Why do we love comfort food in winter? Warning! This article could be bad for your health! As many of us endure the long, cold winter, we are tempted to tuck into some filling and fattening foods. This is sometimes because it helps us to keep warm and to give us energy, but often it's because we need something to cheer us up. And, for a short while at least, it makes us feel better – which is why we call it 'comfort food'. The type of food that makes us feel good varies from person to person – it depends on your palate and the association you have with particular tastes, textures and smells. But probably the most universally popular edible comforter is the biscuit. It's thought this go-to snack often brings back happy memories of childhood and family, as well as giving us that all-important sugary pick-me-up. Moving on from the sweet and sugary snacks, famous chef and food writer Mary Berry knows about the kind of meals that warm us up and give us comfort in the winter. She told BBC Food magazine: "I think it becomes natural to think about comfort food as soon as the weather chills and the nights become darker." She suggests soup and warming foods as feel-good winter treats. The other thing about comforting dishes like mac and cheese, noodles or pizza is they don't require culinary skills in the kitchen; they are easy to make so you can get your fix of feel-good food quickly. However, we often feel so good that we eat too much, and even though we know the ingredients are high in carbohydrates, sugar or salt, we continue to pig out. Psychologist Shira Gabriel told the BBC: "We feel guilty because we don't realise that what's happening is our minds are finding a way to trigger a really positive emotion and they're making us eat that food to do so." Maybe we should take comfort from the fact that eating certain food just makes us feel happy. But, for some people, eating any kind of food brings joy, warmth, happiness and comfort. 词汇表 endure [ɪnˈdjʊə(r)] vt. 忍受，忍耐 be tempted to [ˈtemptɪd] 禁不住，忍不住（做某事） tuck into [tʌk] 痛快地吃，尽情享用 filling [ˈfɪlɪŋ] adj. 能填饱肚子的，饱腹感强的 fattening [ˈfætnɪŋ] adj. 使人发胖的，增肥的 comfort food 慰藉食物，暖心食物，治愈系食物 palate [ˈpælət] n. 味觉，品味，品尝力 texture [ˈtekstʃə(r)] n. 口感，质地 edible comforter [ˈedəbl ˈkʌmfətə(r)] 可食用的慰藉物，慰藉食物 go-to snack [ˈɡəʊ tuː snæk] 首选零食，常备零食 all-important [ˌɔːl ɪmˈpɔːtnt] adj. 至关重要的，极重要的 pick-me-up [ˈpɪk miː ʌp] n. 令人振奋的东西，提神物（尤指食物、饮料或活动） chill [tʃɪl] v. （使）变冷，冷却 feel-good [ˈfiːl ɡʊd] adj. 令人愉悦的，使人感觉良好的 mac and cheese [ˌmæk ən ˈtʃiːz] 芝士通心粉 culinary skills [ˈkʌlɪnəri] 烹饪技巧，厨艺 get your fix 获得满足，过把瘾，解馋 carbohydrate [ˌkɑːbəˈhaɪdreɪt] n. 碳水化合物，糖类 pig out 狼吞虎咽，大吃特吃 take comfort from 从…中获得慰藉，从…中感到欣慰 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Study: Deep-sea mining cuts ocean life by 37% At the heart of the deep-sea mining controversy is a difficult problem. The world needs critical minerals to tackle climate change but extracting them from the sea floor could cause serious environmental harm. This research by the Natural History Museum and National Oceanography Centre analysed the impact of trial mining in the Pacific Ocean. It found that where the mining vehicle had harvested minerals, the number of animals living in the area was reduced by 37%. The deep ocean is barely explored, and many scientists worry it harbours vital life that could be lost if mining goes ahead. The mining firm The Metals Company commissioned the research. A spokesperson said they were encouraged by findings that animals outside of the directly mined areas were not affected. 词汇表 heart n. 核心，重点，中心 deep-sea mining [ˌdiːp ˈsiː ˈmaɪnɪŋ] 深海采矿 controversy [ˈkɒntrəvɜːsi] n. 争议，争论 critical minerals [ˈkrɪtɪkl ˈmɪnərəlz] 关键矿物，重要矿产 tackle [ˈtækl] vt. 应对，处理，解决 extract [ɪkˈstrækt] vt. 提取，开采 sea floor 海底，海床 oceanography [ˌəʊʃəˈnɒɡrəfi] n. 海洋学 trial mining [ˈtraɪəl ˈmaɪnɪŋ] 试验性采矿，试采 Pacific Ocean [pəˈsɪfɪk ˈəʊʃn] 太平洋 harvest [ˈhɑːvɪst] vt. 采集，收获，收割 harbour [ˈhɑːbə(r)] vt. 蕴藏，藏有，为…提供栖息地 commission [kəˈmɪʃn] vt. 委托，委任 spokesperson [ˈspəʊkspɜːsn] n. 发言人，代言人 🗒️翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】

The Barnum effect: Why horoscopes feel so personal? Have you ever felt like your horoscope was written just for you? Or a fortune cookie's advice seemed incredibly relevant? You may be surprised, but it's actually not such a coincidence after all. This psychological phenomenon is known as the Barnum effect. It's a cognitive bias that occurs when people believe that generic personality descriptions and statements apply specifically to them. It may explain how practices such as astrology, fortune telling and personality tests have become relatively accepted despite lacking any basis in fact. Of course, people offering such services may not be aware of the Barnum effect label, but many understand how it works and seek to exploit it for their gain. Where does the name come from? P.T. Barnum was an American entertainer and entrepreneur who founded the Barnum Circus in 1871. According to explorepsychology.com, Barnum used the formula, always have a little something for everybody, to explain his success. But it was only in 1956 that the term Barnum Effect was coined, with psychologist Paul Meehl putting it forward in an essay to express his frustration at patients being told statements that could apply to anyone. In academic fields, the Barnum effect is more often referred to as the Forer effect, or subjective validation. In 1948, Bertrand Forer asked his psychology students to complete a personality test. A week later, he handed out their personalized assessments. In reality though, there was nothing personalised about them. Regardless of what they had answered, all students received the exact same 13 statements on their personality vignette. These included, you have a great need for other people to like and admire you, and, while you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. So the professor was slacking rather than the students on that occasion, then? Well, actually, Forer proceeded to ask each student to rate how well their assessment could apply to their personality. On a scale from 0 to 5, the result was an average of 4.3, meaning for the most part the students saw their vague assessments as accurate. Only afterwards did he reveal the real reason behind the test. He would go on to publish his findings in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology under the title, The Fallacy of Personal Validation, A Classroom Demonstration of Gullibility. Forer's test was in the interest of academia, but unfortunately some people do use the Barnum effect to trick others. Like who, for example? Well, aside from the fortune tellers and astrology gurus we alluded to earlier, you've also got brands and their marketing teams who are constantly looking for ways to get their customers spending more. They want consumers to feel like they are being spoken to directly, thus creating a false sense of exclusivity. When customers are made to believe they have been selected to receive special deals or ads, they may feel that the brand resonates with them personally. This kind of supposedly personalized content may take the form of emails, recommendations, and invitations to register an account. It's definitely important to be aware that the Barnum effect exists, and that it distorts the way we perceive information. There you have it. 词汇表 horoscope [ˈhɒrəskəʊp] n. 星座运势，占星术 fortune cookie [ˈfɔːtʃuːn ˈkʊki] 幸运饼干，签饼（内含预测运气小纸条的中餐馆饼干） Barnum effect [ˈbɑːnəm ɪˈfekt] 巴纳姆效应（认为普遍适用的描述与自己特别贴切的心理现象） cognitive bias [ˈkɒɡnətɪv ˈbaɪəs] 认知偏差 generic [dʒəˈnerɪk] adj. 通用的，泛泛的，普遍的 astrology [əˈstrɒlədʒi] n. 占星术，占星学 fortune telling [ˈfɔːtʃuːn ˈtelɪŋ] 算命，占卜 exploit [ɪkˈsplɔɪt] vt. 利用，开发，剥削 formula [ˈfɔːmjələ] n. 法则，公式，配方 coin [kɔɪn] vt. 创造，提出（新词） Forer effect / subjective validation [ˈfɔːrə][ˌvælɪˈdeɪʃn] 福勒效应，主观验证（巴纳姆效应的学术名称） vignette [vɪnˈjet] n. 简介，简述，简评 slack [slæk] vi. 偷懒，懈怠 proceed to [prəˈsiːd] 继续做，着手进行 vague [veɪɡ] adj. 模糊的，含糊的，不明确的 fallacy [ˈfæləsi] n. 谬误，谬论，错误见解 gullibility [ˌɡʌləˈbɪləti] n. 轻信，易受骗 academia [ˌækəˈdiːmiə] n. 学术界，学术工作 fortune teller [ˈfɔːtʃuːn ˈtelə(r)] 算命先生，占卜师 guru [ˈɡʊruː] n. 大师，专家，权威 allude to [əˈluːd] 暗指，提及，间接提到 exclusivity [ˌekskluːˈsɪvəti] n. 独有性，排他性，专属感 resonate with [ˈrezəneɪt] 与…产生共鸣，契合 supposedly [səˈpəʊzɪdli] adv. 据说，据称，所谓地 distort [dɪˈstɔːt] vt. 扭曲，歪曲，使变形 🪴翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Scared of speaking English? Pippa Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Pippa. Beth And I'm Beth. Have you ever been scared of speaking in English? In this episode, we're talking about why speaking in a foreign language can be so stressful. So, Pippa, do you ever get nervous speaking in a different language? Pippa Yes, I learnt French when I was younger and I was actually quite good at it, I think, but I was really nervous when I was speaking French. How about you? Beth Yeah, I've always felt like that with Spanish. I am scared to speak because I don't want to make mistakes, even though I know it's OK to make mistakes. Pippa Well, in this episode, we'll be hearing about how to feel less nervous when you speak English. Beth But first I have a question for you, Pippa. So, English has around one million words, but on average, how many words does a typical English speaker use in daily conversation? Is it a) between 2000 and 3000? b) between 20000 and 30000. Or c) between 200000 and 300000. Pippa I'm going to say a) 2000 to 3000. Beth OK. Well, we will find out later in the programme. Now, Pippa, you said you found it stressful speaking in French, even though you are quite good at it. Now, someone else who has had this experience is Hanan Razek. Hanan is a journalist at BBC Arabic and also host of the podcast Beating Speaking Anxiety. Here she is telling BBC Learning English presenter Georgie about speaking English. Hanan My English was actually pretty good but having conversations with people, I found it really difficult. So when I first joined the BBC, the Learning English team made an assessment of my English level, which they used to do for all new joiners to see if they need any help or courses. My results were pretty good and I was fluent. But on that very same day, leaving the building and going to get some coffee, I couldn't really understand what the barista was saying, and I felt pretty nervous to order coffee and was trying to stress every single word, hoping that my grammar is correct and I am pronouncing the words right. Georgie Yeah, I'm sure that's a situation lots of people can relate to. Pippa Hanan's results on her English assessment were pretty good, but she was still pretty nervous to speak in English, for example when ordering a coffee in English. The modifier pretty means quite or a bit. Beth Georgie says that Hanan's experience is something that lots of people can relate to. If you relate to a situation, you know what it feels like, usually because a similar thing has happened to you. Pippa So lots of people feel nervous speaking another language, even if they're good at it, like Hanan We can call this speaking anxiety. Anxiety means an uncomfortable feeling or worry about something that is happening or could happen in the future. Beth So why do so many people have anxiety about speaking a foreign language? Experts think it's connected to the beliefs we have about ourselves. Han Luo, professor of Chinese at Lafayette College in the United States, explains more to BBC Learning English presenter Georgie. Han Luo You know, usually the beliefs that cause anxiety, especially severe anxiety, are, we call it irrational beliefs. And also like, uh, some low self-perceptions, um, fear of negative evaluation, all those learner internal, you know, factors. Georgie And Han says that learners worry about mistakes because they're scared of negative evaluation. In other words, that people will judge them for their mistakes and think badly of them. Pippa Han argues that irrational beliefs can make us anxious. Irrational beliefs are beliefs that aren't based on things that are true. They're not logical. Beth Han says some people who have speaking anxiety have low self-perceptions. Your self-perception is what you think about yourself. Pippa Self-perception and irrational beliefs are both internal factors. They come from inside your head, not from the people around you. Beth So, for example, when you speak your first language, you might feel confident and intelligent, but when you speak in a new language, you make mistakes and feel less confident. You can't show people what you're really like, and this is frustrating. Pippa But as we tell people all the time at BBC Learning English, mistakes are normal. You have to try to speak, even though you make mistakes, and mistakes can be a good thing. They can help us learn. But Beth, I think it's time for the answer to your quiz question. Beth Yes, I asked you how many words does the average English speaker use in daily communication? The answer is 20000 to 30000. 📝 字数限制，完整文本、词汇表、翻译及pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】