每日英语练习 - 2026-06-30（星期二）
📌 今日主题
BBC 6 Minute English — Stress-free Family Meals（无压力的家庭用餐）
孩子们挑食怎么办？如何在晚餐时间减少冲突、营造轻松氛围？本期节目邀请儿童营养专家和家庭晚餐项目创始人，分享如何让孩子健康饮食而不把餐桌变成”战场”。
📝 英文原文
Family dinner time can be fun – a chance to reconnect, hear about everyone’s day and share a meal. But when children refuse to eat the food that’s been cooked, the result is often conflict rather than family fun.
Dr Anne Fishel, who co-founded the Family Dinner Project, explains one reason why mealtimes can become stressful. She says: “I think for small children it’s one of the few areas that they have control over. Parents can cook what they want and serve it when they want, but it’s up to kids to decide whether they’re going to eat it. And for young kids, that’s a big deal. They have some control.”
So, how can parents make dinnertime something everyone enjoys? The experts all agree upon some key things. For one, give children a choice – for example, by offering small, healthy snacks and dips before the meal. And most importantly of all, create a stress-free atmosphere by not pressurising kids to finish everything on their plate. Child nutritionist Charlotte Stirling-Reed says: “We go through multiple periods of ups and downs where their appetite is much lower, and then all of a sudden it comes right back. It depends on the weather, what they’ve been doing that day. It can depend on their mood.”
🔍 重点词汇
| 单词/短语 | 音标 | 中文释义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ups and downs | /ʌps ənd daʊnz/ | 起起落落；好坏交替 | We all go through ups and downs in life, especially when raising kids. |
| mood | /muːd/ | 心情；情绪 | Her mood changes depending on how much sleep she got. |
| battleground | /ˈbætl̩ɡraʊnd/ | 战场；冲突之地 | Dinnertime can become a battleground between parents and picky eaters. |
| a big deal | /ə bɪɡ diːl/ | 重要的事；了不起的事 | For toddlers, choosing what to eat is a really big deal. |
| stress-free | /ˈstres friː/ | 无压力的；轻松的 | We want to create a stress-free atmosphere at the dinner table. |
| pressure | /ˈpreʃə(r)/ | 施加压力（动词） | Don’t pressure your child to finish everything on their plate. |
| fussy eater | /ˈfʌsi ˈiːtə(r)/ | 挑食的人 | My brother was a very fussy eater when he was young. |
| appetite | /ˈæpɪtaɪt/ | 食欲；胃口 | Her appetite comes back after she plays outside for a while. |
| winning formula | /ˈwɪnɪŋ ˈfɔːmjələ/ | 制胜法则；成功方案 | Rice and beans turned out to be the winning formula for her daughter. |
| food allergy | /fuːd ˈælədʒi/ | 食物过敏 | She can’t eat peanuts because she has a food allergy. |
| reconnect | /ˌriːkəˈnekt/ | 重新连接；恢复联系 | Dinner is a great chance for families to reconnect after a busy day. |
| navigate | /ˈnævɪɡeɪt/ | 应对；驾驭（困难局面） | Parents need to learn how to navigate picky eating without fighting. |
💡 实用表达
-
“It’s up to [sb] to do [sth]” — 由某人决定做某事
- “It’s up to kids to decide whether they’re going to eat it.” 孩子要不要吃，由他们自己决定。
- 用法：日常口语中很常用，表示责任或决定归属。
-
“go through ups and downs” — 经历起伏/好坏交替
- “We go through multiple periods of ups and downs where their appetite is much lower.” 我们经历了好几个起起落落的阶段，他们的胃口时好时坏。
- 用法：形容人生、感情、事业等一切有波折的事物。
-
“create a stress-free atmosphere” — 营造无压力的氛围
- 用法：可以用于家庭、职场、社交场合。类似说法：create a relaxed environment / keep things low-pressure。
-
“That’s a big deal.” — 这很重要/了不起
- 用法：口语高频表达。正面用表示”很重要”，负面用表示”问题很大”。
-
“rather than” — 而不是
- “The result is often conflict rather than family fun.” 结果往往是冲突而不是家庭乐趣。
- 用法：对比两个选项，非常书面的同时也在日常口语中高频出现。
🎯 练习步骤
- 通读全文：先完整读一遍英文原文，理解大意
- 精读标记：逐句阅读，标记不熟悉的词汇和表达
- 跟读练习：大声朗读 3 遍，注意断句、重音和语调
- 脱稿复述：合上文本，用自己的话复述大意（中英文都可以）
- 结构化输出：用以下框架组织你的复述：
- 这段话在说什么？（一句话概括）
- 主要观点是什么？（列 2-3 个要点）
- 我的感受/看法？（一句话）
🗣️ 口才小贴士
今日技巧：用 “So, how can…” 引出解决方案
注意原文中的过渡句：“So, how can parents make dinnertime something everyone enjoys?”
这是一个极好的过渡技巧——在讲完一个问题之后，用 “So, how can we + [动词] …?” 自然过渡到解决方案。这个句式在演讲、汇报和日常讨论中非常实用：
- “So, how can we solve this problem?”
- “So, how can we improve our team’s communication?”
- “So, how can we create a better experience for our customers?”
为什么好？ 因为它先承认问题存在（共情），然后提出积极的行动方向（引导），让听众觉得你不是在抱怨，而是在寻求方案。记住这个句式，下次在会议或讨论中用上它！