0011 Getting Ready for Bed and Going to Sleep

0011 Getting Ready for Bed and Going to Sleep.mp3
0011 Getting Ready for Bed and Going to Sleep.pdf

[Start of story]

At 10:30, I decide to get ready for bed. When I was little, my mother would read me a bedtime story. I’m looking forward to having that ritual with my own kids someday.

I go into the bathroom and turn on the tap. I wash my face, and dry it with my towel. I floss and brush my teeth. I have to admit that by this time, I’m beat, and so is my wife. She cleans up when I’ve finished up.

In the meantime, I walk into the bedroom and get undressed. I put my dirty clothes in the hamper and I put on my pajamas. Wearing my slippers, I go into the kitchen to get a glass of water to put next to the bed in case I need it during the night. I pull back the covers, fluff my pillow, and climb into bed. I set my alarm clock for 6:15, and turn off the overhead light. I lay my head down and pull up the covers, kissing my wife goodnight. Some nights I have trouble falling asleep, but tonight, I didn’t need to count any sheep. I nod off right away and before long, I’m fast asleep.

[End of story]

This episode is called "Getting Ready for Bed and Going to Sleep."

"At 10:30, I decide to get ready for bed," to do the things I need to do so I can go to sleep. "When I was little, my mother would read me a bedtime story." “Bedtime” (bedtime) – all one word – is, of course, the time that you go to bed - that you go to your bed so you can sleep. A bedtime story is a story you would tell a child to help them fall asleep. Many children like to be told a bedtime story. These are often what we would call “fairy tales” (fairy) “tales” (tales). A “tale” is just another word for a story, and a fairy tale is a story about something that isn't true, usually with imaginary characters.

"I’m looking forward to having that ritual with my own kids someday." "I’m looking forward to having that ritual." A “ritual” (ritual) is something that you do on a regular schedule or at a regular time every day or maybe every week or every month, and you do the exact same things in the exact same order. We also use that word, ritual, when we are talking about some religious ceremonies. Some religious events have certain rules - certain order - a certain order that they follow, and that is a ritual.

"I go into the bathroom and I turn on the tap." The “tap” (tap) is the same as the faucet. Well, you turn on the tap so the water comes out. "I wash my face, and dry it with my towel." I dry my face - I make it dry using a “towel” (towel) which is a cloth that you use to dry yourself, or to clean yourself. I floss my teeth and I brush them.

"I have to admit that by this time, I’m beat." "I have to admit" is an expression that we use when you're going to say something that maybe you don't want to say - you don't want to tell the truth. In fact, there's also an expression, "to tell the truth." So, I have to admit means I have to say - to tell the truth. "By this time," meaning by 10:30 - "by this time, I’m beat." To be beat, "beat," means to be very tired. Someone says, "Oh, I'm beat," they've been working all day or they've, like me, been watching television all day, and now I'm beat - I'm tired. Of course, I don't watch television all day, just part of the day!

Well, my wife is also beat. In the story I say, "I'm beat, and so is my wife," meaning my wife is also very tired. "She cleans up when I’ve finished up." Once again, you see those two-word verbs. To clean up is, in this case, to clean your face, to brush your teeth; to get yourself clean is to clean up. “To finish up” is really the same as to finish, but we love in English to use those prepositions as part of these two word verbs. So, I finish up, meaning I finish doing what I need to do, and then my wife goes into the bathroom and cleans up.

"In the meantime," meaning while my wife is doing that. "In the meantime" (meantime) – all one word – I walk into the bedroom and get undressed." So, when my wife is in the bathroom, "I walk" - at the same time - "into the bedroom and I get undressed." “To get undressed” is the opposite of to get dressed. So, if you get undressed, you take off your clothes.

"I put my dirty clothes" - the clothes I was wearing - "in the hamper and I put on my pajamas." A “hamper” (hamper) as a noun, is a place, usually in your bedroom or bathroom, where you put dirty clothes or dirty towels; we call that a hamper. “To hamper,” as a verb, means something different. “To hamper someone” means to get in their way - to prevent them from doing something. But as a noun, a hamper, or a clothes hamper, is a place, usually it's a big plastic box with a top on it, or it could be made of wood, and that's where you put your dirty clothes. And then, at some point during the week, I hope, you wash your clothes so you can have clean clothes again. Unless, of course, you're not married, in which case, if you are a man and single, you may not wash your clothes that much.

Well, I have "my dirty clothes in my hamper," and since I don't have any clothes on, remember I have undressed, "I put on my pajamas." “Pajamas” (pajamas) are sometimes abbreviated as “PJs” (PJ) – PJs. Your pajamas, or PJs, are the clothes that you wear when you are going to bed. For example, I have pajamas that say Superman on it, and I wear my Superman pajamas to bed. Doesn't everyone?

Well, in addition to putting on my pajamas, I also put on my slippers. A “slipper” (slipper) is a shoe that you wear usually just inside the house. So, when you are getting ready for bed and you want to walk around the house, you don't put your shoes on, you would put some slippers on. Some people wear slippers in their house, especially if the floors are cold, and they'll put the slippers on at night and have them on at night as they walk around in their house or in the morning.

Well, "Wearing my slippers, I go into the kitchen to get a glass of water," and I want to put that water "next to my bed in case I need it during the night." So, if I need to drink water at night, I have a glass of water next to me. "I pull back the covers." The “covers” (covers) are the blanket, the comforter, and the top sheets. We take those things and we have to pull them back. To pull back means to take them and move them towards the bottom of the bed so that you can get in, and after you get in, you're going to pull the covers up. So, you pull back the covers to get into the bed, and then you pull them up to cover you again so you can stay warm.

"I pull back my covers," and I "fluff my pillow." The pillow is what I put my head on. “To fluff” (fluff) means to make your pillow bigger by hitting it very softly on the sides. So, you take your pillow and you put one hand on each side of the pillow and you move your hands back and forth toward each other and away from each other, and that allows the pillow to be a little bigger - to be a little softer.

"I fluff my pillow, and I climb into bed." Notice that verb “to climb” (climb) into bed. It means the same as to get into bed. We might use that particular verb, to climb into, if we are very tired, for example. You can also use it just to mean to get into bed.

So, I "climb into bed. I set my alarm clock for 6:15," - for 6:15 in the morning, of course - "and I turn off the overhead light." The “overhead” (overhead) – all one word – is a light that is on the top of your room - on the ceiling of the room. The top of the room is called the “ceiling” (ceiling). So, an overhead light is on the top of the ceiling - or on the ceiling, and I turn the overhead light off.

"I lay my head down." “To lay” (lay) here means to put something down. Usually we use that verb when we are talking about people or a part of your body. "I lay my head down and I pull up the covers," so I am warm, and because I'm such a great husband, I kiss "my wife goodnight." “To kiss someone goodnight,” means to kiss them and in a sense, to say goodnight to them. "Some nights I have trouble falling asleep." “To fall (fall) asleep (asleep)” means to go to sleep - to start sleeping.

Sometimes "I have trouble falling asleep, but tonight, I didn’t need to count any sheep." The expression “to count sheep” (sheep) is used because we traditionally when we are trying to fall asleep, some people say that it helps if you try counting numbers, so you start with one, two, three, four. And, for some reason, I don't know why, it is traditional to count sheep. Sheep are a type of animal. A sheep is an animal that you take the hair off of, and you use the hair of the sheep to make clothing, for example. I don't need to count sheep because I'm very tired. If you are not tired or you have difficulty falling asleep, you might want to try counting sheep. One, two, three, four, and by the time you reach five million you should be asleep!

"I nod off right away." “To nod (nod) off” – two words – means the same as to fall asleep. It's just another way of saying fall asleep, "I nod off." Sometimes people will use that expression when they're at a meeting and it is very boring at work, and you may say to someone, "I almost nodded off" - I almost fell asleep. That usually happens to my students when I am teaching.

"Before long," meaning in a very short time – "before long, I’m fast asleep." “To be fast (fast) asleep” means to be completely asleep. There's a similar expression that means the same, “to be sound asleep” (sound). “To be sound asleep” means that you are sleeping completely, it will not be easy to wake you up.

Glossary
bedtime story – a story that adults read to children before they go to sleep at night

• Can you read me one more bedtime story before I have to go sleep?

ritual – something that is done repeatedly and in the same way every time

• His morning ritual includes drinking a cup of coffee, eating a banana, and taking the dog for a walk.

tap – faucet; the metal thing that water flows through into a sink

• Please turn off the tap while you’re brushing your teeth. It’s wrong to waste water.

towel – a soft piece of fabric that absorbs water and helps someone or something become dry

• Yuki always uses two towels when she showers: one for her body, and one for her hair.

beat – very tired; exhausted

• After working on the report for 14 hours, I was beat and I wanted to go to sleep.

undressed – without clothes; not wearing clothes; naked

• You should always close the bedroom curtains before you get undressed.

hamper – a container for dirty clothes

• Make sure you do the laundry when the hamper is full.

pajamas – clothes worn while sleeping

• My cotton pajamas are the most comfortable clothes that I own. I love sleeping in them.

slippers – soft, warm shoes that are worn only inside the house

• She often puts her slippers in front of the fireplace to warm them before she puts them on her feet.

to pull back – to fold back; to move back

• When she heard the doorbell, she quietly pulled back the curtains to see who was at the front door.

covers – the layers of fabric that cover a bed

• Our cat likes to sleep in our bed under the covers, but we don’t allow her to do that.

to fluff – to make something larger and softer by hitting or brushing it

• I can’t sleep on a hard pillow so I always fluff my pillows at night.

overhead – on the ceiling; over one’s head

• Overhead lights are good in living rooms and dining rooms, but in bedrooms I prefer a small table lamp so that I can read before falling asleep.

to lay down – to put something or oneself in a horizontal (sideways) position

• I laid down the book I had been reading and turned out the lights.

to fall asleep – to begin to sleep

• Drinking a glass of warm milk often helps Jacomo fall asleep at night.

to count sheep – to imagine sheep jumping over a fence and to count them as a way of falling asleep

• Do you ever try counting sheep when you have trouble falling asleep?

to nod off – to start to sleep, often without intending or wanting to

• He was so tired that he was nodding off during the meeting. His boss was not happy.

fast asleep – sleeping soundly; sleeping very well; sleeping and unaware of other things happening

• The little boy was fast asleep when they got home and he didn’t wake up as his father carried him to bed.

Culture Note
Summertime Safety

Many people look forward to the return of warmer “temperatures” (how cold or warm it is outside) in the spring and summer months. Whether you're relaxing in the “backyard” (outdoor area behind one’s house), “gardening” (planting and growing flowers, vegetables, and other plants), enjoying the “pool” (small area built for swimming), or exploring “the great outdoors” (nature), here are some ways to help keep you and your family healthy this spring and summer.

In the warmer months, people like to cook food on the “grill” (metal surface placed over fire to cook meat and vegetables). When grilling, use a meat “thermometer” (device used to measure temperature) to make sure that you cook meat and “poultry” (chicken and other birds people eat) thoroughly. Also, put cooked meat on a clean “platter” (large plate), rather than back on the one that held the “raw” (uncooked) meat, to avoid “cross-contamination” (the transfer of “bacteria” (harmful substance that causes illness) from one place to another).

“Binge drinking” is when people drink five or more alcoholic drinks on a single occasion for men or four or more drinks on a single occasion for women, generally within about two hours. Binge drinking is associated with many health problems, including:

• “Motor vehicle” (cars, trucks, and more) “crashes” (hitting each other or some other thing).
• “Drowning” (dying from breathing in too much water)
• “High blood pressure” (too much force in moving blood through the body) and other “cardiovascular” (related to the heart) diseases.

Prevent skin cancer” (disease where “abnormal” (not normal) cells in the body grow in abnormal ways). Avoid being outdoors during the “midday” (the middle of the day) if the sun is “intense” (very strong), use “sunscreen” (lotion or liquid to protect one’s skin from the effects of the sun), “cover up” (protect the skin) with clothing, wear a “brimmed hat” (hat with a wide edge at the bottom to cover the face), and wear “sunglasses” (dark glasses) that block harmful “rays” (light from the sun).

[故事开始]

10:30，我决定准备睡觉。我小的时候，我母亲会给我读睡前故事。我期待着有一天能和自己的孩子有这样的仪式。

我走进浴室，打开水龙头。我洗脸，用毛巾擦干。我用牙线和刷牙。我不得不承认，这时我已经很累了，我妻子也是如此。等我洗完后，她才打扫卫生。

在此期间，我走进卧室，脱掉衣服。我把我的脏衣服放在篮子里，然后穿上睡衣。穿上拖鞋，我去厨房拿了一杯水放在床边，以防我晚上需要。我拉开被子，把枕头弄得蓬松，然后爬到床上。我把闹钟设定为6:15，并关掉头顶的灯。我把头躺下，拉起被子，和妻子吻别。有些晚上我很难入睡，但今晚，我不需要数什么羊。我马上就打起了瞌睡，没过多久，我就很快睡着了。

[故事结束]

这一集叫做 "准备睡觉和入睡"。

"10:30，我决定准备睡觉。"做我需要做的事情，这样我就可以睡觉了。"我小的时候，我母亲会给我读睡前故事。" "睡前"（bedtime）--都是一个词--当然是指你上床的时间--你到床上去，这样你就可以睡觉。睡前故事是你会给孩子讲的故事，以帮助他们入睡。许多孩子喜欢被讲睡前故事。这些通常是我们称之为 "童话"（fairy）"故事"（tales）的东西。一个 "故事 "只是故事的另一个词，而童话是一个关于不真实的东西的故事，通常有想象的人物。

"我期待着有一天能和我自己的孩子举行这种仪式。" "我期待着能有这样的仪式。" "仪式"（ritual）是指你每天或每周或每月在固定的时间内做的事情，而且你以完全相同的顺序做完全相同的事情。当我们在谈论一些宗教仪式时，我们也使用这个词，仪式。一些宗教活动有一定的规则--一定的秩序--他们遵循的一定秩序，这就是仪式。

"我走进浴室，我打开水龙头"。"水龙头"（tap）和水龙头是一样的。嗯，你打开水龙头，这样水就出来了。"我洗了脸，用我的毛巾擦干它。" 我擦干我的脸--我用 "毛巾"（towel）使它变干，"毛巾"（towel）是一块布，你用它来擦干自己，或清洁自己。我使用牙线，我刷牙。

"我不得不承认，到这个时候，我已经被打败了。" "我不得不承认 "是我们的一种表达方式，当你要说一些也许你不想说的事情时--你不想说实话。事实上，还有一个表达，"说实话"。所以，我不得不承认意味着我不得不说--说实话。"到这个时候，"意思是到10:30--"到这个时候，我被打败了。" 被击败，"击败"，意味着非常疲惫。有人说，"哦，我被打败了。"他们已经工作了一整天，或者他们像我一样，看了一整天的电视，现在我被打败了--我很累。当然，我不是一整天都在看电视，只是一天中的一部分时间！"。

嗯，我的妻子也被打败了。在故事中，我说："我被打败了，我妻子也是。"意思是我妻子也很累。"她在我结束后打扫卫生。" 再一次，你看到那些两个字的动词。在这种情况下，打扫是指清洁你的脸，刷牙；把自己弄干净就是打扫。"完成 "实际上与完成相同，但我们在英语中喜欢使用这些介词作为这些双字动词的一部分。所以，我完成了，意思是我做完了我需要做的事情，然后我的妻子进入浴室打扫卫生。

"在这期间，"意思是在我妻子做那件事的时候。"在此期间"（meanime）--都是一个词--我走进卧室，脱衣服。" 因此，当我妻子在浴室时，"我走"--同时--"走进卧室，我脱掉衣服"。"脱衣服 "是与穿衣服相反。所以，如果你脱衣服，你就脱掉你的衣服。

"我把我的脏衣服"--我穿的衣服--"放在篮子里，我穿上睡衣。" "篮子"（hamper）作为一个名词，是一个地方，通常在你的卧室或浴室，你把脏衣服或脏毛巾放在那里；我们称之为篮子。"妨碍"，作为一个动词，意思不同。"妨碍某人 "意味着妨碍他们--阻止他们做某事。但作为一个名词，篮子，或衣篮，是一个地方，通常是一个有顶的大塑料箱，也可能是木制的，那是你放脏衣服的地方。然后，在一周的某个时间点，我希望，你把衣服洗干净，这样你就可以再次拥有干净的衣服。当然，除非你没有结婚，在这种情况下，如果你是一个男人，而且是单身，你可能不会洗那么多衣服。

好吧，我 "我的脏衣服在我的篮子里，"由于我没有穿任何衣服，记得我已经脱了衣服，"我穿上了我的睡衣。" "睡衣"（pajamas）有时被缩写为 "PJ"（PJ）--PJs。你的睡衣，或称PJs，是你要睡觉时穿的衣服。例如，我的睡衣上写着超人，我穿着超人睡衣睡觉。大家不都是这样吗？

好吧，除了穿上我的睡衣，我还穿上我的拖鞋。拖鞋"（slipper）是一种鞋，你通常只在屋里穿。因此，当你准备睡觉时，你想在房子里走动，你不会穿上你的鞋子，你会穿上一些拖鞋。有些人在家里穿拖鞋，特别是如果地板是冷的，他们会在晚上把拖鞋穿上，晚上在家里走动时或在早晨时穿上拖鞋。

好吧，"穿着拖鞋，我去厨房拿一杯水，"我想把那杯水 "放在我的床边，以防我在晚上需要它。" 因此，如果我晚上需要喝水，我旁边就有一杯水。"我拉开被子"。"被子"（盖子）是指毯子、被子和上面的床单。我们拿着这些东西，就要把它们拉回来。拉回来的意思是拿着它们向床底移动，这样你就可以进去了，进去之后，你要把被子拉起来。因此，你拉回被子以进入床内，然后你拉起被子再次盖住你，这样你就可以保持温暖。

"我拉开我的被子，"我 "蓬松我的枕头"。枕头是我把我的头放在上面的东西。"蓬松"（fluff）的意思是通过非常柔和地敲打枕头的两侧来使其变大。所以，你拿着你的枕头，把一只手放在枕头的两边，你的手来回移动，朝向对方，又远离对方，这样可以让枕头大一点--更柔软一点。

"我把枕头弄得蓬松，然后我爬到床上。" 注意那个动词 "爬"（爬）到床上。它的意思与上床的意思相同。我们可能会使用这个特殊的动词，比如说，如果我们非常累，就会爬到床上。你也可以用它来表示上床。

所以，我 "爬到床上。我把闹钟调到6点15分，"--当然是早上6点15分--"然后我关掉顶灯。" "顶灯"（overhead）--都是一个词--是在你房间顶部的灯--在房间的天花板上。房间的顶部被称为 "天花板"(english)。所以，顶灯是在天花板的顶部--或在天花板上，我把顶灯关掉。

"我把头躺下"。"躺下"（lay）在这里意味着把东西放下。通常我们在谈论人或你身体的某一部分时使用这个动词。"我把头躺下，我拉起被子，"这样我就暖和了，而且因为我是这样一个伟大的丈夫，我吻了 "我妻子的晚安"。"亲吻某人的晚安"，意思是亲吻他们，在某种意义上，是对他们说晚安。"有些晚上我很难入睡。" "入（落）眠（睡）"意味着入睡--开始睡觉。

有时 "我有入睡困难，但今晚，我不需要数羊。" 使用 "数羊"（sheep）的说法是因为我们传统上在试图入睡时，有些人说，如果你尝试数数字，会有帮助，所以你从一、二、三、四开始。而且，出于某种原因，我不知道为什么，传统上是数羊。绵羊是一种动物。绵羊是一种动物，你把它的毛取下来，你用绵羊的毛来做衣服，比如说。我不需要数羊，因为我很累。如果你不累，或者你难以入睡，你可能想试试数羊。一、二、三、四，当你数到五百万的时候，你应该已经睡着了!

"我马上就点头了。" "打瞌睡（nod）"--两个词--与睡着的意思相同。这只是入睡的另一种说法，"我点头了"。有时人们会在开会时使用这种表达方式，工作时非常无聊，你可能会对别人说，"我几乎打了个盹"--我几乎睡着了。这通常发生在我的学生身上，当我在教学时。

"不久之后"，意思是在很短的时间内--"不久之后，我就快睡着了。" "快（fast）睡着了 "是指完全睡着了。有一个类似的表达方式，意思也是如此，"要酣睡"（sound）。"to be sound asleep "意思是你完全睡着了，要叫醒你不容易。

文化说明
夏天的安全

许多人期待着春季和夏季更温暖的 "温度"（外面有多冷或多暖）的回归。无论你是在 "后院"（一个人房子后面的户外区域）放松，"园艺"（种植和培育花卉、蔬菜和其他植物），享受 "游泳池"（为游泳而建的小区域），还是探索 "伟大的户外"（大自然），这里有一些方法可以帮助你和你的家人在这个春天和夏天保持健康。

在温暖的月份，人们喜欢在 "烤架"（放在火上烤肉和蔬菜的金属表面）上烹饪食物。烧烤时，使用肉类 "温度计"（用于测量温度的装置），以确保彻底煮熟肉类和 "家禽"（人们吃的鸡和其他鸟类）。另外，把熟肉放在干净的 "盘子"（大盘子）上，而不是放在放 "生"（未熟）肉的盘子上，以避免 "交叉污染"（将 "细菌"（导致疾病的有害物质）从一个地方转移到另一个地方）。

"暴饮 "是指人们在单一场合男性喝五杯或更多的酒精饮料，或女性在单一场合喝四杯或更多的饮料，一般在大约两小时内。酗酒与许多健康问题有关，包括。

• "机动车"（汽车、卡车等）"撞车"（互相撞击或其他东西）。
• "溺水"（因吸入过多的水而死亡）
• "高血压"（血液在体内流动的力量太大）和其他 "心血管"（与心脏有关）疾病。

预防皮肤癌"（体内 "不正常"（非正常）细胞以不正常方式生长的疾病）。如果阳光 "强烈"（非常强烈），避免在 "正午"（一天的中间）时在户外活动，使用 "防晒霜"（保护皮肤免受阳光影响的乳液或液体），用衣服 "遮盖"（保护皮肤），戴 "有边帽"（底部有宽边的帽子以遮盖面部），并戴阻挡有害 "射线"（来自太阳的光线）的 "太阳镜"（黑眼镜）。