Joshua Ogden-Davis/肝腦涂地
現(xiàn)代社會,激烈的競爭環(huán)境、快節(jié)奏的工作模式,使得人們不得不把大部分的時間都放在工作上。作為白領的你,每天要在辦公桌前坐多久?8小時?10小時?甚至更多?據(jù)世界衛(wèi)生組織報告,每年有200多萬人因久坐少動而死亡。美國癌癥協(xié)會2010年的一份研究報告指出,與每天靜坐時間少于3個小時的人相比,每天坐著工作6小時以上的女性死于各種疾病的風險要高37%;而對于男性來說,這一風險要高17%。針對這一現(xiàn)象,一些公司已經(jīng)讓員工開始嘗試 “站立辦公”,把他們的桌子“加高”。站著打字、用電腦,不僅能夠避免患上一系列的疾病,而且還可以提高人們的工作效率。因此,長期在電腦前久坐的親們,為了你們的健康,站起來吧!
Kirk: Hey, Jony! I see youve got a new chair. Looks nice! Jony: Hey, Kirk. Yeah, its 2)ergonomic, very soft, and made from real leather. ①Now I can kick up my heels before I even go home!
Kirk: Well, congratulations! If Id have known you wanted to upgrade your seat, I would have given you mine.
Jony: Give me yours? But then how would you sit?
Kirk: ②Believe it or not, I dont sit anymore. I got my new standing desk installed this morning!
Jony: Wait, you want to stand at work? All day? ③Correct me if Im wrong, but wont that just make you more tired?
Kirk: ④It is 3)counterintuitive, but standing desks actually help you keep a pep in your step throughout the day.
Jony: How is that possible?
Kirk: ⑤Well, sitting down for a long time is just bad for you, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It slows down your 4)metabolism and even makes it easier for you to gain weight.
Jony: Thats not a problem for me. I go to the gym every morning before work. I eat well and take care of myself, so my metabolism should be fine.
Kirk: Wow, youre better than me! Think about it, though. Is sitting down for eight hours a day at work healthy?
Jony: Of course not, but everybody does it.
Kirk: Not anymore.
Jony: So I see.
Kirk: Sitting down for most of the day can erase all the benefits of your 5)workout. ⑥Since I dont work out at all, I really needed to do something to get off my tush and lose that spare tire.
Jony: That makes sense. I still think standing up while working would make it hard to focus. Id always be walking around my office instead of staying in front of the computer. Kirk: Walking around is good for the body, no doubt about it! Jony: Even so, I dont think I could get very much work done that way.
Kirk: It is true that standing desks take some getting used to, but after youre used to it, a standing desk actually raises your 6)productivity.
Jony: So what am I missing here? It seems like standing desks have no 7)downsides. Why is everyone still rooted to their chairs?
Kirk: When I told you about my new desk, did you think it was a good idea?
Jony: ⑦I thought you were off your rocker.
Kirk: Exactly. Its a new idea, and people just arent used to it yet.
Jony: So how did you learn about it?
Kirk: A friend of mine hurt his back last year, and couldnt sit at a normal desk for a while. ⑧He got a standing desk, and he wouldnt give it up for the world!
Jony: Is your friend feeling better now?
Kirk: Much better. But more importantly, Im feeling better behind my new standing desk!
珂克:嘿,喬尼!我看到你有一張新椅子。看起來很棒!
喬尼:嘿,珂克。嗯,它符合人類環(huán)境改造學,非常柔軟,由真皮制成。現(xiàn)在我甚至可以在回家之前放松下。
珂克:嗯,恭喜你!如果我知道你想升級你的椅子,我會把自己的給你。
喬尼:把你的給我?那你怎么坐?
珂克:信不信由你,我不再坐著了。我今天早上安裝了站著辦公的桌子。
喬尼:等等,你要站著辦公?一整天?
我沒說錯吧?但是這樣不會讓你更累嗎?
珂克:這很反常,但是站立辦公確實能讓你一整天都保持活力。
喬尼:這怎么可能?
珂克:嗯,久坐只會對你有害,毫無疑問。它會減緩你的新陳代謝速度,甚者會讓你很容易變胖。
喬尼:這對我來說不是問題。我每天早晨上班前都會去健身。合理飲食,照顧好自己,所以我的新陳代謝應該沒有問題。
珂克:哇,你比我好!但是想一想,每天坐著工作八小時健康嗎?
喬尼:當然不健康,但是每個人都這樣。
珂克:不再是這樣了。
喬尼:我懂了。
珂克:整天坐著會讓你鍛煉得來的成果都白費。因為我根本不運動,我真的需要做些事去離開椅子,減減我的大肚子。
喬尼:有道理。我還是覺得在工作的時候站著會很難專心。我總是在辦公室走走,而不是呆在電腦前。
珂克:到處走走對身體有好處,毫無疑問!
喬尼:即使這樣,我覺得我也不能干很多活。
珂克:站立辦公確實需要時間去適應,但是你習慣以后,確實能提高你的工作效率。
喬尼:那我還有什么可說的?看起來站立辦公沒有弊端。為什么每個人還是離不開椅子?
珂克:當我告訴你我的新桌子,你覺得這是個好主意嗎?
喬尼:我想你瘋了。
珂克:沒錯。這是個新的想法,人們只是還沒有適應而已。
喬尼:那你是怎么學來的?
珂克:去年我的一個朋友弄傷了腰,一段時間都不能坐在正常的椅子上。他有了一張立著的桌子,就再也不想離開它了!
喬尼:你朋友現(xiàn)在好點了嗎?
珂克:好多了。但更重要的是,我站著辦公真的感覺好多了!
Smart Sentences
① Now I can kick up my heels before I even go home! 現(xiàn)在我甚至可以在回家之前放松下。
kick up ones heels: relax(放松)。例如:
Gee, you are really kicking up your heels. You look comfortable.喲,看你放松得很嘛,你看起來很舒適的樣子。
② Believe it or not, I dont sit anymore. 信不信由你,我不再坐著了。
believe it or not: used to emphasize that what you will say is surprising(用以強調你馬上要說的話出人意料)。例如:
Believe it or not, Jane gave birth to a girl this morning. I didnt know she was pregnant.
信不信由你,簡今天早上生了個女兒,我都不知道她懷孕了。
③ Correct me if Im wrong, but wont that just make you more tired? 我沒說錯吧?但是這樣不會讓你更累嗎?
correct me if Im wrong: used to indicate you are not entirely sure what you are saying(用以表示你對自己的話也不太確定)。例如:
Correct me if Im wrong, didnt you just get a raise? Why do you want to quit?
你剛剛加了工資,我沒說錯吧?那你為什么要走呢?
④ It is counterintuitive, but standing desks actually help you keep a pep in your step throughout the day. 這很反常,但是站立辦公確實能讓你一整天都保持活力。
a pep in your step: move quicker(加快動作)。例如:
Dan, you need a pep in your step. The deadline is approaching.丹,你的動作要快點,截止日期馬上就到了。
⑤ Well, sitting down for a long time is just bad for you, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. 嗯,久坐只會對你有害,毫無疑問。
no ifs, ands, or buts about it: without excuses or doubts(不允許任何借口或質疑)。例如:
If you cant meet the sales target for three months in a row, you are out, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
如果你一連三個月都不能完成銷售量,你就完了,什么理由都沒用。
⑥ Since I dont work out at all, I really needed to do something to get off my tush and lose that spare tire. 因為我根本不運動,我真的需要做些事去離開椅子,減減我的大肚子。
a spare tire: a paunch; a potbelly(大肚子,啤酒肚)。例如:
Two weeks vacation at the beach, the spare tire is back on my dad.
我爸爸去了海邊度假兩個星期,啤酒肚回來了。
⑦ I thought you were off your rocker. 我想你瘋了。
off ones rocker: out of ones mind; crazy(神經(jīng)失常,發(fā)瘋)。例如:
Thats a ridiculous target—nobody can double their sales in two weeks. Mr. Johnson is off his rocker.
那個目標太荒唐了,沒有人可能在兩周內讓銷售額翻倍。約翰遜先生瘋了。
⑧ He got a standing desk, and he wouldnt give it up for the world!他有了一張立著的桌子,就再也不想離開它了!
would not do sth. for the world: used to emphasize that sb. would definitely not do sth. (絕對不會做某事)。例如:
I wouldnt sing at the conference and make a fool of myself for the world.
我絕對不會在大會上唱歌,讓自己出丑的。