無聊的好處 - 6分鐘英語：英語精讀講義

Six Minute English from BBCLearningEnglish.com.

來自 BBCLearningEnglish.com 的六分鐘英語。

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

大家好，這裡是 BBC Learning English 的六分鐘英語節目。

I'm Neil.

我是尼爾。

And I'm Sam.

我是薩姆。

How's your week been, Sam? 語氣意圖

薩姆，你這週過得怎麼樣？

Oh, you know, quiet. 語氣意圖

喔，你知道的，很平靜。

I haven't done much or been anywhere, 文法

我沒怎麼做事，也沒去哪裡，

so it's been a bit boring. 表達脈絡

所以有點無聊。

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

我了解那種沒有新鮮事發生時的感覺。

It can lead to boredom,

那可能會導致無聊，

the state of feeling little excitement or enthusiasm, 用詞

一種幾乎感覺不到興奮或熱情的心理狀態，

often because you've got nothing to do.

通常是因為你無事可做。

But, Sam, there is some good news.

但是，薩姆，有好消息。

Boredom can be good for you.

無聊可能對你有好處。

Tell me more.

多跟我說說。

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

我會的，但在那之前我得先問你一個問題。

A survey by British newspaper The Mirror

英國《鏡報》的一項調查

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

發現彼得·威利斯是英國最無聊的人。

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

他到底有什麼無聊的愛好，才為他贏得了這個頭銜？

Was it A, collecting train numbers,

是選項 A，收集火車編號，

that's train spotting, 文化背景

也就是所謂的記錄火車班次（火車迷），

B, taking photos of letterboxes,

選項 B，拍信箱的照片，

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

還是選項 C，在英國的圓環開車繞圈？

Wow.

哇。

That all sounds deadly boring, 慣用語

那些聽起來都極其無聊，

but I imagine taking photos of letterboxes

但我想拍信箱的照片

is the most boring.

是最無聊的。

Perhaps?

或許吧？

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

好了，像往常一樣，我會在節目最後公布答案。

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

不過，就像你說的，沉迷於這些愛好可能會讓我們無聊死（die of boredom），

a phrase that expresses how extremely bored you are.

這個片語用來表達你有多麼極其無聊。

But not for everyone.

但並非對所有人都是這樣。

Boredom depends on your state of mind. 片語搭配

無聊取決於你的心態。

Some of us might find something boring, 文法

我們中的一些人可能會覺得某件事很無聊，

while others might find it fascinating.

而另一些人可能會覺得它很迷人。

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

對，但我們還是談談當我們無事可做時感到無聊的情況吧。

Not even trainspotting!

甚至連記錄火車班次都不算！

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

無事可做或者一遍又一遍地做同樣的任務

can certainly be demotivating.

肯定會讓人失去動力。

But, according to Sandi Mann, 表達脈絡

但是，根據桑迪·曼的說法，

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

她在 BBC 國際頻道《The Why Factor》節目中談到，

being bored doesn't have to be boring. 文法

感到無聊不一定是一件無趣的事。

It can be good for us.

它可能對我們有好處。

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

大家都認為這種情緒非常負面，

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

但它其實也有真正積極的一面。

There's a real upside to it. 慣用語

它確實有其益處（upside）。

We become more creative.

我們會變得更有創造力。

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

所以，舉個例子，無聊讓我們的思緒可以漫遊，

allows us to daydream,

讓我們能做白日夢，

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

那實際上可以引導我們去解決問題並發揮創造力。

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

而我擔心，如今我們透過不斷滑動螢幕來消除無聊，正在失去那種創造力，

because we've got so much to entertain us,

因為我們有太多的東西可以娛樂自己，

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

但似乎我們用來娛樂的東西越多，

the more bored we seem to be.

我們似乎就越無聊。

And there's a reason for that,

這是有原因的，

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

那就是因為我們實際上對刺激（stimulation）和新奇感（novelty）上癮了。

Some interesting thoughts from Sandi Mann there.

以上是桑迪·曼帶來的一些有趣的觀點。

She says that there's an upside to boredom.

她說無聊也有其益處（upside）。

That means a positive side to a bad situation.

這意味著在糟糕的情況中也有積極的一面。

And that is it can make us more creative.

那就是它可以讓我們變得更有創造力。

That's because when we have nothing to do,

那是因為當我們無事可做時，

we allow our minds to wander.

我們任由思緒漫遊。

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

我們可以自由地思考，這可能有助於我們解決問題。

This can't happen when, as Sandi says,

正如桑迪所說，當你這樣做時是不可能發生這種情況的，

we swipe and scroll our boredom away, 片語動詞

我們滑動螢幕消除無聊，

referring to the movements we make on smartphones.

這指的是我們在智慧型手機上所做的動作。

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

是的，當我們無聊時，我們會轉向智慧型手機尋求娛樂。

It gives us stimulation. 用詞

它給我們帶來了刺激（stimulation）。

It activates or enriches the mind,

它活化或豐富了頭腦，

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

它給我們提供了新穎、不尋常、不一樣的東西去觀看，

what we call novelty. 用詞

也就是我們所說的新奇事物（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，當我們在排隊或坐在公車上時，很多人都會看手機，

just to prevent being bored. 文法

只是為了防止無聊。

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

但似乎我們應該乾坐著思考。

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

讓我們從馬努什·佐莫羅迪那裡尋找靈感，

an author and host of the Zig Zag podcast.

她是一位作家，也是《Zig Zag》Podcast的主持人。

Here she is speaking on the Why Factor program,

這是她在《The Why Factor》節目中的發言，

explaining that it takes effort, 文法

她解釋說這需要付出努力，

but it's worth it.

但這很值得。

We think, who wants to be bored?

我們在想，誰想無聊呢？

What an awful sensation that is. 文法

那是一種多麼可怕的感覺啊。

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

我認為問題在於讓思緒漫遊，

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

你不會立刻就看到玫瑰、聽到鳥鳴，並產生驚人的創造性思維。

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

你必須度過一段令人不適的時期，

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

在此期間，也許你會開始思考那些你不想思考的事情，

or uncomfortable situations or unpleasant feelings that you have.

或者是你不舒服的處境，以及你不愉快的感受。

That's why boredom, I think,

我想這就是為什麼無聊

has such negative connotations because we feel uncomfortable. 用詞

會有如此負面的意涵（connotations），因為我們感覺不舒服。

But, when we stick with it, 片語動詞

但是，當我們堅持下去，

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

好東西就會在那時出現。

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

所以，我們可能會把無聊視為一種可怕的感覺或情緒，

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

因為那是我們開始關注負面事物的時候。

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

馬努什認為，這就是為什麼我們覺得無聊帶有負面的隱含意義。

A connotation is an emotion connected to a word.

隱含意義（connotation）是一種與詞語相連的情感。

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

但如果我們熬過那些糟糕的事情並堅持下去，

amazing creative thinking can happen.

驚人的創造性思維就可能發生。

As Manoush says, the good stuff can come.

正如馬努什所說，好東西會隨之而來。

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

所以，基本上，不要把無聊想成是一件無趣的事。

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

不過，這個形容詞能不能用來形容彼得·威利斯的愛好呢？

the most boring man in Britain, does?

這個全英國最無聊的男人所做的事情？

Uh yes, Neil.

呃，是的，尼爾。

You asked me what that hobby is,

你問我他的愛好是什麼，

and I said he took photos of postboxes.

我說他拍了郵筒的照片。

Was I right?

我答對了嗎？

Yes, you were.

是的，你答對了。

Congratulations.

恭喜你。

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

這位前郵差夢想著拍下全英國 115000 個郵筒的照片。

Well, good luck to Peter.

好吧，祝彼得好運。

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

我都沒意識到英國竟然有這麼多郵筒。

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

好了，今天我們討論了無聊的好處。

Boredom is the state of feeling little excitement or enthusiasm.

無聊（Boredom）是感覺不到興奮或熱情的心理狀態。

We mentioned the phrase to die of boredom,

我們提到了無聊死（to die of boredom）這個片語，

which we use to express how extremely bored we are.

我們用它來表達我們有多麼極度無聊。

But boredom has an upside,

但是無聊也有益處（upside），

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

意思是指在糟糕的情況中積極的一面。

We heard the word stimulation,

我們聽到了刺激（stimulation）這個詞，

which means it activates or enriches the mind,

意思是指活化或充實頭腦，

and novelty,

還有新奇（novelty），

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

用來描述新的、不尋常的或與眾不同的事物。

And we described a connotation.

我們還描述了隱含意義（connotation）。

That's an emotion connected to a word.

那是指與一個詞語相關聯的情感。

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

好了，我希望你們聽我們聊天時沒有覺得無聊。

Goodbye for now.

現在先說再見啦。

Bye.

拜拜。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

來自 BBC 的六分鐘英語。