无聊的好处 - 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

Six Minute English from BBCLearningEnglish.com.

来自 BBCLearningEnglish.com 的六分钟英语。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这里是 BBC Learning English 的六分钟英语节目。

I'm Neil.

我是尼尔。

And I'm Sam.

我是萨姆。

How's your week been, Sam? 語氣意圖

萨姆，你这周过得怎么样？

Oh, you know, quiet. 語氣意圖

哦，你知道的，很平静。

I haven't done much or been anywhere, 語法

我没怎么做事，也没去哪里，

so it's been a bit boring. 表達脈絡

所以有点无聊。

I know that feeling when nothing exciting happens. 語氣意圖

我了解那种没有新鲜事发生时的感觉。

It can lead to boredom,

那可能会导致无聊，

the state of feeling little excitement or enthusiasm, 用詞

一种几乎感觉不到兴奋或热情的心理状态，

often because you've got nothing to do.

通常是因为你无事可做。

But, Sam, there is some good news.

但是，萨姆，有好消息。

Boredom can be good for you.

无聊可能对你有好处。

Tell me more.

多跟我说说。

I will, but not until I've set you a question to answer. 語法

我会的，但在那之前我得先问你一个问题。

A survey by British newspaper The Mirror

英国《镜报》的一项调查

found Peter Willis to be the most boring man in Britain. 語法

发现彼得·威利斯是英国最无聊的人。

What boring hobby did he have that earned him that title? 短語搭配

他到底有什么无聊的爱好，才为他赢得了这个头衔？

Was it A, collecting train numbers,

是选项 A，收集火车编号，

that's train spotting, 文化背景

也就是所谓的记录火车班次（火车迷），

B, taking photos of letterboxes,

选项 B，拍信箱的照片，

or C, driving around roundabouts in the UK? 短語搭配

还是选项 C，在英国的环岛开车转圈？

Wow.

哇。

That all sounds deadly boring, 習語

那些听起来都极其无聊，

but I imagine taking photos of letterboxes

但我想拍信箱的照片

is the most boring.

是最无聊的。

Perhaps?

或许吧？

Well, as usual, I will give you the answer at the end of the program. 表達脈絡

好了，像往常一样，我会在节目最后公布答案。

But, as you say, we might die of boredom following those hobbies, 習語

不过，就像你说的，沉迷于这些爱好可能会让我们无聊死（die of boredom），

a phrase that expresses how extremely bored you are.

这个短语用来表达你有多么极其无聊。

But not for everyone.

但并非对所有人都是这样。

Boredom depends on your state of mind. 短語搭配

无聊取决于你的心态。

Some of us might find something boring, 語法

我们中的一些人可能会觉得某件事很无聊，

while others might find it fascinating.

而另一些人可能会觉得它很迷人。

True, but let's talk about feeling bored when we have nothing to do. 表達脈絡

对，但我们还是谈谈当我们无事可做时感到无聊的情况吧。

Not even trainspotting!

甚至连记录火车班次都不算！

Having nothing to do or doing the same task again and again 講解

无事可做或者一遍又一遍地做同样的任务

can certainly be demotivating.

肯定会让人失去动力。

But, according to Sandi Mann, 表達脈絡

但是，根据桑迪·曼的说法，

who was speaking on the BBC World Service's The Why Factor program,

她在 BBC 国际频道《The Why Factor》节目中谈到，

being bored doesn't have to be boring. 語法

感到无聊不一定是一件无趣的事。

It can be good for us.

它可能对我们有好处。

It's this emotion that everyone thinks is so negative,

大家都认为这种情绪非常负面，

but there's a real positive to it too. 表達脈絡

但它其实也有真正积极的一面。

There's a real upside to it. 習語

它确实有其益处（upside）。

We become more creative.

我们会变得更有创造力。

So, for example, being bored allows our minds to wander, 語法

所以，举个例子，无聊让我们的思绪可以漫游，

allows us to daydream,

让我们能做白日梦，

and that can actually lead us to problem-solving and creativity. 短語搭配

那实际上可以引导我们去解决问题并发挥创造力。

And I fear that by swiping and scrolling our boredom away these days that we're losing that creativity, 短語動詞

而我担心，如今我们通过不断滑动屏幕来消除无聊，正在失去那种创造力，

because we've got so much to entertain us,

因为我们有太多的东西可以娱乐自己，

but it seems that the more we have to entertain us, 語法

但似乎我们用来娱乐的东西越多，

the more bored we seem to be.

我们似乎就越无聊。

And there's a reason for that,

这是有原因的，

and that is because we actually get addicted to stimulation and to novelty. 短語搭配

那就是因为我们实际上对刺激（stimulation）和新奇感（novelty）上瘾了。

Some interesting thoughts from Sandi Mann there.

以上是桑迪·曼带来的一些有趣的观点。

She says that there's an upside to boredom.

她说无聊也有其益处（upside）。

That means a positive side to a bad situation.

这意味着在糟糕的情况中也有积极的一面。

And that is it can make us more creative.

那就是它可以让我们变得更有创造力。

That's because when we have nothing to do,

那是因为当我们无事可做时，

we allow our minds to wander.

我们任由思绪漫游。

We can think freely, which might help us solve problems.

我们可以自由地思考，这可能有助于我们解决问题。

This can't happen when, as Sandi says,

正如桑迪所说，当你这样做时是不可能发生这种情况的，

we swipe and scroll our boredom away, 短語動詞

我们滑动屏幕消除无聊，

referring to the movements we make on smartphones.

这指的是我们在智能手机上所做的动作。

Yes, and it's smartphones we turn to for entertainment when we are bored. 短語動詞

是的，当我们无聊时，我们会转向智能手机寻求娱乐。

It gives us stimulation. 用詞

它给我们带来了刺激（stimulation）。

It activates or enriches the mind,

它激活或丰富了头脑，

and it gives us something new, unusual, and different to look at,

它给我们提供了新颖、不寻常、不一样的东西去观看，

what we call novelty. 用詞

也就是我们所说的新奇事物（novelty）。

I'm sure many of us look at our phones when we are in a queue or sitting on the bus,

我敢肯定，当我们在排队或坐在公共汽车上时，很多人都会看手机，

just to prevent being bored. 語法

只是为了防止无聊。

But it seems we should just sit and think. 語氣意圖

但似乎我们应该干坐着思考。

Let's take inspiration from Manoush Zomorodi, 短語搭配

让我们从马努什·佐莫罗迪那里寻找灵感，

an author and host of the Zig Zag podcast.

她是一位作家，也是《Zig Zag》播客的主持人。

Here she is speaking on the Why Factor program,

这是她在《The Why Factor》节目中的发言，

explaining that it takes effort, 語法

她解释说这需要付出努力，

but it's worth it.

但这很值得。

We think, who wants to be bored?

我们在想，谁想无聊呢？

What an awful sensation that is. 語法

那是一种多么可怕的感觉啊。

And I think that the issue is with mind-wandering,

我认为问题在于让思绪漫游，

you don't immediately get to roses and chirping birds and amazing creative thinking. 習語

你不会立刻就看到玫瑰、听到鸟鸣，并产生惊人的创造性思维。

There is this uncomfortable period that you have to pass through, 短語動詞

你必须度过一段令人不适的时期，

where maybe you start thinking about things you don't want to think about

在此期间，也许你会开始思考那些你不想思考的事情，

or uncomfortable situations or unpleasant feelings that you have.

或者是你不舒服的处境，以及你不愉快的感受。

That's why boredom, I think,

我想这就是为什么无聊

has such negative connotations because we feel uncomfortable. 用詞

会有如此负面的含义（connotations），因为我们感觉不舒服。

But, when we stick with it, 短語動詞

但是，当我们坚持下去，

that's when the good stuff can come. 表達脈絡

好东西就会在那时出现。

So, we might think of boredom as an awful sensation or feeling 語法

所以，我们可能会把无聊视为一种可怕的感觉或情绪，

because that's when we start focusing on negative things.

因为那是我们开始关注负面事物的时候。

Manoush thinks that's why we have negative connotations with boredom.

马努什认为，这就是为什么我们觉得无聊带有负面的隐含意义。

A connotation is an emotion connected to a word.

隐含意义（connotation）是一种与词语相连的情感。

But if we work through the bad stuff and stick with it, 短語動詞

但如果我们熬过那些糟糕的事情并坚持下去，

amazing creative thinking can happen.

惊人的创造性思维就可能发生。

As Manoush says, the good stuff can come.

正如马努什所说，好东西会随之而来。

So, basically, don't think of boredom as being boring.

所以，基本上，不要把无聊想成是一件无趣的事。

However, could this adjective be applied to the hobby that Peter Willis, 語法

不过，这个形容词能不能用来形容彼得·威利斯的爱好呢？

the most boring man in Britain, does?

这个全英国最无聊的男人所做的事情？

Uh yes, Neil.

呃，是的，尼尔。

You asked me what that hobby is,

你问我他的爱好是什么，

and I said he took photos of postboxes.

我说他拍了邮箱的照片。

Was I right?

我答对了吗？

Yes, you were.

是的，你答对了。

Congratulations.

恭喜你。

The former postman dreams of taking a photo of all of Britain's 115,000 postboxes. 短語搭配

这位前邮递员梦想着拍下全英国 115000 个邮箱的照片。

Well, good luck to Peter.

好吧，祝彼得好运。

I didn't realize there were so many postboxes in the UK. 語氣意圖

我都没意识到英国竟然有这么多邮箱。

So, we've been talking about the benefits of boredom today. 語法

好了，今天我们讨论了无聊的好处。

Boredom is the state of feeling little excitement or enthusiasm.

无聊（Boredom）是感觉不到兴奋或热情的心理状态。

We mentioned the phrase to die of boredom,

我们提到了无聊死（to die of boredom）这个短语，

which we use to express how extremely bored we are.

我们用它来表达我们有多么极度无聊。

But boredom has an upside,

但是无聊也有益处（upside），

which means it has a positive side to a bad situation.

意思是指在糟糕的情况中积极的一面。

We heard the word stimulation,

我们听到了刺激（stimulation）这个词，

which means it activates or enriches the mind,

意思是指激活或充实头脑，

and novelty,

还有新奇（novelty），

which describes something that is new, unusual, or different.

用来描述新的、不寻常的或与众不同的事物。

And we described a connotation.

我们还描述了隐含意义（connotation）。

That's an emotion connected to a word.

那是指与一个词语相关联的情感。

Well, I hope you haven't been bored listening to us. 語氣意圖

好了，我希望你们听我们聊天时没有觉得无聊。

Goodbye for now.

现在先说再见啦。

Bye.

拜拜。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

来自 BBC 的六分钟英语。