节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-03-28
难易度:High
关键字:strain, prop something up, ironic, indicator, ergonomic
Well, these two days we're talking about Text Neck,
which is this issue that people have when they're using their phones and bending
their necks over and they start getting pain in their neck.
And today we're looking at some helpful suggestions for avoiding that kind of
pain.
One of them is to stop placing yourself in an awkward position.
You should also take frequent breaks.
And if you're using a phone or a tablet, maybe you should prop it up.
Let's continue to learn about this issue today in this reading.
The Downside of Staying Connected.
There's an app for that!
For those who simply can't take their eyes off of their devices, there is an
ironic twist - downloading a special app could help.
Dr. Fishman has released an app called the Text Neck Indicator App, which
measures the angle of your smartphone.
When the angle is appropriate, a green light appears in the upper corner of your
screen.
But when the angle puts you at risk for neck strain, the light turns red,
triggering you to adjust your angle.
So go ahead and stay connected, but don't let your body - or your neck - stay in
one position for too long!
It is a good idea to keep moving.
Don't stay in one position for too long.
And at the beginning of this section we see: There's an app for that!
And we start by finding out: For those who simply can't take their eyes off of
their devices, there is an ironic twist - downloading a special app could help.
So this is a little bit ironic.
And we're going to explain this word "ironic" to understand the sentence a
little bit better.
It is a key word today.
If something is ironic, then you don't expect it to have the meaning that it
does.
Maybe it even means the opposite of what you expect.
Gabe, can you give us an example?
Well, yeah, actually there was a funny pin.
Some people like to put pins on their backpacks or bags.
And this pin says, "I hate pins." And the bottom part says, "But I love irony."
It's kind of ironic because they hate pins but they love irony.
So "irony" is the noun form of this word "ironic." It's irony.
It is ironic.
That's right.
Well, Nathanael, can you give us another example?
Well, it is kind of ironic that some of the most comfortable ways to place
yourself...
maybe if you're bending over like this, it feels a little bit more comfortable,
but actually it's causing more problems in your back and will cause you pain
later.
That's right.
You need to be careful with how you sit.
Try to sit up straight.
Well, it's also a little bit ironic because my sister is very good at math, but
I am not that great at it.
So it's a little ironic because we are sisters, same parents, but we are good at
different things.
Well, continuing on in our article we see that this app could help.
So it's a little ironic because the app is for your smart devices, for your
cellphone or your tablet, a little bit ironic.
Nathanael, how does the article continue?
It says Dr. Fishman has released an app called the Text Neck Indicator App,
which measures the angle of your smartphone.
So this app might actually be pretty useful even though sometimes a smartphone
is the problem for this kind of issue.
That's right.
And in this sentence we see another word from our Word Bank, the word
"indicator." And if something is an indicator, then it tells you some
information.
Usually we see this when we're talking about science.
We need an indicator of the results.
We need to know how to understand them.
Gabe, how else can you use this word?
Well, I think the cars... the lights on your car can be called "indicators" as
well.
If you need to turn left or turn right, you indicate to the person behind you
that you are doing that.
Those are called your indicators.
I also think about maybe a map.
Symbols on a map are indicators of other things in real life.
That's right.
Well, how else might you use this word, Nathanael?
Well, there's also the word "indication," which is kind of a different form but
also a noun of this word.
And I might say something like: If stiffness is any indication, maybe I should
start using this app.
Well, it could be an indicator that something is wrong and that you should
download this app.
Well, we see what this app actually does on your smartphone.
When the angle is appropriate, a green light appears in the upper corner of your
screen.
And we know a lot of things now.
A green light means "good" or "go" when you're driving.
But what happens when this angle is not good, Gabe?
But when the angle puts you at risk for neck strain, the light turns red,
triggering you to adjust your angle.
So maybe it's at a bad angle, and it will be red, so then you want to adjust the
angle.
And if something triggers you to do something, it means it gets you going.
It causes you to do something, or it reminds you to do something.
That's right.
And in our last sentence here we see: So go ahead and stay connected, but don't
let your body - or your neck - stay in one position for too long.
We saw earlier that doctors recommend you change your position about every 15
minutes.
Maybe you can try downloading this app to make sure that your tablet or
smartphone is at the proper angle for you to see,
so it doesn't put a lot of strain on your neck or your back.
Nathanael, do you think you might download this app?
Well, it might be necessary.
Sometimes I am in the habit of looking down at my phone, and I have been feeling
just a little bit of stiffness in my neck.
Maybe I need this little indicator in the corner of my screen to tell me that I
need to prop my phone up.
That's right.
Well, Gabe, do you think you might find any of this useful?
Hmm, I don't know.
I... I have no problems with the way that I sit or the way they look at things.
My neck is totally fine, Carolyn.
Well, I can see that, Gabe.
You might want to reconsider that a little bit.
But right now, let's go to the Info Cloud and learn a little bit more.
Then we'll watch a review skit and see Michelle in the Language Lab.
Hi, friends.
Can your arm fall asleep while the rest of your body is awake?
Yes, it can.
Maybe you've slept on your arm, and when you got up, you found that your arm
didn't get up with you.
It fell asleep.
This funny expression describes that strange and uncomfortable feeling - numb
body parts that feel like dead weight and you can't move them.
When your body is in an awkward position for too long, you put undue pressure on
something like your arm.
And this pressure does two things.
First, it squeezes nerve pathways, meaning muscles can't communicate properly
with your brain.
And this confusion generates feelings of numbness or prickly pain in part as a
warning that you need to move.
Right.
Secondly, the pressure can cut off circulation, stopping blood from delivering
oxygen and nutrients to muscles and nerve cells.
Compressed nerves and poor circulation can be very dangerous.
So it's important not to put your body in an awkward position for too long.
Right.
And by the way, after you move your arm, and it finally begins to wake up, the
nerves start firing again.
This is what causes the weird "pins and needles" feeling.
(Chinese).
Don't let your body - or your neck - stay in one position for too long.
(Chinese).
I see you're staying connected.
Yes. I'm making good use of my time.
True, but your body is paying a heavy price.
What do you mean?
Ow! Oh, my neck.
Oh... my shoulder.
A-ha! You have the symptoms of Text Neck.
Text Neck?
What causes that?
The overuse of hand-held devices while bending the neck.
Aw. It sounds serious.
It is. If left untreated, it can lead to permanent spinal damage.
Oh, no.
Should I get treatment or massage?
Physical therapy?
Maybe exercise?
Well, first you should follow some basic ergonomic principles.
Like what?
Avoid awkward positioning.
Don't strain your neck.
Oh, yeah. I'll stay aware of how my body is positioned.
Also, take frequent breaks when using your mobile device.
Yeah. I'll change my position every 15 minutes.
Good. When using your tablet, use a case that can prop up the device.
To be sure it's at a comfortable viewing angle?
Exactly.
Oh, and here's an ironic twist.
What's that?
These's a special Text Neck Indicator App.
Text Neck Indicator App? What does it do?
It measures the angle of your smartphone.
When you are at risk for neck strain, a red light triggers you to change your
angle.
Oh! Well, I'll download it right away.
Good.
It's just what you need to stay connected.
Yeah. Oh.
Ouch, my neck.
Oh, I hope it's not too late.
All right.
(Chinese).
And let's return to our teachers.
Well, the past two days we've been learning about the downside of staying
connected.
And it kind of makes me think about how popular it is and important to some
people to stay connected all the time.
Nathanael, what do you think about this?
Well, I think that it's kind of understandable that this might happen if you are
in the habit of doing that.
But I think this habit is unnecessary.
We spend too much time on our phones today.
I agree with you.
I think that people are being too connected, and they're not taking enough free
time to really enjoy what they do outside of technology.
What do you think, Gabe?
I think the same thing.
That's a funny sight when everybody at a restaurant is just looking at their
smartphones instead of talking to each other.
Exactly. Well, I hope that you have learned something from this lesson and that
we will see you again on Studio Classroom. Bye-bye.