What foods accelerate ageing? We all know that eating a balanced, nutrition-rich diet is one of the best ways to support healthy ageing. While ageing is a natural and inevitable process, the foods we choose can either help us slow its effects or speed them up. Some foods protect our cells, while others can do real harm, accelerating the ageing process both inside and out. And the number one enemy for your skin is sugar. It raises blood sugar levels, which leads to a process called glycation. What is glycation? This happens when sugar molecules bind to proteins in your body. This creates compounds that build up over time and cause damage. According to nutrition experts, these glycation end products can make tissues stiffer, leading to chronic disease, cardiovascular issues and accelerated ageing. They're also responsible for increasing wrinkles and dulling your skin tone, leaving it looking yellowish and tired. Limiting fast-digesting sugars like those in sweets, pastries and white bread can help you avoid these effects and keep your skin healthier for longer. Are there other foods to avoid? Yes, and this time we're talking about a whole category of foods, processed fats. These include margarine, palm oil, fried food and deli meats, staples of many ultra-processed products. These fats are often cheaper and more readily used by manufacturers, but can wreak havoc on your health. The World Health Organization, WHO, warns that these fats can clog arteries, raising the risk of heart attacks and early death. Cutting down on processed fats is a smart move for both your overall health and your skin's longevity. What about salt? Salt is another one to watch out for. While it is an essential mineral, too much of it can dehydrate your cells, causing wrinkles and making your skin look fatigued. Reducing salt in your diet can help your skin retain its elasticity and vitality. And alcohol? Alcohol has a similar effect. Drinking more than two glasses a day can dehydrate and damage cells, both inside your body and in your skin. Over time, this can lead to premature signs of ageing, from dryness to fine lines. Is there any good news? Yes, many foods help fight ageing. These include red fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, leafy green vegetables such as cabbage and oily fish such as sardines. There you have it. 词汇表 nutrition-rich [njuˈtrɪʃn rɪtʃ] 营养丰富的 cell [sel] 细胞 blood sugar level 血糖水平 glycation [ɡlaɪˈkeɪʃn] 糖化，糖化作用（指糖分子与蛋白质等结合形成糖化产物的过程） sugar molecule [ˈmɒlɪkjuːl] 糖分子 bind to [baɪnd] 与…结合，绑定到 compound [ˈkɒmpaʊnd] 化合物 build up 积累，积聚，增进 stiff [stɪf] 僵硬的，不易弯曲的 cardiovascular [ˌkɑːdiəʊˈvæskjələ(r)] 心血管的 wrinkle [ˈrɪŋkl] 皱纹，褶皱 dull your skin tone [dʌl][təʊn] 使肤色暗沉，使肤色失去光泽 yellowish [ˈjeləʊɪʃ] 微黄色的，发黄的 pastry [ˈpeɪstri] 油酥糕点，点心 processed fats [prəˈsesft fæts] 加工脂肪 margarine [ˌmɑːdʒəˈriːn] 人造黄油，人造奶油 palm oil [pɑːm] 棕榈油 deli meat [ˈdeli] 熟食肉类（如火腿、香肠、熏肉等） staple [ˈsteɪpl] 主要成分，主要产品，主食 ultra-processed [ˌʌltrə prəˈsesft] 超加工的 wreak havoc [riːk ˈhævək] 造成严重破坏，肆虐 clog arteries [klɒɡ ˈɑːtəriz] 堵塞动脉 mineral [ˈmɪnərəl] 矿物质，矿物 dehydrate [diːˈhaɪdreɪt] 使脱水，使失去水分 retain [rɪˈteɪn] 保持，维持 elasticity [ˌiːlæˈstɪsəti] 弹性，弹力，灵活性 vitality [vaɪˈtæləti] 活力，生命力 premature [ˈpremətʃə(r); ˌpriːməˈtjʊə(r)] 过早的，提早的 fine line 细纹；微小的差别 raspberry [ˈrɑːzbəri] 树莓，覆盆子 blueberry [ˈbluːbəri] 蓝莓 leafy [ˈliːfi] 多叶的，叶子茂密的 oily fish [ˈɔɪli] 油性鱼类（富含Omega-3脂肪酸的鱼类） sardine [ˌsɑːˈdiːn] 沙丁鱼 🪴翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Our Need for Connection One of the cruellest aspects of mental illness is that it strips us of any ability to believe that other people might be suffering in the way we are. We aren't being wilfully egocentric or arrogant; we are condemned by our illness to a feeling that we are uniquely pitiful, uniquely unacceptable, uniquely awful. The central legacy of mental illness, and a major contributor to our suicidal impulses, is a feeling of exceptionalism. We start to run away from other people. Gatherings become impossible – for we grow preemptively terrified of the presumed invulnerability and judgmentalness of those we might meet. We can't possibly make small talk or concentrate on what someone else is saying, when our heads are filled with catastrophic scenarios and an intrusive voice is telling us that we should die. There seems no compact or acceptable way to share with old friends what we have been going through: they knew us as chatty and optimistic. What would they make of the tortured characters we have become? We start to assume that no one on Earth could possibly know – let alone accept – what it is like to be us. This is especially tragic because the central cure for mental illness is company. Our disease denies us access to precisely what we most need in order to get better. In 1891, the Swiss artist Ferdinand Hodler exhibited "The Disappointed Souls". Five figures are pictured in varied states of dejection. We don't know quite what has gone wrong in their lives, but Hodler's talent invites us to imagine possibilities: a marriage here, a social disgrace there, a depression, a feeling of overwhelming anxiety… However awful the individual stories might be, the true horror of the painting emerges from the way each crisis is unfolding in complete isolation from its neighbours. The disconsolate figures are only millimetres away from one another, but they might as well be in other countries. No fellowship seems possible in this insular hell. Sadness has wrapped each sufferer up in a pitiless sense of their own singularity. Hodler wasn't painting any one scene, he intended his work as an allegory of modern society as a whole, with its absence of community, its lonely cities and its alienating technologies. But in this very depiction lies the possibility of redemption. We will start to heal when we realise that we are in fact always extremely close to someone who is as wretched as we are. We should hence be able to reach out to a similarly broken neighbour and lament in unison. We should learn to come together for a very particular kind of social occasion whose whole focus would be an exchange of notes on the misery and lacerations of existence. In an ideal gathering of the unwell, in a comfortable safe room, we would take it in turns to reveal to one another the torments in our minds. Each of us would detail the latest challenges. We'd hear of how others were going through sleepless nights, were unable to eat, were too terrified to go outside, were hearing voices and had to fight against constant impulses to kill themselves. The material would be dark – no doubt, but to hear it would be a balm for our stricken lonely souls. Ideally, we would keep meeting the same people, week after week – so that our lives would grow entwined with theirs and we could exchange mutual support as we travelled through the valleys of sickness. We would know who was in particular difficulty, who needed tenderness and who might benefit from an ordinary-sounding chat about the garden or the weather. It isn't possible that we are as alone as we currently feel. There are fellow creatures among the seven billion of our species. They are there – but we have lost all confidence in our right to find them. We should dare to believe that a fellow disappointed soul is right now sitting next to us on the bench, waiting for us to make a sign. 🏫字数限制，词汇表、翻译，视频和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

What happens when your job is just too boring? We all know that having too much work and too much stress can lead to burnout, but did you know that the opposite can also be a problem? Have you ever felt that your job was too easy and that everything was just a bit too boring? If so, you might be suffering from rust out. Rust out happens when there isn't enough challenge to motivate you to keep going in your job. Without some challenge, it can be hard to feel growth in your role. If a job has lots of repetitive and monotonous tasks, it can make it hard to see the purpose of a role. Having a lower level of responsibility at work than before can also make it harder to feel fulfilled in a job. This can affect people who have taken time out from their career for family or personal reasons. If you think that you might be suffering from rust out, then there are a number of signs to watch out for. You might dread finding your schedule each week and not seeing anything stimulating on it. It might be that you often find yourself clock-watching at work, willing the time to pass. Focus and motivation can drop, leading you to get less done than you had before, or to make more mistakes. You may start to feel apathetic and disengaged towards your job. These feelings can lead to anxiety and depression which can then spread from work into people's personal lives. Finding yourself suffering from rust out can sometimes be an opportunity. Some experts suggest that self-awareness is key. By taking some time to realise what you are really looking for in work and life, you can take steps to re-discover your motivation. Setting yourself goals and allowing yourself to try new things can help you find a new purpose. Considering what you really need for a job can also lead you to find a new one that's better suited to your goals in life. 词汇表 burnout [ˈbɜːnaʊt] 职业倦怠（因长期工作压力过大导致的身心疲惫状态） rust out [rʌst aʊt] 职业钝化（因工作缺乏挑战性、过于单调而导致的工作热情减退状态） repetitive [rɪˈpetətɪv] 重复的，反复的 monotonous [məˈnɒtənəs] 单调乏味的，一成不变的 take time out 暂别，抽出时间 watch out for 留意，提防，当心 dread [dred] 害怕，畏惧，担心 stimulating [ˈstɪmjuleɪtɪŋ] 激励人的，振奋人心的，激发热情的 clock-watch [klɒk wɒtʃ] （尤指盼着下班）不停地看表，紧盯时间 motivation [ˌməʊtɪˈveɪʃn] 积极性，动力，动机 apathetic [ˌæpəˈθetɪk] 冷漠的，无动于衷的，漠不关心的 disengaged [ˌdɪsɪnˈɡeɪdʒd] 疏离的，脱离的，不投入的 self-awareness [ˌself əˈweənəs] 自我觉察，自我意识，自我认知 re-discover [ˌriːdɪˈskʌvə(r)] 重新发现，再次找到 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Battle with the King of Storms: Super Typhoon Ragasa Host: With wind gusts of 200 kilometers per hour and torrential rain, Ragasa has been called the worst storm of the year. And it's now approaching our correspondent Laura Bicker, who's in Zhuhai on the Chinese coast. Laura Bicker: There have been mass evacuations. Around 400,000 people have been evacuated right across this densely populated province. This is a province where most of the things that are made in China come from huge factories. And in Shenzhen, that's a major technology hub. So that's one of the other concerns. The rainfall is another concern. We're expecting here around a month's worth of rain in just a few days, and it's falling on already saturated ground after previous storms in the last month. Red alerts have been issued in mountain regions for landslips, and people are being urged to stay inside if possible. We're seeing a lot of people heeding that advice. For those who are not, I'm watching right now the police patrolling the streets with their sirens and megaphones, telling people to stay inside. We are actually just in the lobby of a hotel, so we're not really outside, we're just in the lobby of the hotel, but still you can feel those gusts of winds and see the huge swathes of rain that are battering this coastline. Host: Absolutely, it sounds like you're really in the thick of it despite being indoors, as you say. Now, the region is used to storms, but does it feel like they're getting worse? Laura Bicker: Well, I think that's one of the concerns of China's weather experts. They're monitoring all of this carefully, and they have said in recent years that the typhoons are increasing in intensity. This one they're describing as the king of storms. I think what's also really evident since I've been here in the last two days is China's preparedness for these kind of events. They really take it very seriously. Local neighbourhood watches go around telling restaurants to close for the day, making sure that families have somewhere to go. Every building that's above 10 floors everyone's evacuated, low-lying areas are evacuated. It's all very smooth, very organized, so they are very used to this. And perhaps now that, certainly, when you see your climate warnings from China's meteorological administration, this is something that they may have to get used to more of in the future. Host: Laura Bicker reporting. 词汇表 Super Typhoon Ragasa [taɪˈfuːn rəˈɡɑːsə] 超强台风“桦加沙” wind gusts / gusts of winds [ɡʌsts] 阵风，狂风（短时间内突然变强的风） torrential rain [təˈrenʃl] 倾盆大雨，暴雨 mass evacuations [mæs ɪˌvækjuˈeɪʃnz] 大规模疏散 evacuate [ɪˈvækjueɪt] （从危险的地方）疏散，撤离，转移 densely populated [ˈdensli ˈpɒpjuleɪtɪd] 人口稠密的，人口密集的 technology hub [hʌb] 技术中心 saturated ground [ˈsætʃəreɪtɪd] 浸透的土地，饱和的土壤 red alerts [əˈlɜːts] 红色警报（最高级别警报） landslip [ˈlændslɪp] 山体滑坡，塌方 urge [ɜːdʒ] 敦促，力劝 heed the advice [hiːd] 听从建议 patrol [pəˈtrəʊl] 巡逻，巡查 siren [ˈsaɪrən] 警笛，警报器 megaphone [ˈmeɡəfəʊn] 扩音器，喇叭 lobby [ˈlɒbi] （酒店、办公楼等的）大堂，大厅 swathes of rain [sweɪðz] 大片的雨水，雨幕连绵 batter [ˈbætə(r)] 猛烈冲击，连续猛打，肆虐 coastline [ˈkəʊstlaɪn] 海岸线 in the thick of 处于…的核心地带，深陷于（形容身处事件最激烈、最关键的场景中） monitor [ˈmɒnɪtə(r)] 监测，监控，密切注视 intensity [ɪnˈtensəti] 强度；强烈，剧烈 neighbourhood watch 社区巡逻队，邻里守望组织 low-lying areas [ləʊ ˈlaɪɪŋ ˈeəriəz] 低洼地区，地势较低的地区 meteorological administration [ˌmiːtiərəˈlɒdʒɪkl ədˌmɪnɪˈstreɪʃn] 气象局 🌟翻译，pdf及更多文本内容见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可加入【打卡交流群】

Do our tastes change as we get older? Think back to when you were a kid and there was a type of vegetable you simply wouldn't go near let alone eat. It might have been broccoli, brussel sprouts or spinach for example. Or perhaps another type of food like seafood, which now as an adult you actually quite like. Or can tolerate at least. It's not a coincidence. There are scientific explanations for why our taste preferences evolve with time. What tastes do children actually like most then? Sweet and salty in particular. And it's possible that this is due to evolution. In concrete terms, human history has led us to be wary of bitter tastes and to seek out sweet tastes instead. That's because sugary foods are seen as attractive for their energy content, whereas bitterness is linked to substances found in toxic products. Hence the negative association and our inclination to avoid it at an early age. Another explanation is that children live in different sensory worlds. To use the words of biopsychologist Julia Minella, as quoted by Discover magazine in March 2022, a lot of researchers think that children have a hypersensitive sense of taste. No doubt the fact that young children start out with 10,000 taste buds has something to do with it. A number which halves by the time we reach adulthood. Does this hypersensitivity decrease with age then? Indeed it does, and that process starts as early as in our teenage years. Our sensitivity to bitterness diminishes, we have less of a preference for sweet and salty foods, and our tastes become more complex as our senses of taste and smell evolve. Our brain starts perceiving flavors differently as we develop our taste experiences. Taste buds die and regenerate approximately every 10 days, but as we age they don't regenerate at the same rate. That's why you see a gradual loss of appetite and food enjoyment in older people. Do other factors play a role in changing our food preferences? In general, our sense of smell gets less sensitive with age, which alters our perception of flavours. Taking certain medication, like those for high blood pressure for example, can also alter our taste. And as you've no doubt heard in recent years, certain viruses like COVID-19 can affect our senses of smell and taste. Think back to our episode on anosmia, which refers to a loss of smell. The equivalent term for a loss of taste is agusia. Finally, dysgusia is a taste disorder characterized by a bitter or metallic taste in the mouth. It can change a person's sense of taste to the extent that they suddenly stop liking a type of food they used to love. There you have it. 词汇表 broccoli [ˈbrɒkəli] 西兰花，花椰菜 brussel sprouts [ˈbrʌsl spaʊts] 抱子甘蓝，球芽甘蓝 spinach [ˈspɪnɪdʒ] 菠菜 seafood [ˈsiːfuːd] 海鲜，海产食品 taste preferences [ˈprefrənsɪz] 口味偏好 in concrete terms [ˈkɒŋkriːt] 具体来说，具体而言 be wary of [ˈweəri] 对…保持警惕，提防 sugary food [ˈʃʊɡəri] 含糖食物，甜食 bitterness [ˈbɪtənəs] 苦味，苦涩感 negative association [əˌsəʊsiˈeɪʃn] 负面联想，负相联 inclination [ˌɪnklɪˈneɪʃn] 倾向，偏好，意愿 sensory world [ˈsensəri] 感官世界（指与我们的感觉器官相关的现象和体验） biopsychologist [ˌbaɪəʊsaɪˈkɒlədʒɪst] 生物心理学家 hypersensitive [ˌhaɪpəˈsensətɪv] 高灵敏度的，非常敏感的 taste bud [bʌd] 味蕾 hypersensitivity [ˌhaɪpəˌsensəˈtɪvəti] 高灵敏度，超敏反应 sensitivity [ˌsensəˈtɪvəti] 灵敏度，敏感性 diminish [dɪˈmɪnɪʃ] 减少，降低，逐渐消失 regenerate [rɪˈdʒenəreɪt] 再生，重新生长 loss of appetite [ˈæpɪtaɪt] 食欲不振，食欲减退 sensitive [ˈsensətɪv] 敏感的，灵敏的 perception of flavour [pəˈsepʃn][ˈfleɪvə] 味觉感知，风味感知 equivalent [ɪˈkwɪvələnt] 等同物，对应物 anosmia (loss of smell) [əˈnɒzmiə] 嗅觉丧失 ageusia (loss of taste) [əˈɡjuːziə] 味觉丧失 dysgusia (taste disorder) [dɪsˈɡjuːziə] 味觉障碍（指口中出现异常味觉，常伴有食欲减退） metallic [məˈtælɪk] 金属的，含金属的 🪴翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Would you like a robot companion? Neil Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. Beth And I'm Beth. Neil One area of technology which has been in the news a lot recently is robotics – the design and building of robots. Humanoid robots, meaning robots which appear and behave like humans, are being built to help us do everything from washing the dishes to babysitting the kids. Beth But not everyone feels comfortable with the idea of inviting a human-like robot into their home. Neil, how would you feel about living with a robot? Neil I really don't want to live with a robot. I have enough people in my house. Beth With advances in AI, robots are becoming smart enough to develop meaningful relationships with humans. There are reports of people telling their secrets to robot therapists and even falling in love with their robot friend! In this episode, we'll meet a home companion robot called Abi, who's making friends with the elderly residents of Melbourne in Australia. Neil First, I have a question for you, Beth. Because it's important people feel safe around robots, engineers design them to look like the friendly characters seen in animated movies by studios like Pixar and DreamWorks. So, what is the name of Pixar's friendly robot who picks up garbage on an uninhabited planet Earth in the year 2805? Is it: a) Roz, b) Wall-E, or c) R2D2? Beth I am pretty certain that the answer is b) Wall-E. Neil Well, we'll find out the answer later in the programme. For five months during the Covid pandemic, Australian engineer Grace Brown had no human contact. She used this time to build a home companion robot, Abi, with the idea it would provide companionship to other people suffering loneliness. Now, Grace runs her own company, Andromeda, building robots specially designed as company for elderly residents in care homes who don't get many visitors. Here, she explains more about Abi to BBC World Service programme The Conversation: Grace Brown Abi, who's the humanoid robot that we build at Andromeda – people don't expect humanoid robots to have, like, so much personality. She's very, very sassy. She's very inquisitive and curious. And I think when people meet her, they're always, kind of, taken aback by… "Oh, she's, like, got a mind of her own." Beth When people meet Abi, they are surprised by her sassy personality. The adjective sassy means bold, confident and cheeky. Neil Some people are taken aback – meaning they are shocked or surprised by the things Abi says. She really seems to be interested and to take care of the people she meets. Abi can also express opinions, and Grace says she has a mind of her own – a phrase used when a non-living object, like a robot, seems to be behaving or acting independently of human control. Beth Unlike the unpredictable and violent robots which are sometimes portrayed in sci-fi movies, Abi is much more approachable and friendly, even funny – she can blow bubbles from her hand! Her softer design was a conscious decision by Grace, who wanted children and elderly people to interact with Abi naturally and without fear, as she explained to BBC World Service's, The Conversation. Grace Brown I originally modelled her off the size of, like, a young child – so, like a six, seven-year-old child – so she's about 110cm tall. She's got a whole splash of different colours. She's got, you know, large, expressive eyes. So, that was – I was very much trying to replicate the kind of approachableness and the endearingness of, like, these different, like, Pixar characters that you'd watch in all of these films. Neil Abi looks like a friendly character from a Pixar film. She's the size of a six or seven-year-old child and decorated with a splash of colour – a phrase used when a bit of colour is added to brighten up something which is dull or unexciting. Beth Abi also has large, expressive eyes. If you describe something as expressive, you mean it shows what someone thinks or feels. Neil Elderly residents who regularly chat with Abi say the robot companion brings them joy and a sense of community. Beth Ah, well, it's good to hear the positive side of a technology which can still seem a bit strange or frightening. And I would like to see Abi blowing bubbles from her hand! Now, isn't it time you revealed the answer to your question, Neil? Neil I asked you for the name of Pixar's friendly robot, who picks up garbage on an uninhabited planet Earth in the year 2805. Beth And I said it was Wall-E. Neil And you were… correct. Beth Yes! Neil That is the right answer. OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learned, starting with humanoid – an adjective meaning to have the appearance and behaviour of a human. Beth Someone who is sassy is bold, confident and cheeky. Neil If you are taken aback by something, you are shocked or surprised by it. 📝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】

What your desk says about you Are you the kind of person whose desk is alwa­­ys spick and span? Or is it a bit of a mess? How you organise your working space can say a lot about you. In fact, environmental psychologist Lily Bernheimer developed five distinct "desk personality types" in a study commissioned by UK co-working firm Headspace Group. Which of them best reflects you? First up: are you "the clutterer"? Clutter means mess – and Bernheimer says a clutterer's desk is likely to be colourful, chaotic and covered in trinkets. These people are usually more extroverted and welcoming, and love being at the "crossroads" of the office. The hitch is that they're often too busy to tidy up after themselves! Or perhaps you're "the minimalist"? A polar opposite to the clutterer, the minimalist has nothing unneccessary on his or her desk. These workers are often highly conscientious and disciplined, if a little cautious. But Bernheimer says this does not necessarily mean they're introverts – they just love structure. Type three is "the expander". Personal space is very important to them, and it creeps ever outwards, even if this is not a consciously aggressive act. Bernheimer says: "They may try to claim more and more territory for themselves by moving their coffee cup and their sandwich out further and further." "The personaliser" is our fourth type, and it's quite self-explanatory. These people customise their space with photos, mementos and personal objects. "A simple, stylish or unusual workspace tells people that you're high in the trait called 'openness', which means you're likely to be high in creativity, intellectuality and openness to new experience," says Bernheimer. And finally, there's "the surveyor". These people feel insecure in the middle of the office, and seek out the quieter corners. From an evolutionary perspective, looking for well-protected spots from which to keep an eye out for potential threats makes sense. Surveyors are often introverted, but also highly productive and creative, if given the space and support they need. Whichever type you are, making personal statements through presentation is deep in our nature, says Sam Gosling, professor of psychology at the University of Texas: "One of the reasons physical spaces, including one's office desks, can be so revealing is that they're essentially the crystallisation of a lot of behaviour over time." 词汇表 spick and span [ˌspɪk ən ˈspæn] 整洁如新的，一尘不染的 mess [mes] 杂乱，凌乱，混乱 commission [kə'mɪʃ(ə)n] 委托，委任，安排做 the clutterer [ˈklʌtərə(r)] 杂乱者（指办公桌面杂乱无章的人） clutter [ˈklʌtə(r)] 杂乱的东西，凌乱的环境 chaotic [keɪˈɒtɪk] 混乱的，无秩序的 trinket [ˈtrɪŋkɪt] 小装饰品，小玩意儿 extroverted [ˈekstrəvɜːtɪd] 性格外向的，外向型的 welcoming [ˈwelkəmɪŋ] 热情友好的，好客的 crossroad [ˈkrɒsrəʊd] 十字路口，交叉路（文中指办公室里人员往来频繁的区域） hitch [hɪtʃ] 小问题，故障，障碍 tidy up after oneself [ˈtaɪdi] 自己收拾干净，自己整理好 the minimalist [ˈmɪnɪməlɪst] 极简者（指办公桌面奉行极简风格的人） polar opposite [ˈpəʊlə ˈɒpəzɪt] 截然相反的情况，对立面 conscientious [ˌkɒnʃiˈenʃəs] 认真负责的，尽责的，一丝不苟的 disciplined [ˈdɪsəplɪnd] 守规矩的，遵守纪律的 introvert [ˈɪntrəvɜːt] 性格内向者；内向的 the expander [ɪkˈspændə(r)] 扩张者（指倾向于扩大办公桌空间的人） creep outwards [kriːp ˈaʊtwədz] 向外蔓延，向外扩展 aggressive [əˈɡresɪv] 有攻击性的，侵略性的 claim territory [kleɪm ˈterətri] 占据领地，抢占空间 the personaliser [ˈpɜːsənəlaɪzə(r)] 个性化者（将办公空间进行个性化装饰的人） self-explanatory [ˌself ɪkˈsplænətri] 不言自明的，一目了然的 customise [ˈkʌstəmaɪz] 定制，改造，使个性化 memento [məˈmentəʊ] 纪念品，纪念物 stylish [ˈstaɪlɪʃ] 时髦的，时尚的；有格调的 trait [treɪt] （个人的）特征，特质 openness [ˈəʊpənnəs] 开放性；坦诚，坦率 intellectuality [ˌɪntəlektʃuˈæləti] 求知欲，智力；知性 the surveyor [ðə səˈveɪə(r)] 观察者（在办公环境中选择安静角落的人） evolutionary [ˌiːvəˈluːʃənri] 进化的；演变的，逐步发展的 well-protected spot 安全的地方，受保护的地点 keep an eye out for 留意，警惕，密切注意 revealing [rɪˈviːlɪŋ] 揭示的，有启示性的，暴露真相的 crystallisation [ˌkrɪstəlaɪˈzeɪʃn] 结晶，缩影，成形 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

What's behind your anxious mind? One of the most difficult features of anxiety is that it tends to be all-consuming. It squats in the middle of our minds and refuses to let anything else in or through. Though the anxiety causes us great pain, it denies any attempts to be questioned, analysed, probed or reconfigured. We are both terrified and unable to think beyond our terror. Our thoughts become low, relentless, repetitive, stymied things: returning again and again to the issue of whether the door is locked, the accounts were signed off or the social media account is not under attack. Anxiety dominates over and excludes any other form of mental activity; all that's in our minds is terror. But there is one nimble way to try to outwit anxiety – and that is with a question that recognises a fundamental feature of anxiety: that it is frequently a smokescreen for something else, something beyond what we consciously think is worrying us. One of the peculiar facets of our minds is that we may choose to feel anxious rather than to confront things that may yet be more painful or emotionally awkward in our lives. It can be easier to fret than to know ourselves properly. So, for example, we might feel anxious about whether we're going to get to the airport on time as an escape from the greater challenge of wondering whether this holiday is even worth it. Or we might get intensely anxious about a financial issue in order to avoid a yet trickier acknowledgement of our confusion at the course of our emotional lives. Or we may develop a sexual anxiety as an alternative to thinking about our sense of self-worth and the childhood that destroyed it. Panic may be invited to shield us from more profound sources of self-aware agony. And yet, of course, we are always better off getting to the root cause of our troubles, rather than filling our minds with diversionary panic – and in order to do so, we would be wise at points to ask ourselves a simple but possibly highly revealing question: 'If your mind wasn't currently filled with these particular anxious thoughts, what might you have to think about right now?' The question, as simple in structure as it is acute in design, is liable to unlock a moment of original insight. One answer might go like this: – I might realise how sad and lonely I am… – I might realise how angry I feel towards my partner… – I might realise how abandoned I feel… And that, of course, is precisely what we should be doing now. Filling our minds with, and processing, all the stuff that our anxiety is normally trying to keep at bay. If we need to suffer, and often we will, the least we can do is to ensure that we are suffering for the right reasons. At points, we should trade our anxiety in for something far more important: a confrontation with the real ambivalence and complexity of our lives. 词汇表 all-consuming [ˌɔːl kənˈsjuːmɪŋ] 占据全部心神的，耗费精力的 squat [skwɒt] 盘踞，蹲伏 probe [prəʊb] 探究，调查 reconfigure [ˌriːkənˈfɪɡə(r)] 重构，重新配置 terrified [ˈterɪfaɪd] 恐惧的，极度害怕的 terror [ˈterə(r)] 恐惧，惊恐 relentless [rɪˈlentləs] 顽固的，持续不断的，无情的 stymied [ˈstaɪmid] 受阻的，停滞不前的 sign off 签字确认，批准 dominate over [ˈdɒmɪneɪt] 占据上风，支配 nimble [ˈnɪmbl] 巧妙的，灵活的，机智的 outwit [ˌaʊtˈwɪt] 智胜，以机智胜过 smokescreen [ˈsməʊkskriːn] 烟雾弹，掩饰手段 peculiar facet [pɪˈkjuːliə(r) ˈfæset] 奇特之处，独特的方面 awkward [ˈɔːkwəd] 难处理的，棘手的 fret [fret] 焦虑，苦恼，发愁 intensely [ɪnˈtensli] 极度地，强烈地 self-worth [ˌself ˈwɜːθ] 自我价值感，自尊 shield [ʃiːld] 保护，防御，躲避 self-aware agony [ˌself əˈweə(r) ˈæɡəni] 自我认知的痛苦，自觉的痛苦 better off 状况更好，处境更好 diversionary panic [daɪˈvɜːʃənəri ˈpænɪk] 转移注意力的恐慌 revealing [rɪˈviːlɪŋ] 启发性的，揭示性的 acute [əˈkjuːt] 精妙的，敏锐的 be liable to [ˈlaɪəbl] 往往会，倾向于，有可能 unlock [ʌnˈlɒk] 激发，发掘，释放 original insight [ˈɪnsaɪt] 独到的见解 abandoned [əˈbændənd] （感到）被遗弃的，被抛弃的 keep at bay [beɪ] 阻挡，牵制，使无法靠近 confrontation [ˌkɒnfrʌnˈteɪʃn] 直面，对抗，对峙 ambivalence [æmˈbɪvələns] 矛盾心理，举棋不定 complexity [kəmˈpleksəti] 复杂性，复杂事物 🏫翻译，视频和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

How to develop superhuman charm Life isn't fair. Some people just seem blessed with the ability to effortlessly charm anyone they meet. You know the kind of person, the one who can strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and end up with a new friend or business lead. How do they do it? Well, it might seem like a magical power, but in fact there are a number of factors at work. So, can you learn to develop superhuman charm? The answer is: to a large extent, yes you can. But first, the bad news. Scientists have found that people initially judge each other based purely on physical appearance. With just a fleeting glimpse of a face, people make snap judgements about each other's likeability, trustworthiness and confidence, according to Alexander Todorov, professor of psychology at Princeton University. How to counteract this? There's one incredibly simple tool: your smile. Todorov told the BBC that people perceive a smiling face as "more trustworthy, warmer and sociable". It sounds like common sense, doesn't it? Smile and others will smile with you. What other tricks might we have up our sleeves? Former FBI agent Jack Schafer has been trained in how to influence people. He told BBC Capital: "Our brains are always surveying the environment for friend or foe signals." Three things we can do to signal that we are not a threat are to: raise our eyebrows quickly, tilt our heads slightly, and, once again, to smile. So we've looked at body language, but of course what you say is hugely important too, unless you want to just stand there grinning foolishly. Here, Schafer recommends that "the golden rule of friendship is if you make people feel good about themselves, they're going to like you." In other words, you need to show interest in them, instead of talking about yourself and all your wonderful achievements. And while you're chatting, remember this: another way of showing interest is to mirror their physical position. Another way to form a connection? Find common ground. Suzanne de Janasz, a professor of management with Seattle University, says that charming people are particularly adept at seeking out shared interests or experiences to help them build rapport. Simple things like asking where someone's from really can open up a discussion and allow you to find areas in common. And if all else fails, you can fall back on that most British of topics: the weather. Glorious day, isn't it? 词汇表 be blessed with [ˈblesɪd] 有幸拥有，被赋予（某种优势或品质） effortlessly [ˈefətləsli] 毫不费力地，轻易地 charm [tʃɑːm] 迷住，使着迷，魅力 strike up a conversation [straɪk] 搭话，开始交谈 business lead 商业机会，潜在客户 at work 在起作用，在运转 superhuman charm [ˌsuːpəˈhjuːmən tʃɑːm] 超凡的魅力，非凡的吸引力 to a large extent [ɪkˈstens] 在很大程度上 purely [ˈpjʊəli] 纯粹地，完全地 a fleeting glimpse [ˈfliːtɪŋ ɡlɪmps] 匆匆一瞥，短暂的窥见 snap judgement [snæp] 快速、草率、仓促的判断 likeability [ˌlaɪkəˈbɪləti] 亲和力，好感度，讨人喜欢 trustworthiness [ˈtrʌstwɜːðinəs] 可信度，可靠性 counteract [ˌkaʊntəˈrækt] 抵消，中和，对抗（不良影响） trustworthy [ˈtrʌstˌwɜːði] 值得信任的，可靠的 sociable [ˈsəʊʃəbl] 善于社交的，合群的，友善的 common sense 常识，常理 have something up one's sleeve [sliːv] 留有一招，暗藏妙计 FBI agent [ˈeɪdʒənt] 联邦调查局特工 foe [fəʊ] 敌人，仇敌 raise our eyebrows [ˈaɪbraʊz] 扬起眉毛 tilt our heads [tɪlt] 倾斜头部，侧着头，歪着头 grin foolishly [ɡrɪn ˈfuːlɪʃli] 咧嘴傻笑 golden rule [ˈɡəʊldən ruːl] 黄金法则，重要原则 mirror [ˈmɪrə(r)] 模仿，效仿（身体姿势） common ground 共同点，共识 be adept at [əˈdept] 擅长，精通 rapport [ræˈpɔː(r)] 融洽关系，和谐氛围 fall back on 退而求其次，转而依靠，求助于 glorious day [ˈɡlɔːriəs] 美好的一天，晴朗的一天 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

How can I stop being a people pleaser? Did you get roped into taking care of your neighbor's dog again? End up laughing at a colleague's awkward joke about your outfit? Or say yes to a last-minute task that your boss dropped on you out of nowhere? Your instinct may have been screaming no, but as usual you found yourself chuckling uncomfortably and reluctantly saying yes through clenched teeth. This compulsion to avoid disappointing others is known as people-pleasing. For some, the joy derived from pleasing others can end up being a real problem, posing a threat to both physical and mental well-being. So how can I break free then? First and foremost, you need to learn to say no. Our desperate need to please often stems from an underlying fear of rejection or the anxiety of not being liked. In some people, this traces back to childhood, where associating the risk of displeasing someone with danger led them to develop the defense mechanism of always saying yes. Now there's no need to make someone else feel guilty, but it's crucial that you set boundaries, and that can start with declining minor requests as frequently as possible. Mastering the art of saying no is a gradual process, and repetition is key for it to become ingrained over time. It's also about acknowledging that you can't be everyone's cup of tea, just as not everyone is yours. Are you saying I literally can't please everyone then? Exactly. That brings me on to my second point. You need to grasp the differences in perspectives that individuals have. Qualities like candidness, which might endear you to some, can be seen completely differently by others. It's all about personalities, and you simply can't contort yourself to fit everyone's mold. Not only is that exhausting, but the end result isn't positive either. You need to accept not being able to control the personalities or preferences of those around you. Do you have any final tips? Certainly. Try not to see everything in black and white. In November 2017, The Cut ran an article entitled How to Get Over the Need to be Liked by Everyone You Meet. One of its key pieces of advice was that recognising your own skewed perception of the world is the first step towards correcting it. Let's delve a little deeper into that idea. Our brains often trick us into thinking that others don't like us, triggering a desire to alter our behavior to gain their approval. This tendency is particularly pronounced in people who are prone to social anxiety. Some of us are highly sensitive to the feeling of rejection, and those people tend to perceive malice everywhere. They may well think that they're being excluded in certain scenarios when it's not really the case at all. At the end of the day, try to remember that what matters most is how you perceive yourself. There you have it. 词汇表 people pleaser [ˈpliːzə(r)] 讨好者，讨好型人格，取悦他人的人 people-pleasing [ˈpiːpl ˈpliːzɪŋ] 讨好他人，取悦他人，迎合他人 get roped into [rəʊpt] 被卷入，被拉入，被迫参与 outfit [ˈaʊtfɪt] 穿搭，套装，装备 last-minute 最后一刻的，临时的 drop on（任务等）突然交给，突然安排给 out of nowhere 突然出现，毫无预兆 chuckle ['tʃʌk(ə)l] 轻笑，咯咯笑 reluctantly [rɪˈlʌktəntli] 不情愿地，勉强地 through clenched teeth [klent ˈtiːθ] 咬牙切齿地 compulsion [kəmˈpʌlʃn] 强迫行为，强烈冲动 derive from [dɪˈraɪv] 源自，来自 pose a threat to 对…构成威胁 break free 摆脱，挣脱 stem from [stem] 起源于，源于 rejection [rɪˈdʒekʃn] 拒绝，否决，排斥 displease [dɪsˈpliːz] 使不高兴，惹恼 defense mechanism [dɪˈfens ˈmekənɪzəm] （心理）防御机制 set boundaries [ˈbaʊndriz] 设立边界，划定界限 decline minor requests [dɪˈklaɪn ˈmaɪnə(r) rɪˈkwestz] 拒绝小请求 ingrained [ɪnˈɡreɪnd] （习惯或观念）根深蒂固的，日久难改的 cup of tea 喜欢的人或事物，合心意的东西 candidness [ˈkændɪdnəs] 坦率，直率 endear you to [ɪnˈdɪə(r)] 使受喜爱，使受欢迎 contort [kənˈtɔːt] （使）扭曲，歪曲 fit everyone's mold [məʊld] 迎合所有人的期待，符合所有人的标准 see things in black and white 非黑即白地看待事物，看待事物过于绝对化 skewed perception [skjuːd pəˈsepʃn] 歪曲的认知，偏差的看法 delve deep into [delv] 深入探究，深入钻研 trick someone into 欺骗某人做，使某人不知不觉地做 pronounced [prəˈnaʊnst] 明显的，显著的 be highly sensitive to [ˈsensətɪv] 对…高度敏感，对…非常敏感 malice [ˈmælɪs] 恶意，怨恨 🪴翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Can we live without plastic? Neil Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. Beth And I'm Beth. "Plastic is fantastic!" This phrase was used a lot in the 1950s when mass-produced plastic items started to become part of our everyday lives. The following decades saw a revolution as plastic became the most commonly used material in modern life, found in everything from cars to furniture to packaging. Take a quick look around and you'll soon see how many everyday items contain plastic. Neil But now our love of plastic is being questioned, mostly thanks to climate change and pollution caused by single-use plastics – plastic products which are designed to be used just once before being thrown away. 11 million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into our oceans every year. It's believed that single-use plastics make up 40% of all plastic pollution globally. Beth What's more, it's not just land and water being polluted – tiny plastic pieces known as microbeads have even been found inside the human body, and can be passed from mother to child through breast milk. And because plastic comes from fossil fuels, the process of making it creates problems at every stage, from burning coal, to transportation, to recycling. In this programme, we'll be asking: is it time to live without plastic? And, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well. Neil But first I have a question for you, Beth. One reason why plastic became so popular is that it's a very flexible material. It can be formed into different shapes, making it useful for keeping food fresh, or holding liquid. Originally, plastic was invented to replace the decreasing supply of natural materials like metal, wood and glass. So which items did plastic first replace? Was it: a) snooker balls? b) shopping bags? or, c) hairbrushes? Beth Hmm, I guess the first thing to be made of plastic was a hairbrush. Neil OK, Beth, I'll reveal the answer later in the programme. Dr Sherri Mason is Professor of Chemistry at Penn State University in the US, and a specialist in plastic pollution. Her award-winning 2017 research into microplastics in rivers led to the US Congress banning microbeads. Here, she explains the problem of plastics to BBC World Service programme, The Real Story: Dr Sherri Mason Plastic is synthetic and, as a consequence of that, nature doesn't really know what to do with it. Like, a paper bag that's sitting on the side of the road - it's unsightly, but within weeks there are organisms in the soil that can use that paper bag as a food source, right… they have evolved to basically chew up that paper bag and turn it back into soil, turn it back into carbon and nitrogen and oxygen. But with regard to plastic because it is a synthetic material, you don't have that evolution. There are some organisms that can use it as a food source, but they're few and far between, especially when you're talking about water systems, aquatic systems and the temperatures that exist, and so they can't really use it as a food source so plastic doesn't biodegrade. Beth Plastic is a synthetic material, meaning that it's made by combining man-made chemicals, instead of existing naturally. Natural materials like paper decay and harmlessly turn back into soil – they biodegrade. But plastic is not like this. It doesn't decay and get broken down by microbes and bacteria. Neil In fact, some plastic-eating microbes and bacteria do exist, but these are few and far between, they're rare, and don't happen very often. It's the fact that plastic doesn't decay which is responsible for the waste we see in the environment, waste which is often unsightly, meaning ugly and unpleasant to look at. Beth Fortunately, help is at hand. The plastic-eating microbes Neil mentioned, especially one called Rhodococcus ruber, have been tested by scientists and seem capable of breaking down plastic into its basic components. What's also needed is an emphasis on reducing plastic production, especially packaging and other single-use products, rather than simply recycling. Action like this should help plastic achieve its original purpose – to help preserve, not pollute, our natural resources. And speaking of the origins of plastic, isn't it time to reveal the answer to your question, Neil? Neil Right. I asked you which object made of natural materials was the first to be replaced by plastic. You said it was a hairbrush which was… the wrong answer I'm afraid, Beth. In fact the first plastic-moulding machine was used in 1872 to produce snooker balls. OK let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme starting with single-use plastics - plastic products which are designed to be used just once before being thrown away. Beth Microbeads are tiny plastic particles found in products like toothpastes and body scrubs which can enter and pollute rivers, seas, and the human body. 📝字数限制，完整文本，翻译及pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】

What makes Monday so depressing? Ask most people which day of the week they dread the most and the answer is likely to be Monday. The first day of the week can make us grouchy and depressed, which is why the feeling is described as the Monday blues. But what is it exactly that makes us feel down and does it affect everyone? Apparently, the most depressing day of the year is the third Monday in January, when it's cold and dark outside. This day was nicknamed 'Blue Monday' by psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2004. He came up with it after a holiday company asked him for a 'scientific formula' for the January blues. Even if there was little science behind the formula, it's probably true that the sound of our alarm clock on any Monday morning signals the dawning of a new week and possibly the end of our weekend of fun. Research shows our Monday mood can be based on a direct comparison to the day before. It's what psychologists call an emotional shift, and no other part of the week has a transition like it. Monday means the end of weekend lie-ins – it's back to the routine and the realisation that there are five days ahead of the nine-to-five, and according to the BBC Bitesize website "If you can't stand your job then the Monday blues can be very real." And your miserable Monday is followed by trying Tuesday – the most popular day for sending out job applications. But is Monday as bad as we like to think it is? Feeling a bit low shouldn't be confused with more serious depression, caused by other factors. Writing for the BBC, author and presenter Claudia Hammond, argues that this low feeling might be a myth. She says: "There is a strong cultural idea that we don't like Mondays." She mentions an Australian study in 2008 about how people reflected on their mood and found the day that scored the lowest was in fact Wednesdays. So, when Monday comes, maybe we should give it a second chance! 词汇表 dread [dred] 害怕，担忧，畏惧 grouchy [ˈɡraʊtʃi] 烦躁的，爱发牢骚的 depressed [dɪˈprest] 沮丧的，抑郁的 Monday blues [ˈmʌndeɪ bluːz] 周一忧郁症（指周一因重返工作或学习而产生的低落情绪） feel down / feel low 情绪低落，感到沮丧 depressing [dɪˈpresɪŋ] 令人沮丧的，压抑的，沉闷的 nickname [ˈnɪkneɪm] 给…起绰号；昵称，绰号 Blue Monday [bluː ˈmʌndeɪ] 忧郁星期一（特指 1 月第三个令人情绪低落的星期一） scientific formula [ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk ˈfɔːmjələ] 科学公式 signal [ˈsɪɡnəl] 标志，预示，示意 dawning [ˈdɔːnɪŋ] 开端，黎明，破晓 emotional shift 情绪转变 lie-in [ˈlaɪ ɪn] （早晨）睡懒觉，赖床 back to the routine [ruːˈtiːn] 回归日常作息，恢复常规 nine-to-five [ˌnaɪn tu ˈfaɪv] 朝九晚五的，正常工作时间的 miserable [ˈmɪzrəbl] 痛苦的，难受的，悲惨的 trying [ˈtraɪɪŋ] 难受的，费劲的，令人厌烦的 job application [ˌæplɪˈkeɪʃn] 求职申请，工作申请 depression [dɪˈpreʃn] 抑郁症；沮丧，消沉 myth [mɪθ] 错误观念，荒诞的说法；神话 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】