你能保守秘密嗎？⏲️ 6分鐘英語：英語精讀講義

Six Minute English

六分鐘英語

from BBCLearningEnglish.com.

來自 BBCLearningEnglish.com。

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. And I'm Beth.

我是尼爾。我是貝絲。

Can you keep a secret, Neil?

尼爾，你能保守秘密嗎？

Or are you someone who spills the beans? 慣用語

還是說你是那種會『洩漏天機』（spills the beans）的人？

That's an idiom meaning to tell people a secret.

這是一個慣用語，意思是把秘密告訴別人。

I'm pretty good at keeping secrets, Beth. 片語搭配

我滿擅長保守秘密的，貝絲。

Unless it's giving away the ending of a movie. 片語動詞

除非是爆雷電影的結局。

I'm always doing that.

我總是做那種事。

Whether you find it hard to keep secrets 文法

無論你是覺得保守秘密很難

or take them with you to the grave? 慣用語

還是會把秘密帶進墳墓？

Keeping secrets is often considered something bad.

保守秘密通常被認為是不好的事情。

But what if some secrets could actually make your life better? 文法

但如果有些秘密實際上能讓你的生活變得更好呢？

Now, psychological studies are uncovering a more positive side to secrets, 片語搭配

現在，心理學研究正在揭示秘密更積極的一面，

suggesting that keeping good news to yourself can actually make you feel more alive, 講解

表明把好消息藏在心裡其實能讓你感覺更有活力，

especially if you plan to share your secret with someone later.

尤其是當你打算以後和別人分享這個秘密的時候。

In this program, we'll be discussing the advantages of keeping secrets, 表達脈絡

在本期節目中，我們將討論保守秘密的好處，

and, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well. 片語搭配

而且，像往常一樣，我們也會學習一些有用的新詞彙。

But first, I have a question for you, Neil. 語氣意圖

但首先，我有個問題要問你，尼爾。

One very famous secret is the recipe for the world's favorite soft drink, Coca-Cola.

一個非常有名的秘密就是世界上最受歡迎的無酒精飲料——可口可樂的配方。

While traveling in Indonesia, 文法

在印尼旅行時，

BBC TV presenter Joanna Lumley believes she discovered the unknown secret ingredients.

BBC電視主持人喬安娜·拉姆利相信她發現了這種不為人知的秘密配料。

So, is Coca-Cola's secret spice

那麼，可口可樂的秘密香料是

A) cinnamon, B) nutmeg, or C) ginger?

A) 肉桂，B) 肉豆蔻，還是 C) 生薑？

Well, I don't know.

嗯，我不知道。

So, I'm going to guess it's nutmeg. 語氣意圖

那我猜是肉豆蔻吧。

Okay.

好的。

I'll reveal the secret at the end of the program. 表達脈絡

我會在節目最後揭曉這個秘密。

This year, a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 文法

今年，《個性與社會心理學雜誌》上發表的一項研究

introduced a new term to the discussion, positive secrets. 講解

在討論中引入了一個新術語：積極的秘密（positive secrets）。

Here, the study's author, Dr. Michael Slepian of Columbia University,

在這裡，該研究的作者，哥倫比亞大學的邁克爾·斯萊皮恩博士，

discusses positive secrets with BBC World Service program Newsday.

在BBC世界頻道《Newsday》節目中討論了積極的秘密。

Yeah, so what's interesting about the idea of positive secrets is, 表達脈絡

是的，關於積極秘密的想法，有趣的一點是，

you know, there's there's a set of them where the the plan is to never reveal them.

你知道，有一類秘密是打算永遠不公開的。

You know, we might say a guilty pleasure is something we enjoy but don't want to tell other people about. 慣用語

你知道，我們可能會說『罪惡的快感』（guilty pleasure）是我們喜歡但不願告訴別人的事情。

And then there's other secrets that the whole point of keeping them secret is to reveal them, 片語搭配

然後還有其他秘密，保守它們的全部意義就是為了揭開它們，

you know, the surprising marriage proposal, the pregnancy announcement, 用詞

你知道，比如令人驚喜的求婚、宣布懷孕、

unwrapping a gift that you've that you've wrapped.

拆開你曾經包裝過的禮物。

Dr. Slepian distinguishes between positive and negative secrets. 片語搭配

斯萊皮恩博士區分了積極秘密和消極秘密。

Negative secrets hurt people and damage relationships.

消極秘密會傷害他人並破壞人際關係。

They're like a guilty pleasure, an activity you really enjoy doing,

它們就像一種『罪惡的快感』，一種你真正喜歡做、

but which also gives you a feeling of guilt or shame for doing it. 片語搭配

但做完後又會讓你產生內疚或羞恥感的活動。

Positive secrets, on the other hand, include things like marriage proposals, 表達脈絡

另一方面，積極的秘密包括求婚這類事情，

the act of asking someone to marry you.

即請求某人與你結婚的行為。

Revealing positive secrets lets us share and celebrate those things with others. 文法

揭露積極的秘密能讓我們與他人分享並慶祝這些事情。

In fact, the whole point of positive secrets is to reveal them.

事實上，積極秘密的『全部意義』就在於揭露它們。

Here, the phrase the whole point

在這裡，『the whole point』這個短語

is used to mean the most important reason or purpose for something.

用來指某事最重要的原因或目的。

Because positive secrets give us the feeling we are in control of our emotions, 講解

因為積極的秘密讓我們覺得我們能控制自己的情緒，

they energize us. 用詞

它們給了我們力量。

However, Dr. Slepian's research comes from the United States. 表達脈絡

然而，斯萊皮恩博士的研究來自美國。

Would the results be the same in other cultures and countries?

在其他文化和國家，結果會是一樣的嗎？

Here's Dr. Slepian again talking with BBC World Service program Newsday.

這裡又是斯萊皮恩博士在BBC世界頻道《Newsday》節目中的談話。

Some cultures, it is said that if it's a good news, especially around pregnancy, 講解

在某些文化中，人們會說如果是好消息，特別是關於懷孕的，

don't share it till the time, you know, it's safe

不要在安全期之前分享它，你知道的，

because they feel that it may lead to some negative vibes, 片語搭配

因為他們覺得這可能會帶來一些負面的影響，

evil eye as many people call it. 文化背景

很多人稱之為『邪眼』（evil eye）。

Is that also a part of what you found why people keep secrets?

這也是你發現人們保守秘密的部分原因嗎？

Are there any kind of cultural influences when they keep the good secrets and the positive secrets? 用詞

當他們保守好秘密和積極的秘密時，是否有任何文化上的影響？

Yeah, it's interesting you bring this example because we're studying it right now.

是的，你舉這個例子很有趣，因為我們現在正在研究它。

Now, um we have this intuition that pregnancy and secrets around pregnancy, 片語搭配

現在，嗯，我們有一種直覺，那就是懷孕和有關懷孕的秘密，

in early in early um in earlier periods,

在早期，在早期，嗯，在更早期的階段，

that it looks more like a burdensome secret 用詞

它看起來更像是一個『令人負擔的』（burdensome）秘密

and then and when it's later and you know people feel comfortable discussing it more like positive secrets. 片語搭配

然後到了後期，你知道，人們覺得討論它很舒服，那就更像是積極的秘密了。

In some cultures, secrets about pregnancy are related to the evil eye, 片語搭配

在某些文化中，關於懷孕的秘密與『邪眼』有關，

a superstition in which someone causes injury or bad luck through a look. 文法

這是一種迷信，認為有人透過眼神就會導致傷害或帶來厄運。

It could be bad luck to reveal a pregnancy too early, 文法

過早透露懷孕消息可能會帶來厄運，

and Dr. Slepian calls these secrets burdensome, 文法

斯萊皮恩博士稱這些秘密為『burdensome』，

meaning worrying, troublesome, or distressing.

意思是令人擔憂的、麻煩的或令人苦惱的。

It seems secrets do vary from culture to culture, 片語搭配

看來秘密確實因文化而異，

but what everyone wants to know is the missing ingredient in Coca-Cola. 表達脈絡

但大家都想知道的是可口可樂缺失的配料。

So, come on, Beth. 語氣意圖

那麼，來吧，貝絲。

Tell us the secret answer to your question.

告訴我們你問題的秘密答案吧。

Okay.

好的。

I asked about TV presenter Joanna Lumley,

我剛才提到了電視主持人喬安娜·拉姆利，

who thinks she's found out Coca Cola's secret spicy secret ingredient. 片語動詞

她認為自己發現了可口可樂秘密的辛香配料。

Well, I guessed that it was nutmeg.

嗯，我猜是肉豆蔻。

And that was the correct answer.

這是正確答案。

Good guess, Neil.

猜得好，尼爾。

Traveling in Indonesia,

在印尼旅行時，

Joanna noticed lots of nutmeg being grown

喬安娜注意到那裡種了大量的肉豆蔻，

and asked who was buying it, only to be told Coca-Cola. 文法

並問是誰在買，結果被告知是可口可樂。

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

好的，讓我們回顧一下本期節目中學到的詞彙，

starting with the idiom spill the beans, meaning to reveal a secret.

從慣用語『spill the beans』開始，意思是洩漏秘密。

A guilty pleasure is something you really enjoy doing,

『guilty pleasure』是指你真正喜歡做，

but which also gives you a feeling of guilt or shame.

但也會讓你感到內疚或羞恥的事情。

A marriage proposal is the act of asking someone to marry you.

『marriage proposal』是指向某人求婚的行為。

The phrase the whole point of something describes the most important reason or purpose for it.

『the whole point』這個短語描述了某事最重要的原因或目的。

The evil eye is a superstition in which someone causes injury or bad luck through a look.

『evil eye』是一種迷信，認為有人透過眼神就會導致傷害或帶來厄運。

And finally, the adjective burdensome means worrying, troublesome, or distressing.

最後，形容詞『burdensome』意思是令人擔憂的、麻煩的或令人苦惱的。

Once again, our six minutes are up, but I'll tell you a secret. 片語搭配

我們的六分鐘時間又到了，但我告訴你一個秘密。

You can join us again next time for more topical vocabulary here at Six Minute English. 講解

下次你可以繼續加入我們，在《六分鐘英語》學習更多熱門詞彙。

Goodbye for now.

暫且再見。

Bye.

再見。

Six Minute English

六分鐘英語

from BBCLearningEnglish.com.

來自 BBCLearningEnglish.com。