英语听力精选进阶版 6464（在线收听）

Are you concerned about your body image? These days, both women and men are surrounded by magazines and websites full of tips about dieting, exercise and fashion. Not to mention hairstyles! Gone are the days when all men had to think about was wearing a nice suit to be smart and handsome. Things have changed.

Now, a survey by the University of the West of England has suggested that 80% of men confess to being unhappy about their body. The biggest body issues for them were beer bellies and lack of muscles.

Some think this sudden vanity is due to the pressure or influence of role models we see on TV and in magazines. People end up with a perception of what the perfect body should look like. But not everybody wants to put in the effort to have perfect pecs and dazzling white teeth like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

An opportunistic entrepreneur has even invented a muscle-enhancing shirt to be worn under a man's clothes to make him look more of a hunk.

But Joe Warner, the former editor of Men's Fitness magazine in the UK, thinks the padded shirt is just a gimmick. He thinks many people in the country are obese, or overweight, and should accept they need to do more exercise.

Warner says: "I think it's a real shame people still want shortcuts when it doesn't take an awful lot of effort to get to the gym or go for a walk."

Exercise is always a good thing. But we mustn't forget that beauty is only skin deep. Character is more important than appearance.

So before I head off to the pub, it might be worth spending an hour at the gym. I'm not looking to get a six-pack, but looking healthier would certainly improve my confidence and self-esteem.

What about you: how much do you worry about your physique?

Quiz 测验

1. What subjects in magazines and websites might make people concerned about their body image?

Dieting, exercise, fashion and hairstyles.

2. What are men's main worries about their appearance?

According to the survey, they're mainly concerned about lack of muscles and having beer bellies.

3. What is a muscle-enhancing shirt?

It's a padded shirt, worn under men's clothes to make men look more muscular.

4. Which two expressions are used to describe men's chest muscles?

'Pecs' and 'a six-pack'.

5. Which expression means 'a person you admire and whose behaviour you try to copy'?

A role model.

Glossary 词汇表

body image 身体形象

smart 潇洒的

beer belly 啤酒肚

vanity 虚荣

role model 榜样

perception 看法

to end up with 以...告终

pecs (short for 'pectorals') 胸大肌

opportunistic 机会主义的

muscle-enhancing 增强肌肉感的

hunk 富有魅力的健美男子，猛男

padded 加衬垫的

gimmick 花招儿

shortcut 捷径

beauty is only skin deep 美貌是肤浅的

six-pack 六块腹肌

self-esteem 自尊心