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Level 5: Advanced Daily Audio Lessons

DailyStep-5_radio-health-001_US-05

Simon: Hello, Mary! I’ve recently become very concerned about my

weight. I’m really piling on the pounds and even though I’ve cut back on

the amount of donuts I’m eating I’m still ballooning at an alarming rate.

Could you recommend a good diet for me?

Mary: Well, if you’re serious about dieting, it’s essential that you cut out

donuts altogether. They’re nothing but deep-fried fat and sugar and they

should be avoided like the plague by anyone trying to lose weight.

Simon: But I used to be able to eat whatever I liked and I never put on

weight.

Mary: Well, unfortunately as we get older our metabolisms slow down so

we have to change our eating habits. My advice to you is to eat a

balanced diet of unprocessed foods, nothing faddish, and get plenty of

exercise and it will pay dividends as you start to see the weight fall off

you. It might seem like a massive sacrifice at the moment to give up the

fatty foods you love but it will be well worth it in the end. Also, I can’t

over-emphasize the need to keep fit. I’d recommend at least half an

hour’s vigorous exercise to get the heart pumping and the blood

circulating at least three times a week.

Simon: Three times a week?

.
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Level 5: Advanced Daily Audio Lessons

Situation: On a radio phone-in show, Mary Carter gives advice to Simon, who wants to
lose weight.

Style: general conversation

.

Functions:
1. Describing a recent worry: I’ve recently become very concerned about my
weight (note: please copy the tone and emphasis carefully here.)
2. Explaining an apparently contradictory situation: even though I’ve cut back
on the amount of donuts I’m eating I’m still ballooning at an alarming rate (note:
please copy the tone and emphasis carefully here.)
3. Offering important advice: If you’re serious about dieting, it’s essential that
you cut out donuts altogether (note: please copy the tone and emphasis carefully
here.)
4. Talking about a situation that was generally true in the past: But I used to
be able to eat whatever I liked and I never put on weight (note: please copy the
tone and emphasis carefully here.)
5. Describing the future merits of an apparently unpromising action: It might
seem like a massive sacrifice at the moment to give up the fatty foods you love
but it will be worth it in the end (note: please copy the tone and emphasis
carefully here.)
.

Notes:
1. I’ve recently become very concerned about = Lately I have become very worried
about
2. my weight = the amount that I weigh
3. I’m really piling on the pounds (idiom, informal) = I have been putting on
(phrasal verb) a lot of weight
4. even though I’ve cut back on (phrasal verb) = despite the fact that I have
reduced the number of
5. donuts = small fried sugary cakes
6. I’m still ballooning = Despite that I am becoming much fatter
7. at an alarming rate = so quickly that I am becoming worried
8. Could you recommend a good diet for me? = Would you be able to suggest a
good eating plan
9. If you’re serious about dieting = If you really want to lose weight
10. it’s essential that (stronger) = it is very important that
11. you cut out (phrasal verb) donuts altogether = you stop eating donuts completely
12. they’re nothing but (informal) = they are just
13. deep-fried = cooked by being completely submerged in boiling oil
14. they should be avoided like the plague (idiom - stronger) = you should aim to
exclude them completely from your diet
15. But I used to be able to eat whatever I liked = In the past I could eat anything
that I fancied
16. I never put on (phrasal verb) weight = I never got fatter / I never gained weight
17. as we get older = with increasing age
18. our metabolisms = the process by which our bodies turn food into (phrasal verb)
energy
19. slow down (phrasal verb) = become slower / use up (phrasal verb) less energy
20. so we have to change our eating habits = therefore we need to eat more carefully

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Level 5: Advanced Daily Audio Lessons

21. My advice to you is (more emphatic) = I would advise you

22. to eat a balanced diet = to eat a wide variety of different foods in moderation
23. unprocessed foods = foods that have not been prepared in advance
24. nothing faddish (quite negative) = nothing according to a particularly trendy diet
25. get plenty of exercise = play sport and be physically active
26. it will pay dividends (idiom) = you will feel much better / it will reward you
27. to see the weight fall off you (idiom) = to lose weight rapidly
28. a massive sacrifice = a very difficult thing (to give up)
29. to give up (phrasal verb) the fatty foods you love = to stop eating the unhealthy
foods that you particularly enjoy
30. it will be worth it in the end = the reward for giving up fatty foods makes the
process worthwhile
31. I can’t over-emphasize (more emphatic) = I really must stress
32. the need to keep fit = the benefits of taking regular exercise (more formal)
33. at least half an hour’s vigorous exercise = at least 30 minutes of strenuous
physical activity
34. to get the heart pumping and the blood circulating = to ensure that you are
exercising vigorously enough (note: this expression literally describes the
processes occurring in the body when physical exercise is being taken.)
35. Three times a week? = Are you seriously telling me that I need to exercise three
times a week? (note: here the speaker is very shocked to hear that he is
expected to do so much physical exercise!)
.
Audio file name: DailyStep-5_radio-health-001_US-05
.

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A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step