2xOnline Class Notes (Mike)

Most of us want to be in peak physical condition, get in shape and be healthy. While some gym bunnies are more obsessed with looking ripped, for many of us nutrition and watching what you eat is a vital way to stay healthy. But when it comes to food, what is calorie counting, and what are the positives and negatives of it?

A law in the UK came into force in April 2022 that requires large businesses such as restaurants, takeaways, and cafes to display the calorie information of non-pre-packed food and soft drinks on their menus. It’s a strategy aimed to tackle obesity and give people a more informed choice of what goes down their gullets. According to the NHS (National Health Service), generally, the recommended daily intake of calories for male adults is 2,500 per day, while female adults should consume 2,000 to maintain their weight levels. For those of us who wish to drop a few pounds, experts advise us to consume fewer calories than the recommended daily number, eat a balanced diet, and increase our levels of physical activity. Being able to count calories and know how much we can eat is a great way to try and stay on track with our diet.

However, there are some sceptics when it comes to calorie counting. 200 calories of fresh fruit and 200 calories of junk food, for example cookies, have the same caloric value. However, there is a question of the health benefits of what you’re consuming, regardless of calories. While fresh fruit like apples contains things like vitamin C, junk food could contain an unhealthy level of sugar and fats. Likewise, fruit may fill you up and leave you not craving more food for longer than a biscuit with equal calories – meaning, overall, you eat less. Simply counting calories, while useful for weight loss, doesn’t take into account your intake of good fats, carbohydrates, and proteins – things that your body needs. So, if you’re trying to stick to a low-carb diet, just looking at numbers of calories on a menu won’t be that useful. So, always be mindful that what you’re eating is part of a healthy balanced diet.

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Who do you count as your friends? From our BFF to a work mate, it’s good to have someone to chew the fat with or offer comfort and support. But when it comes to friendship, is it more important to have quantity or quality?

你把谁看作你的朋友？从我们永远最好的朋友到工作伴侣，和给予安慰和鼓励的人聊天是有益的。但是涉及到友谊，数量或质量是更重要的吗？

The recent isolation (that) we have endured due to the coronavirus pandemic has made some of us question our friendships. We’ve fallen out of touch with friends and acquaintances, and it may feel awkward, but do we actually have to rekindle every relationship we once had? It might be time to take stock and think about who you kept in touch with, who you missed talking to, and who you didn’t. In short, maybe it’s time to reset your list of real mates.

it’s time to go.
It’s time for me to leave the company.
It ….

我们最近由于全球新冠大流行而经受/经历过的隔离     使得我们有些人质疑我们的友谊。
我们忍耐最近的隔离由于冠状病毒大流行病我们中的一些人有质疑我们的友谊。我们减少与朋友和熟人的外出接触，这也许感觉令人尴尬，但是我们实际上必须重新点燃每个我们曾经有过的关系吗？

There’s no obligation to stay friends, and writing for BBC Worklife, Bryan Lufkin says: “While people have known for years that friendships are unquestionably good for your health, experts say it’s only natural for acquaintances and even friends to fall by the wayside as time goes on – and it’s nothing to feel guilty about.”

没有义务维持朋友，为BBC职业生涯写作的Bryan Lufkin说“人们知道在岁月中友谊对你的健康无可非议的好，专家说，熟人甚至朋友随着时间流逝而逐渐生疏是很自然的--没什么感觉内疚的”

Of course, it can be hard to choose who’s in your friendship circle. This is what Suzanne Degges-White, professor of counselling at Northern Illinois University, calls our ‘friendscape’. She says, “in life, as we go through certain stages and ages, our attention shifts, and we want to be around people who are like us.”

people who like us 喜欢我们的人
people who are like us 和我们很像的人

I am like my mom, I don’t drink cold water.

当然，在你的友谊圈中选择谁是艰难的。这是在Northern Illinois大学教授Suzanne Degges-White的建议，称之为我们的“友谊空间”，她说“在生活中，我们经过必然的阶段和年龄，我们的注意转移，我们想周围有跟/像我们一样的人”(物与类聚)

So, changing friends is normal, but we still need those special pals who’ve known us long term. These are friendships we invest time in. According to Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of Oxford, these are your inner circle of friends – your “shoulders to cry on” – and you have to see them at least once a week to keep them in that circle. He adds that the friends that do drift are mostly “friendships of convenience”. But the advice for maintaining a good friendship is to share how you feel with someone you trust – this can help strengthen your friendship as well as giving you both a chance to support each other.

维持一段良好友谊的建议是    和那些人你信任的人分享你的感受

share sth with sb
how you feel: 你的感受/你感觉如何

I don’t know how you feel. 我不知道你的感受

因此，改变朋友是正常的，但是我们一直需要这些特殊的长时期了解我们的朋友。我们投入时间在友谊中。根据在牛津大学一个教授Robin Dunbar的演变的心理学，你的内部圈子的朋友–你的“情感依靠”–在最少一周一次保持他们在哪个圈子中你有看见他们。他增加了朋友漂移是主要地“友谊的便利”。但是这个建议是为了维持一段好的友谊是去分享你如何信任某人–这能够帮助加强你的友谊，以及给你一个机会去互相支持。

Classroom mobile phone use banned

教室禁止使用手机

All primary and secondary school students in China will, in principle, be barred from bringing mobile phones to school, the Ministry of Education announced on Monday. The notice aims to protect students’ eyesight, make sure they focus on their studies and prevent them from becoming addicted to the internet and online games.

教育部在星期一宣布，在中国所有小学和中学学生，原则上，禁止带手机去学校。这个通知目标在于保护学生的视力，确保他们集中于他们的学习和防止他们沉迷于网络和线上游戏。

If students must have a mobile phone at school, a special request should be submitted to school authorities along with written consent from their guardians, said the ministry.

如果学生在学校必须有手机，需要向学校官方提交一个由监护人同意的特殊申请书。

Once the request is approved, students should hand in their mobile phones to school authorities upon arrival. The phones will be kept together and should by no means be allowed into classrooms.

一旦请求通过，学生应该在到达时交上他们的手机给学校官方。手机将放在一起  无论如何都不应该  被允许进入教室。

Schools should not assign or ask students to do homework via cellphones, and they should set up public phones and teacher hotlines for communication between parents and students, it added.

Schools should not assign homework via cellphones,
Schools should not ask students to do homework via cellphones,

官方的规定还增补了这一条：学校应该不再通过手机布置作业，或要求学生不通过手机做家庭作业。他们应该为了父母和学生之间的交流设置公共电话和教师热线。

Schools should set out rules for the management of cellphones and designate people to take custody of mobile phones brought to schools, it said.

规定还表明，学生应该设置角色管理手机和指定人保管带来学校的手机。

Vocabulary

fall out of touch: 生疏，失去联系
keep in touch with: 保持联系
I have been keeping in touch with my high school friends since 2015.

as well as: and

Once：一旦，一次，一…就…
Once you go, I will take you seat. 一旦你走了，我就占你的位子
Call me once you get there. 你一到，就给我打电话
Once you complete the listening exam, go to page 2 and finish the speaking exercise. 你一做完听力考试，就翻到第二页

by no means: 无论如何都不

assign (v) 布置
assignment (n) 任务，作业
homework (n) 家庭作业

set out (英式)
set out (v) 出发
We will set out around dawn. 我们会在黎明左右出发。
I will have class with you around 3:20!

player (n) 播放器
What music player do you use?
athlete (n) 运动员

coach (n) 教练/大巴车
coach driver 大巴车司机

excellent (adj.) 极为优秀的，杰出的，卓越的

professional (adj.) 职业的
professional skill 职业技能
professor (n) 教授

BFF (best friend forever) 最好的朋友
work mate 同事，工友
chew the fat 闲聊
comfort 安慰
friendship 友谊
out of touch 不常联系，疏远
acquaintance 泛泛之交，相识的人
rekindle 重新燃起（一段关系、感情）
relationship 关系
take stock 反思，仔细考虑
mate 伙伴，朋友
fall by the wayside 中途放弃，不再熟络
friendship circle 交友圈
friendscape 朋友圈
pal 好友
inner circle 核心（朋友）圈
a shoulder to cry on 可以倾诉的对象
drift 渐渐疏远
friendship of convenience 由于便利而结成的友谊
strengthen 增强，巩固

soul mate: 灵魂伴侣
desk mate: 同桌

Grammar

It 开头的句子：无主语句
It is raining.
It it time to do sth: 是时候做什么了
It is sb/sth that …. ： 表示强调
It was Tom who did it. 正是Tom做的
It was last Wednesday when I left SH. 我是在上周三离开上海的。
It was flight 3U8877 that was late.

it is + adj.
It is funny to watch him play the piano.
It is hard for him to learn English.
It is convenient to have class via/through Zoom.  通过Zoom上课很方便
It is good for your health to exercise often. 经常锻炼对身体是有好处的

时间：

in:
In the morning/afternoon/evening
In March/May/2022
In the 1990s,
In the 20th century，
In the 18th century,

on:
On June fifth,
On Monday/Tuesday
On the weekend, I usually study English.
During the weekend

at:
秒/分钟/小时
I arrived/got here at 3:10.
I will go there at exactly 3:00. 三点整
At noon 中午十二点整
Around noon 中午时分
At night/midnight 午夜 

空间

in: 在…里面。 在一个大概的位置，不具体
In my pocket/bag/mouth/car
In Beijing/China
In the library

on: 在… 的表面，在… 层楼
On the wall, on the table
above: 在…的上方
My office is on the 7th floor of this building.

at: 具体的地方
I am at/in a coffee shop.

By the library’s gate. 在…附近

交通工具

in: car

on: bus/train/plane

at:

虚拟的东西：
On social media/Weibo/WeChat