"A: Hello! How are you feeling today? B: A bit under the weather." 你知道兩個人正在聊什麼呢嗎，天氣還是健康？ 其實，"Feeling under the weather." 是身體不太舒服的意思。英語中有不少形容身體狀況的成語。比如：to be as fit as a fiddle (非常健康強壯)，to get back on one's feet (康復)，to feel worn-out（疲憊不堪），to be as weak as a kitten（身體弱不禁風）。
下面的這段對話發生在醫院。胡先生身體不適，於是就來看醫生。聽完對話，你知道胡先生真正的病因是什麼嗎？(想看flash對話，點擊：http://www.beiwaionline.com/magazine/012/）
對話：
DOCTOR: Good
morning, Mr.Hu! What can I do for you?
HU: Good morning, doctor. I'm sorry to trouble you, but I've been
feeling very unwell lately.
DOCTOR: I see! May I look into your eyes, a moment?(Examining
him)Thank you. Now your tongue. Um, yes, that seems normal. May I
just feel your forehead? Thank you. Right, thank you! You don't
have a temperature, so I don't think we need a thermometer! So what
exactly is the problem?
HU: Well, I haven't been sleeping well, and I get tired very
easily. I've found it difficult to concentrate on my studies, and I
sometimes get backache. I find this area, round my ribs, and the
small of the back, gets a bit tender at
times.
DOCTOR: Right! Now, Mr. Hu, do you smoke?
HU: Only occasionally.
DOCTOR: What about alcohol? How much do you
drink?
HU: Just the odd glass of beer. I never drink wine or
liquor!
DOCTOR: What about exercise?
HU: Well, I don't really have time for much of that! I'm working
flat out on my research project.
DOCTOR: Do you eat well? I mean, do you have a good appetite, you
know, and do you eat regular meals?
HU: Well, not really.
DOCTOR: I see! Well, Mr. Hu, I think you are suffering from an
unhealthy life style...
Notes
1 What can I do for you? 這兒譯成"你怎麼了？"
2 the small of the back: 腰背部
3 tender adj: 一碰就疼
4 work flat out: 努力工作
對話中出現的一些醫院的專用名詞是不是阻礙了你對文章的理解速度？那麼仔細看看下面的提示，你會對文中不明白的地方有種豁然開朗的感覺。
1 Note these
references to different parts of the body:
forehead: the front part of one's ahead, just above the
eyes.
ribs: the curved bones surrounding one's chest.
the small of the back: part of the back that curves inward. This
area of the body may ache, or feel tender (一觸即痛的) if one
remains in a static position for too long e.g. at a desk.
2 the odd glass of beer
Odd can mean either strange, or occasional; what does it mean
here?
3 working flat-out means working very hard.
4 Do you eat well?
To eat well means to eat with a healthy appetite, or to eat good
food. Here, it probably means both!
5 life-style way of living. Life-style can mean involve a number of
things, namely:
the hours you work
the times you sleep
how long you sleep
the amount (and type) of exercise you take
your diet
the amount you drink
whether you smoke--and how often etc.
醫生的診斷結果到底是什麼呢？胡先生的病因究竟是什麼呢？正是life-style的不規律和不合理引發了胡先生身體上的不適，他的身體正處於一種亞健康狀態。Many people see their doctors only to get treated when they are sick. 其實，在身體微恙的初期就可以向醫生諮詢緩解之法，因爲醫生的職責就是help you stay healthy--prevention, screening and treatment。
能夠敘述清楚自己的病症，還要聽得懂醫生的要求。“大口吸氣”、“好，停”之類醫生經常說的話，轉換成英語是怎麼說的呢？下面我們收錄了一些在醫院裏經常可以聽到的用語，希望對大家有所幫助。
看病 See a
doctor
“我去看醫生”I would like to see a doctor.
症狀
symptom
“你有什麼症狀？”What are your symptoms?
食慾
appetite
“你有食慾嗎？”Are you eating all right? / Do you have an
appetite?
聽診器 stethoscope “我要聽一聽你的心肺狀況”I'm going to listen to your heart and lungs. “大口吸氣”Breathe deeply. / Take a deep breath. “呼氣”Breathe out. “停止呼吸”Hold your breath.
躺下 Lie on your back.
趴下 Lie on your stomach.
橫躺 Lie on your side.
體溫計
thermometer
“量體溫”是Take you temperature with this thermometer.
通常是將體溫計放在腋下(under yo9ur arm)或口中。
尿
urine
“請尿在找個容器到紅線爲止”Please urine in this container to the
red line.
驗血 blood
test
“抽血”是I will take a blood sample.
抽血時要“拇指放在手掌內握一下”Please make a fist, with your thumb
in, and squeeze.
注射
shot/injection
“我要幫你打針”是I will be giving you a shot. “不會痛的”It won't
hurt. “緊壓三分鐘”Press down firmly for three minutes.
“好好地揉一揉”Please rub it well.
點滴
I.V.
I.V. 是intravenous的簡寫。“這幾天你必須打點滴”則是You'll have the
I.V. for a few days.
藥房 Pharmacy / drugstore
處方
prescription
“拿處方去藥房領藥”Please take this prescription to the
pharmacy(drugstore), and get your medication.
吃藥 take a
tablet
“飯後吃一顆藥，一天三次”Take one tablet three times a day, after
meals. “吃藥”的動作是用take，而不是用eat。
靜養
complete rest
當醫護人員告訴你 You need complete rest.
的時候，就必須安靜休養。
“生命在於運動。”病時方需問醫，而有病無病時皆需鍛鍊。這次我們告訴你怎麼在醫院看病，下一次，我們將聊聊運動方面的話題。生命不息，運動不止。希望我們每一個人都擁有健康強健的好身體。