By Charlie Morgan

张晴 注译

In Canada, when spring comes, many people think about exercise. In winter, our big sweaters can hide a few extra kilograms, but in summer, a T-shirt cannot! There are two main ways to lose weight, to eat less or to exercise more. This story is about exercise which practices some troublesome adverbs of frequency. How do you exercise? Why do you do it? How often do you do it? Do you like it?

A: Hi, how’s everything?

B: Not so good. I went to the doctor for a check up, and he told me I have to eat better and exercise more.

A: It’s important to eat well. Do you eat lots of salads or vegetables?

B: I sometimes eat salads, but not often. However, I eat vegetables almost everyday. Potato chips are made from potatoes; that’s a vegetable, right?

A: That’s not very healthy. Do you take vitamins?

B: I have vitamins at home and I take them off and on, but I often forget.

A: How about green tea? It’s good for your health!

B: I drink it once in a while, but I prefer coffee. Is that healthy?

A: It’s not very nutritious. Maybe you should exercise. It’s good to be active. How often do you exercise now?

B: I never go to a gym. It’s too expensive.

A: Okay, how about running or jogging? How often do you jog?

B: I occasionally run to catch the bus, but not often, maybe once a month.

A: I see. How about walking? How often do you go for a brisk walk?

B: I go for a leisurely walk after dinner when the mood strikes me, maybe twice a month, but I almost never take a long, brisk walk. I have no time.

A: I see. How about swimming? It’s good for you. Do you swim?

B: I used to swim all the time, but now I seldom go swimming, maybe once a year if friends with a pool invite me.

A: How about push-ups or aerobics at home? Do you do that sometimes?

B: Every year, I tell myself to start, but I only do it once in a blue moon, when my jeans get too small, maybe every six months. I use a hula hoop.

A: How about housework? That’s good exercise, too.

B: I clean my house now and then, maybe once a month!

Vocabulary

1. troublesome: 令人烦恼的，困难麻烦的。

2. adverbs of frequency: 表频率的副词。

3. gym: 〈口〉健身房，体育馆。

4. push-up: 俯卧撑。

5. aerobics: 有氧运动。

6. hula hoop: 呼拉圈。

Exercise

1. off and on a. sometimes

2. once in a while b. running slow for exercise

3. nutritious c. sometimes

4. jogging d. sometimes, only when I feel like it

5. occasionally e. not regular—sometimes yes, then no...

6. brisk f. not regular, very few times, but not never

7. leisurely g. not many times, rarely

8. when the mood strikes sb. h. food that is nutritious helps your body to
stay healthy or grow properly

9. all the time i. many times, always

10. seldom j. sometimes

11. once in a blue moon k. relaxing, not in a hurry

12. now and then l. quick and full of energy

Answers:

1–e, 2–a, 3–h, 4–b, 5–c, 6–l, 7–k, 8–d, 9–i, 10–g, 11–f, 12–j

Usage Tips

1. 在本对话中，有很多表示“时间频率”的词，如文中出现的once in a while, now and then, occasionally, 它们的时间频率都比sometimes（有时）这个词要低一些。而once in a blue moon则指“难得有一次，极为罕见”，其中blue moon在口语中是“很长的一段时间，很久”的意思，如：I haven’t seen you in a blue moon.（我很久都没看见你了。）另外，如果你想表达否定的意思，可以用seldom, rarely或not often。

2. leisurely可作形容词，如：a leisurely walk（悠闲的步行），也可作副词，如：walk leisurely，但常被当作形容词来用。该词强调的是一种轻松自在的感觉，同时还有一层享受的意味在里面。如：I usually eat breakfast fast, but on Sundays I have a leisurely breakfast. 形容词brisk的副词是briskly，是“轻快的，敏捷的”之意，如：a brisk walk（轻快的步伐），a brisk wave（轻快的挥手），a brisk hello (轻快的打招呼)；在用该词形容风时，则是指“凛冽的”.，如：a brisk breeze（疾风）。

（来源：英语学习杂志）