节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-06-15
难易度:Low
关键字:employee, correspond, overlook, possession, blood pressure, hormone
Hello, and welcome to Studio Classroom.
My name is Gabe.
And I'm Carolyn.
And thank you for joining us for today's lesson.
Did you know that vacations are good for you?
Well, yes, they are.
And that's the name of today's lesson: Vacations Are Good for You.
Well, I hope that you have had some good vacations in your life, some good,
memorable experiences.
Carolyn, what was one of your favorite vacations?
Well, I actually went on vacation with my uncle and my brother to Pennsylvania,
a state in the U.S.
And we went to a Christian concert for an entire week.
We slept there in a tent out in this field.
And during the day, we would go listen to speakers and music performed on
different stages throughout this huge area.
It was a really amazing vacation.
Well, that is a good experience.
Let's see, a vacation for me...
I've been on many vacations with my family to the southern part of Taiwan in
Kenting.
And we've been there... we used to go there almost every Christmas.
We had many great experiences and memories there.
I also went with some friends to Boracay in the Philippines.
As you can see, I love beaches.
Beaches make for great vacation spots.
So our lesson today is Vacations Are Good for You.
Let's learn how in our lesson.
(Music).
Vacations Are Good for You.
Taking a break may be the most important thing you do this summer.
Did you know German law gives all full-time employees 20 vacation days each
year?
Many European countries have similar laws.
That may be because vacations serve an important function: protecting people's
health.
Taking regular vacations corresponds to having a healthier heart.
One study says men who miss vacations are 30 percent more likely to have heart
attacks.
Another looked at women who take vacations every six years or even less often.
They're eight times more likely to have heart disease or heart attacks!
Well, those are some interesting studies that people are making.
Let's go to the very top of our lesson here.
We see a phrase there or a sentence: Taking a break may be the most important
thing you do this summer.
Of course there are many things you might need to do this summer.
You might have to work this summer a lot.
But taking a break could be the most important thing that you do.
That's right.
And we find out in our article:
Did you know German law gives all full-time employees 20 vacation days each
year?
Did you know that, Gabe?
Carolyn, I did not know that.
But I was so excited when I read this for the first time because I want 20
vacation days each year. Huh.
Well, anyway, we have a word we want to look at in that sentence.
It is the word "employee." We're talking about full-time employees in Germany
here.
And an employee is someone who works at a company.
So especially if there is a boss, that boss has employees.
That's right.
And we are the employees here at Studio Classroom.
Yep.
And we have many co-workers who are also employees here.
Well, if you are a full-time employee in Germany, then you get to have 20
vacation days each year, according to the law.
That sounds like a great idea.
Well, another word that is like this word "employee" is the word "employer,"
E-M-P-L-O-Y-E-R.
That's a boss.
So a boss might have many employees.
If you're a boss, how many employees do you have?
Which employee is your favorite?
Share that information with the other employees.
No. I'm just kidding.
Don't do that.
But think about this question in English.
How many employees do you have or talk about your employer.
Well, continuing in the article.
Many European countries have similar laws.
So not just Germany, but many countries in Europe.
That may be because vacations... serve an important function.
And what function is that, Gabe?
Well, the function or purpose is to protect people's health.
Protecting people's health is very important.
Let's take a look at a phrase in that sentence: to serve an important function.
This means that there is a purpose, there is a function, and you are helping go
toward that purpose or that function.
It serves that purpose.
So it is useful for a certain reason.
And you might say that smartphones serve the function of keeping us connected
with the world around us.
That's right.
That's one thing that smartphones do.
They serve that purpose.
Bees are very important in the world today.
Bees serve a good purpose in the world.
Or maybe you think something is really pointless, you can ask: What purpose does
that serve?
It doesn't really serve a purpose.
Or serve a function.
You can use "function" or "purpose" in that phrase.
Well, we're talking about protecting people's health by taking vacations.
And in the next sentence we see:
Taking regular vacations corresponds to having a healthier heart.
All right.
I like that information.
If you want to have a healthier heart, then you should take regular vacations.
This is good information, right?
Let's take a look at that word from our Word Bank: correspond.
This means it relates to something if it corresponds to something.
How could you use that word?
Well, you might say that the scientist's research corresponds with long-held
beliefs.
So the things that people thought were true corresponded with what the scientist
did his research on; and it turned out to be true.
All right.
I might also say that your grades in school correspond to your study habits.
Is that true for you?
The harder you study or the better you study, you get better grades.
I know it's not true for some people.
They're just... they're just smarter.
They don't need to study.
But usually grades correspond with study habits.
Yes, it is something that is usually true, but maybe not for everyone.
Regular vacations can help you have a healthier heart.
One study says men who miss vacations are 30 percent more likely to have heart
attacks.
Ooh, so if you miss vacations, if you just don't go on your vacations, then you
might have more heart attacks or would be more likely to have heart attacks.
This word "miss" here, it means that basically almost every company will give
their employees a certain amount of vacation days.
If you miss it, that means you just don't go on vacation at all any year.
That's right.
And another study - Another looked at women who take vacations every six years
or less often.
Now what did they find from this study, Gabe?
Well, this is scary information, Carolyn.
They're eight times more likely to have heart disease or heart attacks!
Ouh! Eight times more likely, Carolyn.
That is quite a big difference.
And maybe we should be thinking about taking vacations, Gabe.
Well, I think that's a great idea.
Maybe we should talk to our boss about that.
For now, it's almost time to take a break, but we're going to spend some time
with Liz in the Grammar Gym.
And then go and see Michelle in the Language Lab.
Hello, friends.
My name is Liz.
And thanks for joining me here at the Grammar Gym.
In today's article, we see this sentence:
They're eight times more likely to have heart disease or heart attacks!
Our focus today is on the phrase: more likely.
It just means greater possibility.
So when there is a greater possibility for something to happen, consider using
"more likely." For example, let's say Kevin doesn't like to go out.
So when he wants to go watch a movie:
Kevin is more likely to watch a DVD at home than to go to a movie theater.
Or certain studies have shown that more smokers die of cancer than non-smokers.
So we can say: Smokers are more likely to get cancer than non-smokers.
Now it's your turn to practice.
Think of something that has a greater chance of happening than something else.
Then meet with a friend and try using "more likely" in a sentence.
That's all the time we have for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
I'll see you next time.