节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-06-08
难易度:Medium
关键字:flunk, pass out, load, definitely, caffeine, boost, vibe
OK. Welcome back.
One popular energy drink has roughly a quarter cup of sugar per 16 ounce can.
I think that's equal to 8 sugar cubes, and you can check my math on that.
And if you've never heard about how bad sugar is for your health, go back and
review our April HEALTH article titled Sugar and Your Health.
OK. Let's jump back into our conversation with Amy's next comment on line 16.
Energy Drinks - Good or Bad?
In my opinion, they are very effective.
The caffeine in the drink gives me a little energy boost.
When I drink one, I don't feel tired or sleepy when I'm forced to study for
hours on end.
So you think they're pretty useful when you need to stay awake.
Definitely.
A lot of people in our class have been drinking them recently.
Energy drinks are so in style right now.
You should try one sometime!
Yeah, I've seen a lot of commercials for energy drinks on TV and in magazines.
The vibes are really cool.
But I've also read that they are extremely unhealthy.
(Music).
Well, are energy drinks good or bad?
We've learned that they have a lot of sugar and a lot of caffeine.
We said they are loaded with those.
Well, we know that's how you stay awake.
The sugar energy as well as the caffeine that stimulates your brain so you stay
awake.
But do they really help you study?
Hmm, that's the question Luke left us with before the break.
And Amy answers by saying: In my opinion, they are very effective.
So she says, "In my opinion..." This is a phrase we can use to say:
I don't know for sure, or it's not a fact all over, but from what I think, this
is what I think about, so in my opinion.
She says she thinks they're very effective.
So they work for her.
That's what she says.
"And the caffeine in the drink," she says, "gives me a little energy boost." Now
the caffeine is what's going to give you the most energy in an energy drink or
coffee,
and that could help give you a nice boost.
Now to boost something, it means to improve or increase something.
So it is increasing or improving her energy level.
So we can boost other things.
Maybe you need to...
You're feeling really sad and depressed, and your friend comes over and makes
you laugh.
They boost your energy, they boost your confidence by bringing some joy back to
life.
Yeah, to raise it quickly.
Now, Amy continues to say: When I drink energy drinks, I don't feel tired or
sleepy when I'm forced to study for hours on end.
And I know many of you sometimes are forced to study for hours on end.
That's right, and that's our Grammar on the Go sentence, so let's visit Liz.
Hi, there, friends, greetings from Toronto, Canada.
I hope you're all doing well today.
My name is Liz, and it's time for Grammar on the Go.
So we're talking about energy drinks in today's VIEWPOINTS article and whether
they're good or bad.
A lot of people question the benefits of energy drinks,
but there are many who really believe energy drinks are great,
especially for those who have to work for a long time and are feeling tired.
We read in today's article:
When I drink one, I don't feel tired or sleepy when I'm forced to study for
hours on end.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Notice the phrase at the end of the sentence: on end.
It's an idiom that means "continuously or without stopping." So today's sentence
just means:
When I drink an energy drink, I don't feel tired or sleepy when I'm forced to
study for a very long time.
This idiom is usually found in informal conversations when people want to
describe situations that continue for a very long time.
For example, Alice is depressed because it has been raining for weeks on end.
Or, Linda has been having trouble with her computer for days on end; I think she
should have it checked.
So give this idiom a try next time when you want to talk about how something has
been going on continuously.
And if you like to see some more example sentences, you can check out today's
Grammar Tip section in your Studio Classroom magazine.
That's all the time we have for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go signing off in Toronto.
Bye-bye.
Thank you, Liz.
So Amy says she gets a nice energy boost from energy drinks.
And Luke says: Well, so you think they're pretty useful when you need to stay
awake.
That's right. We know she needs to stay awake because she's studying for hours
on end.
Yeah, so, and like many of you, you might be forced to study... for hours on
end.
And if you're forced to do something, that means you are made to do it.
Someone is telling you that you need to do that.
Or you feel like you are not prepared enough and you have to stay awake.
That can be the other way that you're forced into studying for hours on end.
Amy says this definitely helps her.
She uses the word "definitely" in the beginning.
Now what does that mean?
All right.
The word "definitely" means "absolutely; without any doubt." So she says yes,
sure, the energy drinks do help her stay awake.
Now we see that that is a full sentence all by itself.
So it's an expressive way of saying it.
You would say, "Definitely," because you completely believe it without any doubt
that this is true.
Mmhm, that's right.
And so you use that word to express that.
Uh, but Amy continues to say, "A lot of people in our class have been drinking
them recently." So a lot of people...
I know a lot of you, maybe your friends, drink energy drinks.
And they're so in style right now.
That's right.
So if something is in style, that means it's very popular, people are using that
product a lot.
Now if you are a student and are studying late at night,
or you're professional and you work late hours and are up early in the morning,
energy drinks are very tempting.
Or even if you're an athlete, sometimes you are tempted by them.
She's so convinced that they're good.
She says that we should definitely try them.
You should try it once sometime.
Yeah, OK, so she thinks energy drinks are wonderful; they are in style; people
like them.
She thinks it helps her study, so she recommends that Luke should have some too.
But Luke continues saying now.
He says, "Well, yeah, I've seen a lot of commercials for energy drinks on TV and
in magazines." They are popular.
That's right. They are very popular.
We see advertisements for them all the time.
So we can... You know, we even think about some of the big brands: Monster brand
or Red Bull.
We all know that Red Bull gives you wings.
It's a very famous phrase that we know from advertising.
So we are familiar with them.
We know what they are.
Right. And he continues to say the vibes of energy drinks are really cool.
Now the word "vibes" describes the character or the mood of something.
That's right.
We can use vibes when we talk about music as well.
It gives me good vibes.
It makes me feel good.
It's a cool rhythm.
So energy drinks have good, cool vibes.
But I've also read that they're extremely unhealthy.
He's making a great point right here at the end of today's article.
OK, yeah, and this is, I think, the biggest problem with energy drinks.
So we're just now starting to get talking about this.
And we're going to continue talking about how healthy energy drinks are
tomorrow.
That's right.
But for right now, we need to jump on over and visit Ken in the Chat Room.
Hi, this is Bryan calling from the library.
Is Donna Jones there?
Oh.
If you see her, can you tell her to return The Joy of Cooking?
Yeah, it's overdue, and there's a person requesting it.
OK. Thank you very much.
Good-bye now.
Hey, Bryan, are you looking for Donna Jones?
Yes, one of the books she checked out is overdue, and someone wants to borrow
it.
She was in the library lately.
I saw her the other day.
She was?
Oh, if you see her again, tell her I'm looking for her.
Sure, of course.
Uh, Ken, you should have just said she was in the library recently, not lately.
Recently? Doesn't "recently" mean the same thing as "lately"?
Yes, they do have the same meaning, but they are used differently.
When we talk about a single action or event, we should use "recently".
So seeing Donna in the library was a single event?
That's right.
You just saw her one time, right?
Right. Just the other day. I saw her on the second floor.
So she was in the library recently.
OK. What about "lately"?
"Lately" is used with continuous actions.
Let's say, you've seen Donna in the library many times this past week.
Then you can say she has been coming to the library a lot lately.
So I can't say "recently"?
Well, actually, you can.
In this case, both "lately" and "recently" would work.
So from your perspective, what should you say:
I haven't seen Donna lately, or I haven't seen Donna recently?
Either one is fine because "recently" can refer to a single event or continuous
events in the near past.
The thing to remember is that when you talk about a single event that happened
in the near past, you can only use "recently".
Thanks, Bryan.
You know, I was eating a pizza recently and thought of you.
Yep, you've got it, Ken.
(Chinese).
Hi, everyone, I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And we're running out of time.
Don't forget to come back tomorrow.
Bye-bye.
Thank you, Michelle.
We appreciate those tips all the time.
So Luke leaves us with the thought that energy drinks can be extremely
unhealthy.
No doubt he's been reading stuff on the Internet that says energy drinks can
create or complicate problems like diabetes, heart attacks,
psychological disorders, and yes, even death.
Friends, what this means is you need to do more homework before you get into the
habit of getting your energy from a can.
OK. We'll continue this VIEWPOINTS discussion tomorrow.
Until then, have a wonderful day.