节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-08-17
难易度:Medium
关键字:surgery, checkup, contact lens, permanent, prescription, laser
Welcome to Studio Classroom, everyone.
My name is Steve.
I'm so happy you've joined me today.
Well, our VIEWPOINTS feature this month asks the question: What's the best way
to improve your vision?
Well, for many centuries, people didn't have a lot of choices.
They wore glasses.
Record showed the first pair of eyeglasses was made in Italy in 1286.
600 years later, contact lenses appeared in Germany, and are today the choice of
millions who have poor vision.
Corrective eye surgery is now a popular option too.
So let's get started with today's lesson and learn about the pros and cons of
each of these on page 38.
(Music).
Glasses, Contacts or Surgery?
What's the best way to improve your vision?
Sue and Karen run into each other at an eye doctor's office.
Hey, Karen!
What are you doing here?
I'm having problems with my glasses.
I don't think they are strong enough anymore.
I need a new prescription.
What about you?
I'm just here for a checkup, but I plan to ask the doctor about laser surgery.
Really?
Why would you want to have surgery?
Glasses and contact lenses are just so much trouble.
I'd be really happy to get rid of them.
Hello, everyone.
Thank you for joining us.
My name is Ryan.
And my name is Kaylah.
And today we are in our VIEWPOINTS article.
Now we know when we discuss a VIEWPOINT, we are discussing an argument.
But this month is special.
We're not looking at two sides of an argument.
Instead we're looking at three sides of one argument.
All right.
So there are many different ways for you to improve your "vision" - that is the
way that you can see.
The three that we know of is glasses, contacts, and now you can get surgery.
So what's the best way to improve your vision, glasses, contacts or surgery?
Now Ryan, do you need glasses or contacts?
Actually, my eyes are OK.
I don't wear glasses, and I don't have contacts.
So I'm lucky.
Well, that is very blessed to have good eyes.
I actually started wearing glasses when I was in fourth grade.
So I've been wearing glasses and contacts for a very long time.
But let's decide what this surgery, this last option is.
What does it mean to have surgery?
All right.
Well, if you have "surgery," that is when a doctor usually cuts you open and
changes something inside your body to make you better.
On the eyes, that is when you use a special kind of light, called a laser that
you'll learn about later, that cuts your eye and makes it better.
That's right, so surgery would be to fix your eyes instead of having to use
glasses or contacts.
Now we're going to see this argument, this discussion, and see what we think
about the end of our debate here.
Now first we're joining Sue and Karen, they run into each other at an eye
doctor's office.
Now Ryan, that's kind of funny to say they run into each other at an eye
doctor's.
Yeah, a little bit.
Well, if they can't see, they'd probably run into each other literally.
But I don't think that's what we mean here, right?
No, that... We've talked about this phrase before when we talked about phrasal
verbs.
It means they see each other and they're going to have a conversation.
So let's get started into their conversation.
OK. So... so Sue says: Hey, Karen! What are you doing here?
Well, it kind of makes sense.
She's at an eye doctor's.
Karen says: I'm having trouble with my glasses.
I don't think they are strong enough anymore.
OK. Now I don't think she means that her glasses bend too easily.
I think she means that they are not good enough for her eyes anymore.
She needs a pair that helps her eyes better.
That's right.
Now the important part of your glasses is the lens.
The inside piece of glass is created to help you see better.
Now she needs those to be stronger.
Her prescription - we see here: I need a new prescription - needs to be better
to make her eyes see better.
OK. So she needs a new prescription.
Now friends, a "prescription," as we've learned a little while ago,
is when a doctor writes on a piece of paper and tells you what kind of medicine
or help you need.
So when we're talking about eyes, that means he tells you what type of lens you
need in your glasses or contacts or surgery.
That's right.
Now friends, we have talked about this word "prescription" before.
So you might remember from just a couple of days ago.
OK. So here Karen is asking Sue: Well, I need a new prescription. What about
you?
Well, what are you doing here, Sue?
Sue says: I'm just here for a checkup, but I plan to ask the doctor about a...
about laser surgery.
So she's just here for a checkup.
That means it's her time to go visit the doctor and have her eyes checked again.
Well, you can go for a checkup at really any kind of doctor.
Yeah. When you get a "checkup," that really just means that you're going to see
if you have any problems that need to be fixed.
So Sue already knows that she... she has glasses, but she's just going to see if
they're OK.
That's right.
A good way of saying that is to say it's a general medical exam.
Just to make sure she's OK.
But she also wants to ask her doctor about laser surgery.
Now Ryan, you mentioned laser earlier, so could you describe that for us?
Yeah. "Laser" is a light, but it's not just any kind of light.
It's a very narrow and thin beam that can sometimes get very hot, and usually
you see it when it's red.
That's right.
So you get these hot laser beams.
We're going to find out what laser surgery means.
All right.
So Karen says: Really? Why would you want to have surgery?
Well, Sue says glasses and contact lenses are just so much trouble.
All right. So Sue has glasses and contact lenses.
Now Kaylah, I know you are wearing glasses.
Are you wearing contact lenses?
I am wearing contact lenses.
Now contact lenses are the small, round, either plastic or glass pieces that are
transparent,
and you wear them in your eye to help your vision be better.
Now sometimes they can be a lot of trouble.
This morning I had one break, and it really hurts your eyes.
But they can also be a very good option as well.
That's true.
They can be a lot of trouble.
So Sue would like to really get rid of them and try something else.
Well, friends, join us after we visit the Chat Room.
Sorry to bother you, Ken, but did you lose a pair of glasses?
No, I didn't.
Is that the glasses?
Did you find it in the library?
Yes. I found them in the Reference section.
Bryan, why did you say you found them?
It's one glasses.
It's a pair of glasses.
Oh, I see.
So do glasses take a singular or plural verb?
Glasses are plural because the glasses actually refer to the two lenses covering
both eyes.
So they take a plural verb?
Yes.
However, they take a singular verb when you say a pair of glasses.
Oh, really?
There was a pair of glasses on the table this morning.
Why can't you say there were a pair of glasses on the table?
Because "pair" is singular.
When you're referring to the glasses individually, you say "pair of" plus the
singular verb.
What are some other phrases using "pair of"?
Well, a pair of jeans or pants takes a singular verb.
So I can say this pair of pants is expensive?
Yes. Or you could say those pants are expensive.
OK. So we just take out the "pair of" phrase and use a plural verb.
Right.
There is a pair of scissors on the table, or some scissors are on the table.
I see. Well, Bryan, I hope you find the owner of those glasses.
Me too.
For now I'll just put them in the library's Lost and Found.