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Help yourself to Some Happiness 快乐宝典

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

People are generally not very good at predicting what will make them happy. They routinely expect that certain events will have a greater impact on their lives than they actually do. And, ironically, the pursuit of materialistic goals usually hinders the pursuit of happiness.

人们通常无法准确地预测什么会使自己快乐。惯例上，他们预期某些事件对自己人生的影响，总是比现实中来得大。讽刺的是，以追求物质生活为目标往往会阻碍我们对幸福的追求。

Research has shown that the happiest people are those who surround themselves with loved ones, don’t compete with others for social standing, and become immersed in daily activities. Contented people also pursuit personal growth and intimacy, and judge themselves by their own standards, rather than those of others.

研究显示最快乐的人包括那些被爱自己的人围绕的、不与别人竞争社会地位的，以及乐在日常生活的人。快乐的人也会追求自我成长和亲密关系，并且以自己的标准衡量自己，而非别人的标准。

However, just because researchers say that we shouldn’t live or die by other people’s opinions, doesn’t mean that our action doesn’t matter. They do, just not in the way that we might have previously thought. What the experts are saying is that those who engage in activities that cause them to forget about their personal problems, lose track of time, and stop worrying, generally experience life satisfaction.

然而，只因为研究人员说我们不应该太在乎别人的意见，并不表示我们做什么都无所谓。我们做什么是有关系的，只是不像我们之前想的那样。研究人员的意思是，那些将注意力完全集中在活动上，而忘记本身烦恼、失去时间概念、和停止担心的人，通常能体验到令人心满意足的生活。

But if all else fails, consider this: experts agree that forgiveness is the one human characteristic that is mostly closely linked to happiness. Indeed, forgiveness has been called “the queen of all virtues”, which probably explains why it’s also the most difficult to become acquainted with.

但是如果这些对你都没有用，可以参考这个：专家们同意宽恕正是人类特征中与幸福最密切相关的。的确，宽恕一直都被称为「美德之女王」，这或许也解释了为什么它是最难做到的。

Vocabulary

单词发音

pursuit [pɚˋsut] n. 追求,追赶

materialistic [mə͵tɪrɪəlˋɪstɪk] adj. 实利主义的﹐物质主义的

hinder [ˋhɪndɚ] v. 妨碍；阻碍

standing [ˋstændɪŋ] n. 身分；地位；名望

immersed [ɪˋmɝst] adj. 专注的

contented [kənˋtɛntɪd] adj. 满足的；知足的

intimacy [ˋɪntəməsɪ] n. 亲密；亲近

lose track of 忘记; 失去...的线索

forgiveness [fɚˋgɪvnɪs] n. 宽恕，饶恕

virtue [ˋvɝtʃu] n. 美德，德行

acquainted [əˋkwentɪd] adj. 使了解，使熟悉[(+with)]

Sentence of the Day

You should try to strike a happy medium.

你应该试着达成和解。

strike a happy medium 折衷, 采取中庸之道 to find a compromise position; to arrive at a position halfway between two unacceptable extremes

课文讲解

Best friends, Johnson and Angel, meet after Chinese New Year.  强森和安琪两人是死党，两人在农历年后见面。

J: Everyone seemed so happy at Chinese New Year, but I just didn’t feel that way.

大家在过年的时候，都看起来好开心，可是我就不觉得开心。

A: Me too! This is supposed to be the Year of the Lamb, but it didn’t begin very gently.

我也是，今年是羊年，但却没有个平顺的开始。

J: I felt terrible because I knew the red envelopes I gave my family didn’t match their expectations.

我觉得糟透了，因为我知道发给家人的红包不太符合他们的期望。

A: And, financial considerations aside, a family-oriented holiday like Chinese New Year can be depressing for single people like us because it only reminds us that real intimacy is lacking in our lives.

撇开钱的问题不谈，像过年这种家人团聚的节日，对我们单身的人来说真是有点沮丧，因为它只是提醒我们，生活中缺少真正的亲密关系。

J: It’s funny, all this time I thought that feelings were genetically preprogrammed.

好笑的是，我还一直以为人七情六欲的感觉是天生的。

A: Well, from what I understand, a person’s disposition is only partially predetermined.

就我所知，一个人的性情只有部份是先天决定的。

J: So, then, people do have set points for happiness?

那么真的是有一些决定要素，影响人的快乐与否啰？

A: To a certain extent, yes. They can improve or worsen their outlook, but not too much in either direction. The truth is that most people are pretty bad at predicting what will make them happy.

就某些程度上来说，是的。这些决定要素让人的看法更乐观或更悲观，但影响都不会太大。事实上大多数人都不太会预估什么能让自己快乐。

J: You’re right. I think it’s because we always seem to visualize past and future events in isolation.

你说得没错，我想这是因为我们似乎总是以独自一人的角度看待过去和未来的事物。

A: Whereas, in real life, all of our collective experiences dilute the impact of any single one.

然而在现实生活中，我们整体的经验却会将单独事件的影响给冲淡。

J: Which means I should just be happy with what I have.

这表示我该感到知足才是。

－by David Needham

Vocabulary

单词发音

aside [əˋsaɪd] adv. 撇开

oriented ['ɔrɪɛntɪd] adj. 以……为方向的，以……为目的的

depressing [dɪ`prɛsɪŋ] adj. 令人忧愁的﹐ 令人沮丧的

preprogrammed 预排程序的

disposition [͵dɪspəˋzɪʃən] n. 性格；性情

predetermined [͵pridɪˋtɝmɪnd] adj.【正式】预先决定[确定]的

set point 设定点; 决定要素

outlook [ˋaʊt͵lʊk] n. 观点，看法

visualize [ˋvɪʒʊə͵laɪz] v. 想象；设想

isolation [͵aɪs!ˋeʃən] n. 孤立

dilute [daɪˋlut] v. 冲淡; 削弱；降低

Sentence of the Day

They weren't one big happy family.

他们处得不好。