英语听力—环球英语 920 Changing Behavior by Keeping a Record

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Jennie wanted to lose weight. She says:
Voice 3
"I wanted to be able to keep up with my very energy-filled fifteen [15] month old children... I wanted to be able to take them on walks. One summer I did not take them outside because I could not stand the heat. I was very sad. I was wearing clothes designed to hide my body... But then I started writing everything I ate using a food record. Every day, I wrote what I was thinking and feeling. These records have been very helpful. I have lost ten pounds."
Voice 2
Have you ever felt like making a change in your life? Today's Spotlight is on ways to change our future behavior just by writing down what we do.
Voice 1
Everyone does things that they know are bad for them. Some people smoke cigarettes. Other people eat too much unhealthy food. Still others spend too much time watching television or playing computer games. You may have something in your life that you wish were different.
Voice 2
We seem out of control because there is a part of our brain that still thinks like a child. This part of our brain wants to feel good right now. It does not care about what may happen in the future. This is why children need adults in their lives to help them make good decisions.
Voice 1
But as adults, we need to think about the future. We need to make ourselves do what we know is good. Even if it does not feel good right now. When we smoke cigarettes or eat too much, we do this because it feels good right now. But we forget about the long-term² effects on our health. So, a part of our brain is trying to get us to do things that feel good right now. And another part knows that we need to do things that will help us live long, healthy lives. One way to help this second part is to keep a record of what we do
Voice 2
Our brain knows which things are bad for us. But it tells us we can permit³ ourselves one more serving of food or one more cigarette. Then one more. Then one more. In this way, we underestimate⁴ what we have actually done. We do this because food tastes good, smoking⁵ helps us relax, and our brain wants more, and wants it now.
Voice 1
Writing down what we do removes the estimation from our brain. Jennie has learned⁶ this from trying to lose weight, she says:
Voice 3
"Write down everything you eat! You will be amazed⁷ at how quickly the "little" things add up... Even when I was eating healthy foods I was eating way too much. I also had too much fat in my diet. Writing it down helped me keep an honest record of what I was eating."
Voice 2
By removing the estimation from our brains we make it more difficult for our brains to lie to us. But there is still one question: how does recording⁸ what we do make us want to change? After all, most overweight people already know they are overweight.
Voice 1
One reason is because writing down what you do creates a way to measure yourself. Imagine you want to watch less television. But what does "less" mean? After recording yourself you discover you watch twenty [20] hours each week. Now you have a goal you can measure. For example, you want to watch five hours less each week. This is easy to understand and measure. You can just look at your record.
Voice 2
This idea can be used for eating too much as well. Saying you want to eat less is easy. But it is not very helpful. Once you know how much you are really eating, you can make a plan. You can say, "I want to eat six hundred [600] less calories⁹ each day." And then, by writing down what you do, you can more easily reach that goal.
Voice 1
Meeting your goal is a positive reinforcement. One website describes reinforcement as, "something that strengthens¹¹ a behavior. For example, if you want your dog to sit on command, you may give him a treat every time he sits for you. The dog will come to understand that sitting when told to will result in a treat. This treat is reinforcing¹² because he likes it. It will result in him sitting when told to do so." In the same way, keeping a record and seeing even small progress will reinforce¹⁰ our good behavior.
Voice 2
Sometimes people will change their behavior because they simply do not want to write down what they did. Writing it down gives them time to stop and think about what they are doing. Some people even share their record with a friend. Knowing that someone will see what they wrote down is sometimes enough to change their behavior.
Voice 1
Writing down what you do is not the only method for changing behavior. Sometimes record keeping is used as one part of behavioral change. Some people may need counseling¹³, prayer¹⁴, education, or medicine to help them. It is also true that record keeping is only as good as the person who is keeping the record. People can still lie to themselves. They can fail to record everything they do. This will not help them make any real change.
Voice 2
We will never be perfect people. There will always be things about ourselves that we wish were different. Further, there is nothing wrong with enjoying good food or watching television. It is only a problem when these things stop us from living the kind of life we want to live. Jennie wanted to be able to play with her children. And writing down what she was eating helped her do that. She says:
Voice 3
"I am much more happy with myself. I am no longer sad and hating myself. I look forward to going out with friends. Before I would turn them down because I had nothing to wear that I felt comfortable in. There are so many benefits¹⁵ from losing weight!"
Voice 1
Keeping a record, of either good or bad actions, will give us a clearer picture of ourselves. Once we can see ourselves for who we are, hopefully we will find the strength to become the kind of people we want to be.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 long-term   

adj.长远的，长期的

参考例句：

• It isn't a long-term policy.这不是长久之计。
• We must calculate on a long-term basis.我们要作长期打算。

3 permit   

n.许可证，许可，执照；vt.允许，容许；vi.容许

参考例句：

• The doctor will not permit mother up until her leg is better.在母亲的腿好些之前,医生不允许她起床。
• The soldiers had orders to permit no stranger through.士兵们接到命令不许任何陌生人通过。

4 underestimate   

vt.对...估价过低，低估

参考例句：

• Don't underestimate the role of theory.不要轻视理论的作用。
• I think a lot of people still underestimate him.我觉得很多人仍然低估了他。

5 smoking   

n.吸烟，抽烟；冒烟

参考例句：

• He was wise to give up smoking.他戒烟是明智的。
• He has decided to cut out smoking and drinking.他已决心戒烟、戒酒。

6 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

7 amazed   

adj.吃惊的，惊奇的v.使大为吃惊，使惊奇( amaze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Just the size of the place amazed her. 仅仅地方之大就使她十分惊奇。
• I was amazed at her knowledge of French literature. 她的法国文学知识之丰富使我大为惊奇。

8 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

9 calories   

n.大卡( calorie的名词复数 )；千卡（食物所产生的能量单位）；卡路里；卡（热量单位）；卡路里，大卡路里( calory的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• No sugar for me, thanks—I'm counting my calories . 我不要糖，谢谢。我在控制摄取的热量。
• Her diet restricts her to 1500 calories a day. 她的规定饮食限制她每天摄入1500大卡热量。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 reinforce   

vt.增强，加强，增援

参考例句：

• Your positive response will reinforce her actions.你积极的回应会使她的行为更加坚定。
• We should reinforce the river embankment before the wet season.雨季前夕，我们要加固河坝。

11 strengthens   

v.加强，巩固( strengthen的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Regular exercise strengthens the heart, thereby reducing the risk of heart attack. 经常锻炼可以增强心脏机能，从而减少心脏病发作的危险。
• The study further strengthens the evidence linking smoking with early death. 这项研究进一步证实了吸烟与早逝之间的联系。 来自辞典例句

12 reinforcing   

v.加固( reinforce的现在分词 )；使更结实；加强；充实

参考例句：

• Violent behaviour and rejection by society are mutually reinforcing. 暴力行为和遭到社会排斥正在恶性循环。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• -- Reinforcing vocational training among the farmers. --加强对农民的职业技术培训。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书

13 counseling   

n.咨询服务

参考例句：

• A multimillionaire media magnate has shocked his employees with his candor by telling them all that he's putting his business affairs on hold to enter an alcoholism-counseling program. 一位身份数百万的媒体大亨，坦诚地告诉他全体员工他将暂时搁置他的事业以便参加戒酒班，令员工大为惊愕。
• She will need medical help and counseling to overcome the tragedy. 她将需要医疗帮助和心理咨询来平复这场悲剧。

14 prayer   

n.祈祷，祈求，请求，恳求；祷文，祷告者，恳求者

参考例句：

• We heard the calling of the bells to prayer.我们听见了召唤祈祷的钟声。
• Everyone in church knelt in prayer.教堂里每个人都跪着祈祷。

15 benefits   

n.津贴费；利益( benefit的名词复数 )；（给职工的）奖金；救济金；益处

参考例句：

• economic benefits accruing to the country from tourism 旅游业为该国带来的经济效益
• The article enthused about the benefits that the new system would bring. 本文热情赞扬了新制度将带来的好处。