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
If you're just joining us, we are talking about the importance of taking a
vacation.
It is very important to take vacations for your health.
It helps you have a healthier life.
And studies have shown that it corresponds to having a healthier heart.
And many countries in Europe also have required minimum numbers of vacation days
for their employees so that they get their vacation time.
Well, we hope that you will continue reading and enjoying the rest of this
lesson with us in the next section.
(Music).
Vacations Are Good for You.
Other studies indicate that people who take time to relax usually have lower
blood pressure.
They also have lower levels of stress hormones and thinner waists!
And let's not overlook the happiness that vacations bring.
One survey studied people's feelings about spending money.
Most were happier spending money on experiences like vacations than on
possessions.
Perhaps this is because they continued to share the memories with others.
Vacations keep you healthy, happy, and can help build relationships, especially
if you take them with family.
So what are you waiting for?
Take one this summer!
Well, that sounds like a great idea.
If you weren't planning on taking a vacation yet, now maybe you can start
planning one.
Let's go to the beginning of this section.
Other studies indicate that people who take time to relax usually have lower
blood pressure.
So we've been learning from different studies here that show that vacations are
healthy for you.
They are good for you.
And if you go on vacation, you might have lower blood pressure.
And usually we think of having lower blood pressure as being a good thing
because if your blood pressure is too high,
it can lead to a lot of very serious health problems.
If you don't know your blood pressure, I would recommend that you go see a
doctor or a nurse, and have them check it for you.
I agree.
It is good to take time to relax.
We're finding out about people that take time to relax, they also have lower
levels of stress hormones and thinner waists.
Well, I think that's something that many people want - thinner waists, and lower
stress hormones, too.
That's right.
And let's not overlook the happiness that vacations bring.
So "overlook" is a word from our Word Bank.
If you overlook something, then you ignore it or you don't look at it.
That's right.
You don't really think about it or take it into consideration.
Sometimes people feel overlooked.
Everyone is thought about...
Everyone thinks about somebody, but they don't think about you.
And you feel overlooked.
Does that ever happen to you?
Well, I certainly hope not.
And it's important not to overlook happiness when you're talking about vacations
because vacations can make you very happy.
What does the next sentence tell us about this, Gabe?
Well, one survey studied people's feelings about spending money.
Most were happier spending money on experiences like vacations than on
possessions.
Another greater reason to take a vacation.
Well, let's take a look at that word from our Word Bank.
It is "possession." Your possession is something that you own, or your
possessions are the things that you own.
That's right.
And many people focus on possessions or they focus on buying things and having
things.
But the article here tells us that possessions are not really what people value
according to this survey.
They found that spending money on experiences was more rewarding or made them
happier than spending money on possessions.
Well, I think I would agree with this statement.
And we see a sentence here that describes this... or explains it:
Perhaps this is because they continued to share the memories with others.
So you might share memories with friends or family.
At any rate, you're sharing memories with people when you go on vacation with
them.
That is very valuable, more valuable than a lot of possessions.
You could also share those memories with the people that you talk to by telling
them stories about your vacation or sharing pictures with them.
But if you have to spend a lot of money on possessions that you buy while you're
on vacation, that could be very stressful.
It's very nice to just share that experience with someone.
That's true.
Well, let's continue learning about this.
Vacations... uh, vacations keep you healthy, happy, and can help build
relationships, especially if you take them with family.
So there are so many great benefits to vacations.
They keep you healthy.
They keep you happy.
Why wouldn't people go on vacations, Carolyn?
Well, I think a lot of people worry about their jobs.
They worry about work.
And making time for vacations can be difficult, especially if you have a tight
budget, if you don't have a lot of money to spend.
But vacations are very important to your happiness and building relationships
with the people that you love.
So a vacation could be a very good idea and just the thing you need to do this
summer.
That's right.
So what are you waiting for?
Take one this summer.
I like that question there.
What are you waiting for?
You could use that question as well when you're talking to your friends.
You think something is a great idea, "What are you waiting for?" Go do it!
That's right, so.
What are you waiting for?
Start practicing your English every day.
Only 10 minutes a day, and you could have great English studying with us here at
studio classroom.
That's right.
That's a great way to use it.
Or maybe there's a concert coming up, and the tickets are selling out.
What are you waiting for?
Go and buy a ticket!
Here we're talking about vacations.
So what are you waiting for?
Take one this summer.
Well, what are we waiting for, Carolyn?
Well, I don't think we should be waiting.
We should be going to see Steve and Ken in the Information Cloud.
And then we'll join Michelle in the Language Lab to learn something with her.
In the modern American business world, there have traditionally been three ways
to take time off work and still get paid.
And they are vacation days, personal days and sick days.
For vacation days, employees schedule their time away from the office in
advance.
This helps bosses plan ahead, making sure the office isn't understaffed.
Personal days are intended for personal things like a doctor's appointment,
unexpected things like a death in the family,
or emergencies like when a child suddenly needs to go to the hospital.
OK. Next are sick days.
As with personal days, employees who are sick just call in at the last minute
and let the boss know they're not going to work.
But that's often inconvenient for the employer.
To simplify things, including record keeping, some companies have adopted the
PTO, or paid time off plan.
It's when all of the employee's time off is lumped together in one unit.
Some call it a time bank.
Right.
And employees can "spend" their time any way they want so long as they give
enough advanced notice.
The PTO plan saves a lot of headaches, but it, too, has its disadvantages.
Which we'll talk about some other time.
(Chinese).
(Chinese).
And now back to our lesson.
Well, now that you hopefully understand how important vacations are for your
happiness and for your health,
where are you going to go on your next vacation?
Have you started planning yet?
Carolyn, where do you think you'll go on your next vacation?
Well, you know, I try to think about spending money and saving money, and I
think my next vacation will be a staycation.
What?! What's a staycation?
A staycation, S-T-A-Y-C-A-T-I-O-N, staycation, it means that I'm going to take a
break and just enjoy being at home or just being in the city that I live in.
I'm not really going to go anywhere, just enjoy some time to relax.
Interesting.
I think I have heard of staycations before.
That's right.
You don't need to spend a lot of money to go somewhere on a vacation.
You could just have a staycation or do something that doesn't require as much
money, and then you can still relax.
I like that idea.
Well, thank you for joining us for today.
I hope you learned something new.
Remember to plan your next vacation soon.
And we will see you right here on Studio Classroom next time.