2010年ESL之就医和人际交往 09 Having Skin Problems（打印版）

2010年ESL之就医和人际交往 09 Having Skin Problems（在线收听）

09 Having Skin Problems

GLOSSARY

rash – a group of red marks on one’s skin, possibly itchy

* Have you ever gotten a rash from touching poison oak?

exam table – a bed-like table in a doctor’s office where patients can sit or liedown while a doctor examines them

* The nurses put clean paper over the exam table for each patient.

to start out – to begin in a certain way, especially when something changes later

* She started out her career as a waitress, but within a few years, she was arestaurant manager and then owner.

blister – a small area of raised skin that is filled with liquid

* Marty got blisters on his feet after he wore his new hiking boots all day.

itchy – making one want to scratch a certain part of one’s skin; feeling irritatedand causing one to want to rub an area of skin with one’s fingernails

* Karina’s arms are really itchy where she was bitten by mosquitoes.

infection – a disease caused by bacteria entering part of one’s body

* When Meghan pierced her ears with a dirty needle, she got an infection.

skin cancer – a serious disease where skin cells multiply and growuncontrollably, often because one’s skin was exposed to too much sun

* If we don’t want to get skin cancer, we need to limit the amount of time wespend outdoors and always use sunscreen.

to get ahead of (oneself) – to plan or do something before one knows whether itis really necessary; to begin making decisions before all the relevant informationis known

* Ximena thought she was having a baby girl and got ahead of herself, buyingpink baby clothes and painting the nursery pink before the doctor was able to tellher the baby’s gender.

while you’re at it – a phrase used to ask someone to do something else inaddition to what he or she is already doing

* Thanks for agreeing to help me hang this heavy mirror. While you’re at it, canyou help me hang all these photos and paintings, too?

bump – a small raised area; an area that is higher than the surrounding area

* The little boy has a big bump on his forehead where he was hit by a baseball.

mole – a small, dark, brown, usually round mark on one’s skin, often slightlyhigher than the surrounding skin

* If you notice that your moles change in shape or color, make an appointmentwith a skin doctor.

birthmark – an area of skin that is a different color than the surrounding skin andthat one has had since birth

* Melissa has a large birthmark on her left shoulder.

wart – a small spot on one’s skin that is dark, raised, and very hard

* James has warts on his fingers, but since they aren’t painful, he doesn’t plan tosee a doctor about them.

scar – a small, white mark that remains on one’s skin after a cut or burn hashealed

* Terese has a large scar on her abdomen from when her appendix wasremoved.

treatment – what is done to cure a disease or fix an injury

* Treatment for a broken bone often involves wearing a cast for several monthsand then going through physical therapy.

pimple – zit; a small, red spot on one’s face caused by having too much oil inone’s skin

* Most teenagers get embarrassed when they have pimples on their face.

acne – a skin condition where one has many red spots on the face and neck,often affecting teenagers

* Sheila’s acne was so bad that she begged not to go to school, because shewas afraid the other students would make fun of her.

since you asked – a phrase used when one wants to add additional informationor ask another question, but was waiting for the other person to indicate interestbefore doing so

* - Here’s your chicken, beef, pork, and salmon. Can I get you anything else?

* - Well, since you asked, I’d also like a pound of turkey and a pound of ham.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Which of these is most likely to be red?

a) A rash.

b) A blister.

c) A mole.

2. What would someone with acne have?

a) A birthmark.

b) A wart.

c) Pimples.

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WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to start out

The phrase “to start out,” in this podcast, means to begin in a certain way,especially when something changes later: “The company started out by hiring apart-time employee, but now it needs two full-time employees to do the work.”

The phrase “to start in” means to begin doing something, especially when it willrequire a lot of effort or time: “The amount of work seems overwhelming, but thesooner we start in, the sooner we’ll finish.” The phrase “to start over” means tobegin doing something again, usually because it didn’t work the first time: “Shespent all morning baking a cake, but it burned, so now she has to start over.”

Finally, the phrase “to start up” means to create a business or organization:

“They started up a furniture store in 1983.”

mole

In this podcast, the word “mole” means a small, dark, brown, usually round markon one’s skin, often slightly higher than the surrounding skin: “Vicky hates themole on her cheek and is going to ask her doctor to remove it.” A “mole” is alsoa small, furry mammal that spends most of its time underground and is almostblind: “Gardeners dislike moles, because they eat the roots of plants and leavelarge piles of dirt near where they live.” Finally, a “mole” is a spy, or a personwho works for one government or organization while secretly giving confidentialinformation to another government or a competing organization: “Thegovernment is trying to identify the mole who is passing on secret informationabout nuclear weapons to the country’s enemies.”

CULTURE NOTE

People use many different “beauty products” (products designed to make onemore beautiful) to treat skin “blemishes” (unwanted, unattractive marks) andimprove the “condition” (state; health) of their skin.

People can buy many different “bar soaps” (a small, rectangular block of soap)and “body washes” (liquid soap) to wash their skin. Many of these have“fragrances” (scents; smells) to make people smell nice. Other soaps are“antibacterial” (with the power to kill bacteria) or are made for “sensitive skin”

(skin that is irritated easily).

After washing, many people “apply” (use; put on) “moisturizing” (adding liquid)“lotions” (creams). Lotions are used to “hydrate” (add water to) the skin, makingit feel softer and look younger. Many of these lotions also have fragrances.

Others have vitamin E or other “substances” (components; parts) that aredesigned to reduce “wrinkles” (small lines on the skin caused by age) and makeskin look younger. Many women, in particular, use special under-eye creamsthat are supposed to reduce wrinkles.

Sometimes people use special “face masks,” which are thick substances put onthe skin, creating a “mask” (a cover for the face). When the dry mask is washedoff, the skin underneath is cleaner than it was before. Other people use“exfoliating scrubs,” which are creams with small, hard pieces that are rubbedagainst the skin to remove dead skin cells. This is supposed to “reveal” (show)younger, healthier-looking skin.

Finally, many people use “sunscreen” (lotions that prevent sunburns) to protecttheir skin from “UV” (ultraviolet; light from the sun) damage. Other people wantto have the “appearance” (look) of a tan without being exposed to the sun, sothey might choose to use a “self-tanner” (a cream that temporarily makes one’sskin appear darker).

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Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – c

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 589: Having SkinProblems.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 589. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Go there to download an 8- to 10-page LearningGuide for this episode that will help you improve your English even faster.

This episode is a dialogue between a doctor and the mother of young boy.

They’re going to be talking about the problems that this young boy has with hisskin – the medical problems. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Mother: Doctor, this is my son Danny. I brought him in so you could look at hisrash.

Doctor: Okay, Danny. Have a seat on the exam table. How long have you hadthe rash?

Mother: My son has had that rash for about two weeks. It started out as ablister, and then it got really itchy and turned red. Could it be an infection?

Doctor: I’ll need to take a closer look at it first before I can tell you that.

Mother: I hope it’s not anything serious. I hope it’s not skin cancer!

Doctor: Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Okay, let’s take a look…Mother: While you’re at it, could you look at this bump on Danny’s neck? I thinkit’s a mole.

Doctor: That looks like a birthmark, but I’ll take a look.

Mother: And could you look at this wart? If you remove it, will it leave a scar?

Doctor: I’m not sure it is a wart. Let me examine it first, and I’ll tell you whattreatment I recommend.

Mother: Oh, and Doctor, could you look at Danny’s pimples? He just startedgetting them. I had really bad acne when I was his age.

Doctor: Is there anything else?

Mother: Well, since you asked…[end of dialogue]

We begin with the mother saying, “Doctor, this is my son Danny. I brought him in(I brought him here) so you could look at his rash (rash).” A “rash” is when youhave a group of red – small red marks on your skin, often times they are itchy.

You feel like you need to take one of your hands and move it rapidly across therash back and forth to stop this feeling of itchiness. We would call that“scratching” the itch.

Well, that’s what Danny has. The doctor says, “Okay, Danny. Have a seat onthe exam table.” The “exam table,” or the “examination table” – “exam” is justshort for “examination” – is sort of a bed-like table in a doctor’s office where thepatient can sit or lie down so the doctor can look at the patient. The doctor says,“How long have you had the rash?” Now he asked that to the boy, Danny, butthe mother responds instead. “My son has had that rash for about two weeks. Itstarted out as a blister, but then it got really itchy and turned red.” “To start out”

is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to begin in a certain way. Especially we usethe expression “to start out,” this phrasal verb, when something begins one way,then at the end there’s a different result; something changes: “She started outworking as a waitress in a restaurant, and after a few years she was in themovies.” Typical Los Angeles story, I guess. Usually they continue to be waitersand waitresses for the rest of their lives. But in the Hollywood version, you startas a lowly employee working at a café, and then you are suddenly a big moviestar. I’m waiting for that to happen to me! That’s what “to start out” means.

There are actually meanings of this expression, and those can be found intoday’s Learning Guide. A “blister” (blister) is a small area of your skin that israised; it’s a little higher up than the other skin around it and there’s liquid inside.

Typically if you are wearing shoes, for example, that are too tight and your foot isrubbing against the tight shoes you may develop – you may get a blister on yourfoot. “Itchy” (itchy) we mentioned earlier; it’s the sensation – the feeling that youwant to scratch something, that you want to take your hand and your fingernails and put it over the skin, rubbing it back and forth. That’s the sensation ofsomething being itchy.

The son has something that started out as a blister, and then it got really itchyand turned red. “Could it be an infection?” the mother asks. An “infection” is amedical condition caused by bacteria entering some part of your body. It makesyou sicker; it’s a kind of illness, we could say. The mother is wondering whetherthis rash, that started out as a blister, is an infection. The doctor says, “I’ll needto take a closer look at it first before I can tell you that.” He needs to examine it.

The mother says, “I hope it’s not anything serious. I hope it’s not skin cancer!”

“Skin cancer” is a serious disease where you have what are called cancerouscells that multiply – that grow. This happens sometimes if you get too much sun,you can get skin cancer. Skin cancer is usually caught early, and if it is it’s not aproblem to get rid of it; it’s not like some of the other kinds of cancer.

The doctor said, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” The mother is worried thatthe son has cancer, and the doctor is telling her not to get ahead of herself. Thatis, don’t start making plans or doing things before you really understand what youhave to do. You don’t have enough information to make a decision yet; that’s toget ahead of yourself. The mother immediately thinks the worst. The doctorsays, “let’s take a look,” and again the mother interrupts and says, “While you’reat it,” meaning while you are doing that, you are asking them to do somethingelse. In this case, the mother wants him to look at this bump (bump) on Danny’sneck. She says, “I think it’s a mole.” A “bump” is a small, raised area ofsomething; it could be on your skin. There could be a bump on your desk, ifthere was a problem with your desk. It’s not completely flat or smooth. This is abump on Danny’s neck, which the mother thinks might be a mole (mole). Here, a“mole” means a small, dark, usually brown mark on your skin. It’s usually slightlyraised – it’s usually a bit higher than the skin around it, though that isn’t alwaysthe case.

The doctor says, “That looks like a birthmark, but I’ll take a look.” A “birthmark”

(one word) is an area of your skin that is a different color than the area around it,and that’s the way it has been since you were born – your skin has always beenthat way. We call those things birthmarks. I have a birthmark on the back of myhead, which no one could ever see until I shaved my head. I took all the hair offof my head and there it was. It’s kind of scary looking actually, but it’s okay. I tellpeople it’s a tattoo, which it isn’t!

The mother says then, “And could you look at this wart? If you remove it, will itleave a scar?” A “wart” (wart) is a small spot on your skin that is dark, not usually brown. It’s raised up above the rest of the skin, and it is typically very hard. It’salmost like you have a very hard piece of rock on your skin. That’s called a wart.

A “scar” is what can happen sometimes when you cut you skin if it’s a deep cut –a serious one. Sometimes after the “wound,” the opening in your skin, hashealed – has become better, there’s a little mark our your skin where you cut it.

That would be a scar. So the doctor is being asked if he removes the wart willthat will leave a scar on little Danny’s skin.

The doctor says, “I’m not sure it is a wart. Let me examine it first, and I’ll tell youwhat treatment I recommend.” Of course, the mother won’t let the doctor actuallydo his job and examine the patient, Danny. “Treatment” is what you do to cure adisease or to fix an injury that you have; that’s how it’s used here. The doctorsays I can’t tell you the treatment until I look at it. The mother says, “Oh, andDoctor, could you look at Danny’s pimples? He just started getting them. I hadreally bad acne when I was his age.” So, the mother is having the doctor look atyet another thing, that’s Danny’s pimples. A “pimple” (pimple) is sometimesinformally called a “zit” (zit), but “pimple” is a little nicer sounding word. It’s asmall, red spot often on your face that might be caused by having too much oil inyour skin. It’s something that happens to teenagers quite frequently, but it canalso happen to adults.

Well, Danny has pimples, and he just started getting them. The mother said thatI had really bad acne but I was his age. “Acne” (acne) is a skin condition wereyou have lots of different pimples on your skin, especially your face and yourneck. Again, that’s the general condition of having pimples; it’s called havingacne.

The doctor says, “Is there anything else?” The mother says, “Well, since youasked.” The phrase “since you asked” means that you have another question oryou have more information, but you were waiting for the other person to indicatesome interest. You weren’t going to ask them or tell them, but since they askedyou, well then, you are going to ask the question or give the information.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.