Can weather really affect our mood? Now, beyond the obvious inconvenience of getting caught in a downpour, many people believe that bad weather directly affects their mood and health. And some people are more sensitive than others. These individuals are known as weather sensitive. How do you distinguish between weather-sensitive people and the rest of the population? Experts say that weather sensitivity refers to physical or psychological sensitivity to weather changes. For example, studies from Canada and Germany have shown that fluctuations in humidity, temperature and atmospheric pressure can trigger migraines, fatigue, joint pain, dizziness, and even depression in weather-sensitive people. However, these reactions vary widely and depend on the individual. They seem to be most prominent in people with adrenal gland or thyroid fragility. Grumbling about the bad weather is a long-standing British pastime, but in reality, weather-sensitive individuals make up only a small fraction of the population, estimated between 2 and 4%. This chronic condition has well-defined symptoms and is partly explained by a decrease in the secretion of happy hormone serotonin. Are you saying that for most people the weather has no impact at all on their mood then? Despite popular belief, no study has definitively proven that weather affects our mood. The real explanation is likely a simple one. Bad weather tends to make us go out less, thereby leading to us having less social interactions and being less physically active. Staying indoors all day can lead to feelings of sadness and gloom, which can become a vicious circle and self-fulfilling prophecy. You might notice a correlation between rainy weather and feeling down and mistake it for causation. That kind of observation can easily bias our perception, causing us to ignore other positive or negative personal context which might be affecting our well-being. What's the best way to deal with feeling down in bad weather then? Ultimately, it's not the weather itself, but the light that has a direct impact on our bodies. Light regulates our biological and seasonal clocks, helping our brain adjust serotonin levels in response to changes. A lack of serotonin can lead to anxiety, mood swings, insomnia and other issues. In other words, to boost your serotonin levels, make sure to get outside and get some fresh air. Even if the weather isn't ideal, you still need to expose yourself to sunlight. It's also important to go out, see friends, exercise and generally enjoy yourself as far as possible, even when it's raining. There you have it. 词汇表 downpour [ˈdaʊnpɔː(r)] n. 倾盆大雨，暴雨 weather-sensitive people 天气敏感人群（对天气变化反应更敏感的人群） weather sensitivity [sensəˈtɪvəti] 天气敏感性（对天气变化产生的生理或心理敏感反应） fluctuation [ˌflʌktʃuˈeɪʃn] n. 波动，起伏 atmospheric pressure [ˌætməsˈferɪk] 气压，大气压力 migraine [ˈmiːɡreɪn] n. 偏头痛 joint pain [dʒɔɪnt] 关节疼痛 dizziness [ˈdɪzinəs] n. 头晕，眩晕 prominent [ˈprɒmɪnənt] adj. 显著的，突出的 adrenal gland [əˈdriːnl ɡlænd] 肾上腺 thyroid [ˈθaɪrɔɪd] n. 甲状腺；adj. 甲状腺的 fragility [frəˈdʒɪləti] n. 脆弱，虚弱 grumble about [ˈɡrʌmbl] 抱怨，发牢骚 long-standing adj. 长期存在的，由来已久的 pastime [ˈpɑːstaɪm] n. 消遣，娱乐 a small fraction of ['frækʃ(ə)n] 一小部分的，少量的 chronic condition [ˈkrɒnɪk] 慢性病，慢性病状 well-defined [ˌwel dɪˈfaɪnd] adj. 定义明确的，清晰的 secretion [sɪˈkriːʃ(ə)n] n. 分泌；分泌物 happy hormone [ˈhɔːməʊnz] 快乐激素（指能让人产生愉悦感的激素，如多巴胺、血清素，催产素，内啡肽） serotonin [ˌserəˈtəʊnɪn] n. 血清素（一种神经递质，与情绪调节密切相关） physically active [ˈfɪzɪkli] 身体活跃的，积极运动的 gloom [ɡluːm] n. 忧郁，沮丧；昏暗 vicious circle [ˈvɪʃəs] 恶性循环 self-fulfilling prophecy [ˌself fʊlˈfɪlɪŋ ˈprɒfəsi] 自我实现的预言（个人预期引发相应行为，使预期成真的现象） correlation [ˌkɒrəˈleɪʃn] n. 相互关系，关联 causation [kɔːˈzeɪʃn] n. 因果关系，起因 bias one's perception [ˈbaɪəs][pəˈsepʃn] 使认知产生偏差，扭曲认知 biological clock [ˌbaɪəˈlɒdʒɪkl] 生物钟，生理钟 seasonal clock [ˈsiːzənl] 季节钟（调节季节性生理变化的机制） mood swing [muːd swɪŋ] 情绪波动，情绪起伏 insomnia [ɪnˈsɒmniə] n. 失眠（症） expose oneself to [ɪkˈspəʊz] 使自己暴露于，使自己接触（光线、环境等） 🪴翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Did a civilisation exist on Earth before humans? Beth Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Beth. Phil And I'm Phil. Beth Phil, do you believe there's life on other planets? Phil Well, there's a lot of other planets, so yeah, I think there must be. Beth Yeah, I agree. Well, it's a question that interests American astrophysicist Adam Frank, who discussed it with his colleague Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA's Institute for Space Studies. Here, Adam recalls their conversation for BBC World Service programme CrowdScience: Adam Frank We know that there's been no other civilisation on Earth, and he stopped me and said, "How do you know that?" And my jaw just dropped down to the floor. Phil Adam's jaw dropped – an idiom for when someone looks shocked and surprised. Could there have been a technologically advanced civilisation before us, here on Earth? Beth It may sound weird but this idea has a scientific name. Here is Caroline Steel, presenter of BBC's CrowdScience, to explain: Caroline Steel The Silurian hypothesis proposes that if there was a technologically advanced civilisation hundreds of millions of years ago, we wouldn't be able to find traces of it. Phil A hypothesis is an idea which explains how something happens and can be tested to find out if it's correct. In this episode, we'll be discussing the Silurian hypothesis: the idea that a technologically advanced civilisation existed before us on Earth but vanished without leaving a trace. Beth But first, I have a question for you, Phil. Human civilisation is thousands of years old but the planet itself is much older. So, how old do scientists think the Earth is? Is it: a) 3.5 billion years, b) 4.5 billion years, or c) 5.5 billion years? Phil I'm going to guess c) 5.5 billion years. Beth OK. Well, we will find the answer out later in the programme. To believe a technologically advanced civilisation existed on Earth hundreds of millions of years ago, most people would probably want evidence. We have evidence about other species from the past, such as the dinosaurs, from fossils – the remains of prehistoric plants or animals that have been preserved in rock for a very long time. Phil But according to Adam Frank, fossils won't help prove the Silurian hypothesis, as he explains here to BBC World Service programme, CrowdScience: Adam Frank Most things are not fossilised. It's only a tiny fraction of Earth's life that has ever become fossilised. So, imagine that you have a 10,000-year-long civilisation, which is a blink of the eye for geology – that's too short to really create a lot of fossils. Beth Adam argues that only a tiny fraction – meaning a very small amount – of life on Earth has turned into fossil. Phil In geological time, even a 10,000-year-old civilisation is the blink of an eye – an idiom meaning a very short period of time. In other words, older civilisations might have existed on Earth but not for long enough to leave fossilised evidence. Beth However, not everyone is convinced by Adam's ideas. Evidence of our own civilisation, including plastics and man-made materials like concrete, is already being layered into the Earth's crust, and these are going to last a very long time. So, surely a technologically advanced civilisation from prehistory would have left similar marks. Phil Well, here's Adam Frank again, answering these objections on BBC World Service programme, CrowdScience: Adam Frank What happens is somebody else will pick up on their work, either affirming it and showing new evidence for it or pushing back on it, and once you get to, like, 20, 30 or 40 papers, then you have a consensus. You're like, "OK. We've really, really looked at this and now we know." Beth Adam welcomes new evidence, even evidence which contradicts his ideas, as part of the scientific method needed to prove a hypothesis right or wrong. It's how scientists form a consensus – meaning a general agreement – about the issue. Phil Personally, I think the idea of prehistoric civilisations on Earth is so mysterious, it's OK to keep an open mind. Now, isn't it time you revealed the answer to your question, Beth? Beth I think it is. I asked you, "How old do scientists think the Earth is?" You said, "5.5 billion years," and I'm afraid you were wrong, Phil. It's 4.5 billion years. OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've learnt, starting with the idiom my jaw dropped, which is used to say someone looks very shocked and surprised. Phil A hypothesis is a suggestion that's proposed to explain something, which can then be tested to see if it's true. Beth Fossils are the remains of prehistoric plants or animals that have been preserved in rock for a very long time. Phil A tiny fraction of something is a very small amount of it. Beth The idiom the blink of an eye means a very short period of time. Phil And finally, a consensus is a general agreement. 📝字数限制，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】

Is crying good for us? What makes you cry? Being moved by a soppy or sad movie, waving a loved one off, or getting emotional after splitting up with your partner can all cause tears to roll down our faces. We all have the power to cry, but is that a good thing? When you think about it, shedding tears from your eyes is an odd thing to do. But it seems to be an automatic reaction when we get sad, upset or even when we're very happy. What triggers this reaction differs from person to person. However, the feeling is the same – your cheeks puff up, your eyes tighten and before you know it, tears are streaming down your face. Some of us may sniffle a little while others might cry like a baby – and some people suggest that it's women who cry more than men. A study in the UK in 2017 found that women admitted that they cry 72 times a year. This was, on average, more than men. Writing for the BBC, Adam Rutherford says "according to pretty much every study done, women do cry more than men, and this result has been consistent since we've been looking." But does this mean men don't get as upset or emotional as women, or are they just more embarrassed about showing their true feelings? The debate continues. One place where we experience emotional and tearful outbursts is in the workplace. This can be somewhere where emotions run high – someone might be stressed, their workload might be too much, and, as therapist, Joanna Cross told the BBC, "crying is often a build-up of frustration and undealt-with situations and it's a bit of a final straw moment." She describes how someone might start weeping when they're just asked to make a cup of tea because, "actually that's often a backlog of situations." But crying in the office or elsewhere can be cathartic: it can actually make you feel better. Maybe it dissolves or clears the negative or sad feelings you've had. Bawling your eyes out shows others how you feel, so perhaps it's a crying shame that more of us, particularly men, don't cry more often. 词汇表 soppy [ˈsɒpi] adj. 煽情的，伤感的，催泪的 split up (with) [splɪt] 分手，断绝关系，离婚 shed tears [ʃed] 流泪，落泪 odd [ɒd] adj. 奇怪的，反常的，不寻常的 puff up [pʌf] 鼓起，膨胀 stream down your face [striːm] （泪水、汗水等）顺着脸颊流下，从脸上淌落 sniffle [ˈsnɪfl] v.（尤指哭泣或感冒时） 抽鼻子；抽泣 cry like a baby 像婴儿一样大哭，放声大哭 consistent [kənˈsɪstənt] adj. 一致的，始终如一的 tearful [ˈtɪəfl] adj. 含泪的，哭泣的，流泪的 outburst [ˈaʊtbɜːst] n. （情感的）爆发，突发 emotions run high 情绪高涨，情绪波动大 workload [ˈwɜːkləʊd] n. 工作量，工作负担 build-up [ˈbɪld ʌp] n. （问题、压力等）累积，积聚，逐渐增加 undealt-with [ˌʌnˈdelt wɪð] adj. 未处理的，未解决的 final straw [strɔː] n. 最后一根稻草，使人最终崩溃的一击 weep [wiːp] v. 哭泣，流泪 backlog [ˈbæklɒɡ] n. 积压的工作，未办的事务 cathartic [kəˈθɑːtɪk] adj. 宣泄情绪的，解压的 dissolve [dɪˈzɒlv] vt. 化解，消除（情绪等） bawl your eyes out [bɔːl] 痛哭流涕，号啕大哭 it's a crying shame 真是遗憾，太可惜了；太不像话了，真不应该 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

OpenAI launches AI-powered browser, in challenge to Google Host: The tech company OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Atlas, a new artificial intelligence-powered web browser that promises to use the internet for you. The company said Atlas will look and feel like an existing browser, but is built around a chatbot. So how will it work? Earlier, I spoke to our technology correspondent, Lily Jamali. Lily Jamali: Well, for one thing, Atlas does away with the way most of us use browsers and search bars. It does away with the traditional bar that you see, that address bar. So when you open up a new tab in this browser that they're releasing, it takes you straight to ChatGPT and you can start engaging with the chatbot there. You also would type web addresses that you're looking to visit in this chat, you know, this ongoing chat with the chatbot. The agent feature, this thing called agent mode, actually does the searching for you on its own, basing what it does on context that it's gathered about, what you might want or need from various services. And OpenAI has already been trying to insinuate itself into our everyday lives, into our shopping habits, I've noticed, especially these last few weeks, we saw an announcement about this at its developer day earlier this month. They are trying not just to make revenue, but to turn a profit, which they never have. So presumably, they're hoping Atlas will kill not just the browser, but the search engine as we know it. Host: I was going to say, because a lot of people will be wedded to Google Chrome. That's the most popular browser. And ChatGPT are going to be wanting to compete with that. Lily Jamali: Yeah. And I asked analyst Patrick Moorhead about this. He said he thinks that users are actually going to be pretty interested in playing with Atlas and trying it out. But he's not so sure that users will stick with it. And I think that's an important distinction. Old habits die hard, as you just sort of alluded to there, for people who came up Googling everything or maybe they're using Microsoft Edge or Apple Safari now, they might still prefer those more traditional methods of searching the internet. And he says there are some functionalities that ChatGPT is offering here that you can kind of get on some of those competitors already. Host: And I guess it's a trust thing as well about AI and it can get things wrong, can't it? Lily Jamali: It can get things wrong. And I have to say, just stepping back for a moment, one of the criticisms of OpenAI and some of these other AI developers is that they just throw these tools out at all of us and then say, "use them and tell us how it goes, what are you interested in." And that can be very innovative and fun and create new, maybe use cases that they hadn't thought of internally. But on the other hand, we saw what happened with social media, right? And already chatbots have found themselves at the center of this conversation about mental health, about how children should and shouldn't use them. And I'm not saying that will be a huge issue with this particular product, but more because there's just this known unknown out there. OpenAI is very comfortable throwing these things out to us and seeing what they do. Sometimes it goes well, others not so much. 词汇表 ChatGPT Atlas [æt ləs] OpenAI 推出的AI驱动网络浏览器 atlas ['ætləs] n. 地图集，地图册 web browser [web ˈbraʊzə(r)] n. 网络浏览器，网页浏览器 chatbot [ˈtʃætbɒt] n. 聊天机器人 do away with 摒弃，摆脱，抛弃 search bar [bɑː(r)] n. 搜索栏，搜索框 agent mode [ˈeɪdʒənt məʊd] n. 代理模式（文中指AI自主执行任务的功能） insinuate oneself into [ɪnˈsɪnjueɪt] 渗透，潜入，打入（某个群体） developer day [dɪˈveləpə(r)] n. （科技公司的）开发者日，开发者大会 revenue [ˈrevənjuː] n. 收入，收益 presumably [prɪˈzjuːməbli] adv. 大概，很可能，想必是 be wedded to [ˈwedɪd] 执着于，习惯于，忠于 Google Chrome [ˈɡuːɡl krəʊm] 谷歌浏览器 stick with 继续做，坚持 die hard （旧习惯等）难以改掉，顽固存在 allude (to) [əˈluːd (tu)] vi. 暗指，影射，间接提到 Microsoft Edge [ˈmaɪkrəsɒft edʒ] 微软Edge浏览器 Apple Safari [səˈfɑːri] 苹果Safari浏览器 functionality [ˌfʌŋkʃəˈnæləti] n. 功能性，功能，机能 step back 退一步（考虑问题） use case n. （某个产品或服务的）用例，应用场景 internally [ɪnˈtɜːnəli] adv. 内部地，在内部 known unknown [nəʊn ˌʌnˈnəʊn] n. 已知的未知，已知的不确定性因素 🌟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】

Does true love always conquer all? We tend to assume that anyone who tells us that they love us – but simultaneously insists that they don't believe we should be together – is lying. If love is sincere, of course it won't stop at any obstacles, however large. You either love a person and then will fight till the end to be with them or don't love them and will walk away. There isn't, there can't be, any third category that isn't just a deceit. Underneath this uncompromising stance lies an ideology of Romanticism that insists that true love has nothing to do with practicalities. The romantic novelist D. H. Lawrence captured this absolutist view when he wrote: 'A man in love will sleep for the rest of his life on a park bench for a woman he loves.' And so by extension, if there are children from another relationship, if there is no money, if one of the parties lives abroad, if someone has a mental illness, if there are cultural differences, if long-term goals point in contrasting directions, there will always be a way for love to succeed. But there is another philosophy at large, more restrained and less esteemed, that balances a respect for emotions with an equal respect for the practical dimensions of life. This philosophy knows that however tender and sympathetic our feelings may be, they cannot entirely mitigate or erase the impact of social ostracism, opposed friendship groups, clashing values, ongoing distance, incongruous life stages, continuous alarm – or park benches. If we understand love as ultimately focused on the care and nurture of another person, should we continue to label as loving a relationship that necessarily mires our partner in a succession of avoidable miseries? Are we so uniquely fitted to be with them as to justify the suffering our presence entails? Might our so-called love for them not in the end have more to do with our satisfaction than their fulfilment? There are of course liars who will dress up their escapes as acts of generosity, but there are as many true lovers who quietly sacrifice themselves on unheralded altars of resignation. It is hugely honourable – and very moving – to do one's utmost to be with someone. But it may be greater love still to adore a person – and then, before wasting any more of their time, to leave them well alone. 词汇表 deceit [dɪˈsiːt] n. 欺骗，欺诈，谎言 uncompromising stance [ʌnˈkɒmprəmaɪzɪŋ stæns] 不妥协的立场，强硬的立场 ideology [ˌaɪdiˈɒlədʒi] n. 意识形态，思想体系，观念 Romanticism [rəʊˈmæntɪsɪzəm] n. 浪漫主义（18世纪末至19世纪初的艺术、文学和音乐运动） absolutist [ˌæbsəˈluːtɪst] adj. 绝对主义的；n. 绝对论者 practicality [ˌpræktɪˈkæləti] n. 实际情况，现实考量 by extension [ɪkˈstenʃn] 由此类推，进而 contrasting [kənˈtrɑːstɪŋ] adj. 对比鲜明的，截然不同的 philosophy [fəˈlɒsəfi] n. 哲学；理念，人生观 restrained [rɪˈstreɪnd] adj. 克制的，内敛的 esteemed [ɪˈstiːmd] adj. 受人尊敬的，令人敬重的 mitigate [ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt] vt. 减轻，缓解（危害、痛苦等） social ostracism [ˈɒstrəsɪzəm] 社会排斥，被社会孤立 clashing values 价值观冲突 incongruous [ɪnˈkɒŋɡruəs] adj. 不协调的，不一致的，错位的 alarm [əˈlɑːm] n. 惊恐，不安，担忧 mire [maɪə(r)] vt. 使陷入困境，使陷入泥潭 a succession of [səkˈseʃn] 一连串的，一系列的 entail [ɪnˈteɪl] vt. 牵涉，导致；使必要，需要 unheralded [ʌnˈherəldɪd] adj. 不为人知的，默默无闻的，未宣布的 altar [ˈɔːltə(r)] n. 祭坛，圣坛 resignation [ˌrezɪɡˈneɪʃn] n. 放弃，退出；顺从，无奈接受 honourable [ˈɒnərəbl] adj. 可敬的，高尚的 adore [əˈdɔː(r)] vt. 爱慕，崇拜；喜爱，热爱 🏫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】

Are we too fixated on protein? Neil Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. Georgie And I'm Georgie. Neil, we're talking about protein today. What type of protein do you usually eat? Neil Well, I like all kinds of proteins – fish, bit of chicken – but I think I really like an egg. An egg is my favourite kind of protein. Georgie Ah, I was going to say that too. I'm a big fan of breakfast foods and eggs are my favourite. Neil Well, you can't beat a good breakfast! Of all the main food groups, such as carbohydrate, fat and fibre, it's protein that seems to be most in the news. In shops and on social media, you'll find all kinds of high-protein foods being advertised, from shakes and yoghurts to chocolate. Here's Ruth Alexander, presenter of BBC World Service programme The Food Chain: Ruth Alexander Cast your eye over most aisles in the supermarkets now, and you'll see high protein products in abundance: pasta made with lentils and chickpeas rather than wheat flour, bread fortified with beans and pulses. Georgie Ruth casts her eye over the supermarket shelves. If you cast your eye over something, you take a quick look at it. Neil What she sees are protein products in abundance – in other words, in large quantities. Products which already contain protein, like yoghurt, are re-packaged as 'high-protein', while other items have extra protein added, often in the form of beans and pulses. Protein is big business! Georgie Our bodies need protein for health and to build muscle, but with all this focus on protein, are we forgetting about other important nutrients, such as fibre? That's what we'll be discussing in this programme, hearing some useful new words and phrases. Neil But first I have a question for you, Georgie. The popularity of protein started with bodybuilders and people working out in gyms, who ate extra protein to gain muscle. Irishman Patrick Callahan is a big name in the protein-muscle world, but do you know who he is? Is he: a) the owner of a company which makes protein shakes, b) the winner of the 2024 Mister Universe bodybuilding contest, or c) the scientist who discovered a new protein in outer space? Georgie Ooh, I'm going to say Patrick Callahan is the winner of the 2024 Mister Universe bodybuilding contest. Neil OK. We'll find out if you're right at the end. Marketing campaigns that promote sales of high-protein food are certainly working. Sales of protein products make around £7 billion globally. Here's Scott Dicker from SPINS, a market research company in Chicago, talking with BBC programme The Food Chain: Scott Dicker So, sometimes carbs are good; sometimes they're bad for consumers. Sometimes fat is good; sometimes it's bad for consumers. But protein seems to have this continuous health halo on it. Georgie Unlike carbs – that's carbohydrates – and fat, consumers don't see any downside to eating protein. Scott says protein has a health halo, a marketing term which describes perceiving a food to be healthy based on a single feature, such as being 'organic', 'gluten-free' or in this case 'high-protein', even if its overall nutritional value is poor. Neil Yes, food which used to be considered unhealthy is now called healthy just because a spoonful of protein powder has been added. So, could our modern obsession with protein mean that we ignore other important food groups, like fibre? NHS surgeon and blogger Dr Karan Rajan thinks so and explains why here to Ruth Alexander, on BBC World Service programme The Food Chain: Ruth Alexander And do you think we're paying enough attention to fibre? Dr Karan Rajan Historically, probably not. I think the tide is turning, and there's more people interested in fibre and optimising their fibre intake and fibermaxxing even – it's a trend on TikTok. Ruth Alexander What is fibermaxxing? Dr Karan Rajan Fibermaxxing is, you know, as it suggests, similar to the protein-maxing trend, where people are trying to maximise their fibre intake with little hacks or tricks or tips they could do, whether it's, you know, adding certain seeds or nuts to snacks. Georgie Many people pay more attention to protein than fibre in their diet, but Dr Karan thinks the tide is turning – an idiom which means that things are changing. In part, this is thanks to a new trend from America called fibermaxxing – consuming lots of fibre by eating fibre-rich foods and supplements for their health benefits. Neil Dr Karan also gives some hacks – good solutions or pieces of advice – to help boost your fibre intake. For example, adding seeds and nuts to meals. Georgie In fact, the healthiest diet is probably a balanced diet: one containing items from all the major food groups. But I'm still intrigued by your question, Neil. Isn't it time you revealed the answer? 📝 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】

The five myths of a happy life All of us, from a very early age, are told how to live our lives. We're given stories about what the perfect life looks like, and some of those stories work for some people some of the time, but not all of us all of the time. There's no checklist that each of us should tick off in order to live a perfect life. 1. BE RICH One of the myths is that being rich will make you happy. It's certainly true that being poor makes you miserable. Once you get to about £30–40,000 a year—certainly £50,000 at most—you've probably reached the peak of happiness by income. And actually, more money after that point might not just make you no happier, but actually might make you more miserable. It's addictive. You get sucked in, and you need more and more and more to be happy. So the best approach is not to say: "more please", but just to say: "just enough." 2. HAVE A HIGH STATUS JOB Another myth is that you need a successful career to be happy. You certainly need some status in your life, but again, you can become addicted and get too much. It's interesting that the jobs we're told to aspire to, being a banker, being a lawyer, actually don't make people that happy. Certainly, no happier than being a hairdresser or a florist, where some of the evidence suggests that people working in those jobs are actually happier. Now, it might be that happier people go into those jobs in the first place, but there are important dimensions and attributes of those jobs that lend themselves to being happy. You're working with people that you like being with, you can see the fruits of your labour, all of these things are good characteristics of a good job. A good job insofar as it makes you feel good, and not just how much you earn and how much status you have in it. 3. FALL IN LOVE One of the things that we need to achieve in order to lead the perfect life is to fall in love by finding "the one." What nonsense. First of all, "the one" doesn't exist. There's many "the ones." There's many people that would be perfectly suitable for you. Once you've found them, the idea that you should be in love with them, passionate love with them, forever, is actually dysfunctional. Passionate love, in any normally functioning relationship dies after a year or two, and that turns to companionate love. And that's healthy, because it enables you to then move on and do things in life, maybe have children, pursue projects. Passion ought to die in functional relationships. It's a massive story that you should still be in passionate love with someone after a decade or two. You should be in love with them, but in a slightly different way. 4. GET MARRIED One of the stories that we're told from a very early age is that we need to get married. It's the checklist of things that you need achieve in order to grow up. Well again, marriage can make some people happy, some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. 5. HAVE KIDS One of the things that a fully-fledged grown-up does is have children, right? That's what people are expected to do. And it's true that many people want children, of course, many people have children, but some people don't want them. One of the things that's expected of us when we have children is that our children will make us happy, not just some of the time but all of the time. The evidence tells us, quite clearly I think, that children do bring us moments of joy, they can also feel quite purposeful. But they bring long periods of stress, anxiety and worry that wouldn't have happened had you not had them. And that's fine, that's what children do. The myth of these stories is that everybody needs to lead the same life. It leads us to judge other people that live their lives differently to us, and we shouldn't. Each of us needs to find our own route to happiness. There's no one-size-fits-all narrative. 词汇表 checklist [ˈtʃeklɪst] n. 清单，检查表 tick off 勾选，标记完成 myth [mɪθ] n. 误区，错误观念，虚构的故事 get sucked in [sʌkt] 被卷入，陷入，被吸引住 high status job [ˈsteɪtəs] 高地位的工作，体面的工作 aspire to something [əˈspaɪə] 渴望，向往，追求 hairdresser [ˈheədresə(r)] n. 理发师，美发师 florist [ˈflɒrɪst] n. 花商，花店老板 dimension [daɪˈmenʃn] n. 特点，维度，层面 attribute [ˈætrɪbjuːt] n. 特质，属性 insofar as [ˌɪnsəʊˈfɑː(r)] 到…程度，在…范围内 nonsense [ˈnɒnsns] n. 无稽之谈，胡扯 passionate love [ˈpæʃənət] 激情之爱，热恋 dysfunctional [dɪsˈfʌŋkʃənl] adj. 失常的，失调的，有问题的 companionate love [kəmˈpænjənət] 伴侣之爱，相知相守的爱 pursue projects [pəˈsjuː] 追求事业，推进项目 functional [ˈfʌŋkʃənl] adj. 正常运转的，功能正常的 fully-fledged [ˌfʊli ˈfledʒd] adj. 成熟的，充分发展的，发育全的 grown-up [ˈɡrəʊn ʌp] n. 成年人，大人；adj. 成年的，成熟的 purposeful [ˈpɜːpəsfl] adj. 有意义的，有目标的 one-size-fits-all [ˌwʌn saɪz ˈfɪts ɔːl] adj. 放之四海而皆准的，适用于所有人的，通用的 narrative [ˈnærətɪv] n. 叙述，故事；描述，说法 💡 视频、翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

What makes us seek a calm life? We're likely to try out many sorts of lives before we land, finally, on the quiet variety. Rarely does anyone start there, the kind of life where we try to be in bed by ten and are intensely grateful when nothing has gone dramatically wrong in the preceding hours. First we might try out the life of fame, the sort where we dream that someone will stop us in a shop or train and say, 'Aren't you…?' or 'Don't I know you from…' That's a not-negligible thrill, especially if you didn't feel too noticed in childhood or if, in adolescence, it was always someone else who was able to make people you loved smile. Or we might be drawn to the life of melodramatic relationships, the kind where we're constantly wondering whether they love us or we love them, where we break up every couple of weeks and are calling them, frantically, to come back from their parent's house and we didn't mean all those crazy words we said, we were just scared. It can take a lot of pain before we make our peace with so-called ordinariness and accept it for the wonder it is. Before we can deeply love a day when we have 'nothing' to do, other than wake up early, finish the dishes from last night, shower, read a few poems, answer some emails, maybe go to the museum to see some African masks or a canoe from Oceania, buy some bread, fry some eggs. We might become rather fierce at anyone and anything that threatens this hard-won achievement. At well-meaning people who invite us on complicated excursions or worrying parties; at newspapers that force us to think about driven types starting companies and releasing a new film or record. We know how much these stimulants can cost us. It takes great confidence to give up on being special. It takes kindness to oneself to interrupt the longing for suffering and anguish. One might have needed to try out almost everything else before realising, in the end, that it was calm we always really wanted. 词汇表 land on 最终选择，落脚于 intensely grateful [ɪnˈtensli ˈɡreɪtfl] 万分感激，无比感激 go dramatically wrong [drəˈmætɪkli] 出大乱子，发生严重差错 preceding [prɪˈsiːdɪŋ] adj. 先前的，前面的 fame [feɪm] n. 名声，名望，声誉 not-negligible [nɒt ˈneɡlɪdʒəbl] adj. 不容忽视的，不可忽略的 thrill [θrɪl] n. 兴奋感，激动 melodramatic [ˌmelədrəˈmætɪk] adj. 戏剧性的，情节剧似的，夸张的 frantically [ˈfræntɪkli] adv. 急忙地，狂乱地，发狂似地 make peace with 与…和解，接受 ordinariness [ˈɔːdnərinəs] n. 平凡，普通 canoe [kəˈnuː] n. 独木舟，划艇，轻舟 Oceania [ˌəʊsiˈɑːniə] n. 大洋洲 fierce [fɪəs] adj. 暴躁的，狂怒的 hard-won [ˌhɑːd ˈwʌn] adj. 来之不易的，难得的 well-meaning [ˌwel ˈmiːnɪŋ] adj. 好心的，善意的 excursion [ɪkˈskɜːʃn] n. 远足，短途旅行 driven type 有干劲的人，积极进取的人 stimulant [ˈstɪmjələnt] n. 刺激物，激励因素 anguish [ˈæŋɡwɪʃ] n. 痛苦，苦恼 🏫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】

Why the moon is still such a mystery It is our constant companion. Influencing many aspects of our culture, thought and being. Ever-present in design, art, music, science, technology, religion, but what is the Moon? It depends who you ask. The ancient Mesopotamians would speak of Nanna, the god of the Moon and creator of all things. While a present-day cosmologist might describe the stabilising influence of our Earth's tilt. And most of us picture the Moon as being closer than it actually is. Hmm, quite a squeeze for a textbook. Strangely, the Sun is 400 times further away from the Earth than the Moon and is 400 times its size. This means that, viewed from the Earth, they appear to be exactly the same size. Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov described this natural quirk as 'the most unlikely coincidence imaginable.' These correlations didn't go unnoticed by early star-gazing cultures. Notably, 108 is an auspicious number for Hindus who count 108 marma points, or sacred places in the body. Many believe the Moon affects our bodies. We know its push and pull affects the tides and we are organic creatures made largely of water who evolved in an ecosystem reliant on this celestial neighbour. What about the Moon's effect on our state of mind? The word lunacy is derived from the Latin word lunaticus, meaning moonstruck. Statistics do show a consistent rise in crime rates around a full moon. Scientists prefer to attribute this to convenient light levels for the plying of nefarious activity. And it's not only our minds in question — the perceived connection between fertility and the cycles of the Moon goes back a long time. Perhaps that's just because the lunar and menstrual cycles correlate so closely. In the ancient world, the Moon was generally personified as man with the shift to female deities and ideas happening more recently, relatively speaking. If the Moon is female, there has been no shortage of historical characters trying to fathom her mysteries to harness this elusive beacon of the natural world. And the Moon's many faces continue with some seeing her as a harbinger of doom. The Maori people call the Moon Hina, the man-eater, who was the bringer of death. Then there's the melancholic reflective Moon. Around the turn of the 18th Century, as we adjusted to the brave new world of science and discovery, artists became increasingly focused on our place in the natural world. Paintings from the likes of Caspar David Friedrich and Joseph Wright of Derby turned to the Moon as a central theme — often with small human figures, their backs to the viewer in quiet reflection. Finally, in July 1969, we successfully landed two men on the Moon and we discovered what she'd been silently gazing upon for all this time. So what is the Moon? Male, female, a life support system, or a bringer of death? Inducer of madness, a conspiracy, a symbol of peace? What if it's all these things? Embodying all the light and shade of human experience. It seems the Moon is whatever we choose to see — a constant reflection of us. 词汇表 ever-present [ˌevə ˈpreznt] adj. 无处不在的，始终存在的 Mesopotamian [ˌmesəpəˈteɪmiən] n. 美索不达米亚人；adj. 美索不达米亚的 cosmologist [kɒzˈmɒlədʒɪst] n. 宇宙学家，宇宙论者 stabilising influence [ˈsteɪbəlaɪzɪŋ] 稳定作用 tilt [tɪlt] n. 倾斜，倾斜度，倾角 quirk [kwɜːk] n. 奇事，怪事，巧合 correlation [ˌkɒrəˈleɪʃn] n. 相互关系，关联 star-gazing [ˈstɑː ɡeɪzɪŋ] n. 观星，天体观察 auspicious [ɔːˈspɪʃəs] adj. 吉祥的，吉利的 Hindu [ˈhɪnduː] n. 印度教教徒；adj. 印度教（人）的 marma points [ˈmɑːmə] 玛尔马点（印度传统医学中认为人体的神圣部位） sacred [ˈseɪkrɪd] adj. 神圣的，庄严的 push and pull 推拉作用，引力 celestial [səˈlestʃl] adj. 天体的，天上的，天空的 lunacy [ˈluːnəsi] n. 精神失常，疯狂 moonstruck [ˈmuːnstrʌk] adj. 发狂的，疯狂的，迷乱的 ply [plaɪ] vt. 从事，经营（某项事业或交易） nefarious [nɪˈfeəriəs] adj. （活动）邪恶的，不道德的 fertility [fəˈtɪləti] n. 生育能力，繁殖力 menstrual cycles [ˈmenstruəl ˈsaɪklz] 月经周期，女性生理期 correlate [ˈkɒrəleɪt] vi. vt. （使）相互关联，相关 deity [ˈdeɪəti] n. 神，神灵，女神 fathom [ˈfæðəm] vt. 理解，弄清；探索，探究 harness [ˈhɑːnɪs] vt. 利用，掌控，驾驭 elusive [ɪˈluːsɪv] adj. 难以捉摸的，难以理解的 beacon [ˈbiːkən] n. 指路明灯，灯塔，信标 harbinger of doom [ˈhɑːbɪndʒə][duːm] 厄运的预兆，不祥之兆 man-eater [ˈmæn iːtə(r)] n. 食人者，食人动物 bringer of death [ˈbrɪŋə] 死亡的使者 melancholic [ˌmelənˈkɒlɪk] adj. 忧郁的，忧伤的 reflective [rɪˈflektɪv] adj. 沉思的，深思的 gaze (upon) [ɡeɪz] vi. 凝视，注视 inducer [ɪnˈdjuːsə(r)] n. 引诱者，诱导物 conspiracy [kənˈspɪrəsi] n. 阴谋，密谋 embody [ɪmˈbɒdi] vt. 体现，包含 light and shade 光明与阴暗；明暗，光影 💡 视频、翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】

Does our personality change when we speak in another language? When it comes to what proportion of people speak more than one language, estimates vary, but the general consensus is that at least half of the world's population do so. If you're bilingual, you may well have encountered a fascinating phenomenon. A new personality seems to emerge when you switch languages. What exactly do you mean by a new personality? In March 2017, Quartz ran an article on this idea, written by Nicola Prentice. Prentice included accounts from a number of multilingual people, including Margarita, a Russian-American immigrant who fled the Soviet Union to escape antisemitism at the age of 19. Margarita revealed that when she speaks Russian, she feels guarded, reserved and uncomfortable. However, when she switches to English, she describes herself as curious, outgoing and free. Margarita is far from the only person to have experienced the phenomenon, and there have even been studies on the subject. A 2008 report published in the Journal of Consumer Research saw researchers observe Hispanic women conversing in English and Spanish. The results were telling. The women appeared more extroverted and confident when speaking Spanish. Scientists use the term frame-shifting or perspective change to describe this phenomenon, which is rooted in the perception of the culture associated with the language being spoken. For example, Russian-American immigrant Margarita associated English with freedom, having decided to flee her native country. Are you saying we're not necessarily more at ease in our own native language? Exactly, but it is still a crucial factor for this simple reason. The more at ease we are with a particular language, the more likely we are to exhibit extroverted traits while using it. Nathan Joel Young is a lecturer at the Center for Research on Bilingualism at the University of Stockholm. He's quoted in a February 2023 article on thelocal.se as saying, it's about how you think about the place where that language is from, or where you are getting that experience of the language. For example, home, work, TV. So alongside the cultural aspect, there's also the consideration that the language we use at work or at home may be associated with different facets of our personality. Clara Skogmir-Marion, an expert in the social aspects of bilingualism, is also quoted in the same article. Her view is that it's not necessarily a complete personality shift, but more of an adaptive phenomenon, which can also be observed in certain other life situations like moving to a new country. There you have it. 词汇表 consensus [kənˈsensəs] 共识，一致意见 bilingual [ˌbaɪˈlɪŋɡwəl] 双语的；双语使用者 account [əˈkaʊnt] 描述，叙述 multilingual [ˌmʌltiˈlɪŋɡwəl] 多语言的；多语言使用者 Russian-American immigrant [ˈɪmɪɡrənt] 俄裔美国移民 Soviet Union [ˌsəʊviət ˈjuːniən] 苏联（1922-1991） antisemitism [ˌæntiˈsemɪtɪzəm] 反犹太主义，排犹主义 guarded [ˈɡɑːdɪd] 谨慎的，提防的，有保留的 reserved [rɪˈzɜːvd] 拘谨的，含蓄的 Hispanic [hɪˈspænɪk] 西班牙裔的；西班牙裔人士 converse [kənˈvɜːs] 交谈，谈话 telling [ˈtelɪŋ] 显著的，有力的，说明问题的 extroverted [ˈekstrəvɜːtɪd] 性格外向的，外向型的 frame-shifting [freɪm ˈʃɪftɪŋ] 框架转换（语言或认知领域的术语） be rooted in [ˈruːtɪd] 植根于，源于 flee her native country [fli] 逃离祖国，出国避难 bilingualism [baɪˈlɪŋɡwəlɪzəm] 双语能力，双语现象 facet [ˈfæsɪt] 方面，部分 adaptive [əˈdæptɪv] 适应的，有适应能力的 🪴翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】

Doomscrolling: Why do we do it? Sam Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Sam. Neil And I'm Neil. Sam Have you heard the expression doomscrolling, Neil? It's when people spend a lot of time reading, or 'scrolling', a mobile phone or computer screen in order to read negative news stories - stories full of doom. Neil I hate to admit it, but I do sometimes doomscroll. Sam Well don't feel too bad, Neil, because you're not alone. Research from the University of California found that people all over the world doomscroll, regardless of culture. What's more, there may even be evolutionary reasons why we're attracted to bad news. Neil In this programme, we'll be investigating why we feel compelled to look at, and even seek out, bad news. And, as usual, we'll be learning some new vocabulary, as well. Sam But before that I have a question for you, Neil. Doomscrolling is a very modern idea which is only possible with the 24/7, non-stop cycle of news reporting. So, according to international news agency, Reuters, what has been the top global news story of 2023 so far? Is it: a) The war in Ukraine? b) Increasing prices and inflation?, or, c) Prince Harry's autobiography? Neil I think the answer is an issue that's affecting everyone - inflation. Sam OK, Neil. I'll reveal the answer at the end of the programme. Now, it might be true that the non-stop news cycle makes doomscrolling possible, but that doesn't explain why we do it. Anthropologist Ella al-Shamahi thinks the answer may lie in human evolution. Here she outlines the problem for BBC Radio 4 programme, Why Do We Do That? Ella al-Shamahi We go searching out for bad news, looking for things that will make us feel ick inside. And so many of us do it. Is it a result of 24/7 doom on tap on our phones? Or, is it some kind of compulsion that comes from somewhere way, way back? Sam Reading bad news stories makes us feel ick - an informal American phrase which means feel sick, often because of something disgusting or disturbing. It's a feeling caused by the fact that, thanks to the internet, now we have the news on tap - easily available so that you can have as much of it as you want, whenever you want. Neil But Ella thinks that's not the whole story. There's another theory: way back in human history, when we lived in caves, it seemed everything could kill us, from wild animals to eating the wrong mushroom. Knowing what the dangers were, and how to avoid them, was vital to our survival, and from an evolutionary perspective, survival is everything. As a result, we humans naturally pay attention to the negative stuff, something Ella calls 'negativity bias'. Sam But while cavemen only knew what was happening in their local area, nowadays we know the bad news from all over the world. Here's Ella again, discussing this with her friend, TV presenter, Clara Amfo, for BBC Radio 4 programme, Why Do We Do That? Ella al-Shamahi Before it would be like, I don't know, I'm assuming you'd go to the neighbour's cave and they'd only know… the bad news from… that particular mountain. Whereas now, it's like, 'Let me tell you about the really bad information and situation that's going on in some island somewhere…'. It's just the good news doesn't make up for it… Clara Amfo It really doesn't, and I think trauma's romanticised, really. 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger', 'this is a test'. I think we're conditioned to believe that negative experiences shape us more than joyous ones. Neil Reading bad news from around the world can depress us, and Ella thinks that the little good news we do hear doesn't make up for the depressing news. To make up for something means to compensate for something bad with something good. Sam Good news is hard to find. In fact, Clara thinks society has romanticised bad, traumatic news. If you romanticise something, you talk about it in a way that makes it sound better than it really is. Connected to this is the saying, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger', meaning that by going through difficult experiences in life, people build up strength and resilience for the future. Neil Maybe it's best to stop doomscrolling altogether, but with so much bad news pouring into our mobile phones every day, it's not easy. Sam OK, it's time to reveal the answer to my question, Neil. I asked you what news agency, Reuters, considers the top news story of 2023 so far. Neil And I guessed it was b) inflation. Sam Which was… the correct answer, although there's still plenty of time for 2023 to bring us more doom, hopefully along with a little positivity too. OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme about doomscrolling - spending lots of time reading bad news stories on your phone. Neil Feeling ick is American slang for feeling sick, often because of something disgusting or disturbing. 📝 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】

The benefits of talking to strangers 'It's good to talk', so some people say. When I commute into London, there are certainly plenty of people conversing on their mobile phones – sometimes too loudly – discussing and sharing personal details with a friend. For me, it's strange that they talk as though the person is sitting next to them, when they don't even acknowledge the person who is actually sitting beside them. Many of us spend part of each day surrounded by strangers, whether on our daily commute, or sitting in a park or a cafe. But most of them remain just that – strangers. However, new evidence has shown that plucking up the courage to strike up a conversation might be good for our health. Nicholas Epley from the University of Chicago and Juliana Schroeder from the University of California are behavioural scientists. They looked at this silent relationship and whether solitude is a more positive experience than interacting with strangers, or if people misunderstand the consequences of distant social connections. They found that many people feel uncomfortable and intimidated talking to others and their research suggested that when we make an initial conversation, "we consistently underestimate how much a new person likes us." It seems we carry a negative voice in our head telling us all the things that could go wrong and why someone wouldn't want to converse with us. Their research involved an experiment with a group of Chicago commuters and found that "every participant in our experiment who actually tried to talk to a stranger found the person sitting next to them was happy to chat." From this and other research, the conclusion is that connecting with strangers is surprisingly pleasant and it has a positive impact on our wellbeing. Gillian Sandstrom, a social psychologist from Essex University in the UK, told the BBC that "people are in a better mood after they reach out and have a conversation, however minimal." It's true that talking can make you feel happier and happiness can lead to better mental health. However, if you're an introvert, the thought of speaking to someone new might make you anxious. But the American research found "both extroverts and introverts are happier when they are asked to behave in an extroverted manner." So maybe, if you're a loner, it's time to come out of your shell and make some small talk with a stranger – it could be the beginning of a new friendship. 词汇表 commute [kəˈmjuːt] 通勤，上下班往返 converse [kənˈvɜːs] 交谈，谈话 pluck up the courage [plʌk] 鼓起勇气 strike up a conversation [straɪk] 开启一段对话，开始交谈，搭话 solitude [ˈsɒlətjuːd] 独处，独居；孤独 distant social connection 浅层社交关系，弱社交连接 intimidated [ɪnˈtɪmɪdeɪtɪd] 胆怯的，害怕的，畏缩的 consistently [kənˈsɪstəntli] 一贯地，始终如一地 underestimate [ˌʌndərˈestɪmeɪt] 低估，看轻 reach out 主动联系，主动交流 minimal [ˈmɪnɪməl] 极小的，极少的，最低限度的 introvert [ˈɪntrəvɜːt] 内向的人，性格内向者 extrovert [ˈekstrəvɜːt] 外向的人，性格外向者 loner [ˈləʊnə(r)] 独来独往的人，独行侠 come out of your shell [ʃel] 变得不再自闭，走出舒适区，融入外部世界（用来鼓励某人变得开朗起来，不再害羞或内向） small talk 闲聊，闲谈，寒暄 📖 翻译、pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】