無所事事的好處 ⏲️ 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.

你好，這裡是 BBC 英語教學的六分鐘英語。

I'm Beth.

我是 Beth。

And I'm Neil.

我是 Neil。

Phew, I've spent a day in meetings, then shopping, then collecting the kids from school. 片語搭配

呼，我今天開了一整天會，然後去購物，接著又去學校接孩子。

I'm exhausted, Beth.

我筋疲力盡了，Beth。

What have you been doing today? 文法

妳今天都在做什麼？

Uh, not much.

呃，沒做什麼。

Just sitting around, doing nothing. 片語動詞

就是坐著，什麼也沒做。

Relaxing and kicking back. 片語動詞

放鬆，休息。

Lucky you. 語氣意圖

妳真幸運。

Don't you have any work to do? 語氣意圖

難道妳不用工作嗎？

It may not look it, Neil, but I'm actually as busy as a bee. 講解

Neil，可能看起來不像，但我其實忙得像蜜蜂一樣。

If you've seen nature documentaries about worker bees flying from flower to flower, 文法

如果你看過工蜂在花叢中飛來飛去的自然紀錄片，

you probably think animals are always on the move. 片語搭配

你可能會認為動物總是在四處奔波。

But the surprising truth is, away from the cameras, 表達脈絡

但令人驚訝的真相是，在鏡頭之外，

most animals spend most of their time doing absolutely nothing at all. 片語搭配

大多數動物絕大多數時間都在無所事事。

In the natural world, where finding food and shelter is hard work, 文法

在自然界中，尋找食物和住所是一項艱苦的工作，

why have some animals evolved to do nothing?

為什麼有些動物卻演化出無所事事的習慣呢？

And if it's good enough for animals,

如果這對動物來說足夠好，

would being lazy work for humans too? 用詞

偷懶對人類是否也管用呢？

That's what we'll be discussing in this program. 表達脈絡

這就是我們本集節目要討論的內容。

And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

和往常一樣，我們還會學習一些有用的新詞彙。

But first, let me work up the energy to ask you a question, Neil. 慣用語

但首先，讓我打起精神來問你一個問題，Neil。

Of course, some animals have a reputation for lounging about. 片語搭配

當然，有些動物以慵懶聞名。

Lions, for example, can sleep up to 20 hours a day. 片語搭配

例如，獅子一天最多能睡 20 個小時。

But what is the slowest moving animal on Earth?

但地球上移動最慢的動物是什麼？

Is it A, the giant tortoise?

是 A，巨龜？

B, the three-toed sloth?

B，三趾樹懶？

Or C, the koala?

還是 C，無尾熊？

Well, I think it's the three-toed sloth.

嗯，我覺得是三趾樹懶。

Okay, Neil.

好的，Neil。

I'll reveal the correct answer at the end of the program.

我會在節目最後公布正確答案。

Now, it's no surprise that lazy lions love relaxing, 表達脈絡

現在，慵懶的獅子喜歡放鬆並不稀奇，

but even animals with reputations for being busy spend time doing nothing. 表達脈絡

但即使是以忙碌著稱的動物也會花時間無所事事。

Look carefully into an ant's nest,

仔細觀察螞蟻窩，

and you'll see around half of them just sitting there motionless. 用詞

你會發現大約一半的螞蟻只是坐在那裡一動也不動。

Here is Professor Dan Charbonneau, an expert in insect behavior,

接下來是昆蟲行為專家 Dan Charbonneau 教授，

discussing the lazy rock ant with Emily Knight, presenter of BBC Radio 4 program Naturebang. 片語搭配

他正和 BBC Radio 4 節目 Naturebang 的主持人 Emily Knight 討論慵懶的岩蟻。

Dan's research has focused on ant colonies, 片語搭配

Dan 的研究集中在蟻群上，

a species called Temnothorax or the rock ant.

一種被稱為 Temnothorax 或岩蟻的物種。

I think ants are sort of a symbol of like industriousness, you know. 語氣意圖

我認為螞蟻就像是勤勞的象徵，你懂的。

They have this whole tiny little society going on that's kind of similar to ours, 片語動詞

牠們有這麼一個微小的社會在運轉，有點類似於我們人類社會，

a some idealized version of what humans might be if we could only like pull it together and all work together. 講解

如果我們能團結一致，共同努力，這或許就是人類理想化的模樣。

We could be as industrious as the ants. 文法

我們也能像螞蟻一樣勤勞。

But then when you look at it, 表達脈絡

但當你仔細觀察時，

you know, roughly about half the colony is inactive at any given time. 片語搭配

你會發現，在任何特定的時間裡，大概有一半的蟻群是不活躍的。

We think ants are industrious or hardworking.

我們認為螞蟻是勤奮或吃苦耐勞的。

Groups of ants called colonies seem tiny perfect societies where everyone works hard for the good of the group. 片語搭配

被稱為蟻群的螞蟻群落似乎是完美的微型社會，每個人都為了群體的利益而努力工作。

Then why are so many of them inactive?

那麼為什麼牠們中有這麼多是不活躍的呢？

One possible answer is that they're reserve ants,

一個可能的答案是牠們是後備螞蟻，

ready to step in if disease or disaster strike. 片語動詞

準備在疾病或災難來襲時介入。

But could it simply be that they don't work because they don't need to? 文法

但這會不會僅僅是因為牠們不需要工作，所以才不工作呢？

Would you get out of bed on Monday morning if you didn't have to? 講解

如果你不需要起床，星期一早上你會起床嗎？

Maybe the ants can teach us a thing or two about relaxing. 慣用語

也許關於放鬆，我們可以從螞蟻那裡學到一兩招。

But wouldn't it get boring just sitting around all day?

但是整天坐著無所事事不會很無聊嗎？

Not according to psychologist Dr. Sandi Mann. 表達脈絡

心理學家 Sandi Mann 博士可不這麼認為。

She thinks being productive, working to produce a lot for the amount of resources we use,

她認為提高生產力，即消耗一定量資源來產出大量成果，

is overrated. 用詞

是被高估了的。

Boredom has its benefits too, 片語搭配

無聊也有它的好處，

as she explains to BBC Radio 4 program Naturebang.

正如她向 BBC Radio 4 節目 Naturebang 解釋的那樣。

Would us humans have invented bread or beer or fire, 文法

如果沒有感到無聊，並且好奇如果我們把這個和那個混合在一起到底會發生什麼，

you know, if we hadn't been bored and were wondering what on Earth would happen if we mix this with this, you know? 語氣意圖

我們人類會發明麵包、啤酒或火嗎？

Are all these sorts of inventions the mother of boredom? 慣用語

所有這些發明是不是可以說都是無聊之母呢？

But in this world of constant stimulation, 片語搭配

但在當下這個充滿持續刺激的世界裡，

switching off is harder than it's ever been. 講解

讓自己放空比以往任何時候都要困難。

That's why we're constantly swiping and scrolling and looking for the next big thing and the new thing 講解

這就是為什麼我們在不停地滑動和滾動螢幕，尋找下一個大事件和新事物，

and we get bored of things very quickly. 片語搭配

並且我們很快就會對事物感到厭倦。

So it's a kind of paradox 用詞

所以這是一種悖論，

to get rid of this unpleasant state of boredom is actually to allow more boredom into your life. 講解

想要擺脫這種令人不悅的無聊狀態，其實是需要讓你的生活接納更多無聊的。

Dr. Mann doubts humans would have invented things without the curiosity that comes from being bored.

Mann 博士懷疑，如果缺乏從無聊中產生的好奇心，人類可能不會發明出那麼多東西。

Boredom is the mother of invention, 慣用語

無聊是發明之母，

an idea based on the famous proverb, necessity is the mother of invention,

這個觀點基於那句著名的諺語「需要是發明之母」，

an idiom meaning that if you really need to do something, 文法

這句習語的意思是，如果你真的很需要做某件事，

you will think of a way of doing it.

你就會想出辦法來做。

Instead of fearing boredom, 文法

與其害怕無聊，

we can open up to its benefits by switching off. 片語動詞

我們不如透過放空來感受無聊的好處。

Stopping worrying or thinking about something and relaxing.

停止對某事的擔憂或思考，放鬆下來。

Slowing down helps too.

放慢腳步也有幫助。

Something we can definitely learn from our animal cousins. 慣用語

我們絕對可以從我們的動物親戚那裡學到這一點。

I think now's a good time to reveal the answer to my question, 片語搭配

我覺得現在是公布我的問題答案的好時機了，

since we have nothing else to do.

既然我們也沒有別的事可做。

You asked me to name the world's slowest animal, 文法

妳讓我說出世界上最慢的動物，

and I guessed it was the three-toed sloth.

我猜是三趾樹懶。

Was I right?

我猜對了嗎？

That was the correct answer.

這就是正確答案。

With a top speed of 30 cm per minute, 片語搭配

三趾樹懶的最高速度只有每分鐘 30 公分，

three-toed sloths move so slowly that algae grows on their coats. 文法

牠們移動得非常緩慢，以至於身上都長出了藻類。

Okay, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this program, 表達脈絡

好的，讓我們回顧一下這集節目中學到的詞彙，

starting with the phrase kicking back,

從 kicking back 這個短語開始，

to stop doing things and relax completely.

意思是停止做事，徹底放鬆。

The adjective industrious means hardworking.

形容詞 industrious 意思是勤奮的。

A colony is the name given to a group of certain animals,

colony 是特定動物群體的統稱，

including ants and some seabirds.

包括螞蟻和某些海鳥。

Someone who is productive is able to produce a lot for the amount of resources they use.

productive 的人能夠用有限的資源生產出大量東西。

The proverb necessity is the mother of invention means that if you really need to do something,

諺語 necessity is the mother of invention 意思是如果你真的很需要做某件事，

you will think of a way of doing it.

你就會想出辦法來做。

And finally, to switch off means to stop worrying or thinking about something and relax.

最後，switch off 的意思是停止擔憂或思考某事並放鬆下來。

Once again,

又一次，

our six minutes are up. 片語搭配

我們的六分鐘時間到了。

It must be time to sit down, close your eyes, and just do nothing. 語氣意圖

是時候坐下來，閉上眼睛，什麼都不做了。

Goodbye for now.

先說到這裡，再見。

Bye.

再見。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

來自 BBC 的六分鐘英語。