节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-03-27
难易度:High
关键字:downside, symptom, spinal, massage, chiropractor, chiropratic
We often hear that it's a great thing to be connected, to have access to
technology that keeps us in touch with people.
But here we've been learning about the downside of staying connected and the
heavy price that some people are paying physically on their bodies.
And we're going to learn a little bit more about that in the next section even
though this could be a great way to make use of your time during your daily
commute to and from work.
(Music).
The Downside of Staying Connected.
Florida chiropractor Dean Fishman began noticing an increased number of his
patients complaining of neck and shoulder pain.
He traced these symptoms to the overuse of hand-held devices, specifically the
action of bending the neck,
and coined the term "Text Neck." As if the painful symptoms weren't bad enough,
Fishman warns that an untreated case of Text Neck could lead to permanent spinal
damage.
He founded the Text Neck Institute in an effort to treat and educate those
suffering from Text Neck.
Treatments offered there include chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage
therapy and exercise planning.
Well, thank God for Text Neck, we learned a lot here in this section.
We start out by reading: Florida chiropractor Dean Fishman began noticing an
increased number of his patients complaining of neck and shoulder pain.
Ooh. Well, this person is a chiropractor.
Carolyn, what's a chiropractor?
Well, a chiropractor is someone who treats illnesses or pain by adjusting parts
of the body through pressure.
And a lot of times they will be adjusting your neck or your spine.
Mmhm. OK. So they help maybe with back or spine problems - a chiropractor.
I've never been to a chiropractor.
But my back doesn't have many problems.
But I do wonder if maybe the chiropractor would tell me that my back has
problems.
Who knows?
Let's go right down to visit Liz in the Grammar Gym.
Hello, friends.
Welcome to the Grammar Gym.
My name is Liz.
Our TECHNOLOGY article talks about how the habit of looking down at your
smartphone or tablet could be hurting you.
We find this statement in the article: ... an increased number of his patients
complaining of neck and shoulder pain.
That's a more formal way of saying more and more of his patients are complaining
of neck and shoulder pain.
Now notice the pattern: An increased number of [something + verb-ing form].
So how do we use this pattern?
Think of a subject that does something, and there are more and more cases of
this happening.
For example, we can have an increased number of girls getting cosmetic surgery.
Or, an increased number of investors buying property in this part of town.
So friends, give this pattern a try.
And if you'd like to see some more example sentences, then check out today's
Grammar Tip section in your magazine.
That's it for today.
This is Liz from the Grammar Gym.
I'll see you next time.
Goodbye.
Thank you, Liz.
Well, we're learning about Dean Fishman before.
And he noticed that people started coming to him complaining about neck and
shoulder pain.
We continue here.
He traced these symptoms to the overuse of hand-held devices, specifically the
action of bending the neck, and coined the term "Text Neck." OK.
We have a lot to look at from that sentence.
The first thing we want to look at is that word from the Word Bank: a symptom.
A symptom of something is the outward sign of something, the outward sign of
maybe a serious problem.
So how else might you use that word, Carolyn?
Well, if someone is sick, you might ask them: What are your symptoms?
Does your stomach hurt?
Do you have a fever?
Do you have a runny nose?
These are all symptoms of a type of cold or maybe even the flu.
All right. I think of maybe having a fever.
If you're afraid you might have the flu, a fever is a symptom of the flu
sometimes.
It could be.
Nathanael, how else might you see that word used?
Doctors usually look at symptoms to determine or decide what kind of illness is
giving you your problem.
So it's very important for doctors to look at these symptoms.
And we find that Dean Fishman, he traced these symptoms to the overuse of
hand-held devices.
He traced the symptoms to that.
Carolyn, what does that mean to trace something to something else?
Well, you could draw a line from one thing to another or maybe follow some
clues.
He was trying to figure out why so many people were having these neck and
shoulder problems.
And well, if you're always looking down, it's going to put some strain on those
muscles.
That's right.
And so we find out that he coined the term "Text Neck." OK. We know what a text
is and your neck.
So Text Neck, that's kind of a problem.
But Nathanael, what does it mean to coin a term or to coin a phrase?
Well, in this case, to coin kind of means to create or invent.
When you're talking about a word or a phrase or a term, you coin it more than
you invent it.
All right. So you kind of invent this new phrase.
Now we know Text Neck, and we can think about Dean Fishman because he came up
with this phrase.
Well, we have more to learn in the Information Cloud.
Let's go there now.
Thanks to technology, we now have another physical ailment to worry about - Text
Neck.
Text Neck could be classified as an RSI, or Repetitive Strain Injury.
RSIs are injuries to muscles or the nervous system caused by repetitive motions,
forceful exertions or sustained awkward positions.
I can think of another RSI which also has to do with mobile devices.
I think I know which one you mean, Ken.
If you spend a lot of time pressing buttons on your smartphone or PDA, you might
develop an aching, throbbing pain in your hands known as blackberry thumb.
Yep, you got it.
OK. Our next RSI has nothing to do with electronic gadgets.
It's caused by one of the bestselling puzzles of all time, the rubik's cube.
And it's called rubik's wrist.
And it describes the pain caused by the repetitive turning of a rubik's cube
really fast.
Of course, the all-time classic example of RSI is tennis elbow.
It's the unscientific name used to describe an elbow that sore and tender
because of overuse.
And it's not just tennis players who get tennis elbow.
Swimmers, climbers, manual laborers and waiters can also get tennis elbow.
(Chinese).
Thank you, guys.
Well, continuing: As if the painful symptoms weren't bad enough, Fishman warns
that an untreated case of Text Neck could lead to permanent spinal damage.
Wow! This is something to take seriously.
Well, let's take a look at one phrase here from this sentence.
It starts out: as if something weren't bad enough.
You could say as if something isn't bad enough, like: As if the traffic wasn't
bad enough, everyone was late to the meeting.
How else might you use that phrase, Carolyn?
Well, maybe it's very cold outside, you might say:
As if the cold weren't bad enough, it just started to rain.
So you might feel pretty miserable in that kind of weather.
All right.
What's another example of how to use this phrase?
Well, as if my focus weren't bad enough, I just downloaded a lot of apps onto my
phone to distract my attention even more.
Right. So as if something isn't bad enough, something else might add to the
problem.
And Dean Fishman discovered that some people might have permanent spinal damage
if they are not careful.
Let's take a look at that adjective "spinal." It's from the Word Bank.
"Spinal" describes anything or talks about anything that has to do with your
spine, that line of bones down your back.
It's a very important part of your body.
How else might you use that word, Carolyn?
Well, going down your back with your spine is also your spinal cord.
And it connects to your brain.
So that is something that you really want to take care of.
You want good spinal health.
All right. That's right, because it's part of your nervous system, the spinal
cord.
Nathanael, how else might you use that word?
Well, inside the spinal cord or the spinal column is spinal fluid, which, of
course, is very important for the function of the body as well.
All right.
Actually, when I was a baby, I had a spinal disease, and it was actually quite
dangerous.
Of course, I'm... I'm better now.
I'm very glad about that.
No permanent spinal damage.
Well, we continue.
He founded the Text Neck Institute in an effort to treat and educate those
suffering from Text Neck.
All right.
Nathanael, how does the lesson continue?
The next sentence says:
Treatments offered there include chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage
therapy and exercise planning.
A lot of possibilities.
We want to talk about one word in particular; and that is massage.
"Massage" is a Word Bank word today.
And maybe you've gotten a massage before.
It's when someone kind of puts pressure on your back in different areas and rubs
your back, makes it feel better usually.
Sometimes I think it's a little painful.
How's a way that we could use this word, Carolyn?
Well, I do enjoy getting a massage.
And you can get a massage pretty much on any... any part of your body.
Have you had a massage before, Gabe?
Oh, my goodness, I love massages.
And unlike Nathanael, I do like hard massages.
Um, sometimes you can also call them "rubs," like especially a back massage
could be called a back rub.
And you don't need a professional person to give you a back rub.
Maybe just your friend can give you a back rub or a back massage.
Well, let's continue learning with Michelle in the Language Lab.
All right.
(Chinese).
And let's see what our teachers are up to.
All right.
We've talked all about the downside of staying connected today.
And I do wonder about other physical consequences to staying connected,
consequences besides Text Neck.
Carolyn, what do you think of?
Well, I think of staring at that small screen for long periods of time.
It can really affect your vision.
It can put a lot of strain on your eyes and lead to eye problems.
All right.
What other consequences are there, Nathanael?
Well, there can also be consequences in your hands.
When you're doing this or when you're typing too often, it can cause problems in
your hands.
All right.
And I... I think we've seen some videos on YouTube of people who were so
concentrated on their tablet or smartphone that they ran into things like walls
or fountains.
So you want to be careful to watch where you are going.
Thank you for joining us today.
We'll see you next time to learn more about The Downside of Staying Connected
here at Studio Classroom.
Goodbye.
Bye-bye.