How important is choosing the right name?, New parents often spend a long time debating what to call their newborn. Should they name them after a relative, a famous person or just pick a name at random? For many of us it can be quite the gruelling task, but it's our children who need to live with our choice. So, how important is the name you choose? 新手父母往往会花很长时间来讨论给他们新生儿取什么名字。是给他们起一个亲戚、名人的名字，还是随意取一个名字？对我们中的许多人来说，这可能是一项相当累人的任务，但我们的孩子需要接受我们的选择。那么，你选择的名字有多重要呢？ Names usually stay with us for a lifetime, unless we decide to change them. They become part of our identity. Quite often we hear stories of celebrities giving their children unusual names, while other people give their children names which have special meanings, for example, the name Sarah comes from a Hebrew word meaning 'princess'. Sadly, though, our parents don't always get it right. 名字通常会伴随我们一生，除非我们决定改变它们。它们成为我们身份的一部分。我们经常听到名人给他们的孩子起不寻常的名字的故事，而也有人给自己的孩子起有特殊含义的名字，例如，萨拉(Sarah)这个名字来自希伯来语，意思是“公主”。但遗憾的是，我们的父母并不总是取对名字。 So, what if you don't like your given name? A study led by psychologist Jean Twenge found that a person who hates the moniker given to them is more likely to have greater psychological adjustment issues – possibly due to low self-esteem. This is because our title becomes a symbol of our self, and if we loathe our name, our confidence may be affected. 那么，如果你不喜欢你的名字呢？由心理学家让·特文格领导的一项研究发现，一个讨厌别人给他们起的绰号的人更有可能出现较大的心理适应问题——这可能是由于自卑造成的。这是因为我们的名称成为我们自我的象征，如果我们厌恶自己的名字，我们的自信心可能会受到影响。 And what if your name is no longer popular? While names like Ethel and Gladys were once in fashion, they now sound a bit out of date, which can be embarrassing. And when it comes to unpopular names which aren't trending, they may even affect our love lives. Studies have shown that people with old-fashioned names are more likely to be rejected on dating apps. 如果你的名字不再流行怎么办？埃塞尔(Ethel)和格拉迪斯(Gladys)这样的名字曾经风靡一时，但现在听起来却有点过时了，这可能会让人感到尴尬。说到不流行的名字，它们甚至会影响我们的爱情生活。研究表明，在约会软件上，名字过时的人更容易被拒绝。 However, if you choose an unusual name, it's not all bad news. According to a study conducted by Professor David Zhu, people with uncommon names can develop a sense of uniqueness and can often become more creative and open-minded. 不过，如果你选择了一个不寻常的名字，也不全是坏消息。根据大卫·朱教授进行的一项研究，名字不常见的人会产生一种独特感，而且往往会变得更有创造力、思想更开放。 So, when choosing your offspring's name, there are a fair few things to consider – but going for something too common or too old-fashioned may not be a great choice. And, if your children hate your choice, they can always select a nickname. 所以，在为你的孩子取名字时，确实需要考虑很多因素——但选择一个太常见或太过时的名字可能不是最佳选择。而且，如果你的孩子不喜欢你选的名字，他们总是可以选择一个昵称。 词汇表 newborn [ˈnjuːˌbɔː(r)n] 新生儿，婴儿；新生的 name… after… 用…的名字给…命名 at random ['rændəm] 随便地，任意地 gruelling [ˈɡruːəlɪŋ] 累人的，使人筋疲力尽的 live with 接受，容忍（困境或令人不快的情形） celebrity [sɪˈlebrɪtɪ] 名人；名声 Hebrew [ˈhiːbruː] 希伯来语（的），希伯来人（的） given name （出生时取的）名字 moniker [ˈmɒnɪkə(r)] 名字，绰号 psychological adjustment 心理调节，心理适应 low self-esteem [ɪˈstiːm] 自卑，低自尊 loathe [ləʊð] 讨厌，厌恶 in fashion 流行，时兴，风行 out of date 过时的；过期的 trending [trendɪŋ]（在一段时间内）流行的 old-fashioned 老式的，过时的 open-minded 思想开放的 a fair few 相当多的，不少 offspring [ˈɒfˌsprɪŋ] 后代，子女，孩子 nickname ['nɪkneɪm] 绰号，昵称，小名 🌟 更多英语听力和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Will humans become extinct? In this programme, we'll be looking at some of the many dangers facing humanity, from climate change and global pandemics to asteroid impacts and nuclear war. We'll be finding out whether human civilisation can survive these risks, and looking at some of the related vocabulary as well. Do you really think humans could become extinct and end up as dead as the dodo? --Ah, so of course you've heard of the dodo? --Yes, dodos were large, metre-high birds which died out in the 1600s after being hunted to extinction by humans. --That's right. Dodos couldn't fly and weren't very clever. They didn't hide when sailors with hunting dogs landed on their island. The species was hunted so much that within a century, every single bird had died out. But do you know which island the dodo was from, Sam? That's my quiz question for today. Was it: a) The Galapagos, b) Mauritius, or c) Fiji? --I'll guess the Galapagos, Neil, because I know many exotic animals live there. By the way, that's also cheered me up a bit because as humans we are much smarter than the dodo! We're far too clever to die out, aren't we? I'm not sure I agree, Sam. Lots of the existential risks - the worst possible things that could happen to humanity, such as nuclear war, global pandemics or rogue artificial intelligence, are human-made. These threats could have catastrophic consequences for human survival in the 21st century. That's true. But existential risks don't only threaten the survival of the human species. Instead, they could destroy civilisation as we know it, leaving pockets of survivors to struggle on in a post-apocalyptic world. And it wouldn't be the first time that has happened, as the BBC World Service programme The Inquiry found out. Simon Beard of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at Cambridge University explains: The historical record suggests that about once every thousand years an event occurs that wipes out about a third of the human population – so in the Middle Ages, this was the Black Death - huge plague that covered Eurasia, while there was also dramatic global cooling at that time which many people think was related to volcanic eruptions, and about a third of the global population died. So, humanity has been facing these risks throughout history, according to the historical record – the collection of all written and recorded past events concerning the human race. Yes. Wars and plagues – infectious, epidemic diseases which spread between countries can quickly wipe out – or completely destroy, millions of people. And there's not much we can do to stop disasters like that! True, Sam, but what about individuals who actively work to bring about the end of the world, like apocalyptic terrorists, rampage shooters and fundamentalist cults, like those who organised the poisonous gas attack on the Tokyo subway. Those are people who want to end human life on Earth and bring about Doomsday - another word for the final, apocalyptic day of the world's existence. Right. And things got even scarier in modern times with the invention of nuclear weapons. During the Cuban Missile Crisis between America and the USSR for example, risk experts estimated a 41% probability that human life would be completely wiped out! Seth Baum of New York's Global Catastrophic Risk Institute explains how human error almost brought about Doomsday: There are some ways that you could get to a nuclear war without really intending to, and probably the biggest example is if you have a false alarm that is mistaken as a nuclear attack, and there have been a number of, maybe even very serious false alarms over the years, in which one side or the other genuinely believed that they were under nuclear attack, when in fact they were not at all under nuclear attack. One such false alarm - an incorrect warning given so that people wrongly believe something dangerous is about to happen, came about in 1995, when the US sent missiles up into the Earth's atmosphere to study the aurora borealis, the northern lights. Soviet radars picked up the missiles, thinking they were nuclear warheads and almost retaliated. Nuclear Armageddon was only averted by the actions of one clear-thinking Russian general who decided not to push the red button. Phew! A close shave then! Well, Neil, all this doomongering has made me want to just give it all up and live on a desert island! --Like the dodo eh, Sam? So, which island would that be? If you remember, today's quiz question asked where the dodo was from.-- I said The Galapagos. --And I'm afraid to say it was b) Mauritius. 🌟 字数限制，完整文本和翻译，以及pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Business Bartleby 商业板块 巴托比 New year, new you 新的一年，新的你 How to have the most productive working day of your life 如何度过一生中最富成效的工作日 It's the first full working week of 2023. You have two new year's resolutions. First, to turn yourself into a humming machine of productivity. No more procrastinating, no more afternoon naps. Second, to maximise your own sense of well-being. A few days in, and your daily journal bears witness to a changed person, a model of self-caring efficiency. 这是2023年第一个完整的工作周。你已经定下了两个新年决心。首先，把自己变成充满干劲的生产率机器。不再拖延，不再午睡。第二，最大程度地提升自己身心健康的感受。几天下来，你的日记将见证一个人的蜕变，你俨然已是高效自我管理的典范。 07:00 Go to the gym. Leave phone at home. Mens sana in corpore sano. 07:00，去健身房。把手机留在家里。高尚的灵魂寓于强健的身体。 08:00 Tell au pair to wake children, and to keep them out of your way. 08:00，让互惠生去叫醒孩子，别让他们出现在你面前。 08:15 Listen briefly to the call of a whale on Spotify. Shower. Dress. 08:15，在Spotify上听一小段鲸鱼的歌声。淋浴。更衣。 08:30 Eat something with chia seeds. 08:30，吃点带奇亚籽的东西。 08:40 Remove chia seeds from teeth. 08:40，清理牙齿上的奇亚籽。 08:58 Enter home office. Great sense of wellness. Never felt weller. 08:58，进入家里的办公区。感觉非常健康。从来没有这么元气满满。 09:00 Turn phone off aeroplane mode and fire up laptop. Phone goes mad: missed calls, Slack messages, texts. Precisely where the day went wrong in the bad old days of 2022. Use new batching technique: respond to the oldest five emails and ignore everything else. Turn notifications off again. 09:00，关闭手机飞行模式，启动笔记本电脑。手机开始疯响：未接来电、Slack信息、短信。又回到了2022年那些糟糕的日子里一天中开始急转直下的时刻。使用新的批处理大法：回复最早的五封邮件，其他一概无视。再次关闭通知。 09:30 Make a list of tasks that need to be completed today. Colour-code those tasks according to priority. Chunk each of the high-priority tasks into discrete segments. Use combination of time-boxing and Pomodoro techniques to put them into the calendar for the day ahead. 09:30，列出今天需要完成的任务。根据优先级给它们标记颜色。把高优先级任务切分成独立的部分。综合运用时间盒法和番茄工作法，把它们填写进今天的日程表。 10:30 Calendar for the day is now complete. Very full few hours ahead. Get up and go for a walk around the block to avoid musculoskeletal problems. Every so often stop and look 20 yards into the distance to maintain eye health. See friend on street. 10:30，今天的日程表做好了。未来几小时将非常充实。起身在街区里散个步，避免肌肉骨骼问题。不时停下来遥望20码外，让眼睛保持健康。在街上见见朋友。 11:30 Back at desk. Decide to find a "Study with Me" video, a recording of someone else working at their desk, as extra motivation for the day to come. Very effective technique, just need to choose the right recording. Might have one with rain pattering on the windows. Or a cat sleeping. Or logs on a fire. 11:30，回到办公桌前。决定找个“陪伴学习”视频，也就是别人伏案工作的录像，让自己面对一天的工作再多一点动力。这个办法非常有效，只要选对了内容。也可以选择有雨点打在窗户上的视频。或者一只熟睡的猫。又或者燃烧的木柴。 12:00 "Study with Me" recording is now playing. Went with the cats. Day is slightly off-track now. Begin first 25-minute Pomodoro session. 12:00，“陪伴学习”录像正在播放。选择了猫。这一天到了这会儿已经有点偏离轨道了。开始第一个25分钟的番茄工作时段。 12:25 Excellent session. Get up. Stretch. 12:25 这一段效果很棒。起身。伸展。 12:30 Second Pomodoro session begins. Lasers are less focused than me. 12:30，开始第二个番茄工作时段。激光都没有我聚焦。 12:40 Extremely bored. Try to get onto Wordle but have installed blocker on laptop that means I cannot use the site until 18:00. Only way around this is to change the time on the computer. Not sure how to do this but it cannot be that hard. 12:40，无聊至极。想要登录Wordle玩猜词游戏，但笔记本上安装了拦截器，18:00之前都不能使用这个网站。唯一的解决方法是更改电脑时间。不确定该怎么做，但应该不会太难。 13:30 It is quite hard. But Wordle is done (in four tries!). Clock on computer is now totally wrong; saying it is 2024. Just need to change it back. 13:30，还是挺难的。但已经玩过Wordle了（四次就猜中了！）电脑时钟现在完全是错的，显示是2024年。把它改回来就好。 14:00 No time for second email-batching session. Lunch and well-being hour begins an hour late. Make open sandwich with rye bread, salmon, dill. Use stacked-habits advice to do two mindfulness exercises at once: self-administer head massage while listening to soundtrack of grasshopper noises. 14:00，没时间做第二次邮件批处理了。午餐和养生时段晚了一小时开始。用黑麦面包，三文鱼和莳萝做个开放式三明治。采用叠加习惯的建议，同时做两种正念练习：一边听着蚱蜢叫声的录音，一边自我头部按摩。 15:00 Activating hermit mode. Ditch Pomodoro technique: need to get at least two hours done before final email-batching session. Use timer tab to set countdown clock going on my browser. 15:00，进入闭关模式。放弃番茄工作法：至少要做两小时，然后才开始最后的邮件批处理。在浏览器上使用计时器标签页设置倒计时。 15:30 Not made great progress. Feeling a bit worthless. Open the compliments folder in my email inbox to remind myself of praise I have received from colleagues in the past. 15:30，没什么实质进展。感觉自己有点差劲。打开电子邮件收件箱里的赞美文件夹，回味过去从同事那里收获的赞美。 15:45 Starting to feel a bit panicky. As last resort use "Write or Die", an old program that starts deleting your work if you have not met targets for word count. Helps just to get something on the page. 15:45，开始感到一丝恐慌。孤注一掷，启用“不写就死”这个老程序，如果没有达到字数目标，它就会开始删除你已经写下的东西。这能帮你在页面上尽量写下点什么。 00:00 🌟 字数限制，完整文本和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Six-Sided Wonders: The Science of Snowflakes Snowflakes are intricate, beautiful, mysterious, and totally captivating. But for all their complexity – and endless variety – the structure of a snowflake can be explained by a few universal laws of nature – laws that explain everything from snowflakes to galaxies. 雪花是精致、美丽、神秘且极其迷人的。尽管它们结构复杂，形态各异，但雪花的结构可以通过一些自然界的普遍法则来解释——这些规律可以解释从雪花到星系的一切。 Let's start at the beginning. What is a snowflake, or, to use its more technical name, a snow crystal? A snow crystal forms up in the clouds when water vapour meets little specks of dust or pollen. This forms its tiny hexagonal heart. The tips stick out and are rough. This attracts water molecules, and then more water molecules, and then more. These form the branches of our snowflake. 让我们从头开始。雪花是什么，或者用它更专业的名字，雪晶是什么？ 当水蒸气与微小的尘埃或花粉相遇时，就会在云层中形成雪晶。这就形成了雪花小小的六角形核心。尖端向外伸展且粗糙，这有助于吸引水分子，然后更多的水分子，接着更多。这些水分子形成了雪花的分支。 The size and shape of these branches depends on the exact temperature and humidity that the snowflake meets on its journey through the clouds, pulled down by the force of gravity. Each one takes a very slightly different route – meaning no two snowflakes are quite the same. When a snowflake lands on your sleeve, it has been on its own, totally unique, journey to reach you before melting away in a moment. 这些分支的大小和形状取决于雪花在重力作用下穿过云层时遇到的确切温度和湿度。每一片雪花的路线都略有不同，这意味着没有两片雪花是完全相同的。当一片雪花落在你的衣袖上时，它已经走过了自己完全独特的旅程，到达你的身边，然后瞬间融化。 Way back in 1611, on a bitterly cold January morning in Prague, a snowflake landed on the sleeve of mathematician Johannes Kepler, and it got him thinking, "Why do snowflakes have six sides?" Kepler's breakthrough was his theory that this hexagonal pattern is the most efficient use of space – whether it's a honeycomb within a beehive, or piles of stacked cannonballs, or a delicate, transient snowflake. It took 400 years – 400 years – for his theory to be proven. 早在1611年，在布拉格一个寒冷刺骨的一月早晨，一片雪花落在数学家约翰内斯·开普勒的袖子上，这让他陷入了思考：“为什么雪花有六个边？”开普勒的重大发现在于他的理论，即这种六边形图案是对空间最有效的利用——无论是蜂巢中的蜂窝结构，还是堆叠的炮弹，或是精致的、转瞬即逝的雪花。他的理论经过了400年——整整400年——才被证实。 What Kepler didn't know at the time is that each molecule of water, or H2O, is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. As the water molecules cluster together when they freeze, the angle between the hydrogen atoms is always, approximately, 105 degrees. And that gives us the six sides. 开普勒当时不知道的是，每个水分子（或 H2O）都是由两个氢原子和一个氧原子组成的。当水分子凝固时聚集在一起，氢原子之间的夹角总是约为105度。这就得到了六个边。 At its heart, a snowflake is always a hexagon. But it can grow into all sorts of weird and wonderful shapes: long and thin, like a pencil; sharp like a needle; cylindrical like a bullet; or, just occasionally, triangular. The truth is though, most snowflakes are kind of...well, blob-like. 雪花的核心总是一个六边形。但它可以长成各种奇异美妙的形状：像铅笔一样长而细；像针一样尖锐；像子弹一样圆柱形；或者偶尔，呈现三角形。然而，事实上，大多数雪花都是……嗯，有点像……一团模糊的形状。 If you speak to a snowflake photographer – there are just a handful in the world – they'll tell you it takes days and days out in the cold to get that "money shot". And the conditions have to be just right – between minus 15 and minus 13 degrees. But ever since Wilson Bentley, a farmer from the US state of Vermont, painstakingly took the first photos of stunning snowflakes in 1885, we've been hooked. 如果你和在全世界屈指可数的雪花摄影师交谈，他们会告诉你，要想拍出这样的“完美瞬间”，你得在寒冷中待上好几天。而且条件必须在零下15度到零下13度之间。但自从1885年，美国佛蒙特州的农民威尔逊·本特利煞费苦心地首次拍摄了令人惊叹的雪花照片以来，我们就为之着迷了。 Scientists have shown that symmetry is incredibly pleasing to the human brain. Snowflakes are all radially symmetrical, which means you can cut them into identical slices, like a cake. Shells, flowers, starfish, even spiral galaxies, like the Milky Way, share this type of symmetry. And nature has one last trick up its sleeve. 科学家们已经表明，对称性对人类大脑来说是非常愉悦的。雪花都是辐射对称的，这意味着你可以像切蛋糕一样将它们切成相同的片。贝壳、花朵、海星，甚至是螺旋星系，比如我们的银河系，都具有这种对称性。大自然还有最后一招。 Snowflakes aren't actually white. They're clear, but they have lots of edges, and this scatters the light, making them appear white. Each snowflake is a microcosm of the laws of physics. Gravity makes it fall. Electromagnetism dictates its shape. And you've got symmetry. It's the same with the stars, and solar systems, and planets, and with us. 雪花其实上并不是白色的。它们是透明的，但有很多边缘，这会散射光线，使它们看起来是白色的。每一片雪花都是物理定律的缩影。重力使它下落。电磁学决定了它的形状。还有对称性。星星、太阳系、行星，以及我们自己，都是如此。 When you look at a snowflake, you can read its history – its own unique story. The experiences it encounters shape it into what it is, just like us, really. 当你看着一片雪花，你可以读到它的历史——它自己独特的故事。它遇到的经历塑造了它，真的就像我们一样。 🌟 视频版和pdf，词汇表见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Cactus Spine: From Collecting to Guarding BBC Earth｜Desert Worlds·The Green Planet No matter how old a desert plant is, water is always precious, whether gathered from melting snow or a shower of rain. So, cacti have developed extraordinary adaptations that enable them to not only collect water but to retain it. 不管一株沙漠植物有多老，水总是宝贵的，不管是从融雪中还是从阵雨中收集。因此，仙人掌已经发展出非凡的适应能力，使它们不仅能够收集水分，还能保存水分。 Instead of leaves, which would lose precious moisture through evaporation, they have spines. Each spine has a tiny pad at its base where the water is absorbed and then stored in the great swollen trunk. A large saguaro can hold 5,000 litres of water and is able to do so because it has another special adaptation. 它们不长叶片，以免宝贵的水分通过蒸发而流失，取而代之的是刺。每根刺的基部都有一个小垫，水分在这里被吸收，然后储存在膨胀的茎干中。一棵大型的树形仙人掌可以容纳5000升的水，之所以能够做到这一点，得益于它的另一个特殊的适应能力。 The ridges on its surface are like the pleats on an accordion. They allow the saguaro to change its shape. After rain has fallen, the pleats expand and the saguaro fills up its water tank. In the dry times, it uses its water to grow, produce flowers and, eventually, seeds. Fully-loaded with thousands of litres of water, this saguaro won't need to drink a single drop for another year. 它表面隆起的纹路就像手风琴上的褶皱。它们能让树形仙人掌改变形状。下过雨后，这些褶皱就会扩张，树形仙人掌就会把它的“水箱”填满。在干旱的时候，它利用这些水来生长、开花，最终结出种子。满载着数千升的水，这棵树形仙人掌一年都不需要吸收一滴水。 But such valuable stores of water attract thieves. Now the spine's function changes from collecting to guarding. The spines of some species are a quarter of a metre long. Others are needle-like barbs that grow in clusters and easily break off in the skin of any animal that touches them. But perhaps the most vicious cacti belong to a group called the chollas. 但如此珍贵的水储备会招来盗贼。现在刺的功能从收集变成了保卫。有些种类的刺有四分之一米长。还有一些是成簇生长的点针状倒刺，极易在任何接触到它们的动物的皮肤上折断。但也许最造成伤害的的仙人掌属于一种叫做多刺仙人掌的种群。 This is called a teddy-bear cholla because of the thick coating of spines on it. But don't be deceived by the name, there is nothing cuddly about THIS particular teddy bear. In fact, it's the most dangerous plant in the desert, and I wouldn't dream of putting my hand anywhere near it without proper protection. 这种被称为泰迪熊仙人掌，因为它身上覆盖着厚厚的刺。但不要被它的名字骗了，这只泰迪熊一点也不柔软可爱。事实上，它是沙漠中最危险的植物，如果没有适当的保护措施，我做梦都不敢把手靠近它。 Look closely at the spine and you can see very clearly why they're so dangerous. Each is like a splinter of glass, sharp enough to pierce flesh and they're covered with backward-pointing barbs. Most animals know to keep clear. 仔细观察这些刺，你可以非常清楚地看到它们为何如此危险。每根刺都像玻璃碎片，锋利得足以刺穿皮肉，并且还布满了向后指的倒刺。大多数动物都知道要远离它们。 词汇表 melting snow 融雪 a shower of rain 一场阵雨 cacti ['kæktaɪ] 仙人掌（cactus [ˈkæktəs]的复数） adaptation [ˌædæpˈteɪʃ(ə)n] 适应力，适应性变化；改编 retain [rɪ'teɪn] 保留，保持，保存 moisture [ˈmɔɪstʃə(r)] 水分，水汽，湿气 evaporation [ɪˌvæpə'reɪʃ(ə)n] 蒸发；消失 spine [spaɪn]（植物的）刺；脊柱，脊椎 pad [pæd] 垫子，垫状物 saguaro [sə'gwɑ:rəʊ] 树形仙人掌，巨型仙人掌 ridge[rɪdʒ] 脊，隆起部分；屋脊；山脊 pleat [plɪːt] 褶, 褶状物 accordion [əˈkɔː(r)diən] 手风琴；可折叠的 water tank [tæŋk] 水箱，水槽 fully-loaded 全负荷，满载 guard [ɡɑː(r)d] 保护，守卫，保卫 needle-like barb [bɑː(r)b] 针状倒钩 in clusters [ˈklʌstə(r)] 成群，成簇 break off 中断，折断，中止 vicious ['vɪʃəs] 凶险的，会造成伤害的 cholla ['tʃɔɪə] 多刺仙人掌 teddy-bear ['tedi beə(r)] 泰迪熊 coating 覆盖层，厚厚一层 cuddl: [ˈkʌd(ə)li] 令人想拥抱的，柔软可爱的 splinter [ˈsplɪntə(r)] （木头、金属、玻璃等的）尖碎片 pierce flesh [pɪə(r)s] 刺穿肉体 backward-pointing 向后指的，朝后的 keep clear 保持距离，远离；让路 🌟 视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Eco-labels for supermarket food The researchers estimated the composition of thousands of foods from the ingredients lists on their packaging. They then assessed their effect on the environment – the greater the impact, the higher the score. 研究人员根据食品包装上的成分表估算了成千上万种食品的构成。然后，他们评估了食品对环境造成的影响——影响越大，分数越高。 Fizzy drinks have the least effect, typically scoring 0.23 in the analysis. Ready meals were 3.17, tea was higher at 5.44. But unsurprisingly, the more meat and dairy, the greater the impact. Most foods were dwarfed by lamb and beef, which scored 34. 碳酸饮料对环境的影响最小，在分析报告中的评分通常为0.23。方便速食的分数为3.17，茶类分数更高，为5.44。但不出所料的是，食品中肉类和乳制品含量越高，其对环境的影响就越大。羊肉和牛肉的分数为34，大大高于多数食品。 Crucially though, the researchers found significant variations within the same foods. For example, the score for the worst pork sausages was 30% higher than the best. And the impact of biscuits depended on the amount of chocolate they contained. The worst was 46% higher than a plain biscuit. 但关键是，研究人员发现同类食物不同商品对环境的影响存在显著的差异。例如，评分最差的猪肉香肠比最好的分数高出30%。饼干对环境的影响取决于饼干中巧克力的含量。评分最差的饼干比普通饼干的分数高出46%。 The researchers found similar trends for pesto sauces and lasagne, suggesting that there's scope for manufacturers to make a big difference with small changes to their recipes. 研究人员在香蒜酱和意式千层面中发现了类似的趋势，这表明食品制造商有机会通过微调配方带来重大的环保效益。 词汇表 eco-label 环保标签， 生态标签 composition [ˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃ(ə)n] 构成，成分 ingredients list [ɪnˈɡriːdɪənt] 配料表，成分列表 packaging ['pækɪdʒɪŋ] 包装 assess [ə'ses] 评估，估算 fizzy drink ['fɪzi] 碳酸饮料，汽水 ready meal 方便食品，即食食品 dairy [ˈdeəri] 乳制品 dwarf [dwɔː(r)f] 相形见绌；使显得矮小 variation [ˌveərɪˈeɪʃ(ə)n] 变化，差异 pork sausage [ˈsɒsɪdʒ] 猪肉香肠 pesto sauce [ˈpestəʊ] [sɔːs] 香蒜酱 lasagne [lə'zænjə] 意式千层面；烤宽面条 scope [skəʊp] 余地，机会；范围，领域 recipe ['resəpi] 配方，食谱 🌟更多英语听力和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Why Do Perfectionists Never Feel Good Enough? There is a kind of person who seems – at first glance – to benefit from an admirable degree of self-motivation, thoroughness and drive. They are up at dawn, they rarely take holidays, they are always sneaking in an extra hour or two of work. Their bosses are highly impressed, they are constantly promoted, their grades have been excellent since primary school, they never miss an appointment or turn in a piece of work that is less than stellar. 有一种人，乍一看，似乎受益于令人钦佩的自我激励、彻底性和干劲。他们天一亮就起床，很少休假，总是偷偷加班一两个小时。他们的老板对他们印象深刻，他们不断得到晋升，他们从小学开始就成绩优异，他们从来不会错过约会，也不会提交一份不够出色的工作。 We like to say that such a person has high standards; we might even anoint them with the term 'perfectionist.' It might seem churlish to locate any problems here. Why complain about a somewhat overzealous devotion to perfection in a troubled and lackadaisical world? There could surely be nothing too awful about high exactitude? What could be so imperfect about perfectionism? 我们倾向于认为这样的人有很高的标准；我们甚至会给他们贴上“完美主义者”的标签。在这里找问题似乎有些粗鲁。在一个混乱和懒散的世界里，为什么要抱怨对完美的过分追求呢？高精确度肯定没什么可怕的吧？完美主义有什么不完美之处呢？ The concern is not so much with the work of the perfectionist (its recipients are in a very privileged position) as with the state of their soul. Perfectionism does not – tragically – spring first and foremost from any kind of love of perfection in and of itself. It has its origins in a far more regrettable feeling of never being good enough. It is rooted in self-hatred – sparked by memories of being disapproved of or neglected by those who should have more fairly esteemed us warmly in childhood. 我们关注的并不是完美主义者的工作本身（那些接受他们工作成果的人其实处于非常优越的位置），而是他们的灵魂状态。可悲的是，完美主义并不是首先源于对完美本身的热爱。它起源于一种更令人遗憾的“永远不够好”的感觉。它植根于自我厌恶——由童年时那些本应更公平、更热情地尊重我们的人对我们的不认可或忽视的记忆引发。 We become perfectionists from a primary sense of being unworthy; uninteresting, flawed, a disappointment, a letdown, a nuisance. So powerful is this sense, so appalling is it in its pressure on our psyches, we are prepared to do more or less anything to expunge it: working at all hours, currying favour with authority, doing twice as much as the next person – these are the tools with which we seek to cleanse our apparently shamefully undeserving selves. 我们成为完美主义者，从本质上是因为感到自己不值得；无趣、有缺陷、令人失望、令人沮丧、令人讨厌。这种感觉如此强烈，对我们的心理造成如此大的压力，我们愿意做几乎任何事情来消除它：不辞辛劳地工作，讨好权威，做比别人多一倍的工作——这些都是我们用来洗刷貌似可耻的、不值得的自我的工具。 One part of the mind promises the other that the completion of the next challenge will finally usher in peace. We can be very good at pretending that our ambitions are sane. But our work has a Sisyphean dimension. No sooner have we rolled our working boulder up the hill than it will tumble back down again. There is never going to be a point of rest or a lasting feeling of completion. We are – in truth – ill rather than driven. 大脑的一部分向另一部分承诺，完成下一个挑战最终会带来平静。我们非常擅长假装我们的抱负是合乎情理的。但我们的工作有一个西西弗斯的维度。我们刚把巨石滚上山，它又要滚下来了。永远不会有休息的时刻，也不会有持久的完成感。我们实际上是生病了，而不是被驱动。 We aren't interested in perfect work at all: we are trying to escape from a feeling of being awful people – and work simply happens to be the medium through which we are striving to grow tolerable in our own eyes. But because our problem didn't begin with work, nor can work ever prove the solution. Our real goal is not, as we think, to be an ideal employee or professional, it is to feel acceptable. But responsibility for a sense of acceptance cannot be handed over to our bosses or customers or a ceaselessly demanding capitalist system; these will never let us rest easy because it is in their nature, without any evil intent, always to demand more. We need to shift our sense of where our drive is coming from. We are not unnaturally interested in working perfectly, we are labouring under an unusually intense impression that we are dreadful people – a problem for which working harder cannot be the answer. We need to allow ourselves to imagine that we deserved to be accepted from the start and that it cannot forever be our fault in our minds that we are not. It is not up to us to try to prove that we have a right to exist. It is asking too much of ourselves to have to experience a referendum on our legitimacy every time we hand in a report, every exam we have to pass, every customer we have to serve. Working well is – naturally – an admirable goal. But it becomes a symptom of a mental perturbation when it becomes the cover for a secret aspiration to correct a deficit of early love. We should welcome an ability to tolerate periods of laziness, not because we are congenitally idle – but because it is a sign that we have learnt to speak more kindly to ourselves and to be appropriately angry with those who could not – at the outset – accept us for who we were without a surfeit of trophies and prizes. 🌟字数限制完整翻译，以及视频和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

How does singing improve your physical and mental health? Whether you love to belt out tunes at karaoke or just sing in the shower, it turns out that singing can be good for both physical and mental health. And you don't even have to be good at it! 无论你是喜欢在卡拉 OK 上高歌一曲，还是只是在洗澡时唱歌，事实证明，唱歌对身心健康都有好处。而且，你甚至不必擅长唱歌！ The physical and mental advantages of singing are caused by a combination of factors, according to Baishali Mukherjee from the World Federation of Music Therapy. He told BBC Future, "The physical exertion involved in singing – filling of our lungs, the firm control of our vocal cords, the movements of our mouth and body – is among the reasons why it can boost our mood." Hitting all the notes involves breathing control and the use of the diaphragm. This can lead to an increase of oxygen intake and lung capacity. 世界音乐疗法联合会的拜沙利·穆克吉认为，唱歌的身心益处是由多种因素共同造成的。他告诉BBC Future：“唱歌时的体力消耗，即肺部的充盈、声带的稳定控制、口腔和身体的运动，是唱歌能改善我们情绪的原因之一。唱准所有音符需要控制呼吸和使用横膈膜。这会引起氧气摄入量和肺活量的增加。 Also, apparently, singing in a group brings just as many benefits as singing solo. It has been estimated that over 2.2 million people in Britain now regularly sing in a choir. A choir can be amateur or professional and is made up of people who sing together, often in harmony with different people singing different parts, such as soprano or tenor, according to their vocal range. 此外，显然，在团体中唱歌与独唱一样，都能带来诸多好处。据估计，现在英国有超过220万人定期参加合唱团活动。合唱团可以是业余的，也可以是专业的，由一起唱歌的人组成，他们通常以不同的声部和谐地演唱，比如女高音或男高音，根据他们的音域来分配。” A 2022 University of Vienna study found that choral singing enhances feelings of trust and bonding among a group, which can help with depression and loneliness. And, aside from mood-boosting, other proven mental health benefits of singing include a lowering of stress and anxiety levels due to the release of endorphins – the so-called 'happy hormones'. 维也纳大学2022年的一项研究发现，合唱能增强群体间的信任感和凝聚力，有助于缓解抑郁和孤独。除了促进情绪，唱歌对心理健康的其他益处还包括通过释放内啡肽（即所谓的“快乐荷尔蒙”）来降低压力和焦虑水平。 So, whether you are a confident vocalist or not, give singing a go! You don't need an instrument because that's you. And yes, you might forget the lyrics or sound a little out of tune, but remember, there are a wealth of positives. 因此，无论你是否是一个自信的歌唱家，都可以试着唱一唱！你不需要乐器，因为你自己就是乐器。没错，你可能会忘记歌词或者听起来有点跑调，但请记住，这样做有很多好处。 词汇表 belt out tunes [tjuːn] 高歌一曲，引吭高歌 karaoke [ˌkæriˈəʊki] 卡拉OK physical exertion [ɪɡˈzɜː(r)ʃ(ə)n] 体力消耗 vocal cord [kɔː(r)d] 声带 boost our mood 改善情绪 hit all the notes 唱准所有的音符 diaphragm [ˈdaɪəfræm] 横膈膜 (位于肺和胃之间的肌肉，呼吸时起作用) oxygen intake [ˈɪnteɪk] 摄氧量，氧气的摄入量 lung capacity 肺活量 singing solo [ˈsəʊləʊ] 独唱 choir [ˈkwaɪə(r)] 合唱团，唱诗班 amateur [ˈæmətə(r)] 业余的，非职业的 in harmony 和声；和弦 soprano [səˈprɑːnəʊ] 女高音 tenor [ˈtenə(r)] 男高音 vocal range 音域 choral singing [ˈkɔːrəl] 合唱 bonding [ˈbɒndɪŋ] （人与人之间的）关系，联结，凝聚力 endorphin [enˈdɔː(r)fɪn] 内啡肽（内分泌激素，有镇痛作用） hormone [ˈhɔː(r)məʊn] 激素，荷尔蒙 vocalist [ˈvəʊkəlɪst] 歌唱家，歌手 out of tune [tjuːn] 走调的，跑调的 a wealth of 大量的，很多的 positive 积极面，正面，好处 🌟 更多英语听力和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

From the Sky News Centre at 1, The Prime Minister says he'll defend Labour's budget all day long. Sir Keir Starmer was speaking at the Welsh Labour Conference, where farmers protested outside over the changes to inheritance tax announced last month. Farming estates worth over a million pounds will be hit with a 20% levy. While he didn't address their issue directly in his speech, the PM did say the tough decisions are necessary. 英国首相表示他将全天捍卫工党的预算决策。基尔·斯塔默爵士在威尔士工党会议上发表讲话，与此同时，农民们在场外抗议上个月宣布的遗产税变动。价值超过一百万美元的农业地产将被征收20%的税款。尽管首相在讲话中没有直接回应他们的问题，但他确实表示，做出艰难的决定是必要的。 ...Protecting the payslips of working people, fixing the foundations of our economy, and investing in the future of Britain and the future of Wales, finally turning the page on austerity once and for all. ...保护劳动者的工资单，修复我们经济的基础，并投资于英国和威尔士的未来，最终彻底翻过紧缩政策这一页。 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says a call between the German Chancellor and Vladimir Putin opens Pandora's box. Olaf Scholz called on the Russian leader to withdraw troops from Ukraine. 乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基表示，德国总理与弗拉基米尔·普京之间的通话打开了潘多拉的盒子。奥拉夫·朔尔茨呼吁俄罗斯领导人从乌克兰撤军。 GPs have warned they're increasingly concerned about people self-medicating for ADHD, as a global shortage of things like Ritalin and other medications caused by manufacturing issues and an increase in demand. 全科医生警告说，他们越来越担心人们自行治疗注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD），由于制造问题和需求增加导致的全球利他林等药物短缺。 Ten newborn babies have been killed in a hospital fire in India. Sixteen others were also injured in the blaze at the neonatal unit in the Uttar Pradesh state. 在印度一家医院的火灾中，有十名新生儿死亡。在北方邦的新生儿单元发生的火灾中，还有十六人受伤。 Eighty percent of state school staff say more children are coming to lessons with poor personal hygiene in the last year. Dirty uniforms, unbrushed teeth and frequent head lice are all on the rise. Sarah Smith's the head teacher of a primary school in Blackburn where they've had to install a washing machine. 80%的公立学校工作人员表示，在过去一年中，越来越多的孩子带着不佳的个人卫生状况来上课。脏制服、未刷的牙和频繁的头虱的情况都在增加。萨拉·史密斯是布莱克本一所小学的校长，他们不得不在学校安装洗衣机。 I never thought that I would need a laundrette in our school and unfortunately that's just the nature of the state of affairs for our families. Families find it incredibly difficult to heat their houses, to provide food for their children and to wash clothes. 我从未想过我们会需要在学校里安装洗衣房，但不幸的是，这正是我们家庭所面临的现实。家庭发现很难为他们的房屋供暖，为孩子们提供食物和洗衣服。对许多家庭来说，为房子供暖、为孩子提供食物和洗衣都非常困难。 The government says tackling child poverty is one of its top priorities. 政府表示，解决儿童贫困问题是其首要任务之一。 And an instrument praised by Noel Gallagher as the best guitar in the world has sold for over £226,000 at an auction. It was used on the third Oasis album, Be Here Now, released in August 1997. That's the latest. 诺埃尔·加拉格尔称赞为世界上最好的吉他在拍卖中以超过22.6万英镑的价格售出。这把吉他曾在1997年8月发行的绿洲乐队第三张专辑《Be Here Now》中使用。这是最新的报道。 🔆更多英语听力见公众号【琐简英语】，回复“1”可加入【打卡交流群】

Burnout: Is Your Job Killing Your Happiness? Have you ever had a horrible boss, not been paid enough, or simply got tired of doing the same old boring job? --I love presenting Six Minute English – of course, but some of my previous jobs have been pretty awful, Neil. When I waitressed in cafes I was on my feet ten hours a day – it was exhausting! Most people have had bad work experiences at one time or another - maybe a job that was boring, badly paid, or just working too much and getting burned out – lacking energy or enthusiasm because of working too hard. --But does work have to be like this? Since most of our waking day is spent at work, how can we make sure our job doesn't make us unhappy? That's what we'll be discussing in this programme, and, as usual, will be learning some useful new vocabulary as well. Sounds good, Beth, but first I have a question for you. The worst job I ever had was the summer I spent working as a portable toilet cleaner at music festivals, but according to a recent survey by Forbes magazine, what was voted the worst job in the UK? Was it: a) a call centre worker? b) a bartender? or, c) a traffic warden? --I think the answer might be a call centre worker. --OK, Beth, I'll reveal the answer later in the programme. Now, it's interesting that survey was carried out in the UK, because being unhappy at work could be related to the British working culture which emphasizes working at a fast pace. Here's Damian Grimshaw, a Professor of Employment Studies at King's College, London, speaking with BBC Radio 4 programme, Analysis: Really it's all about pace, cost efficiencies, meeting targets, deadlines. So this is why when people do surveys of what we call 'work intensity' (so how hard you work, are you driven on pace? is there a supervisor breathing down your neck? ), we score really badly compared to European countries. Compared to some European countries, British workers have to meet more targets and deadlines - a time or date by which a particular job must be finished. The pressure to work quickly means you might have your boss breathing down your neck, an idiom meaning that someone is watching you very closely and checking everything you do. Not a nice feeling to have at work! That's right. A good job is about more than pay and conditions, it's one that uses your talents, and gives you some choice over how and when you work. In 2022, Britain's biggest employer, the National Health Service or NHS, lost more than 15,000 nurses, many quitting because of the long and inflexible working hours. Another sector with long working hours is the construction industry. Low paid, dirty and physically demanding, construction workers also risk high levels of work related injury. Here, Emma Stewart, co-founder of social business, TimeWise, tells BBC Radio 4 programme, Analysis, about her trial project to help builders enjoy their jobs more: In the work that we've done within the construction industry, we have trialled what we would call an 'output based' way of working, which means we shift away from this sense of presenteeism, this sense of: you are paid by the day, you are on site from seven in the morning until the last person leaves, maybe seven in the evening, to a 'task-based' way of working which means: you are going to do five tasks over the course of this day, when you've done those tasks, and you've done them well, you can go home, but we will still pay you the same amount for the day. They were able to deliver the projects that we worked on with them on time, on budget, but critically the feedback from workers was that work-life balance scores doubled, and they were able to reduce the amount of overtime that they did - it's a win-win. Emma describes the current working patterns using the word, presenteeism – staying at work longer than usual, or going to work when you're ill, to show that you work hard. But this isn't an effective way to work. Emma thinks a task-based approach is better, both at getting the job done, and for improving work-life balance - the amount of time you spend at work, compared with the amount of time you spend relaxing with your family, and doing things you enjoy. In other words, flexible working is a win-win – a situation that's good for everyone involved. Maybe more flexible working would help some of the jobs I mentioned earlier in my question, Beth - according to a recent Forbes magazine survey, what was voted the worst job in the UK? --I guessed it was a job I've done myself - working in a call centre. --And that was, the correct answer, although I think my summer job cleaning toilets was even worse! 🌟 字数限制，完整文本，翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

What if robots were in charge of the world? | BBC Ideas Here's a thought experiment. Could artificial intelligence govern us? Populism and disinformation are on the rise, and politics across the world seems to be dominated by emotions and strongman personalities. Leaders often seem to be more interested in short-term political gains, then the long-term needs of their electorate. But could machines do a better job? 这是一个思想实验。人工智能能统治我们吗？民粹主义和虚假信息正在上升，世界各地的政治似乎被情绪和铁腕人物所主导。领导人似乎往往对短期政治利益更感兴趣，而不是选民的长期需求。但是机器能做得更好吗？ Imagine a world where decisions are made based on impartial facts and data, where the decision makers are unconcerned by scandals, immune to corruption, and have no vested interest in maintaining their popularity. A world where climate change is a more pressing issue than the results of the latest focus group. And where global leaders don't risk instigating World War Three, by ranting on Twitter at 2 AM. Sounds too good to be true? 想象一个基于公正的事实和数据做出决策的世界，在那里，决策者不关心丑闻，不受腐败的影响，也没有既得利益来维持他们的声望。在这个世界里，气候变化是一个比最新焦点小组的结果更紧迫的问题。在那里，全球领导人不会冒着挑起第三次世界大战的风险，在凌晨两点在推特上咆哮。听起来是不是好得不近真实？ In fact, scientists believe there are no plausible circumstances in which machines would or could, replace governments entirely. While a machine might be able to make incredibly complex calculations, it would have no objective concept of right and wrong, no definitive way of deciding what's best. For example, it might be able to objectively analyse the financial cost of keeping someone alive through medical treatment, but it cannot quantify whether the human life is worth that cost. 事实上，科学家们认为，在任何情况下，机器都不会或不可能完全取代政府。虽然机器可能能够进行极其复杂的计算，但它没有客观的是非观念，没有决定什么是最好的明确方法。例如，机器也许能够客观地分析通过医疗手段维持生命的经济成本，但它无法量化人的生命是否值得付出这样的代价。 And while you could argue our current politicians may not be subject to enough accountability, it would be impossible to hold a machine accountable for its mistakes. After all, what do you do when a machine misbehaves? Tell its motherboard? It's not quite the Terminator, but perhaps the biggest risk in the medium term, is the use of lethal automated weapons. While there is currently human oversight, if drones were ever authorised to make life-or-death decisions, one mistake could trigger an automatic reaction and cause an accidental flash war. Which frankly sounds a tad more terrifying than Arnie stealing your clothes, boots and motorcycle. 虽然你可能会说我们当前的政治家可能没有受到足够的问责，但让一台机器为其错误负责是不可能的。毕竟，当机器出现问题时，你会怎么做？告诉它的主板吗？虽然这还算不上“终结者”，但从中期来看，最大的风险可能是使用致命的自动化武器。虽然目前有人类的监督，但如果无人机被授权做出生死攸关的决定，一个错误就可能触发自动反应，引发一场意外的闪电战。老实说，这听起来比阿尼偷走你的衣服、靴子和摩托车还要可怕。 As hard as it might be to believe, technology which surpasses human intelligence is decades if not centuries away. But even if it existed, scientists argue that it would be no more useful in government than the world's most intelligent human. Instead, it is far more likely that the use of artificial intelligence in government will continue on its current trajectory as an aid in decision-making, with humans having ultimate power. 尽管很难相信，但超越人类智慧的技术即使不是几个世纪，也要几十年后才会出现。但科学家们认为，即使这样的技术真的存在，它在政府中的作用也不会超过世界上最聪明的人类。相反，人工智能在政府中的应用更有可能沿着目前的轨迹发展下去，作为决策的辅助工具，而人类则拥有最终的权力。 AI is already being used to assist in deciding who gets grants or benefits, in healthcare and policing. But think of it like VAR, with a human being acting as the referee. Of course, as machines are programmed by humans and their conclusions used to support human decisions, they can be susceptible to human bias, and their findings can be used selectively. Machines learn from data, which is gathered from the world we live in, as opposed to the world we'd like to live in. 在医疗保健和警务领域，人工智能已被用于协助决定谁能获得补助金或福利。但可以把它想象成视频助理裁判，由人类担任裁判。当然，由于机器是由人类编程的，它们的结论用于支持人类的决策，因此可能容易受到人类偏见的影响，其结论也可能被选择性地使用。机器从数据中学习，而数据是从我们生活的世界中收集的，而不是我们希望生活的世界。 In places like the US, where African-Americans are often disproportionately and, in some cases, lethally targeted by the police, predictive policing could interpret existing data, to potentially perpetuate those discriminatory patterns. Sadly, it would seem that machine learning is no more equipped than human beings to make big ethical calls. AI would not be an infallible replacement for flawed human beings. How we use AI to govern, whether or not it is manipulated or how mistakes are made, are all down to human beings themselves. 在美国等地方，非裔美国人常常被警察不成比例地、有时甚至是致命地针对，预测性警务可能会解读现有数据，从而可能延续这些歧视性模式。遗憾的是，机器学习似乎并不比人类更有能力做出重大的道德决策。人工智能并不会成为有缺陷人类的完美替代品。我们如何使用人工智能来治理，它是否被操纵，或者如何出错，这些都取决于人类自己。 In short, AI is much more human than we ever realised, which is perhaps the scariest notion of all. 简而言之，人工智能比我们意识到的更像人类，这可能是最可怕的想法。 🌟 视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Fire Lily Rising from the Ashes BBC Earth｜Seasonal Worlds·The Green Planet As summer approaches, the need to flower becomes more urgent. And nowhere more so than here in South Africa. Here there are more different species of plant than anywhere else in the world. Nearly 9,000, many needing pollinators. They compete with one another for such help by flaunting extravagant shapes and vivid colours, all promising nectar as a sugary reward. 随着夏天的临近，开花的需求变得愈发迫切。尤其是在南非，这里的植物种类比世界上任何其他地方都要丰富。将近9000种植物中，许多都需要传粉者的帮助。它们通过招展华丽的外形和鲜艳的颜色来争夺这种帮助，并都承诺以花蜜作为甜蜜的回报。 But there is a plant here that avoids this crowded competition. And the rising temperatures of summer bring just what it needs. This is the first fire here for 15 years. Nearly all the plants are destroyed, incinerated. It might seem from the smoke and the still-smouldering embers that no plant could survive such an inferno. 但这里有一种植物避开了这种拥挤的竞争。夏天温度的上升给它带来了所需的一切。这是这里15年来的第一场火灾。几乎所有的植物都被摧毁了，被焚烧殆尽。从烟雾和闷燃的余烬中看，似乎没有植物能在这样一场大火中存活。 But just four days after the flames, rising from the ashes, a fire lily. It has been lying dormant underground for 15 years, but now, awakened by the smoke, it flowers. The blooms may be small and unshowy, but that's all they need to be. 但就在大火过后的第四天，一朵火百合在灰烬中重生。它已经在地下蛰伏了15年，但现在，被烟雾唤醒后，它开花了。这些花朵可能小而不起眼，但这正是它们所需要的。 In this charred landscape, pollinators, such as these sunbirds, can spot these little red beacons from great distances. They're the only source of nectar around. And the more visitors the flowers attract, the more likely they are to be pollinated. It's just in time. 在这片焦黑的景观上，传粉者，比如这些太阳鸟，可以从很远的地方发现这些小小的红色信号。它们是周围唯一的花蜜来源。花朵吸引的访客越多，它们被传粉的可能性就越大。一切都恰逢其时。 Within a few months, the whole landscape is alive once more. In fact, all these plants need fire to survive. And as competitors return, the fire lily fades. It now returns underground and will rest there as a bulb until another fire awakens it. 几个月后，整个地貌又恢复了生机。实际上，这些植物都需要火才能生存。随着竞争者归来，火焰百合逐渐凋谢。它现在回到了地下，化作一颗球茎继续蛰伏，直到另一场火将它唤醒。 词汇表 urgent [ˈɜːdʒənt] 紧迫的，迫切的 flaunt [flɔːnt] 炫耀，招展，卖弄 extravagant [ɪkˈstrævəɡənt] 华丽的；奢侈的；过分的，放肆的 nectar [ˈnektə(r)] 花蜜，甘露 sugary reward ['ʃʊɡəri] 甜蜜的回报 incinerate[ɪnˈsɪnəreɪt] 焚化，烧毁 smouldering embers [ˈsməuldəriŋ] [ˈembə(r)] 闷燃的余烬 inferno [ɪnˈfɜːnəʊ] 大火；地狱，阴间 rise from the ashes [æʃ] 在灰烬中重生，浴火重生；死灰复燃 fire lily ['lɪlɪ] 火百合（原产于南非，以其在火灾后产生鲜艳的红色花朵而闻名 ） dormant [ˈdɔːmənt] 蛰伏的，休眠的 awaken [əˈweɪkən] 唤醒，叫醒；使意识到 bloom [bluːm] 花；开花 unshowy [ʌnˈʃəʊi] 不显眼的，不艳丽的 charred [tʃɑː(r)d] 烧焦的，焦黑的 landscape [ˈlændskeɪp] 景象，地貌；风景 pollinator ['pɒlɪneɪtə] 传粉者，传粉昆虫 sunbird ['sʌnbә:d] 太阳鸟（外表习性似蜂鸟，喜欢停留在花上食蜜） beacon [ˈbiːkən] 信号，信号灯；烽火 pollinate [ˈpɔlɪneɪt] 授粉，传花粉给 fade [feɪd] 枯萎，凋谢；褪色，消失 bulb [bʌlb] （植物的）球茎；球茎状物；电灯泡 🌟 视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】