读新闻学英语:Teens increasingly worried about muscle size

英语作文    发布时间:2025-02-24  
划词翻译

Teens increasingly worried about muscle size

A study from the University of Toronto suggests growing numbers of young people are becoming obsessed with the size of their muscles. This obsession is a mental health condition called muscle dysmorphia, also known as "bigorexia". Kara Becker, a certified eating disorder therapist, spoke to the HuffPost website about the affliction. She said: "Bigorexia is a psychological condition…which involves a distorted self-image that focuses specifically on muscle size and physical appearance." Sufferers can experience extreme distress over their perceived lack of muscularity. Bigorexia can afflict even those who work out regularly and have the physique of a bodybuilder.

Researchers said muscle dysmorphia was rising in teenagers and people in their twenties. The study stated that up to a quarter of men and 10 per cent of women in their research could suffer from bigorexia. Ms Becker said a variety of factors can cause young people to worry about their body shape. She said: "People with low self-esteem, perfectionism, or obsessive-compulsive tendencies are more vulnerable to developing this disorder." Social media may be a factor in exacerbating the problem. Youngsters can be overwhelmed with images of people with the "perfect" body. Another cause may be the aggressive marketing of muscle-building supplements and anabolic steroids.

TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. Many students at the University of Toronto are worried about muscles.    T / F

  2. Being obsessed with muscle size is called "bigorexia".     T / F

  3. A therapist said bigorexia was a physical condition.     T / F

  4. Bodybuilders never have bigorexia.     T / F

  5. Bigorexia is rising faster in teens than in people in their twenties.     T / F

  6. More women than men suffer from muscle dysmorphia.     T / F

  7. People with low self-esteem are more likely to suffer from bigorexia.     T / F

  8. Young people can see too many online images of "perfect" bodies.     T / F


知识点

1. “obsessed with” / “obsession”

  • 解释:这两个词表示“对某事物的强烈迷恋”或“沉迷于某事物”。在文章中,“obsessed with”表示年轻人越来越对肌肉的大小产生强烈的兴趣,甚至是迷恋。

  • 例句:She is obsessed with getting a perfect body.(她迷恋拥有完美的身材。)

  • 用法:这个短语常用于表达对某事物的过度关注,可以搭配“with”表示关注的对象。

2. "Mental health condition" / "psychological condition"

  • 解释:这两个短语指的是“心理健康状况”或“心理疾病”。在文章中,提到了“muscle dysmorphia”是“心理健康问题”的一种,意味着对肌肉大小的畸形看法。

  • 例句:

    • She is receiving treatment for a mental health condition.(她正在接受心理健康疾病的治疗。)

    • It is important to recognize psychological conditions early.(及早识别心理健康问题非常重要。)

3. "distorted self-image"

  • 解释:这是一个表达“扭曲的自我形象”的短语,描述的是个体对自己外貌或身体的认知发生了扭曲。在这篇文章中,指的是青少年对自己肌肉的看法产生不切实际的认知。

  • 例句:He suffers from a distorted self-image because of unrealistic beauty standards.(他因为不切实际的美丽标准而患有扭曲的自我形象。)

4. “Suffer from”

  • 解释:这个短语表示“遭受某种困扰或痛苦”。在这篇文章中,“suffer from”用来描述人们遭遇的困扰,特别是心理或身体方面的困扰。

  • 例句:

    • Many teenagers suffer from stress due to academic pressure.(许多青少年因学业压力而感到压力。)

5. "Vulnerable to"

  • 解释:这个短语表示“易受…影响”或“容易遭受…”,通常用来描述容易受到某种伤害或困扰的人群。文章中提到低自尊、完美主义等人群更容易受到这种心理问题的影响。

  • 例句:

    • Children are more vulnerable to illness during winter.(孩子在冬天更容易生病。)

    • She is vulnerable to criticism because of her lack of confidence.(她因为缺乏自信而容易受到批评。)

6. “Exacerbate”

  • 解释:这个词表示“加剧、恶化”,在文章中指的是社交媒体可能加剧对完美身体的追求,进而导致心理健康问题的加重。

  • 例句:

    • The loud noise exacerbated her headache.(噪音加剧了她的头痛。)

    • The situation was exacerbated by the lack of proper resources.(由于缺乏适当资源,情况变得更糟。)

7. “Aggressive marketing”

  • 解释:这个短语指的是“激进的市场营销”,描述了一种推销产品时非常激烈或过度的策略。在文章中,肌肉增生补品和类固醇的营销被认为是导致这种心理疾病的因素之一。

  • 例句:

    • The aggressive marketing of beauty products targets young women.(美容产品的激进营销针对的是年轻女性。)

    • Companies use aggressive marketing techniques to increase sales.(公司使用激进的营销技巧来提高销售。)

8. “Perfectionism”

  • 解释:完美主义,指的是对自己或他人的要求极为苛刻,常常期望完美无缺。文章提到,完美主义的倾向可能使一些年轻人更容易产生肌肉身材上的困扰。

  • 例句:

    • His perfectionism often causes him stress.(他的完美主义常常给他带来压力。)

    • Perfectionism can be harmful if it leads to excessive self-criticism.(如果完美主义导致过度自我批评,它可能是有害的。)

9. "Anabolic steroids"

  • 解释:类固醇是一类能促进肌肉生长的物质,通常被一些人滥用来快速增肌。文章中提到,类固醇的营销可能导致年轻人对身体的错误认知。

  • 例句:

    • Anabolic steroids are illegal without a prescription.(没有处方的类固醇是非法的。)

    • Some athletes use anabolic steroids to enhance their performance.(一些运动员使用类固醇来提高他们的表现。)