去健身房鍛煉身體、做運動對一些人來說是生活中不可缺少的一部分，但也有人認為去健身房就是浪費時間，自我折磨。假設把做運動和虛擬現實游戲結合起來，那么也許一種更有趣的鍛煉身體方式就產生了。本集《隨身英語》介紹未來健身房里可能會使用的虛擬健身方式和器材。

課文內容

Vocabulary:  exercise 詞匯: 運動

Going to the gym can be something that many people find a gruelling experience. It takes time and effort, it often hurts, and it can be extremely tedious. Most weight-related exercises are a combination of sets and reps. In order to see any significant change from any one exercise, it will probably need to be repeated six to eight times, for a minimum of three sets, for about three months. Then there's cardio. For some, there's nothing more boring than endless miles spent running on a treadmill.

But what if there were a way to alleviate the boredom of exercise while still getting a good work out? Luckily for us, there’s virtual reality.

In the past, “playing video games was a sedentary experience,” says Jo Stauffer of the VR Health Institute, “but VR changes all of that". He says that the room-scale experience engages your body in full.

Many VR games are played while standing. In order to play properly, the player is forced to move around swinging their arms or using their legs. After an hour of this on a regular enough basis, it’s not surprising that many people unexpectedly find themselves a little fitter. There are already a number of virtual reality games which, deliberately or not, result in their player ‘getting a good sweat on’ if played for enough time. For example, there’s a first person shooter which forces the player to sidestep, duck and dodge incoming projectiles. That’s cardio. Or there’s a music game which forces players to shadowbox in order to hit the notes – that’s an upper-body workout.

The potential for VR to help people get fit has been noticed by one company. They want to take the whole experience into the gym. They are making a bespoke resistance machine, designed to be used in combination with a VR headset. Players challenge a virtual opponent in a series of games, which results in a 30-minute full-body work out. However, the cost of the equipment is expensive and there are safety concerns to be worked out, says J P Gownder from the consultancy Forrester. So don’t hang up your gym shorts just yet.

Although it’s early days, for those of us who struggle to overcome the tedium of exercise, a new solution could be coming. And a world where a person can exercise and have fun at the same time might be something that many people would want – virtual or not.

詞匯表

a gruelling experience 一個使人精疲力盡的艱苦經歷
tedious 單調乏味的
weight-related exercises 重量練習
set（一）組（練習）
rep（一個）重復（動作）
cardio 有氧運動
treadmill 跑步機
work out 鍛煉身體
sedentary 久坐不動的
swing 揮動
fit 健康的
get a sweat on 做一段高強度的運動
sidestep 側向跨步
duck 猛低頭（躲避）
dodge 閃躲
shadowbox 與假想敵人作拳擊練習
upper-body 上半身
resistance machine 對抗器材
full-body 全身的
don’t hang up your gym shorts “掛起健身時穿的短褲”，放棄

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. According to the article, why do many people not want to go to the gym?
 
2. According to Jo Stauffer, what is the problem with video games in the past?
 
3. True or false? Many VR games unintentionally cause their players to work out.
 
4. Which word used in the article means ‘size or level of something'?
 
5. What two criticisms of the 30-minute VR full-body work out does J P Gownder have?

2.  請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. Mum, please don’t make us go to grandma’s. It’s so ______! She has nothing to do!

a gruelling experience       tedious       sedentary       bespoke

2. I’m getting fat! I’ll have to diet a bit and do more ______.

set       rep       cardio        full-body

3. I can’t believe how close that ball came to my head. If I hadn’t ______, I’d be hurt!

ducked       alleviated       shadowboxed       alleviated

4. Why is applying for a visa always ______? There are so many forms to fill in!

a gruelling experience       weight-related exercises        get a sweat on       swing

5. I know the best tailor in town. All of my suits are made ______ to my size.

work out       upper body       dodge       bespoke

答案  

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. According to the article, why do many people not want to go to the gym?
It takes time and effort, it often hurts, and it can be extremely tedious.

2. According to Jo Stauffer, what is the problem with video games in the past?
In the past, “playing video games was a sedentary experience.

3. True or false? Many VR games cause their players to work out.
True. There are already a number of virtual reality games which, deliberately or not, result in their player ‘getting a good sweat on’ if played for enough time

4. Which word used in the article means ‘size or level of something'?
Scale. (He says that the room-scale experience engages your body in full.)

5. What two criticisms of the 30-minute VR full-body work out does J P Gownder have?
The cost of the equipment and safety concerns.

2.  請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. Mum, please don’t make us go to grandma’s. It’s so tedious!  She has nothing to do!

2. I’m getting fat! I’ll have to diet a bit and do more cardio.

3. I can’t believe how close that ball came to my head. If I hadn’t ducked, I’d be hurt!

4. Why is applying for a visa always a gruelling experience. There are so many forms to fill in!

5. I know the best tailor in town. All of my suits are made bespoke to my size.