第694期:Physical Education

更多英语知识，请关注微信公众号：VOA英语每日一听

Todd: So, Monica, you are actually a trained physical education teacher.

Monica: Yes, that's right.

Todd: So, we often hear about how kids today are not fit, and they don't exercise enough. Do you think that's true?

Monica: I think it is true, yes. I think kids these days spend a lot more time on the computer than they used to, so of course, that means less time outside and getting fit.

Todd: Now, in some countries, there's a big debate about how much fitness kids actually do in school, so in your country, in New Zealand, do kids still do a lot of fitness actually in school?

Monica: Well, recently the P.E. curriculum[/kəˈrɪk.jə.ləm/,课程] got amalgamated[/əˈmæl.ɡə.meɪt/,使）联合；（使）合并] with the health curriculum, so P.E. and health were considered to be important in school, and the healthy side of the curriculum is often taught in the classroom, and of course the P.E. side often taught outside the classroom, and there's always debate about how much kids should be doing inside school. In fact very recently, now that it has become quite a big problem in New Zealand for teenagers, there has been talk about increasing the number of P.E. lessons that students have, but the current Prime Minister I think believes that the emphasis should be put on out-of-school activities like clubs and encouraging students to become more involved in that side of things.

Todd: What do you feel? Do you think it should be?

Monica: I actually agree to be honest, because I think if you increase the number of P.E. lessons that students have in a week, it doesn't actually necessarily increase their motivation to be involved in physical activity, but if like he's suggesting, you increase the opportunities outside of school, students may be become involved in a sport that they choose, that they'd like to do and they hopefully can take it on as a lifetime sport. Yeah, which is important.

Todd: Butt wouldn't the counter-argument be that only kids that have a natural inclination to play sports would want to join those clubs and if the kids that are more sedentary or don't enjoy physical activity won't join a club, so you need to actually make them do fitness at school?

Monica: Yeah, that's true. That is a counter-argument[反论证；反见解], and a very good one … to argue on some other occasion. Of course, I can talk about that side of the argument as well if you want me to.

Todd: No, it's Okay. Basically, you saw there's … both sides make a good point.