樂觀主義者與悲觀主義者 - 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 英語教學的六分鐘英語。

I'm Neil.

我是 Neil。

And I'm Sam.

我是 Sam。

We often hear phrases such as dream big or reach for the stars, 慣用語

我們經常聽到諸如「大膽夢想」或「摘星」之類的短語，

which reflect an optimistic view of life.

這些都反映了一種樂觀的人生觀。

Are you an optimist, Sam?

你是個樂觀主義者嗎，Sam？

I hope so.

希望如此。

I try to see the positive side of life, 片語搭配

我努力看到生活中積極的一面，

even when something bad happens.

即使在發生壞事的時候。

It sounds like you're a glass half full person, 慣用語

聽起來你是個「半杯水是滿的」那種人，

someone who always thinks that good things will happen.

也就是總是認為會有好事發生的人。

How about you, Neil?

你呢，Neil？

Are you optimistic?

你樂觀嗎？

Look,

聽著，

things go wrong all the time. 片語動詞

事情總是會出錯的。

That's a fact of life. 片語搭配

這是生活的事實。

Call me a pessimist if you like, 語氣意圖

如果你願意，叫我悲觀主義者吧，

but I'm just being realistic.

但我只是比較現實。

Hmm,

嗯，

it sounds like Neil is more of a glass half empty person, 慣用語

聽起來 Neil 更像是一個「半杯水是空的」那種人，

but the truth is that the age-old debate between optimism and pessimism is more complex than we think. 用詞

但事實是，關於樂觀與悲觀之間古老的爭論，比我們想像的要複雜得多。

Yes,

是的，

whether you're a sunny optimist or a gloomy pessimist 文法

無論你是個陽光的樂觀主義者，還是個陰鬱的悲觀主義者，

may be determined more by your birthplace and your age than your attitude,

可能更多是由你的出生地和年齡決定的，而不是你的態度，

as we'll be finding out in this program. 片語動詞

我們將在本期節目中一探究竟。

Great.

太好了。

I've got a good feeling about this,

我對此有種很好的預感，

Neil.

Neil。

But first,

但首先，

as usual,

像往常一樣，

I have a question for you, Sam.

我有個問題要問你，Sam。

Psychologists define optimism as an attitude which overestimates the chances of good things happening to you, 講解

心理學家將樂觀定義為一種高估自己遇到好事機率的態度，

while underestimating the chances of bad things occurring.

同時低估壞事發生的機率。

So,

那麼，

what proportion of the British population do you think describe themselves as optimistic?

你認為有多少比例的英國人稱自己是樂觀的？

Is it A,

是 A，

20%,

20%，

B,

B，

50%,

50%，

or C,

還是 C，

80%?

80%？

I'll choose the largest,

我選最大的那個，

80%.

80%。

Okay,

好的，

Sam.

Sam。

We'll find out if your optimistic answer is the correct one later in the program. 片語動詞

我們稍後會在節目中看看你樂觀的回答是否正確。

Someone who probably wouldn't agree with you,

有個人可能不同意你的看法，

though,

不過，

is BBC World Service listener Hannah.

她就是 BBC 世界服務節目的聽眾 Hannah。

Hannah grew up in Germany before moving to the United States. 片語搭配

Hannah 在德國長大，後來搬到了美國。

She thinks Americans tend to be more optimistic than people back home in Germany, 片語搭配

她認為美國人往往比德國老家的人更樂觀，

as she told BBC World Service program Crowd Science.

她在 BBC 世界服務節目 Crowd Science 中這樣說道。

Well,

嗯，

I think the stereotypical perceptions of Germans is that we're quite pessimistic, 用詞

我想對德國人的刻板印象是我們相當悲觀，

and that kind of tends to come across as being a bit of a Debbie Downer, 講解

這往往會讓人覺得我們有點像 Debbie Downer，

when in actuality,

而事實上，

Germans just tend to be avid planners for all eventual negative eventualities as well. 片語搭配

德國人只是傾向於為所有最終可能發生的負面情況做充分的計畫。

Mhm.

嗯。

So that's kind of us being pessimistic,

所以我們那是有點悲觀，

but actually being cautious,

但實際上是謹慎，

as opposed to, 片語搭配

而與之相反，

for example,

例如，

what I've noticed in America that a lot of people tend to be hyper optimistic. 用詞

我在美國注意到很多人傾向於極度樂觀。

I've always admired how Americans tend to be able to sugar coat everything. 慣用語

我一直很佩服美國人似乎能把所有事情都美化（sugar coat）。

As a stereotypical pessimist,

作為一個刻板印象中的悲觀主義者，

Hannah sometimes feels like a Debbie Downer.

Hannah 有時會覺得自己像個 Debbie Downer。

This expression is American slang for someone who makes others feel bad

這個表達是美國俚語，指的是那些讓人感覺糟糕的人，

by focusing on the depressing aspects of things.

因為他們只關注事情令人沮喪的一面。

Americans,

美國人，

on the other hand, 表達脈絡

另一方面，

are typically seen as optimists who tend to sugar coat things,

通常被視為樂觀主義者，傾向於美化事物，

make things seem better than they really are.

讓事情看起來比實際更好。

According to Hannah,

根據 Hannah 的說法，

many Americans are hyper optimistic.

許多美國人是極度樂觀的（hyper optimistic）。

She uses the prefix hyper to say that there is too much of a certain quality. 用詞

她使用前綴 hyper- 來表示某種特質過多。

Hypersensitive people are too sensitive.

極度敏感（Hypersensitive）的人就是太敏感了。

A hyper optimist is too optimistic.

極度樂觀（hyper optimist）就是太樂觀了。

Besides your country of birth,

除了你的出生國，

age is another consideration in the optimism debate.

年齡是樂觀辯論中的另一個考量因素。

When we're young,

當我們年輕時，

we have our whole life ahead of us, 慣用語

我們的整個人生都在前面，

and it's easier to optimistically believe that everything's going to be all right.

很容易樂觀地相信一切都會好起來的。

The belief that everything's going to be fine is called the optimism bias. 文化背景

相信一切都會好的這種信念被稱為樂觀偏見（optimism bias）。

It isn't fixed, 表達脈絡

它不是固定不變的，

but changes as we age,

而是隨著我們的年齡增長而變化，

something neuroscientist Professor Tali Sharot explained to BBC World Service program Crowd Science.

神經科學家 Tali Sharot 教授在 BBC 世界服務節目 Crowd Science 中對此做了解釋。

So it's quite high in kids and teenagers.

所以它在兒童和青少年中相當高。

They think,

他們會想，

oh,

噢，

everything's going to be fine,

一切都會好起來的，

you know.

你懂的。

And then it goes down,

然後它就開始下降，

down,

下降，

down,

下降，

and it hits rock bottom in your midlife, 慣用語

在你中年時跌至谷底（hits rock bottom），

at which point the optimism bias is relatively small, 表達脈絡

此時的樂觀偏見相對較小，

and then it starts climbing up again, 片語動詞

然後它又開始回升，

and it's quite high in the elderly population,

在老年人群中相當高，

and that goes absolutely against our view of the grumpy old man or woman. 講解

這完全打破了我們對脾氣暴躁的老爺爺或老奶奶的看法。

After starting out high in children,

樂觀偏見在兒童時期很高之後，

the optimism bias hits rock bottom,

會跌至谷底，

the lowest possible level in middle age,

在中年時達到可能的最低水準，

often because of work pressures,

通常是因為工作壓力、

family responsibilities,

家庭責任、

or caring for elderly parents.

或照顧年邁的父母。

But optimism seems to increase again as we get older.

但隨著我們變老，樂觀情緒似乎又增加了。

This is surprising as it goes against the image we have of the grumpy old man,

這很令人驚訝，因為它違背了我們對「脾氣暴躁的老頭」（grumpy old man）的印象，

a phrase to describe someone who complains a lot,

這個短語用來形容經常抱怨、

is moody,

喜怒無常、

and gets easily annoyed.

而且容易惹惱別人的人。

Optimistic women,

樂觀的女性，

meanwhile,

與此同時，

can look forward to longer, 片語動詞

可以期待更長壽、

healthier lives.

更健康的生活。

Good news for you,

這對你來說是個好消息，

then,

那麼，

Sam.

Sam。

But I'm sticking with my pessimism. 片語動詞

但我還是要堅持我的悲觀主義。

If I anticipate things going wrong, 片語搭配

如果我預料到事情會出錯，

then I don't get disappointed when they do.

那麼當它們真的出錯時，我就不會失望。

That's actually a fairly positive way of looking at things, 片語搭配

這實際上是一種相當積極的看待事物的方式，

Neil,

Neil，

but I'm not sure if most people would agree with you,

但我確定是否大多數人都會同意你的觀點，

or maybe they would.

或者也許他們會同意。

It depends on the answer to your question. 片語搭配

這取決於你那個問題的答案。

Right.

對。

I asked Sam,

我問了 Sam，

what proportion of British people describe themselves as optimistic?

有多大比例的英國人認為自己是樂觀的？

And optimistically,

而我樂觀地，

I said it was C,

回答是 C，

80%.

80%。

Which was the correct answer.

也就是正確答案。

Of course it was.

當然是了。

Whether you expect good or bad things to happen to you, 文法

無論你預期會發生好事還是壞事，

you're probably right.

你可能都是對的。

So why not focus on the sunny side of life, 慣用語

所以為什麼不關注生活中陽光的一面呢，

Neil?

Neil？

That way you've got nothing to lose. 片語搭配

那樣你什麼都不會失去。

Okay,

好了，

let's recap the vocabulary from this program,

讓我們回顧一下本期節目的詞彙，

Sam.

Sam。

You're certainly a glass half full person,

你絕對是個「半杯水是滿的」那種人（glass half full person），

someone with an optimistic attitude to life.

對生活持樂觀態度的人。

And you're something of a Debbie Downer,

而你有點像個 Debbie Downer，

American slang for someone who brings everyone down 片語動詞

這是美國俚語，形容那種讓所有人都掃興的人，

by talking about the negative side of things.

因為他總是談論事情消極的一面。

If you sugar coat something,

如果你對某事進行糖衣包裝（sugar coat），

you make it appear more positive than it really is.

你就是讓它看起來比實際更積極。

The prefix hyper is used before an adjective to show having too much of that quality.

前綴 hyper 用在形容詞前，表示擁有多過於某種特質。

For example,

例如，

hypercritical means being too critical.

吹毛求疵（hypercritical）的意思是過於挑剔。

If something hits rock bottom,

如果某事跌入谷底（hits rock bottom），

it reaches its lowest possible level.

它就達到了可能達到的最低點。

And finally,

最後，

the phrase grumpy old man can be used to describe someone who always complains,

詞組「脾氣暴躁的老頭」（grumpy old man）可用來形容總是抱怨、

is intolerant,

不寬容、

and gets annoyed easily,

且容易惱怒的人，

a bit like Neil.

有點像 Neil。

Huh.

呵。

Thank you very much.

非常感謝。

Unfortunately,

不幸的是，

our six minutes are up,

我們的六分鐘時間到了，

but join us again soon for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at Six Minute English. 片語搭配

但請很快再加入我們，在六分鐘英語這裡獲取更多熱門話題和實用詞彙。

Goodbye for now.

暫時再見。

Bye.

再見。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

來自 BBC 的六分鐘英語。