The circulatory system1

A flow chart, like this one, shows how a process begins and ends, and the steps in between.

The process can be of almost any kind, from manufacturing a tire to creating an advertisement.

Therefore, learning how to describe and explain a process in English is important.

It's important for teachers, engineers, and people who provide customer support.

One process that we are all familiar with is our body's circulatory system.

This system provides oxygen throughout the body and eliminates carbon dioxide, which is a waste product.

If something goes wrong with this system, we need to repair it quickly, or we die.

So it's important to understand it and keep it functioning properly.

(What does the circulatory system do?It provides oxygen to the body and eliminates carbon dioxide.)

(It provides oxygen to the body and eliminates carbon dioxide.)

(It’s important to keep it functioning properly, or we will die.)

First, the most important requirement for the system to work is a supply of air.

(The system won't work without a supply of air.)

Without fresh air with sufficient oxygen, the process won't keep us healthy and alive.

So the process begins by breathing in air, which happens when the lungs expand and draw in air.

Once inside the lungs, oxygen in the air is exchanged for carbon dioxide in the blood.

(Inside the lungs, oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide. )

This exchange happens when blood cells release carbon dioxide and absorb oxygen.

This blood is now oxygenated blood, which means it carries oxygen.

(After exchanging CO2 for oxygen,oxygenated blood flows to the heart.  From the heart it is pumped to the rest of the body.   The carbon dioxide which was exchanged for oxygen is breathed out.  This happens when the lungs contract.)

(What kind of air is require to keep us healthy and alive? fresh air with sufficient oxygen)

To summarize, the process begins by inhaling air and oxygenating the blood.

The oxygenated blood in the lungs then flows back to the heart.

The C02 which came from the blood is exhaled, and the next cycle begins?

(Where does the oxygenated blood go?back to the heart)

(To stay healthy and alive, we need fresh air with sufficient oxygen.)

(This happens when the lungs contract.)

Note that the blood in the lungs flows in a loop from the heart.

The blood which enters the loop from the heart carries carbon dioxide.

Once the carbon dioxide is exchanged for oxygen, the blood continues through the loop and exits into the heart.

The oxygenated blood is then pumped to the rest of the body.

(From the heart it is pumped to the rest of the body.)

(The blood travels to and from the heart in a loop that begins and ends in different parts of the heart.)

(What happens to the oxygenated blood after flows to the heart ? it's pumped to the rest of the body)

The circulatory system2

As you can see, everything depends on the flow of blood to and from the heart.

So how does the heart do this?

First, the heart, which is a muscle, has 4 chambers.

From one chamber, blood is pumped to the lungs.

This is the blood that carries carbon dioxide.

When the oxygenated blood from the lungs comes back to the heart, it enters another chamber(室).

This chamber is called the left atrium.

(What does the blood pump to the lungs carry? it carries CO2)

(In addition to a supply of air,the circulatory system depends on the flow of blood to and from the heart.)

From the left atrium(心房), the oxygenated blood is pumped into another chamber, the left ventricle(心室).

The left ventricle then pumps the blood into the aorta(主动脉), which is the largest artery(动脉) in the body.

From the aorta, the oxygenated blood passes through a network of smaller  arteries throughout the entire body, including the brain.

Blood returns to the heart through a system of veins and enters the upper right  chamber, the right atrium.

Now that we understand a little about the circulatory system we can ask what it needs to operate.

Of course it can't operate without energy.

This energy is supplied by another system, the digestive(消化) system, which gets energy from food.

And of course these systems need to be supported and controlled.

Our skeletal(骨骼) system provides support, and our muscular system provides control and movement.

Without support and movement, we couldn't get the food that we need for energy.

Only plants can do this because they have a completely different system, which gets energy directly from the sun.

(What life forms get energy directly from the sun? plants)

To summarize, the human body is like a huge, complex factory.

The language we use to describe how it functions is the same language we use to describe almost any industrial process.

The vocabulary is different, but the processes, flows and logical relationships are almost identical.

Think of some familiar process in your life or job and see if you can describe and explain it in English.

(Plants get energy directly from the sun by using photosynthesis.)

( Our skeletal(骨骼) system provides physical support for our bodies.)

(The heart uses a network of arteries and veins to circulate blood throughout the body.)

(The digestive system supplies energy to the circulatory system.)

Verbs About Information

I'mMaintain维持维护, to preserve or keep things as they are.

Our quality is excellent, so your job is to maintain our high standards and improve them if you can.

These historic buildings are very old and need to be maintained.

(Because of economic competition, maintaining peaceful relations isn't easy.)

(The house was very well maintained, even though it was extremely old.)

(After their divorce they managed to maintain fairly good relations because of their children.)

Disrupt破坏扰乱, to cause disorder or confusion.

Smartphones have disrupted the way we live our lives.

Investors want to invest in companies that disrupt the way things are done.

(When the volcano erupted,it disrupted air travel in the region for almost two weeks.)

(His presence in the office is disruptive, so we need to get rid of him as soon as possible.)

(Sometimes disruptive technologies change the world in ways we don't like.)

Settle解决,to calm things down or end a conflict or disagreement.

He is too upset to think clearly, so he needs to settle down.

If we can't agree, we'll have to go to court to settle our differences.

(They refuse to negotiate, so I'm afraid the only way to settle the dispute will be through war.)

(With the development of agriculture,humans could settle down and form .permanent  communities)

Solve,to figure out or find the answer or solution to a problem.

The problem is difficult, so we need to find a way to solve it.

We can't solve that problem without using a computer.

(He is very good at solving difficult problems,even under pressure.)

(Once they solved the problem, they realized that there were several solutions to choose from.)

(They couldn't solve the problem until they could clearly define it.)

Prove, to use evidence or logic to support an idea.

The police had to release him because they couldn't prove that he committed the crime.

The best way to prove that something can be done is to do it.

(In mathematics, students learn how to use logic to prove things.)

(She wants proof that I love her,but what does that mean:an expensive diamond ring?)

Verbs About Information2

Exchange, to swap or change one thing for another.

When we buy something, we exchange money for the product.

In the human body, oxygen is exchanged for CO2 in the lungs.

(During the prisoner exchange,one of the prisoners tried to escape.)

(In a meeting two people may exchange looks by nodding heads or showing emotions.)

(When they exchanged smiles,I knew we were close to an agreement.)

Cooperate, to work together or collaborate.

collaborate 英 [kəˈlæbəreɪt]  美 [kəˈlæbəreɪt] vi. 合作;协作;通敌;勾结敌人

Instead of competing with each other, we should cooperate.

A good manager can get people to cooperate, even if they are on different teams.

Capture, to catch and hold something, the opposite of release.

capture 英 [ˈkæptʃə(r)]  美 [ˈkæptʃər] vt.俘虏;俘获;捕获;用武力夺取;攻取;攻占;夺得;赢得;争得;引起;表达，刻画，描述;拍摄;使…爱上（或倾心于）;把…输入计算机  n.(被)捕获;(被)俘获

The prisoners escaped, but they were captured within a few days.

In war, armies try to capture territory and defeat their enemies on the battlefield.

territory  英 [ˈterətri]  美 [ˈterətɔːri]  n. 领土;版图;领地;(个人、群体、动物等占据的)领域，管区，地盘;(某人负责的)地区;（某类）地区;（美国）准州

enemy 英 [ˈenəmi]  美 [ˈenəmi]  n.敌人;仇人;反对者;敌国;敌军;敌兵;危害物;大敌 adj.敌人的

To distribute or share, to pass around or give to others unselfishly.

distribute  英 [dɪˈstrɪbjuːt]  美 [dɪˈstrɪbjuːt] vt.分配;分发;分销;分散;使散开;使分布

One reason that company is successful, is that it has a profit sharing plan.

After the earthquake, the army came and distributed food and water to the survivors.

Eliminate, to get rid of, or dispose of.

eliminate 英 [ɪˈlɪmɪneɪt]  美 [ɪˈlɪmɪneɪt] vt.排除;清除;消除;(比赛中)淘汰;消灭，干掉(尤指敌人或对手)

get rid of 英 [ɡet rɪd ɒv]  美 [ɡet rɪd əv]  摆脱;丢弃;甩掉;赶走

dispose of 英 [dɪˈspəʊz ɒv]  美 [dɪˈspoʊz əv] 丢掉;清除;处理;办妥;处理好;解决

Waste products must be eliminated from our bodies, or we will die.

Teams were eliminated from the competition when they lost too many games.

(The goverment is doing its best to eliminate waste and reward consevation)

conservation 英 [ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃn]  美 [ˌkɑːnsərˈveɪʃn] n.(官方对历史或艺术建筑的)保护;文物保护;防止流失(或浪费、损害、毁坏);保持

reward 英 [rɪˈwɔːd]  美 [rɪˈwɔːrd] n.奖励;回报;报酬;赏格;悬赏金 vt.奖励;奖赏;给以报酬

Appearance and Career

How was the job interview?

She did well but she is so unattractive.I don't think we should hire her, certainly not for a sales position.

Do you really think so? That seems so unfair. Why should looks have anything to do with it.

It's just a basic fact of life.Tall, beautiful people have an advantage.

advantage 英 [ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ]  美 [ədˈvæntɪdʒ] n.有利条件;有利因素;优势;优点;(局末平分后)占先;优势分  vt.使处于有利地位;有利于;有助于

Maybe so, but we don't have to support that way of thinking.

Look, we have a business to run.You want me to increase sales, right?

Have you ever heard of Jack Ma?

Sure, he is the founder of a huge company in China. I believe he is one of the richest people in the world.

He's not good looking at all, but look how successful he is.

Yes, but he is an exception.

He faced all kinds of prejudice, but he overcame it. I really admire him.

prejudice 英 [ˈpredʒudɪs]  美 [ˈpredʒudɪs] n.偏见;成见 vt.使怀有(或形成)偏见;损害;有损于

Perhaps, having to overcome obstacles like that made him stronger. Maybe he wouldn't have been so successful if he were good looking. Have you thought of that?

obstacle 英 [ˈɒbstəkl]  美 [ˈɑːbstəkl] n.障碍;阻碍;绊脚石;障碍物;障碍栅栏

That may have been a factor, sure. But what about advertising? Look at all the money companies pay for models in advertising.

You mean the use of beautiful or strange-looking people? 

Exactly, it's all around us, because it works. People notice it.

As far as I'm concerned, it's just a way of fooling people into buying things that they may not need. It's all based on appearance, and I don't like it.

concern 英 [kənˈsɜːn]  美 [kənˈsɜːrn] vt. 涉及;影响，牵涉(某人);与…有关;让(某人)担忧;（对…）感兴趣;认为（做某事）重要 n.关心;(尤指许多人共同的)担心，忧虑;关爱;(对人、组织等)重要的事情;（某人）负责的事，有权知道的事;公司

I don't disagree with you. But people don't buy something because it's good or bad. They buy something because it makes them feel good. Their decisions are based on emotion, not reason.

Is that why you buy things? 

Well, it depends on the product, but yes, I guess I do. What about you?

I try to find out about a product before I buy it. But in some cases I'm no different from other people. I'm attracted to advertisements that get my attention.

That's my point. We want our sales people to attract attention, and make people feel good.

OK, but I'd like our company to do better. Let's be creative and do something better.

I hear you, but I think you're being naive. 

If you think that woman was good, then let's give her a chance.

OK, I'll give her a chance, and I respect, but completely disagree with your decision.

I know, and I thank you for your honest opinion.

realistic 英 [ˌriːəˈlɪstɪk]  美 [ˌriːəˈlɪstɪk] adj.现实的;实际的;实事求是的;明智的;恰如其分的;能够实现的;逼真的;栩栩如生的