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Mind Over Matter
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Mind Over Matter English, baby! Video Lesson
心胜于物

Learn English with this stress English lesson.

Date: Dec 18 2012

Themes: Soap Opera

Grammar: Phrasal Verbs

Intro

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Oh, the body and the brain. Sometimes the two work together in perfect harmony. Other times, it feels as if they’re at war. And sometimes, we’re actually rooting for one side to win out over the other.

We use the word “matter” to refer to the physical stuff, to the body. And we can refer to the brain as the “mind.” If you have a stutter, you might tell yourself “mind over matter” when you need to speak in public. Or if you often get panicked on airplanes, you might try to use your brain to calm yourself, and say “mind over matter.”

There’s a storm brewing at the office, and Marni’s nervous because her baby is due at any moment. In this English lesson video, we learn the meaning of the English idiom “mind over matter,” and find out what advice celebrity Greta Vanderlake has for Marni.

有时,身体和大脑能够颇为和谐地完美协作;但有时,两者又似乎在一争高下。而有时,我们也确实会力挺一方,希望它能战胜对手。

我们常用“物质”一词指代身体的物质部分,而将大脑称之为“精神”。如果你有些口吃,你就会在公众场合讲话时,告诉自己谨记“心胜于物”。或者,当经常在飞机上陷入恐慌时,你可能会试着让自己的精神平静下来,并告诉自己“心胜于物”。

办公室里笼罩着一股风雨欲来的气氛,玛尼随时可能生产,她现在感到紧张不安。在这节英语视频课中,我们来学习英语习语“心胜于物”的含义,并找出名人格里塔·范德雷克为玛尼支了什么高招。

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Dialog

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Greta

Greta

Marni

Marni

Jeff

Jeff

Greta:  Gosh, people seem really uptight. What’s going on?

Marni:  Well, it’s just the storm out there looks like it’s getting really bad. People online are saying it might continue all night.

Greta:  So? I don’t get it. It’s just a little bit of rain. What’s the big deal?

Marni:  Well, first of all, it’s not just a little bit of rain. They’re saying it’s a major storm and second of all…

Greta:  Oh. I see. Are you, like, due?

Marni:  In two days.

Greta:  May I?

Marni:  Sure.

Greta:  Oh how sweet. Now listen, I understand what you’re going through.

Marni:  You do? I mean, I didn’t think you had kids. I just, I try to keep up with your career in magazines and stuff…

Greta:  No no, nothing like that. I understand what it’s like to have your body react in an inconvenient way at an inconvenient time.

Marni:  Oh…

Greta:  When I was in my starring role in Love Amongst the Lilacs, right before I was about to film my big romantic scene, I broke out in a terrible case of hives.

Marni:  Oh, what did you do?

Greta:  I told myself something I’m going to tell you now. Mind over matter.

Marni:  Mind over matter…what?

Greta:  The mind is a powerful instrument, even more powerful than the body. I simply told myself that my hives must clear up before my big scene and they did.

Marni:  Wow, that’s pretty amazing. But I don’t have hives. I have a baby.

Greta:  I’m not an idiot. You just need to tell yourself that you will not go into labor until this storm is past and you can get yourself to the hospital.

Marni:  Wow, do you really think it will work?

Greta:  Tell yourself. Tell the little Monchichi in there, whatever. Mind over matter. Works every time.

Marni:  OK. Thanks. Yeah. Couldn’t hurt. Mind over matter. Mind over matter. Mind over matter. Mind over matter.

Jeff:  If Marni goes into labor at the office, that would give me an opportunity to show her how well I handle the emergency. Because it would be an emergency. What did Ms. Vanderlake tell her? Well, I guess I just gotta think “mind over matter.” She has to have that baby here.

 

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Discussion

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Greta thinks that everyone at the office seems stressed out, and she asks Marni why. Marni tells her that it’s because the storm outside looks pretty bad. Marni is particularly stressed because she is supposed to give birth to her baby in two days!

Luckily, Greta has some advice for Marni. Once, she broke out in a bad skin rash before she had to star in a movie. She told herself “mind over matter,” and the hives went away. She suggests that Marni do the same, so she won’t have her baby during the storm.

Meanwhile, Jeff is wondering what Greta and Marni are talking about. Unlike Marni, he hopes that she will have the baby during the storm. That way, he can show her how well he handles an emergency. Jeff says “mind over matter” to try to control events, too.

 

Comments

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Dellsey

Dellsey

Slovakia

Mind is a really powerfull tool, especially in connection with proper breathing exercises the best way to englihten.
Everybody interested try some yoga breathing or tai ji.

11:12 AM Dec 22 2012 |

GrammaristSuper Member!

United Arab Emirates

Although it is such a phrase, it is very powerful. Not all people succeed in persuading themselves or turning their conditions over to what they wish !! In order that happens, one should have patience and faith. Many stories telling about this topic prove its claim; many prove its failure.The most important thing, in my point of view, is do not surrender and give a try!! Trying is better than forfeiting your life.

09:46 AM Dec 22 2012 |

MUHAMMAD92

MUHAMMAD92

Saudi Arabia

hi marni congratulation.

12:31 AM Dec 21 2012 |

Irene Forever

Ukraine

Julito, lol.:)))


Mr. Osborne still managed to put “Yes, I do!” between hiccups, as he did it 20 times a minute.:) He had to be fast in order not to miss a chance.:)

08:37 AM Dec 19 2012 |

1 person likes this

yaner xu

yaner xu

China

good

06:01 AM Dec 19 2012 |

sarinha.c.s@hotmail.com

Brazil

This is really uptight. 

11:42 PM Dec 18 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

Goodmahsa , In the past  much of  the things you are posting   were considered   witchcraft and sometimes were  punished  with prison or  worst. Actually , the true is  some people  had found the key  to open the secret powers   hidden in our minds, so to speak.

10:59 PM Dec 18 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

Irene,  poor Mr Osborne,  at the wedding ceremony  ,instead od saying, yes, I do !!  he said heeck !! 

10:49 PM Dec 18 2012 |

goodmahsa

goodmahsa

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I’ve heard lots of stories about how  mind can work over matter;those people who do superhuman events those people who have fallen into freezing water and their bodies slow down their need for oxygen so much they can be revived with no serious damage 30 mins later or those people who can “telepathically” move things by using their minds only . I saw one example with my bare eyes when I was only 9 years old in the village of  Masouleh, when a Dervish (monk)did such a thing just to entertain me.he could control other’s mind .He said your mom is calling your name thrice and she did so , then he pointed to a young boy lying on his back and said now this boy is gonna raise his leg twice,surprisingly enogh he did so and more interestingly he said this rooster will sing 8 times and such a thing happened .These days there are millions of books and videos about how we can change our life with our mind ,I liked “the secret”collection.

10:49 PM Dec 18 2012 |

Irene Forever

Ukraine

Thanks.:)

10:43 PM Dec 18 2012 |

1 person likes this

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

you’ve been blessed with a very rare gift. that’s all that’s left to say :)

10:41 PM Dec 18 2012 |

Irene Forever

Ukraine

Snoopy, no, unfortunately, I can’t, but I had a few cases I could teach others how to do it. Just they were able to understand a simple thing: sending the hiccups out of body by means of mind.

10:16 PM Dec 18 2012 |

1 person likes this

Irene Forever

Ukraine

Julito, thank you for appreciating my talent.:) Believe me, I can always do it without fail.:)


By the way the biggest cause of hiccups is eating too fast.


Charles Osborne hiccupped for 68 years( 1922). Can you imagine it! Poor thing! His hiccups stopped a year before he died. Nevertheless he was married twice and had eight children.:)



10:08 PM Dec 18 2012 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

Irene ,yours is way better by a Light Year, of course!, but just how many people can do it : )… not even a medium has such mastery .  Can you also stop other people’s hiccups that way?  Please don’t tell me you can, or else I’ll ask you how my future looks like : )

09:46 PM Dec 18 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

 Irene, I don´t think is funny, for me is amazing, I know of one case the hiccups  lasted days  in spite of all the magic remedies.   

09:40 PM Dec 18 2012 |

Irene Forever

Ukraine

Snoopy, you are great as usual, but don’t you think my way better :)

09:32 PM Dec 18 2012 |

1 person likes this

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

 Very Impressive Irene!


Here’s my ice age remedy for hiccups:


 I sprinkle a pinch of salt down my throat and then I gulp two cups of water, all the while I’m holding my breath. : )

09:20 PM Dec 18 2012 |

Khenifra

Khenifra

Germany

I think really we can with “mind over matter” control almost everything.  Because if you get your mind focused in that what you are thinking :: the mind concentrate about this :: then your heart give that a feeling :: If you feel that you will believe it ::  then you will recognise it: and finally you will do it :-)

09:19 PM Dec 18 2012 |

Irene Forever

Ukraine

I have an intersting experience which shows clearly my opportunity to mind over matter. I can easily stop hiccuping, just thinking about it for a few seconds. :) When people ask me how I can manage it, I can’t explain it to them exactly, as I don’t do anything special. I just think : Hiccap, go away!.


Funny, isn’t it? :)


08:57 PM Dec 18 2012 |

berkine

berkine

Algeria

good

08:35 PM Dec 18 2012 |

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