【2023.3.20】六分钟英语 戒酒 Could you give up bo
Introduction
Do you enjoy having a glass of wine, gin or a beer with friends? Would you be able to give it up for a whole month? That's what Dry January is all about - a campaign to encourage people to resist the temptation of booze and enjoy some health benefits. Sam and Rob discuss the challenge of cutting down on alcohol and teach you related vocabulary.
This week's question
According to historians, which people were thought to be the first group to make New Year's resolutions? Was it the…
a) Romans
b) Native Americans
c) Babylonians
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.
Transcript
Note: This is not a word for word transcript
Sam
Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Sam…
Rob
And I'm Rob.
Sam
So we're well into 2020 now – how are your New Year's resolutions going, Rob?
Rob
Ah resolutions – you mean promises people make to themselves to stop or start doing something – I promised to start running, and to stop eating biscuits and to give up alcohol for a month. But I failed on all of them!
Sam
Oh dear...
Rob
Yes, I lasted a few days and then I started to crumble.
Sam
Yeah. Well, you're not alone. Many people try to kick bad habits and get healthy when a new year begins. Their intentions – their plans to do something – are good.
Rob
Yes, giving up drinking is particularly good to do, if only for the health benefits.
Sam
Well, we'll be talking more about that as soon as I've set up today's question. According to historians, which people were thought to be the first group to make New Year's resolutions? Was it the…
a) Romans
b) Native Americans
c) Babylonians
Rob
I haven't got a clue, so I'm going to guess a) the Romans.
Sam
OK, Rob, I'll let you know if that was a good guess at the end of the programme. Now let's talk more about giving things up for New Year and, specifically, giving up alcohol.
Rob
It's a time often called 'Dry January' – dry refers to not drinking alcohol, it's not about the weather! And the beginning of the year seems like a good time to start doing something to improve your health.
Sam
But it's easy to give in to temptation – isn't it, Rob?
Rob
Oh yes. And it's tough to give up drinking in the first place, as Millie Gooch, founder of The Sober Girl Society knows. She spoke to BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme and explained why it was hard to quit in the first place…
Millie Gooch, founder of The Sober Girl Society
I think it's the peer pressure and, you know, it's so expected of us, it's so ingrained in us. Alcohol is everywhere and it's not just alcohol itself, it's alcohol merchandise, so, you know, you've got Christmas jumpers that have been say 'Prosecco-ho-ho-ho' and you can't buy a birthday card without saying 'let the fun be-gin'. It's just absolutely everywhere, it's so hard to avoid.
Sam
So that's Millie, who's right when she says that, in the UK at least, we sometimes drink because we give in to peer pressure. That's the influence a group of similar people have on you to behave like them.
Rob
We want to be part of the group so we copy what they do – and we are expected to do so because, as Millie said, drinking alcohol is ingrained in us – well in some cultures anyway.
Sam
And when an attitude is ingrained it means it's been that way for a long time - it's difficult to change. And although it may be harmful, we see jokes about drinking through things like merchandise – a word for goods we buy and sell.
Rob
And Millie goes on to say we can buy jumpers that joke about the Italian sparkling wine called Prosecco – which say 'Prosecco-ho-ho-ho!' And birthday cards have the message 'let the fun be-gin' – a play on the word 'begin'.
Sam
With all this social pressure, it's hard not to give in – and that's even worse when you're trying to fulfil your resolution not to drink.
Rob
For Millie, enough was enough when drinking started to have a negative effect and she had to do something about it. Let's hear from her again…
Millie Gooch, founder of The Sober Girl Society
I started realising that alcohol was really affecting my mental health, so I was getting that really bad hangover anxiety – that like, hangover fear and dread – and I kind of noticed that was permeating everyday life. I was a binge drinker rather than like an everyday drinker… So I just decided that it wasn't suiting my life any more and I wanted to give it up.
Rob
So Millie there described the negative effects of a hangover – that's the sick and tired feeling you get after drinking too much alcohol. She also said she felt anxiety. And this feeling was permeating her everyday life. When something permeates it spreads through something and influences every part of it.
Sam
So, drinking was affecting her everyday life, and it didn't help that she was a binge drinker. When you binge you do something occasionally but to extreme.
Rob
Well, Millie managed to quit drinking and hasn't touched a drop since. There are many benefits to remaining sober – that means not being drunk. And one of them is hearing the answer to today's question!
Sam
Earlier I asked you: According to historians, which people were thought to be the first group to make New Year's resolutions? Was it the…
a) Romans
b) Native Americans
c) Babylonians
And Rob, what did you say?
Rob
I had a wild guess and said it was the Romans.
Sam
Sorry, Rob, you are wrong. Many historians think it was the Babylonians who made the first ever New Year's resolutions, about 4,000 years ago. According to the history.com website, at New Year – which they celebrated in mid-March - Babylonians made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed.
Rob
I wonder if they managed to keep their resolutions for longer than I did… Anyway, let's keep one of our regular promises - to recap the vocabulary we've discussed today. Starting with resolution…
Sam
…which in the context of a New Year's resolution, is a promise to yourself to stop or start doing something.
Rob
Peer pressure is the influence a group of similar people have on you to behave like them.
Sam
Ingrained describes an attitude or idea that has been done in a certain way for a long time and is difficult to change. And merchandise is a word for goods we buy and sell.
Rob
We also mentioned a hangover – that's the sick, tired and sometimes anxious feeling you get after drinking too much alcohol. And permeating describes spreading through something and influencing every part of it. Like the vocabulary in this programme, Sam!
SamThanks, Rob - and that's all for now.
Rob
Bye bye!
Vocabulary
resolution
a promise to yourself to stop or start doing something
peer pressure
influence a group of similar people have on you to behave like them
ingrained
an attitude or idea that's been done in a certain way for a long time and is difficult to change
merchandise
goods we buy and sell
hangover
sick, tired and sometimes anxious feeling you get after drinking too much alcohol
permeating
spreading through something and influencing every part of it
双语版Transcript
Hello.
大家好。
This is 6 Minute English from BBCLearning English.
这是BBC教学英语的六分钟英语。
I'm Sam… And I'm Rob.
我是萨姆……我是罗伯。
So we're well into 2020 now, howare your New Year's resolutions going, Rob?
现在我们进入了2020年，你的新年决心进行的怎么样了，罗伯？
Ah resolutions – you mean promisespeople make to themselves to stop or start doing something.
啊，决心呀，你是说人们对自己所做出的要停止或开始做某事的承诺。
I promised to start running, and tostop eating biscuits and to give up alcohol for a month.
我许诺开始跑步，不再吃饼干以及戒酒一个月。
But I failed on all of them!
但都失败了！
Oh dear. . . Yes, I lasted a fewdays and then I started to crumble.
天呢……是的，我坚持了几天，然后我开始崩溃。
Yeah. Well, you're not alone.
是的。你不是一个人。
Many people try to kick bad habitsand get healthy when a new year begins.
许多人在新年伊始时试图戒掉坏习惯，保持健康。
Their intentions – their plans to dosomething – are good.
他们的意图——他们做某事的计划——是好的。
Yes, giving up drinking isparticularly good to do, if only for the health benefits.
是的，如果仅从健康角度来看，戒酒尤其有益。
Well, we'll be talking more aboutthat as soon as I've set up today's question.
好的，今天的问题一设置完，我们就会讨论更多关于这个话题的内容。
According to historians, whichpeople were thought to be the first group to make New Year's resolutions?
根据历史学家的说法，哪群人被认为是首先立下新年决心的人？
Was it the… a) Romans, b) NativeAmericans, or c) Babylonians?
是a)罗马人，b)美洲原住民，还是c)巴比伦人？
I haven't got a clue, so I'm going toguess a) the Romans.
我没有头绪，所以我猜是a）罗马人。
OK, Rob, I'll let you know if thatwas a good guess at the end of the programme.
好的，罗伯，我将在节目最后让你知道猜的对不对。
Now let's talk more about givingthings up for New Year and specifically giving up alcohol.
现在让我们谈谈更多关于为新年放弃一些事物的内容，特别是戒酒。
It's a time often called 'DryJanuary'.
这段时间通常被称为"一月禁酒"。
Dry refers to not drinking alcohol,it's not about the weather!
"Dry"指的是禁酒，它和天气无关！
And the beginning of the year seemslike a good time to start doing something to improve your health.
新年伊始似乎是开始做某事来改善健康的好时机。
But it's easy to give in totemptation. Isn't it, Rob?
但是我们很容易向诱惑屈服。不是吗，罗伯？
Oh yes.
噢，是的。
And it's tough to give up drinking inthe first place, as Millie Gooch, founder of The Sober Girl Society knows.
正如The Sober Girl Society创始人米莉·古奇所知道的那样，一开始的时候戒酒很困难。
She spoke to BBC Radio 4s You andYours programme and explained why it was hard to quit in the first place…
她做客BBC广播4频道的You and Yours节目，并解释了为什么一开始时戒酒很难。
I think it's the peer pressure and,you know, it's so expected of us, it's so ingrained in us.
我认为这是同辈压力，你知道的，那是对我们的期望，它是根深蒂固的。
Alcohol is everywhere and it's notjust alcohol itself, it's alcohol merchandise, so you know, you've gotChristmas jumpers that have been say 'Prosecco-ho-ho-ho', and you can'tbuy a birthday card without saying 'let the fun be-gin'.
酒精无处不在，不仅是酒精本身，还有酒精类商品，所以，你知道的，你会看到圣诞针织套衫上写着"普罗塞克（一种全球知名的意大利葡萄酒）——吼——吼——吼"，你没法买到上面没写着"开始杜松子酒的享受"的生日贺卡。
It's just absolutely everywhere, it'sso hard to avoid.
它绝对是无处不在的，很难避免。
So that's Millie, who's right whenshe says that, in the UK at least, we sometimes drink because we give into peer pressure.
那就是米莉所说的，她说的没错，至少在英国是这样，我们有时喝酒是因为屈服于同辈压力。
That's the influence a group ofsimilar people have on you to behave like them.
那是一群和你相似的人对你的影响，让你表现得像他们一样。
We want to be part of the group so wecopy what they do, and we are expected to do so, because as Millie saiddrinking alcohol is ingrained in us – well in some cultures anyway.
我们想要成为那群人中的一员，所以我们效仿他们的行为，我们被期望那样，因为正如米莉所说，喝酒在我们身上是根深蒂固的——至少在某些文化中是这样。
And when an attitude is ingrained, itmeans it's been that way for a long time, it's difficult to change.
当一种态度根深蒂固时，那指的是它已经那样很长时间了，很难改变。
And although it may be harmful, wesee jokes about drinking through things like merchandise – a word forgoods we buy and sell.
尽管喝酒可能是有害的，但我们还是会在一些东西上看到关于喝酒的笑话，比如"商品"——这个词指的是我们所买卖的东西。
And Millie goes on to say we can buyjumpers that joke about the Italian sparkling wine called Prosecco – whichsay 'Prosecco-ho-ho-ho! '
米莉接着说我们可以买到有意大利起泡酒普罗塞克玩笑的针织套衫，上面写着"普罗塞克——吼——吼——吼！"
And birthday cards have the message'let the fun be-gin' – a play on the word 'begin'.
而且生日贺卡上写着"开始杜松子酒的享受"，这是对"begin"一词的恶搞。
With all this social pressure, it'shard not to give in, and that's even worse when you're trying to fulfilyour resolution not to drink.
在这种社会压力下，很难不屈服，而当你试图实现不喝酒的决心时，情况甚至会更糟糕。
For Millie, enough was enough whendrinking started to have a negative effect, and she had to do somethingabout it.
对米莉来说，喝酒开始产生负面影响时就足够糟糕了，而且她不得不为此做些事情。
Let's hear from her again… Istarted realising that alcohol was really affecting my mental health, so Iwas getting that really bad hangover anxiety – that like, hangover fearand dread, and I kind of noticed that was permeating everyday life.
让我们再听听她是怎么说的……我开始意识到酒精真的会影响我的精神健康，所以我真的开始对宿醉产生严重焦虑——那就像宿醉时的恐惧和害怕，而且我注意到它正在渗透到我的日常生活之中。
I was a binge drinker rather thanlike an everyday drinker… So I just decided that it wasn't suiting my lifeany more and I wanted to give it up.
我曾经是一个酗酒者，而不是每天都喝酒的那种人……所以我认定它不再适合我的生活，我想放弃它。
So Millie there described thenegative effects of a hangover – that's the sick and tired feeling you getafter drinking too much alcohol.
所以米莉描述了宿醉的负面影响那是你喝了太多酒之后恶心和疲倦的感觉。
She also said she felt anxiety.
她还说她感到焦虑。
And this feeling was permeating hereveryday life.
这种感觉渗透到她的日常生活之中。
When something permeates it spreadsthrough something and influences every part of it.
当某物渗透时，它会扩散并影响到自己的各个部分。
So, drinking was affecting hereveryday life, and it didn't help that she was a binge drinker.
所以，喝酒影响了她的日常生活，而她是个酗酒者也没什么帮助。
When you binge you do somethingoccasionally but too extreme.
当你放纵时，你会偶尔做某事，但非常极端。
Well, Millie managed to quit drinkingand hasn't touched a drop since.
嗯，米莉设法戒了酒，从那以后一滴也没碰过。
There are many benefits to remainingsober – that means not being drunk.
保持清醒有很多好处——那指的是不喝醉。
And one of them is hearing the answerto today's question!
好处之一就是听到今天问题的答案！
Earlier I asked you: According tohistorians, which people were thought to be the first group to make New Year'sresolutions?
早些时候我问你：根据历史学家的说法，哪群人被认为是首先立下新年决心的人？
Was it the… a) Romans, b) NativeAmericans, or c) Babylonians?
是a)罗马人，b)美洲原住民，还是c)巴比伦人？
And Rob, what did you say?
罗伯，你说什么？
I had a wild guess and said it wasthe Romans.
我胡乱猜想，说是罗马人。
Sorry, Rob, you are wrong.
很遗憾，罗伯，你答错了。
Many historians think it was theBabylonians who made the first ever New Year's resolutions, about 4,000years ago.
许多历史学家认为，巴比伦人是最先立下新年决心的人，大约是在4000年前。
According to the history. comwebsite, at New Year – which they celebrated in mid-March, Babyloniansmade promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they hadborrowed.
据history。com网站称，在3月中旬庆祝新年时，巴比伦人向众神许诺偿还债务并归还他们所借的任何物品。
I wonder if they managed to keeptheir resolutions for longer than I did… Anyway, let's keep one of ourregular promises - to recap the vocabulary we've discussed today.
我不知道他们保持决心是否比我坚持得更久……不管怎样，让我们遵守我们惯常承诺之一——复习我们今天讨论的词汇。
Starting with resolution… …which in the context of a New Year's resolution, is a promise to yourself tostop or start doing something.
从决心开始……在新年决心的语境中，那是指对自己所做出的要停止或开始做某事的承诺。
Peer pressure is the influence agroup of similar people have on you to behave like them.
同辈压力是一群和你相似的人对你的影响，让你表现得像他们一样。
Ingrained describes an attitude oridea that has been done in a certain way for a long time and it's difficult tochange.
"根深蒂固"形容的是以某种方式存在了很长时间的一种态度或想法，而且它很难改变。
And merchandise is a word for goodswe buy and sell.
"商品"这个词是指我们买卖的东西。
We also mentioned a hangover.
我们还提到了宿醉。
That's the sick, tired and sometimesanxious feeling you get after drinking too much alcohol.
那是你喝了太多酒之后，恶心、疲倦的感觉，有时还会感到焦虑。
And permeating describes spreadingthrough something and influencing every part of it.
渗透指的是在某物中扩散开来并影响它的每一部分。
Like the vocabulary in thisprogramme, Sam!
就像这个节目里的词汇，萨姆！
Thanks, Rob - and that's all for now.
谢谢你，罗伯，以上就是今天的全部内容。
Bye bye!
