English Recordings

My friend, Herbert, has always been fat, but things got so bad recently that he decided to go on a diet. He began his diet a week ago. First of all, he wrote out a long list of all the foods which were forbidden. The list included most of the things Herbert loves: butter, potatoes, rice, beer, milk, chocolate, and sweets. Yesterday I paid him a visit. I rang the bell and was not surprised to see that Herbert was still as fat as ever. He led me into his room and hurriedly hid a large parcel under his desk. It was obvious that he was very embarrassed. When I asked him what he was doing, he smiled guiltily and then put the parcel on the desk. He explained that his diet was so strict that he had to reward himself occasionally. Then he showed me the contents of the parcel. It contained five large bars of chocolate and three bags of sweets!

Modern sculpture rarely surprises us any more. The idea that modern art can only be seen in museums is mistaken. Even people who take no interest in art cannot have failed to notice examples of modern sculpture on display in public places. Strange forms stand in gardens， and outside buildings and shops. We have got quite used to them. Some so-called 'modern' pieces have been on display for nearly eighty years.
In spite of this， some people —— including myself —— were surprise by a recent exhibition of modern sculpture. The first thing I saw when I entered the art gallery was a notice which said： 'Do not touch the exhibits. Some of them are dangerous！' The objects on display were pieces of moving sculpture. Oddly shaped forms that are suspended form the ceiling and move in response to a gust of wind are quite familiar to everybody. These objects， however， were different. Lined up against the wall， there were long thin wires attached to metal spheres. The spheres had been magnetized and attracted or repelled each other all the time. In the centre of the hall， there were a number of tall structures which contained coloured lights. These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. Sparks were emitted from small black boxes and red lamps flashed on and off angrily. It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment. These peculiar forms not only seemed designed to shock people emotionally， but to give them electric shocks as well！

Verrazano， an Italian about whom little is known， sailed into New York Harbour in 1524 and named it Angouleme. He described it as 'a very agreeable situation located within two small hills in the midst of which flowed a great river.' Though Verrazano is by no means considered to be a great explorer， his name will probably remain immortal， for on November 21st， 1964， the longest suspension bridge in the world was named after him.
The Verrazano Bridge， which was designed by Othmar Ammann， joins Brooklyn to Staten Island. It has a span of 4，260 feet. The bridge is so long that the shape of the earth had to be taken into account by its designer. Two great towers support four huge cables. The towers are built on immense underwater platforms make of steel and concrete. The platforms extend to a depth of over 100 feet under the sea. These alone took sixteen months to build. Above the surface of the water， the towers rise to a height of nearly 700 feet. They support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended. Each of the four cables contains 26，108 lengths of wire. It has been estimated that if the bridge were packed with cars， it would still only be carrying a third of its total capacity. However， size and strength are not the only important things about this bridge. Despite its immensity， it is both simple and elegant， fulfilling its designer's dream to create 'an enormous object drawn as faintly as possible'.

And folowing entry is that I found in a Korean News papaer. If you have intersting you can try to read and try to put it into practice^^/ Hahaha, Sure, we know "An ounce of practice is worth a pound of theory."((^________________________^))
<Tips for Better Dieting>>>
Tips for Better Dieting Dieting is usually a lonely and difficult struggle that takes time until it pays off, which is why many people to give up halfway through. But what matters is the process, not the speed with which you lose weight.

Reduced food intake lowers the basal metabolism, which in turn reduces calorie consumption and makes it hard to lose weight despite eating less. Growing more muscle through exercise does not lower the basal metabolism but increases the calories burned. This is the reason why you need a long-term plan to lose weight accompanied by exercise. Here are some useful tips for losing weight in a healthy way.

◆ Chew More
The more you chew, the more time you have to satisfy the satiety center in the brain. It is an effective strategy to feel full with less food. Also, the very action of chewing burns calories.

◆ Drink More Water
Experts say chronic dehydration causes the brain to confound thirst and hunger, so you end up eating more food. This is why drinking lots of water daily is important. The recommended amount is about 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day. Sufficient water in the body will stimulate energy use and weight loss.

◆ Start with Fiber
Starting a meal with fibrous food makes you feel full sooner. Chilies are full of capsaicin that helps decompose fat.

◆ Balance Food on the Table
Some people say they never lose weight although they eat less. One likely reason is because they eat only what they want to eat. There are nutrients that are burned as energy and nutrients that help burn calories, and unbalanced diet often leads to shortage of the latter. Try having all different kinds of food on the table.

◆ Keep a Journal
A food journal helps you discover problems in your dietary habits and gives you an idea of how to improve them. While keeping a record of what you eat, you realize how much calories, fat, and sugar are contained in the chocolate, candy and drinks you half-consciously snack on through the day. Experts say a diary helps you to stop overeating because you discover what you need and what you don't need.

Mary and her husband Dimitri lived in the tiny village of Perachora in southern Greece. One of Mary's prize possessions was a little white lamb which her husband had given her. She kept it tied to a tree in a field during the day and went to fetch it every evening. One evening， however， the lamb was missing. The rope had been cut， so it was obvious that the lamb had been stolen.
When Dimitri came in from the fields， his wife told him what had happened. Dimitri at once set out to find the thief. He knew it would not prove difficult in such a small village. After telling several of his friends about the theft， Dimitri found out that his neighbour， Aleko， had suddenly acquired a new lamb. Dimitri immediately went to Aleko's house and angrily accused him of stealing the lamb. He told him he had better return it or he would call the police. Aleko denied taking it and led Dimitri into his backyard. It was true that he had just bought a lamb， he explained， but his lamb was black. Ashamed of having acted so rashly， Dimitri apologized to Aleko for having accused him. While they were talking it began to rain and Dimitri stayed in Aleko's house until the rain stopped. When he went outside half an hour later， he was astonished to find the little black lamb was almost white. Its wool， which had been dyed black， had been washed clean by the rain！

Children always appreciate small gifts of money. Mum or dad， of course， provide a regular supply of pocket money， but uncles and ants are always a source of extra income. With some children， small sums go a long way. If fifty pence pieces are not exchanged for sweets， they rattle for months inside money boxes. Only very thrifty children manage to fill up a money box. For most of them， fifty pence is a small price to pay for a nice big bar of chocolate.
My nephew， George， has a money box but it is always empty. Very few of the fifty pence pieces and pound coins I have given him have found their way there. I gave him fifty pence yesterday and advised him to save it. Instead he bought himself fifty pence worth of trouble. On his way to the sweet shop， he dropped his fifty pence and it bounced along the pavement and then disappeared down a drain. George took off his jacket， rolled up his sleeves and pushed is right arm through the drain cover. He could not find his fifty pence piece anywhere， and what is more， he could no get his arm out. A crowd of people gathered round him and a lady rubbed his arm with soap and butter， but George was firmly stuck. The fire brigade was called and two fire fighter freed George using a special type of grease. George was not too upset by his experience because the lady who owns the sweet shop heard about his troubles and rewarded him with large box of chocolates.

I love travelling in the country, but I don't like losing my way. I went on an excursion recently, but my trip took me longer than I expected. ' I'm going to Woodford Green,' I said to the conductor as I got on the bus,' but I don't know where it is.' ' I'll tell you where to get off,' answered the conductor.
I sat in the front of the bus to get a good view of the countryside. After some time, the bus stopped. Looking round, I realized with a shock that I was the only passenger left on the bus.
' You'll have to get off here,' the conductor said. 'This is as far as we go.' ' Is this Woodford Green ?' I asked. 'Oh dear,' said the conductor suddenly.' I forgot to put you off.' 'It doesn't matter,' I said. 'I'll get off here.' 'We are going back now,' said the conductor. 'Well, in that case, I prefer to stay on the bus,' I answered.

Tired of sleeping on the floor, a young man in Teheran saved up for years to buy a real bed. For the first time in his life, he became the proud owner of a bed which had springs and a mattress. Because the weather was very hot, he carried the bed on to the roof of his house. He slept very well for the first two nights, but on the third night, a storm blew up. A gust of wind swept the bed off the roof and sent it crashing into the courtyard below. The young man did not wake up until the bed had struck the ground. Although the bed was smashed to pieces, the man was miraculously unhurt. When he woke up, he was still on the mattress. Glancing at the bits of wood and metal that lay around him, the man sadly picked up the mattress and carried it into his house. After he had put it on the floor, he promptly went to sleep again.

malevolent
The witch doctor exorcised the malevolent sprits.

To ferment
These Mexican Indians make beer from boiled fermented yucca.

native
These are old native customs.

native
My native town is Leicester.

disguise
She makes no disguise of her feelings.

angelic
Victorians believed that women were angelic beings.

deviant
He shows no signs of deviant behaviour.

tutelage
She worked under the tutelage of her professor.

To adhere to
They adhere to their principles.

pinnacle
This is the pinnacle of decency.

conscience
What do you have on your conscience?

Geared to
The current system is only geared to men.

applicable
We need one that is applicable to women as well.

attainable
This ideal is rarely attainable.

ambivalence
Her ambivalence annoys me.

immersion
Her immersion in the role of Lady Macbeth was complete.

generosity
His generosity is generally known.

despair
He was filled with despair.

To subordinate
She has been taught to subordinate her own feelings to those of others.

peculiar
Do you think this is a matter of peculiar interest?

broker
I want to be an insurance broker like my father.

courteous
Our minister is a grave, courteous man in his forties.

miser
Scrooge is the miser in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

officious
I hate him, he is an officious fool.

orphan
His parents were killed in a road accident. So he became an orphan when he was twelve.

conscientious
He is very reliable and conscientious.

funeral
Their son was killed in an accident yesterday, the funeral will be the day after tomorrow.

bereavement
I sympathize with you in your bereavement.

heir
He is going to be rich one day, he is the only heir to the estate.

To come of age
Coming of Age in Samoa is Margaret Mead’s first book.

consequently
Now the book is outmoded, consequently it is no longer assigned to students.

compound
She did not live among the natives, but in a compound with other Westerners.

Vendetta
Vendettas are very important in some parts of Italy.

scholarly
This is more of a vendetta than a scholarly debate.

encounter
The sudden encounter with her former boyfriend upset her.

bewilderment
I can imagine her bewilderment.

oratory
There is nothing wrong with her oratory skills.

auditorium
You need a different technique in a large auditorium.

cadence
The cadence of his voice is just right.

homely
He tunes himself to the homely context of a mass television audience.

constraint
I had to operate under a severe time constraint.

To expose
They tried to expose my weaknesses.

To lament
He lamented for his wife’s death.