【BBC英语6分钟】攻击性能起到作用吗

Neil:Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil…

大家好，欢迎收听英语六分钟。我是尼尔……

Catherine:… and I'm Catherine. Hello.

……我是凯瑟琳。大家好。

Neil:Hello, Catherine! I want to know, what sort of things make you feel angry?

你好，凯瑟琳！我想知道什么样的事情会让你生气？

Catherine:Many things make me feel angry, Neil. But one thing that makes me regularly angry is when people put the wrong rubbish in the wrong bins.

有很多啊。但是有一件事每次都会让我生气，那就是当人们把垃圾放进错误的垃圾箱中时。

Neil:Yes, that makes me angry too.

是的，我也会为这个生气。

Catherine:Does it?

是吗？

Neil:It's not very thoughtful, is it?

这是很不负责任的行为，不是吗？

Catherine:Not really, no.

是的。

Neil:So, you may feel angry about people putting rubbish in the wrong bin but do you get aggressive? That's behaving in an angry way, looking like you want to argue or even fight with someone?

你会为人们将垃圾放错垃圾箱而生气，但是你会因此而变得有攻击性吗？也就是说你生气时的行为会是想要与某人争吵甚至打架吗？

Catherine:No. I don't really get aggressive about wheelie bins, to be honest.

不会。说实话，我不太可能因为垃圾箱而对人有攻击性。

Neil:Well I tend to control my anger too and keep calm but I have been known to react - especially if someone is damaging some of my property.

我通常会控制自己的怒火，让自己保持冷静。但是众所周知，我对惹我生气的人或事反应很激烈，尤其是别人让我遭受财物损失时。

Catherine:Wow. Really?

喔。真的吗？

Neil:Yeah. I can't stand it. It comes out of the blue – it's completely unexpected. But I'm glad to say I feel quite calm today.

是的。我忍受不了。我爆发地很突然，完全无法预料。但是我很高兴我今天很平静。

Catherine:I'm glad to hear it, Neil. But today we are talking about aggression and we'll look at what we can learn about human aggression by some examples from the animal kingdom.

听你这么说我很开心，尼尔。但是我们今天要讨论的话题是攻击性。我们会通过动物界的几个例子来了解人类的攻击性。

Neil:That's right. Now, are you ready to answer today's quiz question, Catherine?

对。凯瑟琳，你现在准备好回答今天的问题了吗？

Catherine:In a very calm and non-aggressive way, I would like you to give me the question.

我很平静地毫无攻击性地请你向我提问。

Neil:When attacked, what does a baboon typically do to show aggression? Does it…

a) beat its chest b) yawn and show its teeth or c) laugh and roll on the ground

当狒狒受到攻击时，它们典型的表现攻击性的方式是什么？它们会a)捶打胸部 b) 咧开嘴露出牙齿还是c) 一边叫一边在地上打滚。

Catherine:Well… I'd love to think of an angry baboon laughing and rolling on the ground. But I'm going to go for b) yawn and show its teeth.

想象生气的狒狒一边叫一边在地上打滚的场面很好笑。但是我要选b) 咧开嘴露出牙齿。

Neil:OK. Well, we'll see if you right or wrong a bit later on. Now, Catherine, how do you usually act when you're angry or upset about something?

好的。我们稍后揭晓你的选择是否正确。现在卡瑟琳，请告诉我，你生气或者郁闷时通常会有什么表现？

Catherine:I generally let people know how I feel to be honest. I don't go over the top and hit people, but also I don't sulk about things. And sulk means when you refuse to smile or speak because you want to let people know you are upset about something.

说实话，我通常会让别人知道我的感受。我不会生闷气，但是我也不至于去打人。生闷气是指你不笑也不说话，以此来告诉别人你因某事而生气了。

Neil:Sulking is quite childish, isn't it Catherine?

生闷气就太幼稚了，不是吗凯瑟琳？

Catherine:It is. Are you a sulker, Neil?

是的。你是个喜欢生闷气的人吗，尼尔？

Neil:I don't sulk, I don't think. But as I said I don't often get angry. I'm a very well balanced and grounded person, Catherine.

我不是。如我刚才所说，我不会经常生气。我是个很通情达理、情绪稳定的人，凯瑟琳。

Catherine:Really, very good. I'm pleased to hear it, Neil. Anyway, well balanced means sensible and in control of your emotions. And grounded means mentally and emotionally stable. Is that what you're saying, Neil?

真的吗，那很好。听你这么说我很高兴，尼尔。通情达理是说一个人很理智能够控制自己的情感。情绪稳定是指心理及情绪上不会产生很大波动。

Neil:Yes, that's me. But let's listen to Professor Simon Underdown talking about human behaviour. Can you spot a phrase that means 'the opposite side to an idea'?

是的，我就是这样。让我们来听一听西蒙·安德教授对人类行为的介绍。你能找出一个短语表示“相反的意见”吗？

One of the things humans are incredibly good at doing is being psychologists. We're very good at reading situations that we find ourselves in. We're extremely good at picking up on signals. What we can then do is trigger the appropriate response. If it's an empathetic response we may well need to then be sympathetic, we maybe need to show our sort of fluffy side if you want. But on the flipside from an evolutionary point of view the reason we are so successful and we're still here is because we can, and when we need to, react aggressively to situations.

人类相当擅长的一件事就是心理研究。我们很会对自己所处的环境进行分析。我们也非常擅长获取信号。然后我们会产生一种适当的情感反馈。如果我们产生的是体恤之情，那么我们就需要表现出同情，或许我们还会表现出柔软的一面。但是反之，从进化的角度来说，人类之所以比其他动物更成功并存活至今是因为我们能够，并且在必要的时候会，对一些情况作出攻击性的反应。

Neil:Did you spot the phrase? Flipside means the opposite side to an idea. And being aggressive is the flipside of being fluffy and sympathetic.

你发现那个词了吗？“反之”表示与一种意见或说法相反。而有攻击性的与柔软的、同情的相反。

Catherine:Fluffy, by the way, is an adjective we often use to describe soft animal fur or feathers on young animals or soft toys for children. But here fluffy means behaviour that is soft and unthreatening so it's the opposite of aggressive.

“柔软”通常用来形容动物的毛、幼鸟的羽毛或者孩子们的玩具。但是在这里它表示行为柔和、不具威胁性。所以与攻击性相对。

Neil:And if you are empathetic you are able to share or understand another person's feelings. That sounds like me! I'm an excellent empathizer, aren't I, Catherine?

能体恤别人是指能够感受并理解别人的情感。这听上去很像我！我是个很体恤别人的人，对吗，凯瑟琳。

Catherine:Neil, you are absolutely totally full of … empathy.

尼尔，你完全十分具有……同情心。

Neil:Nice pause.

你的这个停顿很有意思。

Catherine:Thank you.

谢谢。

Neil:Now, Simon also talks about humans being good at reading situations. What does that mean, Catherine?

西蒙还提到了人类很擅长分析情况。这是什么意思，凯瑟琳？

Catherine:It means understanding what's going on. For example, if a male gorilla is screaming and breaking branches, other gorillas will probably see this as a show of aggression.

这是指理解周围所发生的事情。例如，如果一只雄性的大猩猩在大叫并折断树枝，其他大猩猩可能就会认为他在表示敌意。

Neil:The male gorilla screams and breaks branches, signalling to the other gorillas that he's angry or upset. Signal here means a noise or a movement that gives someone information.

雄性大猩猩通过大叫和折树枝来发出信号告诉其他猩猩它很生气或郁闷。信号是指能够传达信息的声音或者动作。

Catherine:And the male gorilla's signal triggers a response from the other gorillas. This means one thing causes another thing to happen.

雄性大猩猩的信号使其他猩猩有了一种认知反馈。就是一件事情导致另一件事情的发生。

Neil:And when a man suddenly punches another man in the face, what signal does that send?

那么一个人突然在另一个人脸上打了一拳，那是什么信号？

Catherine:Well, I think for me that would be a signal to leave!

我认为那是在告诉那个人让他离开！

Neil:Yes. Quickly.

是的。赶快离开。

Catherine:Yes, indeed. And humans usually give signals just like the gorillas do, before they start a fight. So people might shout, or gesture with their arms. And a gesture is a movement made with arms or head to give someone else information. Now then, Neil. Let's have our quiz question answer please.

的确。人类之间在发生打斗之前通常会像大猩猩一样发出信号。人们可能会大喊，或者用手臂做出某种姿势。姿势是指用手臂或头做出的动作以传达信息。现在，我们来揭晓今天问题的答案吧。

Neil:OK, OK, stop waving your arms around. So I asked: When attacked, what does a baboon typically do to show aggression? Does it…a) beat its chest? b) yawn and show its teeth? or c) laugh and roll on the ground?

好了，好了，别挥舞你的胳膊了。我的问题是：当狒狒受到攻击时，它们典型的表现攻击性的方式是什么？它们会a)捶打胸部 b) 咧开嘴露出牙齿还是c) 一边叫一边在地上打滚。

Catherine:And I said b).

我选的是b）。

Neil:That's right. Well done! Now let's hear today's words once again.

你选对了。做得好！现在我们再来听一遍今天的单词。

Catherine:They are:

它们是：

out of the blue突然

aggressive有攻击性的

sulk生闷气

well balanced通情达理的

grounded情绪稳定的

flipside反之

fluffy柔软的

empathetic体恤人的

reading situations分析环境

signal发出信号

triggers a response引起反应

gesture姿势

Neil:Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.

今天的英语六分钟到这里就结束了。

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