Online Class Notes (Mike)

For Susan Boyle, the last few years have been like a fairy tale. Before she appeared on a British TV talent show in 2009, she was a shy, middle-aged woman from Scotland. Then she sang ‘I dreamed a dream’ from the musical Les Miserables for her audition and she became famous overnight. She didn’t win the contest, but the YouTube video of her performance has been watched by millions of people and her debut album I dreamed a dream has sold over 9 million copies.

The road to stardom hasn’t been easy for Susan. She was born in 1961 in a small Scottish town, the youngest of nine children. She had some learning difficulties and was bullied at school. She left with few qualifications and she has had just one job as a cook at a college. But singing was always part of Susan’s life – at school and at her local church and pub. She had singing lessons and auditioned for talent shows, but she never found the success she was looking for. It was her mother who encouraged her to enter the popular UK Britain’s Got Talent show. The rest is history.

So, how has life changed for this unlikely celebrity? Things have never been quite the same since that extraordinary night in January 2009. She has performed to audiences of thousands of fans and has just completed a huge tour of the UK and the US. Known to the press – and to many of her fans – as SuBo, she has recorded six albums and sold millions of copies. Although she hasn’t won a Grammy award, she has been nominated twice.

But Susan has never forgotten where she came from. She still lives in Scotland. She has bought a new house, but she hasn’t sold the home where she grew up. She has never married or had children, but she has said that she would like to adopt a child. Her powerful voice has given pleasure to millions of fans all over the world. But above all, perhaps, she has been an inspiration for all the people who have ever wanted to follow a dream.

Let’s face it – most of us can’t resist a cup of tea or coffee sometimes. They’re a perfect pick-me-up and comforter. But there are alternative beverages, so why have we chosen these as our go-to drinks to soothe our hectic lives? And which one is superior?

Let’s start with tea – it’s the second most consumed drink in the world. For many – especially the British – having a ‘cuppa’ is a daily ritual. The caffeine contained in it helps wake you up in the morning, and throughout the day we’ll make a brew to distract us from our work or to be sociable. And according to some scientists, habitual tea consumption can have some health benefits. Andrew Steptoe, a professor from University College London’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, told BBC Food that drinking black tea “may speed up recovery from the daily stresses in life… but we do not know what ingredients of tea were responsible for （导致，引起，造成）these effects on stress recovery and relaxation”.

让我们从茶开始–它是世界上消费量第二大的饮料。对许多人来说–尤其是英国人–喝 “茶 “是一种日常的仪式。它所含的咖啡因有助于在早晨唤醒你，在整个一天中，我们会泡一壶茶来分散我们的工作注意力或进行社交活动。而根据一些科学家的说法，习惯性饮茶可以对健康有一些好处。伦敦大学学院流行病学和公共卫生系的教授安德鲁-斯蒂芬告诉英国广播公司食品部，喝红茶 “可能会加快从生活中的日常压力中恢复过来……但我们不知道茶的哪些成分是对缓解压力和放松的这些影响的原因”。/我们不知道茶里的那些成分能够引起减缓压力和放松效果。

Coffee is tea’s ‘trendier’ rival. Its popularity has grown over the years, and this is reflected in the number of coffee shops we see around – places to hang out, do business or catch up with friends. Coffee can taste great and can be served in many ways, but it’s sometimes how you have it that can be seen as a status symbol or the preserve of hipsters! Of course, it gives you a strong caffeine hit – roughly double of that contained in tea. However, too much can lead to anxiety. Sleep scientist Matt Walker told the BBC that caffeine can decrease the amount of restorative deep sleep you have.

But some scientists say drinking coffee – and green tea – can also be good for us. Researchers at Osaka University linked drinking a daily cup of coffee with a lower risk of death among both stroke survivors and healthy people, while drinking seven or more cups of green tea was associated with a lower risk of death among both heart attack and stroke survivors. So, whether we turn to coffee or tea for its taste, its image or as a lifestyle choice, it could be a lifesaver!

Vocabulary

watermelon (n)

melon (n) 瓜，甜瓜

consume (v)消费 – consumer (n) 消费者
consumerism (n) 消费主义
consumption (n) 消费，消耗
Our food consumption is high during lockdown.
fuel consumption 燃油/燃料消耗

contain (v) 包含，容纳 – container (n) 集装箱，容器
This drink doesn’t contain alcohol. 这个饮料不含酒精。
alcoholic (n) 酒鬼
(adj.) 含有酒精的
Is this drink alcoholic?
workaholic (n) 工作裤
shopaholic (n) 购物狂

tin (n) 罐头盒，锡

can (n) 罐头

brew
(v) 酿造
(n) 酿造
– brewery (n) 啤酒酿造厂
This wine is brewed from rice.

distract (v) 分散，转移注意力 – distraction (n) 让人分心的事
Don’t distract my attention.
Noise distracts me from my work. 噪音使我在工作中分心
My son sometimes distracts me from my English class.
There are too many distractions for me, I can’t work properly.

pressure (n) 压力
pressure cooker 压力锅
air pressure 大气压
pressure-reducer (n) 减压器
stress (n) （人的）压力

trendy (adj.) 时髦的，流行的

reflect (v) 反映，反射