心练习街舞，健身中心就是Fitness Center。

5. 街舞是一种新兴的健身方式，在1999年被引入中国。可是据Susan所知，现在有很多种不同种类的健身操，比如拉丁舞，福克斯等等，Peter为什么会选择跳街舞呢？原来Peter试过了所有塑身运动，他发现街舞这个班是最有意思的。Susan很好奇，tell me more about it. 意思就是“再给我详细说说”，当你对别人说的话题很感兴趣的时候，就可以说这句话。

6. Peter解释说，街舞是用它的音乐、基本动作以及其他的自我发挥的随意形式来吸引人的。这在Susan听起来就像是一个健美操班，Peter说并不全是，Not exactly. 平时我们可以用Exactly表示“没错，完全同意”，当然也可以用Not exactly.来表示不完全同意。那么街舞和一般的健美操课有哪些不同呢？一是学员和教练的穿着都比较随意，还有就是他们用的音乐和平常的健美操课有所不同。还有一个最大的不同就是街舞会让你觉得更累。不过尽管Peter跳的筋疲力尽了，他还是很愿意跳，因为这是一个很好的放松身体的方式，而且街舞很具有挑战性，已开始的时候会跟不上教练的动作，但是练习一段时间之后，就会跟得很好了，街舞 跳起来也很cool。

7. Susan听了也动心了，想跟Peter一起去学街舞，Is there any age or one's skills level limit for entering? 想参加街舞班有没有年龄、跳舞技巧之类的要求呢？答案是没有，任何年龄段的人都可以参加，而且可以根据自己的需要来选择适合自己的难度动作，听起来不错，所以最后Susan打算去报名了。

Part 3 About Yoga 瑜珈  

Dialogue Script   对话原文   

Linda: You are always keeping up with the changes in fashion. I hear now you're warming up to yoga. How is it?
Tony: Marvelous! It's so much fun! And I especially enjoy the headstands and handstands.
Linda: But to the best of my knowledge, most enthusiasts 15 are women.
Tony: Yes, that's true. At the beginning, women go in for it mainly. But as its popularity 16 grows, men are becoming more receptive to the idea. As a boy, I liked to stand on my head. When my wife started taking yoga four years ago, I thought I should try it.
Linda: Why did you want to have a go?
Tony: Because my back was so stiff 17 and I couldn't sleep on my stomach any more.
Linda: It could not be an easy start, right?
Tony: Sure, the first few classes were tough, but I stuck with it. The first major effect I noticed was that I'd feel very relaxed after a class. I become stronger, more flexible and my posture 18 improved.
Linda: You must be used to it now.
Tony: I still find the physical side of yoga challenging; I also like the contemplative side.
Linda: It sounds interesting. And it calls for a great perseverance.

讲解：

1. 对话中Tony 在Linda讨论瑜珈这项运动。现在瑜珈是一种非常流行的健身方式，是一种既能保持身材，又能舒缓压力的方法。所以最近这项运动不仅受到女性的青睐，越来越多的男性也加入到了练习瑜珈这个队伍中来。

2. 瑜珈起源于印度哲学，在印度已经发展了数千年。现在，瑜珈是一组强调身体控制和修身养性的运动和静坐，是达到“天人合一”境界的一个有效途径。人要经过八个不同阶段的训练才能达到瑜珈的完美境界，这包括自信、信仰、体位，调息，节欲，内醒、冥想和三摩地，对瑜珈修习者来说，这些阶段是从身体到完美精神境界的进程。

3. 我们来看看Tony是怎样练习瑜珈的，Linda说 You are always keeping up with the changes in fashion. I hear now you're warming up to yoga. 你总是跟着时尚来变化，听说你最近又热衷于练习瑜珈，这里warm up大家都知道是“在运动、跳舞等之前做准备活动”。那么warm up to something就表示“喜欢上某事，更加喜欢某事”。

4. Tony说感觉非常好，他特别喜欢手支撑倒立和头支撑倒立，就是headstands 和handstands，是瑜珈的两种动作。但是Linda以为瑜珈只是女人们才热衷的运动，to the best of one's knowledge 表示“据某人所知”。enthusiast的意思是“痴迷于某事物的狂热者”。Tony说的确在最开始的时候，主要是女性热衷于瑜珈这种运动，go in for something/doing something表示“将某事物当作兴趣或爱好”，比如说，He goes in for a lot of sports. 他很喜欢运动。She went in for growing orchids 19 last year. 她去年开始喜欢种植兰花。

5. 但是随着瑜珈越来越流行，男性也开始接受这样运动。be receptive to something表示“对新的思想、建议等易于接受，接受得快的”，比如说，Young people are receptive to new developments. 年轻人对新事物接受得很快。Tony说他喜欢倒立这个动作。当他的妻子四年前开始练习瑜珈的时候，他就决定也要试一试了。Linda问为什么，她说，Why did you want to have a go? have a go at sth/doing sth表示“企图，尝试做某事”，例如，I'll have a go at mending your bike today. 我今天试试修修你的自行车。He had several goes at the high jump before he succeeded in clearing it. 他跳高时试跳了几次才跳过去。

6. go作为名词也可以表示“在游戏中轮到某人的机会”，比如说，Whose go is it? 轮到谁了？It's your go. 轮到你了。这里go 跟turn的意思一样。It's your go. 我们还可以说成It's your turn. go 还可以表示“精力，活力”，我们可以说She's full of go.她充满了活力。或者 She's got a lot of go. 这种用法在英式英语中很常用。还有一个在口语当中常用的短语，就是be on the go，意思是“非常活跃或繁忙”，I've been on the go all week. 我一整个星期都很忙。

7. 那么Tony当初为什么想试一试瑜珈这种运动呢？因为他的后背很疼，而且他再也不想趴着睡觉了。这里大家注意，sleep on one's back表示“脸朝上躺着”，是比较正常的睡姿，那么sleep on one's stomach就表示“脸朝下趴着”。Linda很同情Tony，说It could not be an easy start, right? 开始的时候并不容易吧。这里的start作名词，表示“开头，开始”。用法也是很丰富的，这里多举几个例子给大家，We won't finish the job today if we don't make a start right now. 如果现在不马上开始的话，我们今天的工作就做不完了。还有，I knew from the start the idea was hopeless. 我从一开始就知道这个主意行不通。start还可以表示“起始优势，优势地位，优先权”，比如说，They didn't give me much start. 他们没有给我多少优先权。He has a good start in business. 他在生意上起步时占了很大的优势。 

8. Tony说没错，第一节课非常困难，但是他坚持下来了。stick with something or someone，在口语中表示“继续支持某人或某事物”，I'm sticking with my original idea.我还是坚持原来的想法。Stick with me and everything is gonna be fine. 有事你来找我就行了。

9. 坚持下来以后，Tony觉得上完课后感觉很轻松，变得更强壮，更灵活，体态也好了许多。就是my posture improved. posture这里指“坐立或行走的方式”，比如说，我们夸奖一个女孩子举止很优雅，就可以说，She has very good posture. 再举个例子，Poor posture will give you backache. 坐姿不好会让人腰酸背痛。

10. 虽然现在Tony已经习惯了瑜珈的动作，他还是觉得瑜珈这项运动很有挑战性。他尤其喜欢静坐沉思的练习。the contemplative side. Linda觉得瑜珈听起来很有趣，但是也需要持之以恒，And it calls for a great perseverance. call for something这个词组表示“要求，需求或需要某事物”。比如说，---I've been promoted. ---And that calls for a celebration! ---我升职了。---那可要好好庆祝一下！