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Learn to talk about giving up alcohol in 6 minutes - YouTube

Rob: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English – the

show that brings you an interesting topic,

authentic listening practice and vocabulary

to help you improve your language skills.

I'm Rob…

Catherine: And I'm Catherine. In this programme we'll

be discussing quitting drinking and staying dry.

Rob: Right, so when you say ‘quitting', you

mean ‘giving up'

– and when you say ‘drinking',

you're particularly referring

to ‘the activity of drinking alcohol'.

Catherine: Exactly Rob.

Rob: But, what about staying dry?

It's nothing to do with the weather?

Catherine: No that's true. The adjective ‘dry' here

means ‘no alcohol'.

And I, Rob, am currently having a dry January.

Rob: Ah yes, your New Year's resolution is to give

up alcohol for one month. Any reason?

Catherine: Yes.

I'm doing it in order to improve my health

and save some money.

And a resolution, by the way,

is a promise to yourself to do something

or not to do something.

Rob: Well they seem like good reasons. And for

now, we must keep up our resolution

to always start the programme with a question, so are

you ready for it, Catherine?

Catherine: I am, crack on, Rob!

Rob: OK, According to data from the World Health Organisation

in 2015,

which country consumed the most alcohol per person?

Was it…

a) Australia b) Finland, or

c) The Czech Republic

Catherine: Well they all sound quite likely, but I did

visit Prague once and I had a lovely time,

so I'm going to say c) the Czech Republic.

Rob: OK, well as always, we'll find out the answer

later on.

But let's continue our discussion about drinking –

or informally known as boozing

– and trying to give it up.

We all know that too much drinking can be bad for

us and that's why you Catherine,

have decided to quit – but only for a month.

Catherine: Yes just a month but it's a start and I might continue

into February.

But I'm seeing the benefits already.

I've managed to shed some weight

– most of which I actually put on over Christmas!

Rob: I can see. So to shed here simply means 'lose'.

And I bet your sobriety is helping you sleep better.

Sobriety, by the way, means ‘the

state of not being drunk'.

Catherine: It is actually. And I'm not alone: A study

of 857 British adults

by Dr Richard de Visser from the University of Sussex

found that after going for a month without alcohol,

62% of the people in the study

said they had better sleep.

So Rob, does that tempt you to become teetotal

and stop drinking?

Rob: Not me Catherine. I need a drink to help me

relax and be more sociable – you know how shy I am!

Catherine: Yes of course Rob! Well, maybe you should

listen to Catherine Gray.

She's the author of a book called

The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober,

which she wrote after she discovered the negative

effects of going to too many

work-related parties

where she was just drinking too much.

Here she is speaking on BBC Radio

4's Woman's Hour programme…

Catherine Gray: I had a lot of social anxiety

and when I quit I had to deal with that.

I think I used drinking as a crutch, a confidence crutch

- it eased the way to go to big glittering parties and

stuff like that and

when I quit I had to learn real confidence in a way.

Catherine: So Catherine worked in the magazine

business which involved going to lots of boozy parties.

Drinking, she says, helped her deal with a

nervous and worried feeling that she had when she met

new people - she called it social anxiety.

Rob: Yes, and she used drinking as a crutch. A

crutch here is something you depend on for support

– and sometimes you rely on it too much.

Catherine: Yes and eventually she decided to abstain

from drinking

– in other words stop doing something that is enjoyable

but bad for you

– and she feels much better for it.

So Rob, come on, haven't you got the willpower to just

quit drinking for just 30 days?

Rob: Well according to Catherine Gray, that wouldn't

be long enough…

Catherine Gray: Experts say that it takes 66 days for a

new habit to bed in, so I would always recommend trying

it for 90 days. 30 days is the hard

bit before you get to the rewards.

Because after 66 days it starts getting a lot easier

and you start feeling better in yourself.

Catherine: Right, so it takes 66 days for doing a regular

activity - a habit - to bed in. And ‘bed

in' means to ‘become normal and start

working properly'.

Rob: Now, earlier I asked you, according to data

from the World Health Organisation in 2015,

which country consumed the most alcohol per

person? Was it…

a) Australia

b) Finland, or

c) The Czech Republic

Catherine: And I said the Czech Republic. Was I right?

Rob: You were Catherine. Spot on, well done. Apparently,

14.1 litres of pure alcohol is consumed per

person each year.

Catherine: Well like I said, they do make good beer in

the Czech Republic – but people, be careful,

only drink it in moderation. Now Rob, shall

we take a look at the vocabulary we've mentioned

today?

Rob: Indeed. The first word we had was resolution

– that's a promise to yourself to do or

not do something. 'Catherine's New Year's

resolution was to give up drinking alcohol

for a whole month.'

Catherine: Yes, and I'm still doing it Rob – the plan

is to shed a few kilos and get fit. So for

example, 'Rob shed lots of weight when he

went on a cake-free diet!'

Rob: Really? I'd never give up cake Catherine,

but I could be tempted to give up booze as

I know sobriety is good for my health – that's

the noun word to mean ‘the state of not

being drunk'.

Catherine: Now our next word was abstain. That means

‘not do something that is enjoyable but

bad for you'. 'Rob needs to abstain from

eating cakes if he wants to wear his skinny jeans.'

Rob: Are you dropping a hint there, Catherine?

Now, our final word is actually two words

– bed in. It means ‘to become normal and

start working properly'. 'It took a while

for the new computer system to bed in but

now it's working perfectly.'

Catherine: That's brilliant because now we can go online

and find more BBC Learning English programmes at

bbclearningenglish.com.

That's all for today's 6 Minute English. We hope you enjoyed it. Bye for now.

Rob: Bye.

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Rob: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English – the Rob: Cześć i witaj w 6 Minute English - the

show that brings you an interesting topic, che vi porta un argomento interessante,

authentic listening practice and vocabulary |poslech autentického||| 真實的|||| autêntica|||| authentic listening practice and vocabulary 本物のリスニング練習と語彙

to help you improve your language skills. to help you improve your language skills.

I'm Rob…

Catherine: And I'm Catherine. In this programme we'll |||Catherine||||

be discussing quitting drinking and staying dry. ||||||sober ||||||sóbrio ||||||sóbrio hablar de dejar de beber y mantenerse seco. discutir o facto de deixar de beber e manter-se seco. обсуждать отказ от питья и оставаться сухим. 讨论戒酒和保持不吸烟。

Rob: Right, so when you say ‘quitting', you ||||||stopping something abruptly| ||||||renunciando| Bien, así que cuando dices "abandonar". Роб: Верно, поэтому, когда вы говорите "бросить курить", вы Rob：对，所以当你说“退出”的时候，你

mean ‘giving up' significar "desistir

– and when you say ‘drinking', - y cuando dices "beber",

you're particularly referring 御指摘の通り你特别提到

to ‘the activity of drinking alcohol'. ‘饮酒活动’。

Catherine: Exactly Rob.

Rob: But, what about staying dry?

It's nothing to do with the weather? 天気とか関係ないんですかね？ a ver com o tempo? 和天气没关系吗？

Catherine: No that's true. The adjective ‘dry' here キャサリンいいえ、その通りです。ここでの形容詞「ドライ」は

means ‘no alcohol'.

And I, Rob, am currently having a dry January. E io, Rob, sto vivendo un gennaio arido. E eu, Rob, estou a ter um janeiro seco. 而我，罗布，目前正处于一个干燥的一月。

Rob: Ah yes, your New Year's resolution is to give ||||||goal||| Rob: Ah sim, a vossa resolução de Ano Novo é dar

up alcohol for one month. Any reason? deixar de beber álcool durante um mês. Qual é a razão?

Catherine: Yes. Catarina: Sim.

I'm doing it in order to improve my health Estou a fazê-lo para melhorar a minha saúde

and save some money.

And a resolution, by the way, ||decision||| E uma resolução, já agora,

is a promise to yourself to do something é uma promessa feita a si próprio de fazer algo 是对自己做某事的承诺

or not to do something. ou não fazer algo.

Rob: Well they seem like good reasons. And for

now, we must keep up our resolution ||||||determination nyní musíme dodržet naše předsevzetí agora, temos de manter a nossa resolução 现在，我们必须坚持我们的决心

to always start the programme with a question, so are para começar sempre o programa com uma pergunta, por isso são

you ready for it, Catherine? |preparada|||

Catherine: I am, crack on, Rob! |||開心|| |||go ahead|| |||vamos sigue|| Catherine: Jsem, Robe! Catherine: Estou a fazer isso, Rob! 凯瑟琳：是的，继续吧，罗布！

Rob: OK, According to data from the World Health Organisation |||||||||Organización Mundial de la Salud

in 2015,

which country consumed the most alcohol per person?

Was it… Foi...

a) Australia b) Finland, or a) Austrália b) Finlândia, ou

c) The Czech Republic ||捷克| ||checa| ||checa|

Catherine: Well they all sound quite likely, but I did Catherine: Bem, todas elas parecem bastante prováveis, mas eu fiz

visit Prague once and I had a lovely time, |布拉格||||||| |Prague||||||| |Praga|||||||

so I'm going to say c) the Czech Republic.

Rob: OK, well as always, we'll find out the answer Rob: OK, well as always, we'll find out the answer Rob: OK, bem, como sempre, vamos descobrir a resposta

later on.

But let's continue our discussion about drinking –

or informally known as boozing ||||喝酒 ||||drinking alcohol ||||beber alcohol ||||pijąc alkohol ||||bebendo álcool 或非正式地称为豪饮

– and trying to give it up.

We all know that too much drinking can be bad for همه ما می دانیم که نوشیدن زیاد الکل می تواند برای بدن مضر باشد

us and that's why you Catherine,

have decided to quit – but only for a month. |||suspender|||||

Catherine: Yes just a month but it's a start and I might continue کاترین: بله فقط یک ماه است، اما این یک شروع است و ممکن است ادامه دهم 凯瑟琳：是的，只有一个月，但这是一个开始，我可能会继续

into February.

But I'm seeing the benefits already. ||vendo|||

I've managed to shed some weight |||lose|| |||perder|| |||zgubić|| |||perder|| Podařilo se mi zhubnout He conseguido perder algo de peso Sono riuscito a perdere un po' di peso Consegui perder algum peso Мне удалось похудеть 我成功减掉了一些体重

– most of which I actually put on over Christmas! - la maggior parte dei quali li ho indossati durante il periodo natalizio! - a maior parte das quais, na verdade, coloquei no Natal! – 事实上，大部分都是我在圣诞节期间穿的！

Rob: I can see. So to shed here simply means 'lose'. ||||||lose||||lose weight

And I bet your sobriety is helping you sleep better. ||||清醒狀態||||| ||||abstinence from alcohol||||| ||||trzeźwość||||| ||||sobriedade|||||

Sobriety, by the way, means ‘the 清醒狀態||||| Clear-mindedness||||| 顺便说一下，清醒意味着“

state of not being drunk'. حالت مست نبودن. 不醉酒的状态。

Catherine: It is actually. And I'm not alone: A study کاترین: در واقع همینطور است. و من تنها نیستم: یک مطالعه

of 857 British adults از 857 بزرگسال بریتانیایی

by Dr Richard de Visser from the University of Sussex |||||||||薩塞克斯大學 ||||Dr. de Visser|||||University in England ||||Visser|||||Sussex توسط دکتر ریچارد دی ویسر از دانشگاه ساسکس

found that after going for a month without alcohol, 发现戒酒一个月后，

62% of the people in the study 62 درصد از افراد حاضر در مطالعه

said they had better sleep.

So Rob, does that tempt you to become teetotal ||||吸引||||戒酒 ||||entice||||abstain from alcohol ||||||||abstynencki ||||te tienta||||abstemia ||||||||abstinente total Takže Robe, láká tě to k abstinenci? Então, Rob, isso tenta-o a tornar-se abstémio? 那么 Rob，这是否会让你戒酒呢？

and stop drinking?

Rob: Not me Catherine. I need a drink to help me

relax and be more sociable – you know how shy I am! ||||善於交際|||||| ||||sociable|||||| ||||sociável||||||

Catherine: Yes of course Rob! Well, maybe you should

listen to Catherine Gray.

She's the author of a book called

The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, |||||Clear-headed |||||sobrio |inesperada||||sóbrio Nečekaná radost ze střízlivosti, La gioia inaspettata di essere sobri, 清醒的意外喜悦，

which she wrote after she discovered the negative 这是她在发现负面消息后写的

effects of going to too many účinky příliš mnoha návštěv 去太多次的后果

work-related parties |relacionadas con el trabajo| pracovní večírky

where she was just drinking too much. kde prostě moc pila. 她只是喝太多了。

Here she is speaking on BBC Radio

4's Woman's Hour programme…

Catherine Gray: I had a lot of social anxiety 凯瑟琳·格雷：我有严重的社交焦虑

and when I quit I had to deal with that. e quando mi sono licenziato ho dovuto fare i conti con questo. i kiedy odszedłem, musiałem sobie z tym poradzić. e quando me demiti, tive de lidar com isso. 当我辞职时，我必须处理这个问题。

I think I used drinking as a crutch, a confidence crutch |||||||拐杖||| |||||||support mechanism||| |||||||muleta||| |||||||kulka podpórka|||kulka |||||||muleta de confiança||| Creo que usé la bebida como una muleta, una muleta de confianza.

- it eased the way to go to big glittering parties and |使容易|||||||閃亮的|| ||||||||sparkling, glamorous, dazzling|| |facilitó|||||||brillantes fiestas|| |facilitou|||||||brilhantes festas|| - ha facilitato la strada per andare a grandi feste scintillanti e - 大きなきらびやかなパーティーに行くのが楽になり、 - ułatwiło to drogę do wielkich, błyszczących imprez i - facilitou a ida a grandes festas brilhantes e - 它为参加盛大的派对提供了便利，

stuff like that and things||| coisas assim||| cose del genere e takie rzeczy i

when I quit I had to learn real confidence in a way. Kiedy odszedłem, musiałem nauczyć się prawdziwej pewności siebie. 当我辞职时，我必须以某种方式学会真正的自信。

Catherine: So Catherine worked in the magazine Catherine: Então a Catherine trabalhou na revista 凯瑟琳：凯瑟琳在杂志社工作

business which involved going to lots of boozy parties. |||||||喝酒的| |||||||alcohol-filled| |||||||borracheras| |||||||cheias de bebida| che comportava la partecipazione a molte feste alcoliche. que implicava ir a muitas festas com álcool. 生意包括参加很多醉酒聚会。

Drinking, she says, helped her deal with a

nervous and worried feeling that she had when she met nerwowe i zmartwione uczucie, które miała, kiedy spotkała

new people - she called it social anxiety.

Rob: Yes, and she used drinking as a crutch. A |||||bebida||||

crutch here is something you depend on for support 拐杖||||||||

– and sometimes you rely on it too much. |||depend on|||| |||dependes de ello|||| - e a volte ci si affida troppo. - i czasami za bardzo na nim polegasz.

Catherine: Yes and eventually she decided to abstain |||||||refrain from voting |||||||abster-se |||||||不投票 |||||||abstimmen |||||||powstrzymać się |||||||abstenerse

from drinking

– in other words stop doing something that is enjoyable ||||||||prazerosa

but bad for you

– and she feels much better for it. - i czuje się dzięki temu znacznie lepiej.

So Rob, come on, haven't you got the willpower to just ||||||||意志力|| ||||||||self-control|| ||||||||fuerza de voluntad|| ||||||||força de vontade|| 所以 Rob，拜托，难道你就没有意志力

quit drinking for just 30 days? rzucić picie tylko na 30 dni?

Rob: Well according to Catherine Gray, that wouldn't

be long enough… essere abbastanza lungo... 足够长……

Catherine Gray: Experts say that it takes 66 days for a Catherine Grayová: Odborníci tvrdí, že trvá 66 dní, než se

new habit to bed in, so I would always recommend trying nový zvyk, takže bych vždy doporučoval vyzkoušet nuova abitudine da assimilare, quindi consiglio sempre di provare 养成新的习惯，所以我总是建议尝试

it for 90 days. 30 days is the hard przez 90 dni. 30 dni to trudny okres

bit before you get to the rewards. ||||||recompensas prima di arrivare alle ricompense. 在获得奖励之前请稍等片刻。

Because after 66 days it starts getting a lot easier Perché dopo 66 giorni inizia a diventare molto più facile

and you start feeling better in yourself.

Catherine: Right, so it takes 66 days for doing a regular

activity - a habit - to bed in. And ‘bed atividade - um hábito - para se deitar. E "deitar

in' means to ‘become normal and start

working properly'. |functioning correctly |de forma adequada funcionando corretamente".

Rob: Now, earlier I asked you, according to data

from the World Health Organisation in 2015,

which country consumed the most alcohol per

person? Was it…

a) Australia

b) Finland, or

c) The Czech Republic

Catherine: And I said the Czech Republic. Was I right?

Rob: You were Catherine. Spot on, well done. Apparently,

14.1 litres of pure alcohol is consumed per litros||||||

person each year.

Catherine: Well like I said, they do make good beer in

the Czech Republic – but people, be careful, ||||||cuidado

only drink it in moderation. Now Rob, shall ||||適量||| ||||with self-control||| |||||||deves 只喝适量。现在 Rob，

we take a look at the vocabulary we've mentioned ||||||||referred to

today?

Rob: Indeed. The first word we had was resolution ||||||||Decision or determination |de hecho|||||||

– that's a promise to yourself to do or

not do something. 'Catherine's New Year's |||Catherine has not||

resolution was to give up drinking alcohol resolución fue dejar de beber alcohol

for a whole month.' ||um mês inteiro|

Catherine: Yes, and I'm still doing it Rob – the plan

is to shed a few kilos and get fit. So for ||lose||||||||

example, 'Rob shed lots of weight when he ||perdió peso|||||

went on a cake-free diet!' ha fatto una dieta senza dolci!".

Rob: Really? I'd never give up cake Catherine, Rob: A sério? Eu nunca desistiria de um bolo, Catherine,

but I could be tempted to give up booze as ||||||||酒精| ||||||||alcohol| ||||tentado||||alcohol| ||||tentado a||||bebida alcoólica| 但我可能会想戒酒，因为

I know sobriety is good for my health – that's ||being sober||||||

the noun word to mean ‘the state of not

being drunk'.

Catherine: Now our next word was abstain. That means ||||||戒除||

‘not do something that is enjoyable but

bad for you'. 'Rob needs to abstain from

eating cakes if he wants to wear his skinny jeans.' ||||||||瘦身| ||||||||delgado| ||||||||magras|

Rob: Are you dropping a hint there, Catherine? |||||subtle suggestion|| |||||uma dica|| |||dejando caer|||| Rob: Chceš tím něco naznačit, Catherine? Stai lasciando intendere qualcosa, Catherine? 罗布：凯瑟琳，你是在暗示什么吗？

Now, our final word is actually two words

– bed in. It means ‘to become normal and

start working properly'. 'It took a while ||correctly||||

for the new computer system to bed in but para que o novo sistema informático se adapte, mas пока новая компьютерная система не приживется, но

now it's working perfectly.'

Catherine: That's brilliant because now we can go online

and find more BBC Learning English programmes at ||||||programas|

bbclearningenglish.com.

That's all for today's 6 Minute English. We hope you enjoyed it. Bye for now.

Rob: Bye. Rob|