Are plant-based substitutes healthier than meat? Neil Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. Georgie And I'm Georgie. If you've heard about Meat-Free Mondays or Veganuary, you probably know about a trend which an increasing number of people are trying – to reduce, or even stop, eating meat. This is often for health, animal welfare or environmental reasons. Neil Instead, people are getting their daily amount of protein through plant-based alternatives – meat-free sausages and burgers made using ingredients like soy, tofu or fungi, as well as tempeh, beans or nuts. Have you tried any of these plant-based meat alternatives, Georgie? Georgie Yes, I have. I have lots of vegetarian friends, so I've been to veggie barbecues, and have tried the plant-based sausages and burgers. I quite like them as long as they're covered in sauce. What about you? Neil Yeah, I think I agree. They're fine. There's a reason for them, but I'm not sure they're as good as the real thing. Now, with processed meat being linked to diseases like diabetes and cancer, most doctors agree that plant-based options are healthier. But some people are worried about how plant-based alternatives are made, including radio listener, Graham Glover, who asked this question to BBC Radio 4 programme, Sliced Bread: Graham Glover Well, my question is – looking at these vegetable sausages, how they are processed, full of additives and flavourings and colourings – are they any healthier than a pork sausage? Georgie In this episode, we'll be finding out whether plant-based foods really are a healthier alternative to meat. And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases. Neil But now I have a question for you, Georgie. Listener Graham loves eating sausages, but do you know which of the following words means 'sausages' in British English slang? Is it: a) booze, b) banger, or c) brunch? Georgie So, I actually know the answer to this question, so I'm not going to say. Otherwise, it will spoil it for our listeners. Neil OK. Well, we'll all find out at the end of the programme. Although most research agrees that plant-based foods are healthier than meat, it's also true that meat-free products are processed. To make meat-free sausages, for example, after the proteins are broken down, flavourings and colourings are added to reproduce the taste or texture of meat. Quorn, one of the best-known brands of meat-free products, uses mycoprotein, a fungi-based protein similar to the fungi used in the fermentation of yoghurt and bread. Georgie So, what does listener Graham think? Let's find out as he talks to Greg Foot, presenter of BBC Radio 4's Sliced Bread: Greg Foot Graham, listening to all this, you know, normally a fan of a meat sausage – you're plant-based, meat-alternative sausage curious, that we're exploring today – what do you think about hearing about the sources of where they come from? What's your gut reaction to hearing that Quorn comes from a fungus? Graham Glover I have no problems with that… it's just another form of protein, as far as I'm concerned – it's what's the healthiest. Greg Foot Yes, we will get to health. I think that's the big conversation for today. Neil Greg asks Graham for his gut reaction. Your gut reaction is your opinion based on your initial feeling or instinct about something. It can't be explained logically. Georgie Actually, Graham doesn't mind that his sausage protein is a fungus, as long as it's healthy. He uses the phrase, as far as I am concerned, to indicate that he is giving his own opinion on the subject. Neil Of course, healthy eating is important, but there are other factors influencing whether meat lovers like Graham could be persuaded to try plant-based alternatives. These include things like the taste, colour and texture of the sausage – in other words, whether a plant-based sausage looks and feels like real meat. Here's Greg discussing this point for BBC Radio 4 programme, Sliced Bread: Greg Foot It's interesting, isn't it? Because my mum is a long-time veggie, and we were talking about this, and she says, "I don't want my, you know, alternative proteins to resemble meat." That's one of the reasons she says she doesn't eat meat. But you, Graham, you said you do want your plant-based sausage to resemble a pork sausage. Graham Glover Yeah, I've always been a meat eater, but I do need a plant-based product to be similar in terms of flavour, texture, and appearance. Georgie Graham wants his plant-based sausages to resemble, meaning look similar to, meat. But that's not the case for Greg's mum, who's a long-time veggie. A veggie is slang for a vegetarian, a person who doesn't eat meat. And the adjective long-time describes someone who has been or done a particular thing for many years. So, a long-time veggie is someone who's been vegetarian for many years. 📝字数限制，完整文本、翻译及pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】

Morning shower or evening shower: Which is best? Do you need an energising blast of water in the morning to wake you up for the day? Or do you prefer a relaxing, warm shower in the evening to help you wind down as part of your nighttime routine? Maybe you just shower whenever you feel like it. For something so many of us do, this topic is bound to divide opinion and stir up passion from both sides. But is one really better than the other? After a long day in the outside world, picking up pollutants and allergens on your skin and in your hair such as dust and pollen, a reasonable instinct would be to wash it all off before getting into bed. That's what the evening shower enthusiasts would say. But, says microbiologist Primrose Freestone, no matter the air temperature, you will continue to sweat during the night. Bacteria on your skin then eat the nutrients in your sweat which is what causes BO. Showering at night also doesn't stop you shedding dead skin cells. All this means you may not wake up feeling as fresh as you had hoped. Showering in the morning, on the other hand, can help to remove dead skin cells, sweat or any bacteria you've picked up from your bed sheets. "As a microbiologist, I am a day shower advocate," she says. But it's not all about cleanliness. Nancy Rothstein, who calls herself The Sleep Ambassador, is concerned with sleep quality. In her view, showering in the evening is an essential part of the 'preparing for bed' routine. "Call it an opportunity to shower yourself with mindfulness," she says. And research backs this up. A systematic review of research published in Sleep Medicine Reviews in 2019 found nightly warm showering or bathing one to two hours before bedtime can improve sleep. What it all boils down to is when you would like to feel freshest. If you're someone who can't fully relax in bed until you've showered, you're likely an evening shower person. Whereas, if you can't stand the idea of putting on fresh, clean clothes in the morning when you haven't showered, then a morning rinse is probably more your style. Whenever you choose to shower, Primrose Freestone says it's important to clean your bed sheets regularly to remove all the sweat, bacteria and dead skin cells that build up and can negatively affect the effectiveness of your showers. 词汇表 a blast of water [blɑːst] 一股强劲的水流 wind down [waɪnd] 放松下来，平静下来 be bound to [baʊnd] 注定会，必然会 stir up [stɜː(r)] 激起，引起，煽动 pick up 沾上，染上（疾病，污染物等） pollutant [pəˈluːtənt] 污染物 allergen [ˈælədʒən] 过敏原 pollen [ˈpɒlən] 花粉 enthusiast [ɪnˈθjuːziæst] 热烈支持者，爱好者 microbiologist [ˌmaɪkrəʊbaɪˈɒlədʒɪst] 微生物学家 sweat [swet] 出汗，流汗；汗水 bacteria [bækˈtɪəriə] 细菌（bacterium [bækˈtɪəriəm] 的复数） nutrient [ˈnjuːtriənt] 营养物，养分 BO (Body Odor) [biː ˈəʊ] 体臭，体味 shed [ʃed] 脱落，掉落，摆脱 dead skin cell [sel] 死皮细胞 bed sheet [ʃiːt] 床单 advocate [ˈædvəkeɪt] 倡导者，拥护者；提倡 cleanliness [ˈkliːnlɪnəs] 清洁，干净 mindfulness [ˈmaɪndflnəs] 正念，专注 boil down to [bɔɪl] 归结为，简化为 rinse [rɪns] （用清水）冲洗，漂洗 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Can you really lose weight by walking? Walking is something we all do every day, but did you know it has numerous health benefits? It's not just a simple way to get from point A to point B. Walking can improve cardiovascular health, boost your mood, and even enhance your overall well-being. According to specialists, it can also help you lose weight under certain conditions. By incorporating regular, brisk walks into your routine, you can take advantage of these benefits and work towards your weight loss goals. So what are these conditions? First, you need to walk enough. The World Health Organization, WHO, recommends at least 10,000 steps a day to stay fit and maintain a stable weight. But if your goal is to lose weight, you'll need to walk more and at a higher intensity. To really shed those pounds, aim to walk at least three times a week for an hour or more at a brisk pace between six and eight kilometres an hour and maintain a heart rate between 135 and 160 beats per minute. Is that enough to lose weight? It's a great start and beneficial for your health, but it might not be enough to lose those extra kilos. To see a significant change on the scale, you need to combine walking with a balanced diet, as weight loss is heavily influenced by what you eat. Is one type of walking more effective than another? Absolutely. Nordic walking, which involves using poles and is typically done in a club, is particularly effective for burning calories. This form of walking engages all muscle groups due to the higher speed, making it a great option for weight loss if done regularly. However, if you don't have the time or energy for Nordic walking, you can still find ways to walk more. Try getting off a few stations before your destination to walk a bit more or take a long walk in the woods on the weekend. Just remember to pick up the pace and to make your walk as effective as possible. There you have it. 词汇表 cardiovascular [ˌkɑː(r)diəʊˈvæskjələ(r)] 心血管的 incorporate [ɪnˈkɔː(r)pəreɪt] 包含，合并，纳入 brisk walk [brɪsk] 快步走，健走 intensity [ɪnˈtensəti] 强度，剧烈 shed pounds / lose kilos [ʃed] 减掉体重，甩肉，掉秤 Nordic walking [ˈnɔː(r)dɪk] 北欧式健走（借助手杖进行的全身运动） pole [pəʊl] 手杖，杆；极点 burn calories [ˈkæləri] 燃烧卡路里，消耗热量 engage all muscle groups 调动全身肌肉群 pick up the pace 加快步伐，提高速度 🪴翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Are you drinking enough water? Phil Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil. Beth And I'm Beth. Nowadays, I often see people carrying water bottles with them to make sure they drink enough. How much water do you drink a day, Phil? Phil Oh, I don't know. Maybe about a litre? Beth OK. And do you know how much water you should drink a day? Phil I think it's probably about two litres. Beth Ah, well, the number many people have heard is two litres a day. Of course, everyone needs to drink some water - over half the human body is made up of it. But exactly how much water do we need to stay healthy? That's what we'll be discussing in this programme, along with some useful new vocabulary as well. But first I have a question for you, Phil. I mentioned that over half the human body consists of water, but there's an even higher percentage of water in our blood. But how much? Is our blood: a) around 80% water? b) around 90% water? or, c) 100% water? Phil I think it's around 80% water. Beth OK, I will reveal the correct answer later in the programme. Our blood needs water so it can carry nutrients to the body's cells and organs. The amount recommended is often given as two litres a day. But why? Here to discuss this with BBC World Service programme, The Food Chain, is biologist, Professor John Speakman: Professor John Speakman So, I'm not sure how it was arrived at but it seems to be a number that has taken grip on a very large number of countries. So, if you look at government recommendations around the world, they're pretty much all the same. They pretty much all say everybody's got to be drinking two litres of water. Phil Professor Speakman doesn't know how the number of two litres a day was arrived at – how it was decided or calculated. Nevertheless, the idea of drinking two litres a day has taken grip on many governments around the world. When you say an idea has taken grip on something, you mean it's taken control of it. Beth Yes, Professor Speakman says that pretty much all governments are giving pretty much the same recommendation. He uses the phrase, pretty much to mean almost. For example, 'pretty much all governments advise drinking two litres a day' means 'almost all governments advise it'. Phil What Professor Speakman doesn't have, however, is any scientific evidence for this advice. The number of exactly two litres isn't based on scientific fact, it's more of a ballpark figure – a number which is a guess, but which you still believe is approximately correct. Beth Actually, the amount of water in our bodies is changing all the time. Like your bank balance, which goes down when you spend money, your body loses water all the time, when you breathe, sweat, or go to the toilet. Exactly how much you need to drink depends on how much water your body needs to replace, and that mainly depends on your size. Phil But what happens when we drink less than we should? Here's hydration expert, Dr Nidia Rodriguez-Sanchez, describing the effects of dehydration to BBC World Service's The Food Chain. Dr Nidia Rodriguez-Sanchez And also, many times we start getting dehydrated and we don't realise we are dehydrated. So it's very common that we feel tired, or we feel, like, with a bit of a headache, or even we think we're hungry, and we go and get some food. And actually what is happening is that we are thirsty, that we are dehydrated, we are starting to show some signs or some symptoms of dehydration. Phil Dr Sanchez describes the effects of dehydration, the condition of not having enough water in your body so that you feel ill or weak. She mentions feeling tired, having a headache or a dry mouth as symptoms of dehydration. Symptoms are signs or feelings in the body showing the presence of some illness or condition. Beth So, whether you drink a little more, or a little less, it seems that around two litres of water a day is a good way to keep your blood and body healthy. Speaking of which, Phil, it's time to reveal the answer to my question, what percentage of our blood is water? You said 80%, and the answer is 90%. Our blood consists of around 90% water. OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've used, starting with the phrase to arrive at a number, meaning to decide it by doing calculations. Phil If an idea takes grip on something, it takes control of it. Beth The phrase pretty much means almost; for example, pretty much everyone likes chocolate, which means almost everyone likes chocolate. Phil A ballpark figure is a phrase meaning a number which is an acceptably accurate approximation. Beth Dehydration is the condition of not having enough water in your body so that you feel ill or weak. Phil And finally, a symptom is a sign or feeling in the body showing the presence of an illness or condition. Once again, our six minutes are up. See you there soon! Beth Bye! 📝词汇表、 翻译及pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】

3 Negative Habits That Are Sabotaging Your Productivity I used to find it extremely difficult to be productive. The truth is I was often lazy, unmotivated, and didn't want to put in the necessary effort to complete any given task. But over the past few years, I've completely changed my life around. I'm now incredibly focused on each task I'm given, and always aim to complete every project to an incredibly high standard. And if you want to do the same, you can start by eliminating the following bad habits that prevent you from being productive. Each of these insights changed my life for the better. I'm sure, they will do the same for you, too. 1. You Don't Create A Schedule. For the longest time, I found it extremely difficult to get my work completed by the given deadline. The truth is that I had more than enough time to complete each task. However, I sucked at time management. But one day, I started reading some books on productivity. They suggested really simple strategies, such as creating a schedule and sticking to it. Like Steven Covey once wrote: "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule but to schedule your priorities." So, that's what I did. I broke down my workday into 30-minute blocks and allocated a specific task for each one. For example, I currently write from 8.30 am until 11, and then go on a walk around the local area. Since I began pre-planning my days, I've noticed that I'm getting a lot more work done as I'm incredibly efficient with my time. So, if you want to improve your productivity, start by scheduling the most important things you need to do. Even though this exercise only takes a few minutes to do, the effect it'll have on your productivity is profound. 2. You Procrastinate Way Too Much. I used to be a perfectionist. Each day, I'd give myself a list of reasons why I should put off doing my work until tomorrow. For example, my chair wasn't comfy enough, or I felt a little bit tired. But as a result of having this bad mindset, I rarely got any work done. I've recently learned that there will never be a perfect time to sit down and work. After all, there will always be a reason or excuse as to why you can put a specific task off until tomorrow. However, it's important to remember that nothing amazing will ever happen in your career unless you sit down and do the work. The author, Steven Pressfield, said it best: "The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying." So, instead of procrastinating, a better solution is to get any important tasks completed as quickly as possible. Because when you make a little bit of progress each day, the power of compound interest will create incredible results in your career over time. 3. You Frequently Get Distracted. If you're anything like my past self, you want to improve your productivity and get all your work completed to an extremely high standard. But for one reason or another, you have a terrible habit of getting distracted all the time. Don't worry. I know exactly how you feel. I used to take a short break from my work by scrolling through social media during the middle of a task. However, I often got distracted by posts in my feed, and consequently, lost the motivation to finish whatever I was supposed to do. But since then, I've learned that the best way to get rid of distractions is by identifying them, and then doing whatever it takes to remove them from my life. For example, I wear noise-canceling headphones while writing to ensure that I don't get distracted by other people having a conversation. You get the idea. When you take proactive steps towards eliminating distractions, it's easier to prevent them from affecting you in the future. In the words of Jiddu Krishnamurti: "Follow the wandering, the distraction, find out why the mind has wandered; pursue it, go into it fully. When the distraction is completely understood, then that particular distraction is gone. When another comes, pursue it also." So every day, ask yourself: "What bad habits can I eliminate right now to improve my productivity?" That's all you need to do. 词汇表 sabotage [ˈsæbətɑːʒ] 蓄意破坏，妨碍，阻挠 unmotivated [ʌnˈməʊtɪveɪtɪd] 缺乏动力的，没有积极性的 eliminate [ɪˈlɪmɪneɪt] 消除，排除，剔除 insight [ˈɪnsaɪt] 深刻见解，洞察力 schedule [ˈʃedjuːl] 时间表，日程安排；安排，计划 suck at [sʌk] 不擅长，不善于 prioritize [praɪˈɒrətaɪz] 给…排出优先级，优先处理 priority [praɪˈɒrəti] 优先事项，当务之急，最重要的事 break down 分解，划分，拆开 allocate [ˈæləkeɪt] 分配，分派 pre-plan [ˌpriːˈplæn] 预先计划，提前规划 procrastinate [prəʊˈkræstɪneɪt] 拖延，耽搁 perfectionist [pəˈfekʃənɪst] 完美主义者 comfy [ˈkʌmfi] 舒适的，舒服的（comfortable的非正式说法） compound interest [ˈkɒmpaʊnd ˈɪntrəst] 复利，利滚利 scroll through [skrəʊl θruː] 滚动浏览，刷 feed [fiːd] （社交媒体的）动态，推送 do whatever it takes 不惜一切代价，尽一切努力 noise-canceling headphones [ˈnɔɪz kænsəlɪŋ ˈhedfəʊnz] 降噪耳机 get distracted by [dɪˈstræktɪd] 被…分心，被…干扰 proactive [prəʊˈæktɪv] 积极主动的，先发制人的 wander [ˈwɒndə(r)] 走神，游荡；漫步，徘徊 💡 翻译、视频和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Why Doing Nothing Feel So Wrong For most of our lives, we're hard at work: we're up till midnight in the library studying for a degree, we're learning a trade, building a business, writing a book. We have hardly a moment to ourselves. We don't even ask whether we are fulfilled, it's simply obvious that this is the bit that has to hurt. We fall asleep counting the weeks until the end. And then, finally, one day, slightly unexpectedly, the end arrives. Through slow and steady toil, we have achieved what we had been seeking for years: the book is done, the business is sold, the degree certificate is on the wall. People around us cheer and lay on a party; we might even take a holiday. And that is when, for many of us, a supreme unease is liable to descend. The beach is beautiful, the sky is flawless, there is a scent of lemon in the air from the orchard. We've got nothing unpleasant to do. We can read, loll, play and dawdle. Why then are we so flat, disoriented and perhaps slightly tearful? Why are we so scared? The mind works in deceptive ways. In order to generate the momentum required to induce us to finish any task, our mind pretends that once the work is done, it will finally be content, it will accept reality as it is. It will stop its restless, persecutory questions, it won't throw up random unease or guilty feelings. It will be on our side. But whether by intent or coincidence, our mind is not in any way well-suited to honouring such promises. It turns out to be sharply opposed to, and even endangered by, states of calm and relaxation. It can manage them, at best, for a day or so. And then, with cold rigour, it will be on its way again with worries and questions. It will ask us once more to account for ourselves, to ask what the point of us is, to doubt whether we are worthy or decent, to question what right we have to exist. Once hard work ends, there is nothing to stop our melancholy minds from leading us to the edge of an abyss we'd been able to resist so long as our heads were down. We start to feel that no achievement will ever in fact be enough, that nothing we do can last or make a difference, that little is as good as it should be, that we are tainted by some kind of primordial guilt at being alive, that others around us are far more noble and able than we will ever be, that the blue sky is oppressive and frightening – and that 'doing nothing' is actually the hardest thing we've ever attempted to do. It's as though deep down, our mind knows that the ultimate fate of the planet is to be absorbed by the sun in seven and a half billion years and that everything we do is therefore vain and futile against a cosmological sense of time and space. We know that we are puny and irrelevant apparitions; we haven't been so much busy as protected from despair by the use of deadlines, punishing schedules, work trips and late-night conference calls. But now, with the achievement secured, there is no defence left against the might of existential terror. It's just us and in the skies above, the light of a billion billion dying stars. There are no more 8.30am meetings, no more revision notes, no more chapter deadlines to distract us from our metaphysical irrelevance. 词汇表 learn a trade 学习一门手艺，掌握一门行当 the bit that has to hurt 必须承受的痛苦，艰辛部分 toil [tɔɪl] 苦干，辛勤劳作；苦工 lay on 安排，供应，提供（食物、娱乐、服务等） be liable to [ˈlaɪəbl] 易于，可能，有…倾向 descend [dɪˈsend]（不好的感觉）遍布，蔓延，笼罩 flawless [ˈflɔːləs] 完美的，无瑕的 orchard [ˈɔːtʃəd] 果园，果树林 loll [lɒl] 懒散地躺（或坐），闲荡 dawdle [ˈdɔːdl] 磨蹭，闲混，虚度时光 flat [flæt] 低落的，泄气的，无精打采的 disoriented [dɪsˈɔːrientɪd] 迷茫的，迷失方向的 tearful [ˈtɪəfl] 含泪的，想哭的；令人伤心的 deceptive [dɪˈseptɪv] 欺骗性的，迷惑人的，虚假的 induce [ɪnˈdjuːs] 促使，导致，引诱 restless [ˈrestləs] 不安的，焦躁的 persecutory [pəˈsekjətəri] 折磨人的，迫害的 throw up 抛出，产生，提出（新问题或想法） well-suited [ˌwel ˈsuːtɪd] 合适的，适当的 rigour [ˈrɪɡə(r)] 严酷，严厉，严谨 account for 解释，说明 decent [ˈdiːsnt] 正派的，体面的，像样的 melancholy [ˈmelənkəli] 忧郁的，悲伤的；令人悲哀的 abyss [əˈbɪs] 深渊，无底洞；险境，绝境 be tainted by [ˈteɪntɪd] 被…玷污，被…污染，被…影响 primordial guilt [praɪˈmɔːdiəl ɡɪlt] 原始的罪恶感，原罪 oppressive [əˈpresɪv] 压抑的，压迫的，暴虐的 vain and futile [veɪn ənd ˈfjuːtaɪl] 徒劳无益的，白费力气的 cosmological [ˌkɒzməˈlɒdʒɪkl] 宇宙学的，宇宙论的 puny [ˈpjuːni] 微小的，微不足道的，弱小的 irrelevant [ɪ'reləvənt] 无关紧要的，不相关的 apparition [ˌæpəˈrɪʃn] 幽灵，幻影，鬼 punishing [ˈpʌnɪʃɪŋ] 繁重的，累人的 existential terror [ˌeɡzɪˈstenʃl ˈterə(r)] 存在主义恐惧 revision note [rɪˈvɪʒn] 复习笔记 metaphysical [ˌmetəˈfɪzɪkl] 形而上学的，抽象的，玄学的 irrelevance [ɪ'reləvəns] 无关紧要的事物，无意义的事 🏫翻译，视频和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

From Novels to Smartphones: Will Media Panics Ever End? Are you worried you're addicted to your smartphone? If so, here's a little historical quiz. Can you guess what this quotation is referring to? "Parents have become aware of a puzzling change in the behavior patterns of their children ... They cannot lock out this intruder because it has gained an invincible hold of their children." This quote isn't talking about smartphones, or even TV or computer games. Answer? It's actually from 1936 and it's talking about the radio. And how about this? "One of the most serious, unreported, disabling, anti-social diseases in America today." OK, so this quote is talking about phone addiction, but the phones in question are landlines. Remember them? Well there was a time when people worried about how addictive they were. Kirsten Drotner: We see today concern over social media, before it was the internet, then we had video nasties, television, radio, cinema ... Meet Kirsten Drotner, Professor of Media Studies at the University of Southern Denmark, who's been writing about this topic for over 20 years. Kirsten: The name I coined for it is a "media panic". Whenever a new medium arrives on the social scene and is taken up in a big way, then we see these very, very stark emotional reactions. According to Kirsten, when you look through history one can see the same pattern of concern repeating itself - often even using the same language and metaphors. So today there's lots of talk of social media addiction, comparing it to drugs. But it's easy to forget that Pac-Man, Pinball and television were described in the same way. Or reports talk of the addictive "dark side" of social media, echoing the way that computer games were described. Or, another example, social media is compared to opiates - the same language that was used to describe television and Nintendo. And the drugs metaphor goes further back. What do you think was described as the "marijuana of the nursery" because they were so addictive? The answer? Comic books which, by the middle of the 20th Century, had got people so worried about their addictiveness that there were bestsellers about the harm they were doing young people, official inquiries, even public burnings. OK, last quote ... "Nothing but narcotics ... as destructive of real life and real living as cocaine." As destructive as cocaine? That would be the novel. You can find novels described as evil, as a vice, and blamed for violence. And yet today, if anything, people are worried that young people are not reading enough novels. Whether it's radio, telephones, comic books or novels, we see a similar pattern. Kirsten: There's a kind of historical amnesia - that media, for example, that 20 years ago were really, really the object of concern, then all of a sudden we don't hear very much about it. I think something that's helpful for thinking about media panics is the Gartner Hype Cycle, developed by a US company and used to describe the way technologies are adopted by society. According to this theory, a new technology often has a moment of enthusiasm and high expectations, when it seems like it might be the solution to everything. (News Item) It's being called "The Twitter Revolution". This is then followed by a crash - a period of disillusionment and scepticism, before both hype and fear level off and everyone basically calms down. But with media panics, while the concerns about each particular media might fade, the overall state of anxiety continues as something new fills the gap. So why do media panics keep occurring? One straightforward explanation for media panics is that adults have a natural parental concern for the young, not remembering - because they were children at the time - that the generation before had similar worries about them. Another possible explanation is something called the "third person effect" which describes a tendency to believe that other people will be more affected by a media message than you are. This is how we can have no problem reconciling our own pretty benign experiences with a media technology with a belief that it will cause much greater harm to others. A final theory is to do with something social scientists call "cultural capital". The idea is that along with economic capital and social capital, one thing that establishes your position in society is your knowledge about culture. But when new types of media come along it threatens their investment in these old forms of cultural capital, so no wonder they react nervously. Kirsten: It's also a precarious investment because they live in a dynamic society, and modern society - through the 18th Century and on - is based on change. We don't know what effect social media and smartphones will have long-term on our society, but what we do know is that, as long as we keep inventing new forms of media, the cycle of panic is likely to continue. 💡字数限制，词汇表、翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

The hidden cost of smartphone addiction How would you survive without your smartphone? For many of us, it's the gadget we're most hooked on – looking at it hundreds of times a day. We depend on it to perform a multitude of tasks and to connect with our friends and family. But have we become addicted to our phones? Certainly, the inventor of the first mobile phone, American engineer Martin Cooper, thinks we might be. In a BBC interview, he suggested people should stop scrolling and "get a life". But of course, once we start doom scrolling or watching videos, we just can't kick the habit. Psychologist and author Jean Twenge says we're all guilty of "compulsively checking our phone if we're waiting for a text or getting really into social media then kind of, looking up and realising that an hour has passed." There's even a word – a phubber – to describe a person who ignores the real people around them because they are concentrating on their phones. But does it matter if we make the most of this technology? Possibly, because like a drug, the problem arises when it is withdrawn. A study from King's College London found young people they studied couldn't control the amount of time they spend on their phone. Such addictive behaviour means that people become 'panicky' or 'upset' if they are denied constant access, which can cause anxiety and mental health issues. Interestingly, another study by the London School of Economics and Political Science suggests we don't just look at our phones because we are prompted to by a text or email. The people they studied felt automatically urged to interact with their phone, just as a smoker would light a cigarette. Prof Saadi Lahlou, co-author of the study, told the BBC: "We must learn tricks to avoid the temptation when we want to concentrate or have good social relations." One solution could be an app that rewards students for time spent away from their phones. Another option is converting your smartphone to a dumbphone that has none of the intoxicating distractions on it. But mainly, perhaps, we just need to look up more and reconnect with the real world! 词汇表 gadget [ˈɡædʒɪt] 小器具，小装置，小玩意 be hooked on [hʊkt] 对…着迷，对…上瘾 a multitude of [ˈmʌltɪtjuːd] 许多的，大量的 get a life 做点有益的事，做点有意思的事情 doom scrolling [ˈduːm ˈskrəʊlɪŋ] 阴暗刷屏（指在不断浏览负面、令人沮丧的新闻或信息的行为） kick the habit 戒除恶习，改掉嗜好 compulsively [kəmˈpʌlsɪvli] 强迫性地，不由自主地 phubber [ˈfʌbə(r)] 低头族（只顾看手机而忽视身边人的人） make the most of [meɪk ðə məʊst ɒv] 充分利用，尽情享受 withdraw [wɪðˈdrɔː] 撤回，抽离，停止提供 panicky [ˈpænɪki] 恐慌的，惊慌失措的 prompt [prɒmpt] 促使，推动，提示 automatically [ˌɔːtəˈmætɪkli] 自动地，无意识地，不由自主地 temptation [tempˈteɪʃn] 诱惑，引诱 convert [kənˈvɜːt] 转变，转换 dumbphone [ˈdʌmfəʊn] 非智能手机，功能机 intoxicating [ɪnˈtɒksɪkeɪtɪŋ] 令人着迷的，使人兴奋的 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Why do we put on weight when in a relationship? The subject of today's episode is something that's happened to many of us. See how familiar the scenario sounds. You meet someone special, start spending a lot of time together and gradually fall in love. You go out for romantic dinners, you order takeout and watch Netflix on the couch. You share desserts and drinks. You're so caught up feeling happy and comfortable with your partner that you don't worry too much about your appearance. Then one day you step on the scales and realise that you've gained some extra pounds, or maybe you notice that your clothes are feeling tighter, or that you feel more sluggish and tired. Oh yeah, I've definitely been there. At some point you just start asking yourself, what happened? Research has suggested that relationship weight gain is a real thing. A 2013 survey by Diet Chef found that over 60% of us put on weight when in a comfortable relationship. It's not just because we eat more or exercise less, there are actually several factors that can contribute to the phenomenon. One is hormonal. When you're in love your body releases chemicals like oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin, which make you feel happy, relaxed and bonded with your partner. They also lower your stress levels and suppress your appetite, but the effects aren't permanent. As your relationship matures and becomes more stable, your hormone levels tend to normalise. This means that you may feel less euphoric and more hungry than before. Another factor is behavioural. When you're in a relationship, you tend to adopt some of your partner's habits and preferences. That can be a good thing if your partner has a healthy lifestyle. But it can also be a bad thing if they tend to eat junk food, skip breakfast or sleep in late all the time. It can also be hard to find motivation to stay in shape when in a relationship. That's especially true if you're happy and satisfied with your partner. You may feel less pressure to impress them or attract other potential mates. What are the best ways of preventing or reversing relationship weight gain? Thankfully, relationship weight gain is neither inevitable nor irreversible. With some awareness and effort, you can maintain a healthy weight and a healthy relationship. It's important to communicate with your partner about your respective health goals and expectations, and then support each other in achieving them. You can also plan healthy activities and meals together and encourage each other to stay on track. To some extent you should also be mindful of your eating habits. Pay attention to what you eat, how much you eat and why you eat. Avoid mindless snacking or emotional eating. Choose nutritious foods that fill you up and give you energy. You may want to consider changing your daily routine to incorporate physical exercise and make sure you're getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep. That said, it's important to remember that weight is not the only measure of your worth or attractiveness. Appreciate yourself and your partner for who you are, not just what you look like. There you have it. 词汇表 be caught up 沉浸于，着迷于；陷入，被卷入 sluggish [ˈslʌɡɪʃ] （行动）缓慢的，迟钝的 hormonal [hɔːˈməʊnl] 荷尔蒙的，激素的 oxytocin [ˌɒksɪˈtəʊsɪn] 催产素（促进情感联结的激素） dopamine [ˈdəʊpəmiːn] 多巴胺（与愉悦感相关的神经递质） serotonin [ˌserəˈtəʊnɪn] 血清素（影响情绪、食欲的神经递质） feel bonded with [fiːl ˈbɒndɪd wɪð] 与…产生亲密感，与…建立联结 suppress your appetite [səˈpres jɔː(r) ˈæpɪtaɪt] 抑制食欲 normalise [ˈnɔːməlaɪz] （使）正常化，（使）恢复正常 euphoric [juːˈfɒrɪk] 极度兴奋的，狂喜的，亢奋的 behavioural [bɪˈheɪvjərəl] 行为的，行为方面的 stay in shape 保持身材，保持良好体型 irreversible [ˌɪrɪˈvɜː(r)səbl] 不可逆转的，无法挽回的 respective [rɪˈspektɪv] 各自的，分别的 stay on track 保持正轨，坚持目标前行 be mindful of [ˈmaɪndfl] 留意，注意，关注 mindless snacking [ˈmaɪndləs ˈsnækɪŋ] 无意识地吃零食，机械性进食 emotional eating [ɪˈməʊʃənl ˈiːtɪŋ] 情绪性进食 fill up 使吃饱，使充满，填满 incorporate [ɪnˈkɔː(r)pəreɪt] 包含，吸收，纳入 🪴翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Can climate change affect our mental health? Beth Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Beth. Neil And I'm Neil. Today we're going to talk about climate change and how it can affect people's mental health. Natural disasters and the impacts of climate change can be stressful. Isn't that right, Beth? Beth Yeah, definitely. In today's episode we're going to find out about how people can protect their mental health from the impacts of climate change. We'll be hearing from a psychiatry expert and a man who survived a wildfire and helped rebuild his town. Neil But first, Beth, I have a question for you. Scientists aren't always sure whether natural disasters like floods and wildfires are as a result of human-caused climate change. But in January 2025, big wildfires affected big parts of Los Angeles in California. But according to research organisation World Weather Attribution, human-caused climate change made the fires: a) 10% more likely, b) 35% more likely, or c) 20% less likely. Beth Erm… I'm going to say 10% more likely. Neil OK. Well, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Now, natural disasters like floods and wildfires can destroy homes and communities. Beth People who live in areas affected by natural disasters can often experience climate trauma. Trauma is what we call the very bad and long-lasting emotional effects of an event or experience. Neil Professor Jyoti Mishra is an expert in climate trauma at the University of California. She explained more about the condition to Graihagh Jackson, host of BBC World Service programme, The Climate Question. Jyoti Mishra Climate trauma is not an individual trauma, it's a community-wide trauma which really requires community-wide healing. Graihagh Jackson Yeah, I'm really struck by what you've said about the fact that it's whole communities that are affected, not individuals, but also part of the solution is about the community and how it rebuilds and reknits together. Jyoti Mishra Absolutely, yes. So, we've found that individuals who have a greater sense of positive support from their family and a greater sense of meaningful connection with their community — they are in general more resilient. Beth Jyoti's research on climate trauma has found that it affects communities rather than individuals. Neil Host of the programme Graihagh Jackson is struck by what Jyoti says. If you're struck by an idea, you find it particularly interesting or impressive. Beth Graihagh says that part of the solution to climate trauma could be in how the community reknits together. This means how the social connections in a community are restored. We can often describe a community as close-knit, which means everyone helps and supports each other. Neil Jyoti explains that having a strong community also helps reduce or heal climate trauma. She says that research has found that people who have a strong community are more resilient when bad things, like natural disasters, happen. If you're resilient, you're able to get better more easily after something difficult or bad happens. Beth One person who had to be resilient is Brad Sherwood. He survived a wildfire in Northern California in 2017 called the Tubbs fire, but when he returned home, his neighbourhood was destroyed. Neil Brad started to volunteer for a local support network called After the Fire to try to rebuild his community, as he explained to BBC World Service programme, The Climate Question. Brad Sherwood The silver lining in all this — I mean, if it wasn't for the Tubbs fire, we wouldn't be working as a community right now to build a new community plaza. We were a close community before the Tubbs, but afterwards we are so much stronger and resilient. And I think our children are as well. They can jump over any hurdle. Beth Brad says that the work to rebuild and improve his community is the silver lining to the fire. The expression silver lining means a positive thing that comes from a negative situation. Neil Brad's community became more resilient after the fire, including the children. He says that they can jump over any hurdle. We can describe challenges or difficult things in life as hurdles. Beth And it's quite inspiring, I think, to hear how Brad has taken a bad situation and tried to stay resilient. Now, the organisation Brad volunteers for, After the Fire, are helping those impacted by the fires in LA in January. Neil Which reminds me, I asked you, Beth, about the impacts of human-made climate change on the wildfires in LA in January. Beth And I said 10% more likely. Neil Which was, I'm afraid, the wrong answer. It was actually 35%. 📝字数限制，完整文本、 翻译及pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Every Evening Our minds are some of the busiest places in the known universe. It is estimated that, under a deceptively calm exterior, some 70,000 separate thoughts hurry through consciousness from the moment we wake up to the time we slip into sleep. What these many thoughts have in common is that we seldom do them any kind of justice. The result of this kind of sensory overload is an immense difficulty processing what we've actually been through. But these thoughts and feelings do need to be understood – and will protest more or less actively when they are not. Anger that hasn't been given its due will emerge as irritability, grief that hasn't been honoured will metastasize into aimlessness and despair. What we call mental illnesses are usually the outcome of periods of our lives that we haven't had the strength or opportunity to understand or mourn. And that's why we have produced five questions that we suggest can be rehearsed every evening on a regular basis. And we'll help to appease the sources of our troubles. First question: what am I really worried about? This question recognises something rather unusual about how we operate: we frequently don't stop to ask ourselves what we are truly worried about. This sounds odd. Surely if we are worried, we would be expected to pause rather quickly – and explore why. But our minds seem not to work in this supremely logical-sounding way: they feel anxious long before they are ever motivated to ask themselves why they might be so. They can carry on for months, even years, under the fog of diffuse concern before setting themselves the challenge of zeroing in on what is really at stake. Second question: what am I presently sad about? We can make a generalisation: we go around being far braver than is good for us. Because we need to get on with the practicalities of the day, we frequently push to the side all the slights, hurts, disappointments and griefs that flow through our river of consciousness. We chose not to notice how vulnerable we are for fear that we cannot afford our own sensitivity. But stoicism and strength carry their own dangers. With the help of this question, we should give time to noticing that – despite our competent and strong exteriors – lots of smaller and larger things have managed to hurt us today, like every day: perhaps someone didn't laugh when we told a joke, our partner has been a little distant of late, a friend didn't call, a senior figure at work was less than completely impressed… Third question: who has annoyed me and how? We want to be polite of course. We're attached to the norms of civilisation. It upsets us to think we might be upset. Nevertheless, here too we need to have the courage of our actual sensitivity. No day goes by without someone annoying us in some rather fundamental way – usually without them in any way meaning to. Our spirits will be lighter if we can bring ourselves to spell out the injury. What happened? How did it make us feel? What might we tell ourselves to refind equilibrium? Now, as careful guardians to ourselves, we can internalise the process and use our inner adult to soothe the always easily flustered but also easily calmed inner child. Fourth question: what does my body want? Much of what we feel but don't process has a habit of ending up in our bodies. That's why we develop backache, tense shoulders, knotted stomachs and fluttery hearts. In order to live more easily around our bodies, we should regularly drain them of the emotions that they have unfairly been burdened with. We should mentally scan our bodies from top to toe and ask ourselves what each organ might require: what do my shoulders want to tell me? What would my stomach want to say? What does my back need? What do my legs crave? Fifth question: what is still lovely? Despite so much that is difficult, every day brings us up against a range of things that still delight and enchant us. Often, these elements are small: the light on the kitchen wall in the morning; a child holding its parent's hand at the bus stop; a fig we had at lunch time. These might not sound like things we should bother to register – but summoned up in their full richness and held in our attention for a few moments, they can help to fortify us against the voices of despair. When Socrates, apparently the wisest man of antiquity, was asked to define our highest purpose as human beings, he offered a still-legendary answer: 'To know ourselves.' We should aspire to be people who never cease to try to make sense of themselves at the close of every day. We should devote ourselves constantly to trying to shrink the scale of the darkness within us; bringing what was once in shadow closer to the light of interpretation, so that we stand a chance of becoming slightly less frantic and rather more joyful, creative and calm creatures. 🏫字数限制，词汇表，翻译，视频和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Small steps to build long-lasting habits It's day one of a healthier, smarter, better you. You're full of zest and good intentions. You woke up at 5am to run before work, you read a book in your lunch break, and you listened to an English podcast on your commute. Now, fast forward three months. Life is getting in the way, and you've slipped into old habits… snoozing your alarm and eating chocolate for breakfast. Sound familiar? Don't be hard on yourself. It's unrealistic to rely on willpower alone. As James Clear, author of the bestselling book 'Atomic Habits', writes, "The problem isn't you. The problem is your system." Our habits come from goals, so start by getting really clear. Goals, according to George T Doran, should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. It's not enough to say, "I'll exercise more" – that's too vague! A SMART goal would be "I'm going to walk for 20 minutes in the evenings on weekdays." Now you have a clear action that you can stick to. Once you're clear on your goals, you need to make the associated habits as automatic as possible. Try 'habitstacking', a technique popularised in the book 'Atomic Habits', which involves attaching a new habit onto something you already do regularly. For example, if you already make coffee every morning, use that moment to read your book for 20 minutes. That way, your new reading habit is now intertwined with something you're going to do anyway. Another key strategy is to reward yourself, to transform the habit from a chore into something pleasurable. If it's hard to get yourself to the gym, promise yourself that after each visit, you'll allow yourself a treat – a takeaway meal or an episode of your favourite TV show. Even with our best intentions and a great system, stress and interruptions to your routine like social events can still make keeping habits feel like an uphill battle. If or when you have setbacks, accept it as part of the process. Life is full of spontaneity and uncertainty – one could argue that's what keeps it interesting! Use setbacks as a pause for reflection and review. What about your system is working? What's no longer serving you? Then, get back on track. 词汇表 zest [zest] 热情，兴致 commute [kəˈmjuːt] 通勤，上下班路程 fast forward 快进，时间跳跃 get in the way 阻碍，妨碍 slip into [slɪp] 陷入，逐渐养成（坏习惯） snooze the alarm [snuːz] 按掉闹钟继续睡，按下贪睡按钮 hard on yourself 对自己太苛刻 willpower [ˈwɪlpaʊə(r)] 意志力 ，毅力 Atomic Habits [əˌtɒmɪk ˈhæbɪts] 《原子习惯》（书名） time-bound [ˈtaɪm baʊnd] 有时间要求的，受时间限制的 vague [veɪɡ] 模糊的，不明确的 automatic [ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk] 自动化的，无意识的 habitstacking [ˈhæbɪtˌstækɪŋ] 习惯叠加（将新习惯与现有习惯结合） be intertwined with [ˌɪntəˈtwaɪnd] 与…紧密关联 ，交织 chore [tʃɔː(r)] 杂事，琐事，苦差事 uphill battle [ˌʌpˈhɪl ˈbæt(ə)l] 艰苦斗争，苦战 setback [ˈsetbæk] 挫折，阻碍 spontaneity [ˌspɒntəˈneɪəti] 自发性，自然 get back on track 重回正轨 ，重振旗鼓 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】