英音听力｜BBC & 经济学人等 - 节目列表

Fighting sadness without medication It affects one in six people in England each week, according to UK charity Mind. That's the ratio of people who report experiencing a common mental health problem, such as depression. Whether temporarily down in the dumps, or chronically depressed, many rely on anti-depressants to lift their dejected mood. But, they have a cost – one ex-user told the BBC that they felt they were in a "chemical fog" and were desperate to stop. If medication is a last resort, what alternatives are there when you're feeling truly blue? 根据英国慈善机构Mind的统计，英国每周有六分之一的人受到精神疾病的影响。这是报告经历过常见心理健康问题（例如抑郁症）的人的比例。无论是暂时情绪低落，还是长期抑郁，许多人都依赖抗抑郁药来改善沮丧的情绪。但是，服用这些药物是有代价的——一位前使用者告诉BBC，他们觉得自己陷入了“化学迷雾”，急切地想要停止服用。如果药物治疗是最后的手段，那么当你真正感到忧郁时，有什么替代方法呢？ What about cold-water swimming to combat melancholy? One participant, known as Sarah, took part in the 2016 BBC One series The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs. She had been taking anti-depressants since the age of 17. Two years after the show, she is off all medication and still swimming – something a recent British Medical Journal report believes may be an effective treatment for depression. Apart from the exercise and companionship of swimmers, the cold water puts the body under stress. With repeated immersions, the body better adapts not just to this physical stress, but mental stress, including the psychological problems of life that lead to low spirits. 冷水游泳来对抗忧郁怎么样？一位名叫莎拉的参与者参加了 2016 年 BBC One 系列节目《放弃药物的医生》。她从17岁起就开始服用抗抑郁药物。节目播出两年后，她已经停用了所有药物，但仍然坚持游泳——《英国医学杂志》最近的一篇报道认为，这可能是治疗抑郁症的一种有效方法。除了锻炼和游泳者的陪伴，冷水也会给身体带来压力。通过反复浸泡，身体不仅能更好地适应这种身体压力，还能更好地适应精神压力，包括生活中导致情绪低落的心理问题。 Susan Calman relies on kindness to brighten her mood. The 43-year-old comedian and author encourages others to use altruism to improve the lives of those around them. "It can be as simple as holding open a door for someone, or giving someone a compliment, or buying someone a packet of crisps while they're feeling down," she tells the BBC. In fact, anything that uplifts. "If we all started to be a bit kinder then maybe we could start seeing the world as a better place. It's really about kindness and then from that, just finding that happiness," she says. 苏珊·卡尔曼依靠善良来改善心情。这位43岁的喜剧演员和作家鼓励其他人用利他行为来改善周围人的生活。她告诉BBC：“这可以很简单，比如为别人打开一扇门，或者赞美别人一句，或者在别人情绪低落时买一包薯片。”事实上，任何能振奋人心的事情都可以。她说：“如果我们都开始变得善良一些，也许我们就能开始把世界变得更美好。这真的关乎善良，然后从中找到那份幸福。” Or you could talk about it. Woebot is a chatbot designed to support people dealing with problems by teaching coping strategies. "There's a reason why good therapeutic approaches are conversational. It just asks the right questions so you can figure it out," Alison Darcy, founder of Woebot, tells the BBC. One user, Nick Impson, explained that Woebot relieves the potential trust issues that can occur when talking to a stranger, even a qualified one. 或者你可以谈论它。Woebot是一个聊天机器人，旨在通过教授应对策略来支持人们处理问题。“好的治疗方法是对话式的，这是有原因的。它只会问正确的问题，这样你就能找到答案。”Woebot的创始人艾丽森·达茜告诉BBC。一位名叫尼克·英普森的用户解释说，Woebot缓解了与陌生人（即使是合格的陌生人）交谈时可能出现的潜在信任问题。 Feeling despondent happens to everyone. When it does, you might want to try one of these methods and see if it works for you. We hope you'll be feeling as right as rain again in no time. 每个人都会有感到沮丧的时候。当它发生时时，不妨试试这些方法，看看是否对你有用。我们希望你很快就能恢复如初。 词汇表 ratio [ˈreɪʃiəʊ] 比率，比例 depression 抑郁症 down in the dumps 情绪低落 chronically depress ['krɒnɪkli] 长期抑郁的 anti-depressant [dɪ'pres(ə)nt] 抗抑郁药 lift/brighten your mood 改善你的情绪 dejected [dɪˈdʒektɪd] 沮丧的，情绪低落的 last resort [rɪˈzɔː(r)t] 最后手段（不得已才采取的措施） feel blue 闷闷不乐，感到忧郁 melancholy [ˈmelənkəli] 抑郁，忧郁 medication [ˌmedɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n] 药物（治疗） companionship [kəmˈpænjənʃɪp] 友谊，情谊，陪伴 immersion [ɪˈmɜː(r)ʃ(ə)n] 沉浸，浸泡 low spirits 气馁，情绪低落 altruism [ˈæltruˌɪz(ə)m] 利他主义，无私 a packet of crisps [krɪsp] 一包薯片 uplift [ˈʌplɪft] 鼓舞，振奋 coping strategy 应对策略 therapeutic approach [ˌθerəˈpjuːtɪk] 治疗方法 conversational 谈话式的，交谈的 despondent [dɪˈspɒndənt] 沮丧的，苦恼的 as right as rain 一切正常，恢复（健康） 🌟 pdf版见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

The Loveliest People in the World Who are the loveliest people in the world? They're not the famous ones or the respected ones, the worthy ones and the powerful ones. They are the ones you haven't really heard of who long ago shed their pride, who can tell you frankly how lonely and sad they are, who can face their self-hatred and accept their regrets. 谁是世界上最可爱的人？他们不是那些有名的或者受人尊敬的，有价值的或者有权势的人。他们是你没有真正听说过的人，他们很久以前就放下了他们的骄傲，他们可以坦率地告诉你他们有多孤独和悲伤，他们可以面对他们的自我厌恶，接受自己的遗憾。 They aren't just unhappy (there are plenty of boring and frightening ways to be that); they've come to an optimal perspective on their unhappiness. You could tell them about the strangest, oddest, most lamentable things about you and know that they understood it all at once from the inside. There are no follies around sex or status, love or money that they aren't fully acquainted with. 他们不仅仅是不快乐（乏味和可怕的不快乐方式有很多）；他们已经对他们的不快乐有了最佳的看法。你可以告诉他们关于你的最奇怪、最古怪、最可悲的事情，并且知道他们立刻就能从内心深处理解这一切。他们熟知性、地位、爱情或金钱周围的愚蠢行为。 They want to get to the howl inside you because they are so familiar with the howl inside them. They aren't remotely attached to seeming sane; they long ago ceased attempting to appear normal. They know that life is mostly pain, mystery and error – and they'll never try to persuade you otherwise. They will never be so mean as to try to cheer you up. 他们想要触及你内心深处的嚎叫，因为他们对自己内心深处的嚎叫非常熟悉。他们一点也不追求表面的理智；他们早已放弃试图表现得正常。他们知道生活大多是痛苦、神秘和错误——他们永远不会反过来试图说服你。他们绝不会刻薄到试图让你振作起来。 They can be trusted because they have had the courage to fathom their full propensities to cowardice and corruption. They don't give a jot about your reputation – because they know enough about what people in general are like. They combine a thorough misanthropy for the group with a deep love and tenderness for the individual. They've been through their obsessions with love, public esteem, career triumph and positivism – and they've come out the other side. 他们值得信任，因为他们有勇气去深入了解自己内心的懦弱和堕落倾向。他们对你的名声毫不在意——因为他们深知一般人是什么样的。他们对群体持有彻底的厌世，但对个体却有着深深的爱和温柔。他们经历了对爱情、公众认可、事业成功和积极性的痴迷，但他们却站在了另一边。 They can let their humour get very dark, because the gap between their hopes and their experience is so wide. They've gone into the weirdest bits of themselves and will therefore understand the oddest bits about you. They don't expect life as a whole to go right and, against a backdrop of despair, they can laugh with exceptional richness and glee. 他们可以让自己的幽默变得非常黑暗，因为他们的希望与他们的经历之间的差距是如此之大。他们已经深入探索到了自己最奇怪的部分，因此也会理解你身上最奇怪的部分。他们并不指望生活会一帆风顺，而在绝望的背景下，他们却能笑得异常灿烂和开心。 These are the sort of people you want in the prison cell or on the way to the scaffold, in the trenches or in the bed next to you on the cancer ward. These are the kinds of people we need so many more of in our lives – and should try so hard to be for others. 这些人是你希望在监狱牢房里或走向绞刑架的路上，战壕中，或者在你癌症病房隔壁病床上的人。这些人是我们生活中需要更多，并且我们也应该努力成为别人生命中的那种人。 词汇表 respected [rɪˈspektɪd] 受尊敬的 shed [ʃed] 放下，摆脱，去除 frankly ['fræŋkli] 坦率地，直率地 self-hatred [ˈheɪtrɪd] 自我厌恶，自我憎恨 optimal [ˈɒptɪm(ə)l] 最理想的，最好的，最佳的 lamentable [ˈlæməntəb(ə)l] 可悲的，使人惋惜的 folly [ˈfɒli] 荒唐事，愚蠢的行为 be acquainted with [əˈkweɪntɪd] 熟悉，了解 howl [haʊl] 嚎叫，怒吼 not remotely 一点也不 be attached to 认为有重要性（或意义、价值、分量等） sane [seɪn] 精神健全的，理智的 cease doing [siːs] 停止，结束 fathom ['fæðəm] 理解，彻底了解，弄清 propensity [prəˈpensəti] 倾向，习性，嗜好 cowardice [ˈkaʊə(r)dɪs] 懦弱，惧怕，胆小 give a jot about [dʒɒt] 毫不在意 misanthropy [mɪs'ænθrəpi] 愤世嫉俗，厌恶人类，厌世 tenderness ['tendənɪs] 温柔，柔和 obsession [əb'seʃ(ə)n] 痴迷；困扰 public esteem [ɪˈstiːm] 公众敬重，公众认可 career triumph [ˈtraɪʌmf] 事业成功 positivism [ˈpɒzətɪvˌɪz(ə)m] 积极性；实证主义 gap [ɡæp] 差距，间隙 despair [dɪˈspeə(r)] 绝望，失去希望 exceptional richness and glee [ɡliː]（笑得）异常灿烂高兴 prison cell [sel] 牢房，监狱 scaffold [ˈskæfəʊld] 绞刑架；脚手架 trench [trentʃ] 战壕，壕沟 ward [wɔː(r)d] 病房，病室 ☆pdf和视频版见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Saving water in the driest place on Earth We all know how horrible it feels to be thirsty. Human bodies need around 3 litres of water a day, and thankfully most of us can just turn on the kitchen tap to get clean drinking water. But globally, over two billion people, around a quarter of the world's population, live in water stressed countries, where access to water for drinking, cooking, and washing is not guaranteed. What's more, water is also needed to grow food and that's getting harder due to droughts which are increasing with climate change. In this programme, we'll visit farmers in one of the driest places on Earth – Yuma in the USA - where a new technology involving liquid clay is helping farmers grow fruit and vegetables in the desert. And, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary too. But first I have a question for you, Neil. Everyone knows that plants need sunlight and water to grow, but soil is just as important. One of the most useful soils is clay, a dense, smooth soil which is very fertile but sticky. Clay has been used in agriculture for thousands of years, but what is its more modern use? Is clay good for: a) curing headaches? b) digesting food? or, c) smoothing face skin? Hmm, I think clay can be used to smooth the skin on people's faces. OK, Neil. We'll find out if that's the correct answer later. Lack of water and farming are closely connected. Agriculture uses a massive 70% of the world's fresh water supply, so ways to use water more efficiently are much needed. Ole Sivertsen's company, Desert Control, works with date farmers in Yuma, an area on the border of California and Mexico. One of the hottest places on Earth, Yuma has been experiencing its worst drought in 500 years, forcing farmers to pump water from rivers to grow their date palm trees. Fortunately, Ole's team have created a liquid that, they say, can turn the sandy desert soil into a sponge which holds water and nutrients. Here, he explains his invention to Anthony Wallace, reporter for BBC World Service programme, People Fixing the World: To understand how it works we need to look at the difference between sandy soil and clay soil. Sandy desert soil has a lot of gaps in it so water drains through it quickly, making it hard for plants to establish the root system in the ground. But clay soil is made up of much smaller particles that cling together and naturally stop water from escaping. It creates the habitat for the soil microbiology to also start to develop and evolve, so it's kind of a kick-start as well to nature's natural processes. The problem with sandy soil is that it drains water. If you drain something, you remove the liquid from it. Clay soil, on the other hand, is made of smaller particles which cling, or stick together tightly, and hold water, helping plants grow. Ole makes a liquid by mixing clay and water which changes the soil composition and kick-starts the growth of his trees – the liquid makes the trees start growing more quickly. Liquid clay technology is still new, and costing around 2,000 dollars an acre, it's not cheap. But Ole claims his technique halves the amount of water needed to grow fruit trees, and that most farmers will make back their investment within two years. Ole's claims sound too good to be true. But are there downsides to interfering with nature in this way? Presenters, Myra Anubi and Anthony Wallace, discussed this question for BBC World Service's, People Fixing the World: Anthony, I'm still left wondering, right… when you manipulate soil like this, could you be causing problems down the line? --Yeah, I think anytime that there's a new technology where you are, like you said, manipulating nature only time will tell what the long-term effects of that will be… but Ole did stress that their liquid clay does not use any chemicals - only clay, air and water. Ole's liquid clay involves manipulating soil – using and controlling it skilfully to achieve some result. Myra worries that when people do this, they could create problems down the line – at some unspecified point in the future. In fact, only time will tell if liquid clay is a long-term solution to the problem of water scarcity. The phrase, only time will tell, means that the result of something happening now will not be known until the future. Something we can know though, is the answer to my question, Neil. --Yes, you asked about a modern use for clay, and I guessed it was for smoothing facial skin. Which was… the correct answer! A clay mask, also called a mud pack, is used to smooth the skin on your face. 字数限制，翻译以及pdf版见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Five ways to stop getting distracted | BBC Ideas Do you ever find yourself...Do you ever find yourself trying to concentrate and you can't seem to focus? Why are we so distracted these days? And is technology the root cause of the problem, or is there something deeper going on? My name is Nir Eyal, and I've spent the last five years researching and writing about the deeper psychology of distraction. 你是否发现自己......你是否发现自己想集中精力，却似乎无法集中？为什么我们如今如此分心？科技是问题的根源，还是有更深层次的原因？我叫尼尔·埃亚尔，在过去的五年里，我一直在研究和撰写关于分心的深层心理学的内容。 When I found myself struggling with distraction, I decided to do what many people advise and got rid of the distracting technology. I got myself a flip-phone without any apps. All it did was phone calls and text messages. Then I got a word processor from the 1990s without any sort of internet connection. Unfortunately I found I still got distracted. I'd start reading a book from my bookshelf. I'd tidy up my desk. I'd take out the trash even -just to avoid the thing that I didn't want to do. I had only focused on the external triggers -the pings and dings that were leading me towards distraction. 当我发现自己在分心的问题上挣扎时，我决定像很多人建议的那样来摆脱让人分心的科技。我给自己买了一部没有任何应用程序的翻盖手机。 它只能打电话和发短信。后来，我又买了一个上世纪 90 年代的文字处理器，没有任何网络连接。不幸的是，我发现自己还是会分心。我会从书架上找本书来读。我会整理我的桌子。我甚至会去倒垃圾——只是为了逃避我不想做的事情。我只关注外部触发因素——那些让我分心的叮咚声。 What I hadn't focused on, and what turns out to be a much more common source of distraction, are the internal triggers -the uncomfortable emotional states that we seek to escape. When we're lonely, we check Facebook. When we're uncertain, we google. When we're bored, we check the news, stocks prices, sports scores -anything to not feel these uncomfortable sensations that we're not ready to experience. Here are a few techniques I discovered in my research that could help us stay on track. 1. Plan your day, but not with a to-do list) First what you want to do is to make sure you plan your day. Two-thirds of people don't keep any sort of calendar, any kind of schedule in their day. Well the fact of the matter is if you don't plan your day, somebody is going to plan it for you. Many of us believe in this myth of the to-do list. I used to think that just by writing things down they'd get done. But of course I'd go from day to day to day recycling the bottom half of my to-do list because I wasn't making time to do those tasks. So the best place to start is not with the output of what you want to get done every day, but with the input of how much time you have to devote to every task. 2. Use social media and email at set times So distraction has many consequences. One of them is that we find that when someone is interrupted during a task, it can take up to 20 minutes for them to refocus on what they were doing. Many times we don't even realise how much worse our output is when we...So check email in one solid block. If you enjoy using social media that's great, but make time for it in your day so it's not something you're only using every time you feel bored or lonely. 3. Surf the urge Researchers have found that surfing the urge is an effective way to master our internal triggers. In a smoking cessation study, researchers found that when they taught smokers how to notice the sensation and be mindful of what they were experiencing, they became much more likely to stop smoking. By surfing the urge and noticing what it is that we're experiencing and allowing that sensation to crest and then subside -kind of like how a surfer might surf a wave -we allow that emotion, that uncomfortable internal trigger, to crest and then pass. 4. Beware of "liminal moments" The next thing that we want to do is be careful of liminal moments. Liminal moments are these periods of time when we are transitioning from one task to the other. So for example if you start checking your email on the way back from a meeting and you're finally at your desk and you keep checking your email instead of getting to the task at hand, well now that liminal moment has turned into a distraction. So be careful of those times when you're transitioning from one task to the next. 5. Remember you're not powerless A study of alcoholics found that the number one determinant of whether someone would stay sober after a rehabilitation programme was not their level of physical dependency, it wasn't what was happening in their body, in fact it was what was happening in their minds. The people who were most likely to stay sober were those who believed they had the power to stop. So when we think that technology is hijacking our brains or it's addicting everyone, we are making it more likely that we won't be able to put technology distractions in their place. So don't believe this lie that there's nothing we can do. Clearly there's so much we can do to help make sure that we get the best out of these products without letting them get the best of us. 🌟字数限制，完整翻译、 视频版和pdf版见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

The Hidden Power of Rainforest Decomposers BBC Earth｜Tropical Worlds｜The Green Planet Now a new battle begins, one to claim the tree's dead body and the vast amount of nutrients that it contains. It's a battle that is fought throughout the natural world, involving a group of organisms that we rarely notice. 现在一场新的战斗开始了，一场争夺死树的躯干和它所含的大量营养的战斗。这是一场遍及自然界的战斗，涉及一群我们很少注意到的生物。 Here, on the floor of a tropical rainforest, it's dark, it's humid and it's hot - ideal conditions for fungi. We normally think of fungi as things like this. Mushrooms of one kind or another. But these are just the fruiting bodies. They exist for most of the time hidden in the leaf litter and the earth as a network of fine white threads. 这里，在热带雨林的地面上，又黑又湿又热——这是真菌的理想生存环境。我们通常认为真菌像这样的东西。各种各样的蘑菇。但这些只是子实体。它们大部分时间隐藏在落叶层和土壤中，以白色细线组成的网络存在。 The threads of competing fungi envelop their victim's body, releasing enzymes which digest the tree's tissues and unlock the nutrients within. There are a million or so different species of fungi in the tropics. Some feed on dead plants. Others eat them alive. And some reveal their existence in an eerily beautiful way. 竞争性真菌的线状体包裹着它们的猎物，释放酶来消化树木的组织并释放其中的营养。热带地区大约有一百万种不同种类的真菌。有些以枯死的植物为食。有些则以活植物为食。有些以一种奇异而美丽的方式展示了它们的存在。 In Africa, in the Congo, this is known as chimpanzee fire. The mysterious bioluminescent glow becomes brighter as the fungus digests the tree. When fungi have fed sufficiently, they develop their reproductive organs. 在非洲的刚果，这被称为“黑猩猩之火”。随着真菌分解树木，这种神秘的生物荧光变得更加明亮。当真菌得到足够的养分时，它们就会发育出生殖器官。 Each can produce literally billions of spores, the tiny particles that carry the species' genetic blueprint. Each spore like this has the potential to kill a tree. The spores are so light they can be carried by the slightest air currents. At least a billion float above every square metre of rainforest. 每一个都能产生数十亿个孢子，这些微小的颗粒携带着物种的基因蓝图。每一个这样的孢子都有可能杀死一棵树。孢子很轻，即使是最轻微的气流也能携带它们。每平方米雨林上至少有十亿个狍子漂浮着。 Recently, it has been discovered that these spores do far more than just bring death and decay. They are, in fact, at the very centre of the rainforest's life support system. High in the humid air, the spores combine with molecules of water. 最近，人们发现这些孢子带来的不仅仅是死亡和腐烂。事实上，它们是雨林生命维持系统的中心。在潮湿的高空空气中，孢子与水分子结合。 Gradually, they collect into droplets, which, when they are heavy enough, fall as rain. Over two-and-a-half metres of rain falls every year in a rainforest. And in the centre of almost every raindrop, there is a fungal spore. 它们逐渐聚集成水滴，当它们足够重时，就会以雨的形式落下。雨林每年的降雨量超过2.5米。在几乎每个雨滴的中心，都有一个真菌孢子。 词汇表 claim 争夺，夺走 vast amount [vɑːst] 大量 nutrient [ˈnjuːtrɪənt] 营养物质 tropical rainforest [ˈtrɒpɪkəl ˈreɪnfɒrɪst] 热带雨林 humid [ˈhjuːmɪd] 潮湿的 fungi / fungus [ˈfʌŋɡaɪ] ['fʌŋɡəs] 真菌，菌类 fruiting bodies [ˈfruːtɪŋ ˈbɒdiz] 子实体：真菌和其他一些生物体产生孢子的结构 leaf litter [ˈlɪtə(r)] 落叶层，落叶堆 thread [θrɛd] 线，细丝 envelop [ɪnˈveləp] 包住，覆盖 enzyme [ˈenzaɪm] 酶 digest [daɪˈdʒest] 分解，消化 tissue [ˈtɪʃuː] （动植物的细胞）组织 unlock [ʌnˈlɒk] 释放，解锁 eerily [ˈɪərɪli] 奇异地，怪诞地 Congo [ˈkɒŋɡəʊ] 刚果 chimpanzee fire [ˌtʃɪmpænˈziː ] 黑猩猩之火（由某些腐朽木材中的真菌产生的生物发光现象） bioluminescent [baɪə'lu:mɪnsnt] 生物性发光的，生物荧光的 sufficiently [səˈfɪʃəntli] 足够地，充分地 reproductive organ [ˌriprəˈdʌktɪv ˈɔːɡən] 生殖器官 fungal spore ['fʌŋɡ(ə)l] [spɔː] 真菌孢子：真菌生殖和传播的微小结构，通常在空气中传播 tiny particles [ˈtaɪni ˈpɑːtɪkəlz] 微小颗粒 genetic blueprint [dʒəˈnetɪk ˈbluːprɪnt] 基因蓝图：指一个生物体的基因组成，包括其遗传信息和特征。 air currents [ˈeə ˈkʌrənts] 气流 decay [dɪ'keɪ] 腐烂，腐朽 life support system 生命维持系统 molecules of water [ˈmɒlɪkjuːlz] 水分子 droplet [ˈdrɒplɪt] 小滴，微滴 raindrop [ˈreɪndrɒp] 雨滴，雨点 🌟 视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Ageism in the workplace The number of older people in the workplace – defined as aged 50 or over – is now at a record high of more than 10 million, but the opportunities available to them may not be matching their ambition. 英国对高龄工作者的定义是年龄在五十岁或以上，该群体人数现已创下历史新高，达一千多万人，但他们却可能没有足够的机会来实现自己的志向。 This survey by the Centre for Ageing Better, found that one in seven workers aged over 50 believe they've been turned down for a job because of their age. One in three thought they'd been offered less training and that younger employees had benefitted more from structured career progression. And nearly a fifth had either hidden or considered hiding their true age in order to get a new job. 这项由英国老年扶助中心开展的调查发现，每七名年龄超过五十岁的工作者中就有一人曾因年龄大而失去了工作机会，每三人当中就有一人认为他们接受的培训较少，而年轻职员们从系统化的职业发展制度中获益更多。还有近二成的人会为了找到新工作而隐瞒或被认为隐瞒了其真实年龄。 With the employment rate at a near-record high, the report warns that businesses that disregard older workers could face a labour and skill shortage - as experienced staff depart, leaving too few younger candidates to replace them. 在就业率接近历史最高水平的形势下，该报告警示说，那些无视年长工作者的公司可能会面临劳动力和技能短缺，因为富有经验的员工离职后，可以接替其岗位的年轻候补人数太少。 词汇表 Centre for Ageing Better 老年扶助中心：一个致力于改善老年人生活的组织。 a record high 历史新高 match 达到，比得上 ambition 志向，抱负 turn down 拒绝 structured 系统化的，结构化的 career progression 职业发展 employment rate 就业率 disregard 忽视，无视 labour and skill shortage 劳动力和技能短缺 experienced staff 经验丰富的员工 depart 离开，离职 candidates 候选人，候补 🌟 pdf版见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Is binge-watching the new addiction? Have you ever loved a TV show? I mean really loved it. Like, you can't wait to get to work to talk about it loved it? What about the cliffhanger? That's the unresolved situation at the end of the episode which makes you want to watch the next one. But, when will the next one be? 你有没有喜欢过一部电视剧？我的意思是，真的喜欢。就像，你迫不及待地去上班，就为了和人谈论它的那种喜欢。那什么是悬念呢？那就是一集结束时未解决的情况，让你想要看下一集。但是，下一集什么时候会播出呢？ In the past, viewers had to wait up to a week for the next episode of their favourite shows. What agony! But, that's not the case any more. And hand in hand with that comes a, possibly dangerous, growing social trend. We speak of binge-watching. 过去，观众需要等待长达一周的时间才能看到他们喜爱的节目的下一集。真是让人煎熬！但是，现在情况不同了。与此同时，一种可能是危险的、日益增长的社会趋势也随之而来。我们说的就是“刷剧”。 Binge-watching is when a person watches more than one episode of a show in quick succession. With developments in the speed and connectivity of the internet, increases in technology and the rise of on-demand entertainment companies, people can now have their favourite shows streamed directly to their television at their convenience. “刷剧”是指一个人连续看一集以上的电视节目。随着互联网速度和连接性的发展，技术的进步和点播娱乐公司的兴起，人们现在可以根据自己的方便，直接在电视上观看他们最喜欢的节目。 This behaviour is nothing new. In fact, 'binge-watching' has been officially listed in dictionaries since 2015. The entertainment companies recognise this behaviour and many take steps to encourage it. Often, instead of releasing each episode on a week-by-week basis, an entire series will become available concurrently. Once the episode finishes, many platforms will display pop-ups with 'you might like' suggestions, or will automatically play the next episode. 这种行为并不新鲜。事实上，“刷剧”早在 2015 年就被正式列入字典。娱乐公司认识到了这种行为，因此许多公司采取了鼓励措施。通常情况下，整个系列将会同时推出，而不是每周一集。剧集播完之后，许多平台会显示带有“您可能会喜欢”建议的弹窗，或者自动播放下一集。 However, this wondrous gift may in fact be a poisoned chalice. Recent research from British media watchdog Ofcom suggests that this behaviour may have become a hindrance. Out of the more than half of British adults who watch more than one episode of a show back-to-back, almost a third have admitted missing sleep or becoming tired as a result; and one quarter have neglected their household chores. Next we'll be missing work! 然而，这份奇妙的礼物实际上可能是一杯金盏毒酒。英国媒体监管机构通信管理局(Ofcom)的最新研究表明，这种行为可能已经成为一种阻碍。在连续观看一集以上节目的达半数以上英国成年人中，近三分之一的人承认因此耽误了睡眠或变得疲倦；四分之一的人忽视了家务。接下来，我们可能会开始缺勤工作！ Bingeing has other connections – binge eating, binge drinking and binge smoking. All of which are often associated with compulsive behaviour, a lack of control and a possible route to addiction. Lindsey Fussell, consumer group director at Ofcom, said: "The days of waiting a week for the next episode are largely gone, with people finding it hard to resist watching multiple episodes around the house or on the move." If people find binge-watching hard to resist, coupled with the fact that it has shown to lead to negligence in many, are we witnessing the birth of a new type of addiction? 无节制行为还有其他联系——暴食、酗酒和狂吸烟。所有这些通常都与强迫行为、缺乏控制和可能的成瘾途径有关。英国通信管理局(Ofcom)消费者团体主任林赛·福塞尔(Lindsey Fussell)表示：“等待一周观看下一集的日子基本上已经一去不复返了，人们发现很难抗拒在家里或在旅途中观看多集的诱惑。”如果人们很难抗拒“刷剧”的诱惑，并且这种行为已被证明会导致许多人的疏忽，那么我们是否正在见证一种新型成瘾行为的诞生？ The myriad of information and entertainment that television and online media can bring us is, many would say, a good thing. It offers us opportunities to better understand the world we live in, educate ourselves and enjoy much needed downtime. However, like any behaviour done to excess, it can become dangerous. And when the activity begins to bleed into other areas, causing us to stop functioning – then it becomes a problem. So, what's the answer? Moderation! Neither a tiny amount, nor too much. After all, as the old proverb says… a little of what you fancy does you good. 许多人都会说，电视和网络媒体能为我们带来无数的信息和娱乐，这是一件好事。它让我们有机会更好地了解我们生活的世界，进行自我教育，享受必要的休闲时光。然而，就像任何过度的行为一样，它也会变得危险。当这种活动开始渗入其他领域，导致我们无法正常运作时，它就成了一个问题。那么，答案是什么呢？适度！既不能太少，也不能太多。毕竟，正如那句古老的谚语所说的，偶尔来点你喜欢的东西，对你有好处。 词汇表 cliffhanger（故事）悬念，扣人心弦的部分 unresolved 未解决的 agony 煎熬、痛苦 binge-watching 刷剧，狂看剧集 in quick succession 紧接着，接连不断地 on-demand 按需的，可点播的 stream 在线收看 concurrently 同时地 pop-ups 弹出式广告 wondrous 绝妙的，美好的 poisoned chalice “金盏毒酒”，指外表诱人实则有害的事物 watchdog 监督机构 Ofcom 英国通信管理局 hindrance 妨碍，阻碍 back-to-back 一集接一集地 household chores 家务事 compulsive 强迫性的 resist 忍住，抗拒 binge eating, binge drinking, binge smoking 暴饮暴食，酗酒，狂吸烟 negligence 疏忽 myriad 数不胜数，无数的 downtime 休息时间 bleed 波及，干扰 moderation 节制，适度 proverb 谚语，格言 🌟 pdf版见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Daring to Be Simple It can take a very long time indeed to work up the courage to be simple: to read simple books, to wear simple clothes, to have simple days and to say simple things. For a long time, all the glamour seem to lie with complexity. We are pulled towards rare and hard-to-follow ideas; we entertain our friends with elaborate meals; we pursue convoluted relationships; we have careers that enmesh us in cumbersome commitments; we fill our leisure hours with exotic hobbies. 要想变得简单，确实需要很长时间来鼓足勇气：读简单的书，穿简单的衣服，过简单的日子，说简单的话。长期以来，所有的魅力似乎都与复杂性有关。我们被罕见且难以理解的想法所吸引；我们用精致的饭菜款待朋友；我们追求错综复杂的人际关系；我们的职业让我们陷入繁琐的承诺中；我们用奇异的爱好填满闲暇时光。 And then at some point, we may sense and aspire to the real challenge of existence: to dare to sound – to some – like an idiot; to fix on certain basic truths that we've always known, to edit down our calendars, to wear only what is comfortable, to put in front of others the same sort of basic foods we like when we're alone, to have relationships solely with those who know how to be direct, to leave our days more or less free apart from one or two elementary pleasures (like tending to a garden, having a bath, going for a walk), to limit our reading to books we can understand and to communicate without inhibition all those heartfelt and essential things we know to those we are close to (that they are everything to us and that we'll miss them immensely when it is over). 然后在某个时候，我们可能会感觉到并渴望存在的真正挑战：敢于听起来——对某些人来说——像个白痴；坚持我们一直知道的基本真理，简化我们的日程表，只穿舒适的衣服，在别人面前摆放我们独处时喜欢的同类基本食物，只与那些懂得直接的人交往，除了一两个基本的乐趣（比如照料花园， 洗澡，散步），将我们的阅读限定在我们可以理解的书籍上，并毫无保留地向我们亲近的人传达我们所知道的那些发自内心的、必不可少的事情（即他们是我们的一切，当一切结束时，我们会非常想念他们）。 We worry so much about sounding boring or silly if we were to show ourselves without elaboration or live according to our own less adorned inclinations. We spend the major part of our lives trying – unsuccessfully – to be somebody else. It can be the thought of death that eventually loosens us from our pretensions. We realise – under its bracing influence – that there is no point burdening ourselves with habits, ideas, vocabularies, people and duties that don't belong to us. There is no point wasting time we can ill afford on those who can't non-defensively say 'I love you', with clothes that we can't keep clean, with books we can't understand and with crowded days heavy with panic and meaningless challenges. We finally lose our terror of coming across as a simpleton and a yokel. 我们如此担心，如果我们不加以修饰地展示自己，或者按照自己不那么修饰的倾向生活，会显得无聊或愚蠢。我们大部分时间都在徒劳地尝试成为别人。可能是对死亡的思考最终让我们卸下了伪装。在它振奋人心的影响下，我们意识到，没有必要让自己背负不属于我们的习惯、思想、词汇、人和责任。没有必要在那些无法毫无防卫地说“我爱你”的人身上浪费时间，也没有必要在那些我们难以清洁的衣服、我们无法理解的书籍以及充满恐慌和无意义挑战的拥挤日子上浪费时间。我们最终不再害怕被看作是傻瓜和乡巴佬。 We'll be properly mature, properly sophisticated even, we'll probably have had to go through a host of complications, by the time we learn to appreciate the art of being direct, easy-to-follow, emotionally straightforward, predictable, unhurried and – in the eyes of the frantic and the impressionable many – exceptionally dull. 我们会变得相当成熟，甚至相当老练，我们可能不得不经历许多复杂的事情，直到我们学会欣赏直接、易于理解、情感直白、可预测、从容不迫的艺术——即便这对于在那些忙碌和易受影响的许多人眼中——是异常乏味的。 词汇表 work up the courage 鼓起勇气 glamour 魅力，诱惑力 complexity [kəm'pleksəti] 复杂，复杂性 be pulled towards 被吸引 hard-to-follow 难以理解的，难懂的 elaborate 复杂的，精心制作的 convoluted 复杂的，错综的 enmesh 使陷入，使纠缠 cumbersome 笨重的，复杂的 exotic 异国的，奇异的 calendar 日程表，日历 tend to 照料，处理 without inhibition 毫无顾虑地，毫无保留地 heartfelt 由衷的，发自内心的 immensely 极其，非常 without elaboration 不加修饰地 unadorned 未装饰的，朴素的 inclination 倾向，意愿 pretension 自负，虚饰 bracing 令人振奋的 non-defensively 无防御地 simpleton 傻瓜，头脑简单的人 yokel乡巴佬 sophisticated 复杂的，老练的 a host of complications 大量复杂事件 straightforward 简单的，直接的 unhurried 不急的，从容的 frantic 忙乱的，狂乱的 impressionable 易受影响的，易受感动的 dull 枯燥的，乏味的 更多英语听力见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Keeping kids off smartphones Can I ask you something, Beth? Beth? Hello, Beth? Are you listening? --Oh, sorry, Neil! I was er… checking my Instagram, and ugh… Facebook…and, just sending this email… done! Now, what did you want? --Well, I wanted to ask if you're getting addicted to your smartphone, but clearly the answer is 'yes'! --Actually, Neil, I am worried about my smartphone use, and it's not just me. Concerns are growing about the negative effect smartphones are having on adults and, even more, on children. Studies show that girls who spend more time on social media are more likely to be anxious or depressed, and smartphones have also been linked to delayed brain development and poor sleep. Even so, around 60% of British eight-to-eleven-year-olds have a smartphone. So, in this programme, we'll be asking: are kids better off without a phone? And, of course, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary too. But first, put your phone away, Beth, because I have a question for you. The US has one of the highest levels of smartphone use, but according to a recent survey, how long does the average American 11-to-14-year-old spend looking at a screen every day? Is it: a) five hours? b) seven hours? or, c) nine hours? --I'll guess American teens spend five hours a day on screens. OK, Beth, I'll reveal the answer later in the programme. BBC journalist, Myra Anubi, has a nine-year-old daughter who desperately wants her own phone. But Myra isn't convinced, as she explained to BBC World Service programme, 'People Fixing the World': I'm worried about how much time she'll spend on her own device and what she might even see there. I mean, she's only nine at the end of the day. But at the same time, I don't want her to feel left out because some of her friends already have smartphones, and there's a chance that she'll miss out on play dates or kids' trends, cat videos or online chats with her besties. So, I'm torn between wanting her to be in our world, and also letting her be in her own mini world with her friends. Myra is worried about her daughter, and says, "at the end of the day, she's only nine". Myra uses the phrase, at the end of the day, to mean after everything is considered. Myra's daughter wants to chat with her besties – her best friends. But Myra worries she'll get hooked on social media, see harmful content, or spend too long online. Myra is torn between letting her daughter get a phone and not. If you're torn between two things, you can't decide between two possibilities, leaving you feeling anxious. Parents like Myra are having to make an impossible choice – either give their children potentially harmful devices, or risk alienating them from their friends who do have smartphones. In February 2024, mums Daisy Greenwell and Clare Fernyhough, started a WhatsApp group encouraging parents to not give their child a smartphone until the age of 14, with no social media access until 16. Soon, the phone-free group of families grew into a movement, 'Smartphone Free Childhood'. Here, mum, Daisy Greenwell, explains more to BBC World Service's, 'People Fixing the World': Everyone I spoke to said, 'Yes, it's a nightmare getting your child a phone, but you've got no choice. You have to because everyone else is doing it. You can't leave them on their own'. So, Clare and I decided to start a WhatsApp group to support each other, and I posted about it on social media, and it went viral. The group is full so we encourage people, start one in your region, in your county, and they sprung up all over the country right in front of our eyes. It was amazing! And now there's over 100,000 people in the UK who are in our community. At the start, Daisy says it was a nightmare - a very unpleasant situation. Everyone else's kids had a phone, and Daisy didn't want her children to feel left out. But soon, more families got involved, and the group went viral, it spread quickly and widely on the internet and social media. Within months, new groups started up across Britain, right in front of Daisy's eyes. If you say something happens right in front of your eyes, you are emphasising that something surprising or unusual happened directly before you. The Smartphone Free Childhood campaign has grown rapidly in schools, and there are now groups in 18 countries around the world, offering kids a circle of friends to play and chat with in the old-fashioned way: face-to-face. 🌟 字数限制，完整文本和翻译见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

How birth order affects our personalities BBC Ideas How birth order affects our personalities fascinates many of us, and it's not just at Christmas time when we're arguing over why the elder sibling has to peel potatoes and why everyone's forgotten the middle child has no gravy with their lunch. Although you may not realise it, you've probably absorbed these stereotypes from birth order theory. Birth order theory is the idea that our position in our family affects our personality characteristics, our IQ, and even our life success and that these last long into adulthood. 出生顺序如何影响我们的性格，这个问题让我们中的许多人着迷，这不仅仅表现在圣诞节的时候，当我们争论为什么哥哥姐姐要削土豆皮，为什么每个人都忘记了中间的孩子午餐没有肉汁的时候。虽然你可能没有意识到，但你可能已经从出生顺序理论中吸收了这些刻板印象。出生顺序理论认为，我们在家庭中的地位会影响我们的个性特征、智商甚至人生成就，而且这些影响会一直持续到成年。 One of the most influential characters in this story was Alfred Adler - an Austrian physician and psychotherapist. He wanted to try and understand why children who were raised in the same family seem to have different personalities. Now at this point I should mention that Alfred Adler was actually a middle child - the second of seven children. In 1927, Adler theorised that birth order affected personality hugely because parents treated children differently according to whether they were the eldest or the youngest. He also believed that parents comparing siblings created a sense of inferiority. Since then, researchers have added to this list of birth order characteristics. Here are just some of them - they might ring a few bells. 这个故事中最具影响力的人物之一是奥地利医生和心理治疗师阿尔弗雷德·阿德勒(Alfred Adler)。他想弄明白为什么在同一个家庭长大的孩子似乎有着不同的性格。说到这里，我得提一下，阿尔弗雷德·阿德勒其实是个中间孩子，即七个孩子中的老二。1927 年，阿德勒建立了出生顺序对性格影响巨大的理论，因为父母会根据孩子是长子还是幼子来区别对待。他还认为，父母对兄弟姐妹的比较会产生自卑感。从那时起，研究人员就不断增加出生顺序特征的内容。以下是其中的一些——也许你会对它们有所印象。 For example, the older child - thought to be a people pleaser, responsible, reliable, cautious but perhaps bossy and controlling. The older child traditionally has been thought to be given a lot of parental attention so when the second sibling arrives they can often feel neglected or dethroned. The middle child is thought to be often left out, ignored, so they tend to be the peacemaker. They tend to adapt their personality to fit in with perhaps what the older child has already taken away in that family niche. The youngest child is often thought of as being self-centred, manipulative, fun, entertaining and charming. The youngest child is often thought to have to work harder to get attention and to maintain independence and seem different from their siblings. 例如，大孩子——被认为是一个讨人喜欢、负责任、可靠、谨慎的人，但也可能是一个专横和控制欲强的人。传统上，人们认为大孩子会得到父母的大量关注，所以当第二个兄弟姐妹到来时，他们往往会感到被忽视或被取代。 中间的孩子通常被认为是被冷落、被忽视的，因此他们倾向于做和事佬。他们往往会调整自己的个性，以适应大孩子在家庭中已经占据的位置。最小的孩子通常被认为是以自我为中心、控制欲强、有趣和迷人的。最小的孩子往往被认为必须付出更多努力才能得到关注和保持独立，才能显得与兄弟姐妹不同。 And if you don't have siblings then don't feel left out because Adler had something to say about the personality characteristics of people without siblings. Only children are often thought to be self-centred, independent, looking for approval and mature. As they have no older or younger siblings they often take on the personality characteristics of either the eldest child or the youngest child. 如果你没有兄弟姐妹，也不要觉得自己被忽略了，因为阿德勒对没有兄弟姐妹的人的性格特点有自己的看法。独生子女通常被认为是以自我为中心、独立、寻求认同和成熟的。由于他们没有哥哥姐姐或弟弟妹妹，他们往往具有长子或幼子的个性特征。 In 1996, American psychologist Frank Sulloway theorised that these differences may be due to Darwin's theory of competition and survival. Within every family, every child has to compete for parental attention and investment in order to survive. So for example, the elder sibling taking on the responsible role of looking after the younger siblings so when the younger child comes along they have to develop a different way of being in that family and find their own niche for example, by being more adventurous. By doing this they reduce competition and enhance cooperation within the family - so chances of survival for everyone are increased. 1996年，美国心理学家弗兰克·苏洛威(Frank Sulloway)提出理论，认为这些差异可能是基于达尔文的竞争和生存理论。在每个家庭中，每个孩子都必须为了生存而竞争父母的关注和投入。例如，哥哥承担起照顾弟弟妹妹的责任，所以当弟弟妹妹出生时，他们不得不在家庭中发展一种不同的方式，并找到自己合适的位置，例如，更大胆。这样做可以减少家庭内部的竞争，加强合作，从而增加每个人的生存机会。 Over time, results of further studies have been inconsistent. Some have totally backed up Adler's theory, others have totally negated it. Some studies have shown there are differences but that these are not meaningful and others have shown that actually any differences found are due to study design. For example, how many siblings are in a family or the relative ages of siblings. So who knows? Birth order is a fascinating subject but pinning down exactly what impact it has, if any, is still a massive challenge. 随着时间的推移，进一步研究的结果并不一致。一些研究完全支持阿德勒的理论，另一些则完全否定了这一理论。有些研究表明存在差异，但这些差异并无意义；有些研究则表明，实际上发现的任何差异都是由研究设计造成的。例如，一个家庭中有多少兄弟姐妹或兄弟姐妹的相对年龄。谁知道呢？出生顺序是一个引人入胜的话题，但要确定它到底有什么影响（如果有的话），仍然是一个巨大的挑战。 🌟 视频版见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Battle for Sunlight in the Rainforest BBC Earth｜Tropical Worlds｜The Green Planet Throughout this forest, plants are competing ferociously with one another to claim the light. The battle is at its fiercest on the forest floor, where only 2% of the sunlight filters through. Plants here have to bide their time. 在这片森林里，植物们为了争夺阳光，相互之间展开了激烈的竞争。森林地面上的争夺最为激烈，因为只有 2% 的阳光能透过这里。这里的植物必须等待时机。 Their opportunity comes when an old tree dies. When that happens, sunlight floods the forest floor for the first time in perhaps 100 years. The seedling's wait is over. It must now race skywards and claim a place in the canopy. But it's not alone. Rivals are everywhere, each with its own survival strategy. 当一棵老树死去时，它们的机会就来了。这种情况发生时，阳光可能在100年来首次洒满森林地面。树苗的等待结束了。它现在必须迅速向天空生长，争取在树冠中占有一席之地。但它并不孤单。竞争对手无处不在，每个都有各自的生存策略。 Some plants, like this monstera, stretch out divided leaves to collect what light they can. This vine is groping blindly around with its tendrils. It attempts to reach the light by hitching a ride. Its tendrils are highly sensitive to touch. And a suitable target is in range. Got it! The vine tightens its grip and begins to haul itself upwards. 有些植物，比如这种龟背竹，会伸展出分裂的叶子来尽可能地收集光线。这株藤蔓正盲目地用它的卷须四处探索。它试图通过依附来接近光源。它的卷须对触碰非常敏感。合适的目标就在眼前。抓住了！藤蔓收紧了抓握，开始向上攀爬。 But it's now overtaken by the forest's fastest-growing tree. A young balsa. Its giant leaves are already 40cm across and are stealing the light from its rivals below. But the balsa's battle is not yet won. Other, different vines are lying in wait. Each is armed with dozens of claw-like hooks. If just one hook gets a grip, the vine will be able to smother its victim. 但它现在被森林中生长最快的树木超越了。一棵年轻的轻木。它的巨叶已经有40厘米宽，正在从下方的竞争对手那里窃取阳光。但轻木的战斗尚未获胜。其他不同的藤蔓正潜伏着。每根藤蔓都装备着数十个爪状钩子。如果任何一个钩子抓住了，藤蔓就能让受害者窒息。 But the balsa is defended by a shield of slippery hairs. The vine's hooks just can't get a hold. The balsa brushes them aside, and continues to rush skywards, leaving the losers in its shadow to fight among themselves. This balsa has won its battle for the light. And it's done so in a little over a year. 但是，轻木被一层光滑的茸毛所保护。藤蔓的钩子根本无法抓住它。轻轻而易举地将它们拂开，继续向天空冲刺，将那些失败者留在自己的阴影中相互争斗。这棵轻木赢得了对阳光的争夺战。而且，它在短短一年多的时间里就做到了。 Most trees would have grown an inch or so in that time, but this one is already 30 feet - 10 metres - tall. Balsas owe their success to the special character of their wood. If this section of tree trunk came from a hardwood tree, it would be really quite heavy. But as it is, it's from balsa, and it's really very light, and that's because of its internal structure. 大多数树木在这段时间里可能会长高一英寸左右，但这颗已经高达30英尺（约10米）了。轻木的成功归功于它们木材的特性。如果这段树干来自硬木树，它将会非常重。但事实上，它来自轻木，所以它非常轻，这正是因为它的内部结构。 Under the microscope, balsawood looks like a honeycomb. It contains more air than wood, so, not only can it grow very fast, but it gets the maximum height for minimum weight. 在显微镜下，轻木看起来像蜂窝。它所含的空气比木头还多，因此，它不仅生长得非常快，而且以最小的重量达到了最大高度。 词汇表 ferociously 猛烈地，凶猛地 claim the light 争夺阳光 filter through 透过，滤过 bide their time 耐心等待时机 seedling 幼苗 race/rush skywards 冲向天空（指植物迅速向上生长） canopy 树冠层，（顶蓬似的）树阴 monstera 龟背竹，蓬莱蕉（因其枝干如竹，叶大翠绿像乌龟壳花纹而得名） divided leaves 分裂的叶子，分叉生长的叶子 vine 藤蔓，攀缘植物 grope 摸索，探索 tendril （攀缘植物的）卷须 hitch a ride 搭便车（指藤蔓依附而上） tighten its grip 收紧抓握力；加强掌控 overtake 超过，压制 balsa 轻木，巴尔沙木（原产于美洲的热带地区的一种坚固的质轻木材） smother 使窒息，掩盖 claw-like hook 爪状钩子 shield 保护物，防护层 slippery hair 光滑的茸毛 brush aside 扫到一边，拂开 hardwood 硬木，阔叶树 internal structure 内部结构 microscope 显微镜 honeycomb 蜂窝状结构 🌟 视频版见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Rewilding: letting nature come back to life Humankind has developed so much that urban sprawl and intensive agriculture now dominate our landscapes. Unfortunately, with that comes the threat of climate change and a loss of biodiversity. What if we could return these landscapes to places that teem with wildlife, with ecosystems thriving as they did centuries ago? 人类发展如此之快，以至于城市扩张和集约农业现在主宰了我们的景观。不幸的是，随之而来的是气候变化的威胁和生物多样性的丧失。如果我们能够将这些景观恢复到遍布野生动物的状态，让生态系统重现几个世纪前的繁荣，那会怎样呢？ Since the 1980s, the concept of rewilding has increased in popularity. But what exactly is it, and what are the keys to its success? Put simply, rewilding is a technique that returns landscapes to a wilder, more natural state. It often involves reintroducing plants or animals that used to live there, but now don't. 自20世纪80年代以来，再野化的概念越来越受欢迎。但究竟什么是再野化，它的关键又是什么？简单地说，再野化是一种将景观恢复到更原始、更自然状态的技术。它通常包括重新引入那些曾经栖息于此，但现在已不复存在的植物和动物。 Not-for-profit organisation Rewilding Europe says rewilding is "about letting nature take care of itself, enabling natural processes to shape land and sea, repair damaged ecosystems and restore degraded landscapes." So, unlike traditional conservation techniques, the aim is to reduce the need for human intervention once the programme has been set up. 非营利组织“再野化欧洲”（Rewilding Europe）称，野化是“让大自然自我修复，让自然过程塑造陆地和海洋，修复受损的生态系统，恢复退化的景观”。因此，与传统的保护技术不同，再野化的目的是在项目建立后减少人工干预的需求。 In a 2021 article called 'Guiding principles for rewilding', one suggestion is to introduce plants, prey animals, and fungi first, so that when the top predator is introduced, they have an appropriate habitat to support them. 在2021年一篇名为《再野化指导原则》的文章中，一个建议是首先引入植物、被捕食动物和真菌，这样，当引入顶级捕食者时，它们将拥有适宜的栖息地来支持它们的生存。 Other tips are more people focused. Even though rewilding is about reducing human presence in ecosystems, that doesn't mean we should be excluded from nature. The authors encourage compassion and learning from nature, rather than dominating it. They also say that, to avoid fear amongst rural communities that their farmland will be taken away, and that new predators will endanger their livestock, local people should be included so they have some control over the process and can directly benefit from it. 其他的建议是更关注人。尽管再野化是为了减少人类在生态系统中的存在，但这并不意味着我们应该被排除在自然之外。作者鼓励同情和向自然学习，而不是支配它。他们还指出，为了避免农村社区担心他们的农田被占用，以及新的捕食者威胁到他们的牲畜，应该让当地人参与进来，这样他们就能在一定程度上控制这一过程，并从中直接获益。 Alex Stevenson owns Jordan's Farm in Essex, England and is rewilding her fields, hoping to help the ecosystem thrive. She says, "I am rewilding to look after nature and to give life back to the soil" and adds, "you have to value nature because nature sustains us – we are part of it." 亚历克斯·史蒂文森是英国埃塞克斯郡乔丹农场的农场主，她正在对自己的田地进行再野化，希望帮助生态系统茁壮成长。她说：“我进行再野化是为了保护大自然，让土壤恢复生机”，她还说：“你必须珍视大自然，因为大自然养育了我们——我们是大自然的一部分”。 词汇表 urban sprawl 城市扩张 agriculture 农业 landscape景观，环境 biodiversity 生物多样性 teem with 充满 ecosystem 生态系统 thrive 蓬勃发展 wild 野生的 shape 塑造 degraded 退化的 conservation 保护 prey 猎物，被捕食的动物 fungi 菌类 predator 捕食性动物 habitat 栖息地 rural 农村的 livestock 牲畜 🌟 更多英语听力见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】