随意的善举 Random acts of kindness

Hello and a very warm and friendly welcome to the first 6 Minute English of 2013. My name is Jennifer and with me in the studio for today’s programme is Callum. Happy New Year!
大家好！欢迎收听2013年第一期BBC六分钟英语。我是Jennifer，今天和我录节目的是Callum。Callum，新年快乐！
Hi Jen – happy New Year!
你好，Jennifer，新年快乐！
Have you made any New Year’s resolutions this year? A resolution is something that you decide you are going to do for that year – my resolution is that I’m going to get fit and go to the gym at least twice a week.
Callum，今年你做过什么新年计划吗？所谓resolution（计划，决议）就是你决定当年要做的事情。我的新年计划是保持健康，而且一周至少去两次健身房。
Well, I don’t really believe in making resolutions, as I can never stick to them, but for the sake of the programme, I’ll say that my resolution is to eat less junk food and to be a bit healthier in general.
呃，我还真不相信做计划这回事，因为我从来都坚持不下来。不过为了节目需要，我也做个计划好了。恩，我的新年计划是少吃垃圾食品，更加健康。
That’s not a bad idea. But what would you think about becoming kinder in 2013?
想法不错。对了，你怎么看2013年变得更善良这个主意？
Don’t you think I’m kind enough already?
难道你觉得我不够善良？
I do think you’re quite a kind person, but maybe you could try harder?
不是，我觉得你是一个非常善良的人。但或许你可以再努力一点。。
Now, hang on a second!
稍等一下！
Before you get cross, listen to today’s story – it’s all about a study in America, which has shown that performing a kind act every day can have lots of benefits for you in your work life and your social life.
呃，在你发脾气前，我们还是听听今天的故事吧。故事和美国一项研究有关，据研究显示，每天做点善事可以给人的工作生活和社会生活带来很多好处。
That sounds interesting…
恩，听起来还挺有趣的。。
… but before we get to the story, I’ve got a question for you to answer. We’ve talked already about New Year’s resolutions, so what is the most commonly broken resolution – what’s the thing that people start out doing, but then don’t continue? Is it: a) stopping smoking; b) losing weight and getting fit; c) travelling
但在听故事前，我要给你出一道题。刚刚我们讨论了新年计划，那么你知道最常被打破的新年计划是什么吗？也就是说人们经常做了什么事情，但不久后又放弃了？是戒烟，减肥并保持健康，还是旅行呢？
Well, I’m going to go with b) I think losing weight and getting fit; I think that’s something that’s very difficult for people to actually do.
恩，我选b,减肥并保持健康。我觉得人们其实很难做到这点。
We’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. Now, let’s take a closer look at today’s story.It’s about a study done on schoolchildren in America. They were asked to carry out three random acts of kindness each week.
好，节目最后我们会揭晓答案，看看你答对了没有。现在我们来看看今天的故事吧。这个故事和美国一项研究有关。它要求小学生每周做三次随机善良行为。
If something is random, it means it’s unplanned. So, a random act of kindness means that you do something for someone that you haven’t planned to do, just to be nice.
如果什么东西是random（随机的，随意的），那么也就是计划外的。所以，随机善良行为是指你为某人做计划外的某事，仅仅出于好意去做。
It’s a lovely idea. But what could a random act of kindness be? Listen to this first part of a report from BBC correspondent Victoria Gill. See if you can identify some of the random acts of kindness she mentions.
这个主意不错。但什么行为可以是随机善举呢？让我们听听BBC记者Victoria Gill报告中的第一部分，看看你能否说出她提到的几种随机善举。
This team of psychologists instructed classrooms of nine to eleven-year-old students to carry out three random acts of kindness per week.These could be anything from giving a stressed parent a hug to offering to share lunch with a friend.
心里专家组指导九到十一岁的小学生每周完成三种随机善举。善举的范围很广，他们可以给焦虑的父母一个拥抱，也可以和朋友共享午餐。
What random acts of kindness did she mention?
Callum，她都提到了哪些随机善良行为？
The first example given was giving a stressed parent a hug. If you’re stressed, you’re worried and under pressure.
第一个例子是给焦虑的父母一个拥抱。如果你感到stressed，也就是你觉得焦虑不安，有压力。
So that’s a random act of kindness that makes you feel good and doesn’t cost anything to do. What other examples were given?
所以那是一种善举，它可以使人们心情变好，而且还不花成本。Victoria Gill还举了什么例子？
Offering to share lunch with a friend. Would you be prepared to share your lunch with me?
和朋友共享午餐。对了，你愿意和我分享你的午餐吗？
No! You said you wanted to lose weight for your New Year’s resolution, so keep your hands off my lunch!Seriously, though, children between the ages of nine and eleven took part in this kindness study, so what effects did being kind have on the children?Listen to the second part of Victoria Gill’s report: what positive effects did the study have?
不！你刚刚还说自己的新年计划是减肥呢，所以别打我午餐的主意！不过说认真的，九到十一岁的学生参加了此项善举研究，那么为人友好对他们有什么影响呢？接下来让我们听听Victoria Gill报告中的第二部分，看看此项研究有哪些积极影响。
At the end of the four weeks, these kind acts had boosted the children’s wellbeing, but they’d also shifted the dynamics of the whole classroom.The short period of enforced kindness made children significantly more popular with their peers; something the researchers measured by asking every child to nominate classmates that they would most like to spend time with.
在第四星期结束时，这些善良行为不仅促进了儿童健康，还改变了整个教室的气氛。除此之外，短期善意之举还使学生在同龄人中更受欢迎了。研究人员要求每名儿童说出最想在一起的那个学生的名字，通过这种做法，他们测出了孩子的受欢迎度。
We heard that the acts boosted the children’s wellbeing – that means it made them feel better about themselves.It also changed the dynamics of the classroom. Can you explain the word ’dynamics’, Callum?
我们听到善良行为促进了儿童健康，也就是说他们自我感觉更加良好。善举还改变了教室里的气氛。Callum，你能解释一下dynamics这个词吗？
The word ’dynamics’ here refers to the feel – the atmosphere - of the classroom; the things that are important to the people in it and the way people act.So, being kinder has changed the general feeling in the classroom, and made it better.
dynamics在这句话里是气氛、感觉的意思，即对教室中的人及其举止很重要的东西。所以为人善良改变了整个教室的气氛，让它变得更好了。
Another positive effect was that children became more popular with their classmates – so people will like you more if you are kind to them!Let’s hear the final part of the report and see if you can identify an adjective which describes a kind and selfless act.
另外一个积极影响就是孩子们更受同学欢迎了，也就是说如果你对别人好，别人就会更喜欢你！让我们听听最后一部分报告，看你能否找到一个形容词来描述善良无私之举。
The researchers say that encouraging schoolchildren to perform small and simple altruistic acts could make the classroom a happier place, and even help to discourage social problems such as bullying.
研究人员表示，鼓励学生做些简单微小的利他行为不仅可以使教室变成更快乐的地方，而且还利于阻止恃强欺弱等社会问题。
That word was ’altruistic’. If you do something which is altruistic, you do it to help someone else and not gain anything yourself.
那个形容词是altruistic。所谓利他行为，即帮助别人却不求回报。
It’s easy to see how performing kind acts can make classrooms or offices happier places. Maybe we should start doing kind acts in BBC Learning English for our New Year’s Resolution?
我们很容易看到，行善良之举可以使教室或办公室变成更快乐的地方。也许我们应该在BBC六分钟英语这个节目中做点善事，把这个作为我们的新年计划吧，怎么样？
Now that’s not a bad idea! Speaking of New Year’s Resolutions, we’re nearly at the end of the programme, so we have to answer the quiz question! I asked what the most commonly broken resolution was. Was it: a) stopping smoking; b) losing weight and getting fit; c) travelling more
这个主意不错！说到新年计划我想起来了，节目马上要结束了，我们快来回答下今天的问题吧。我刚刚问你最常被打破的计划是什么。a,戒烟；b,减肥并保持健康；还是c,旅行？
And I said b) losing weight and getting fit.
我刚刚选的b,减肥并保持健康。
Well you were… wrong, it was a) stopping smoking. According to Time magazine, only 15% of people who stop smoking in January actually succeed.But we’re not very good at getting fit, either – 60% of gym memberships taken out in January are never used and people don’t stick to their diets, either.
好吧，你答错了。正确答案是a,戒烟。据时代周刊报道，在1月份开始戒烟的人群中，只有15%的人最终取得了成功。但在获得健康这方面我们做的也不怎么好。据报道，60%的人在1月份办理了健身房会员后就再也没有去过，而且人们对节食也坚持不下来。
Hmm – that’s not very good, is it? Well if I’m not going to stick to my resolution to lose weight, then there is some good news…
呃，这种情况不太好。如果我不能坚持自己的减肥计划，那么你就等着好消息吧。
What’s that?
什么意思？
You can share your lunch with me after all!
你可以和我分享午餐了。
Oh ok! Join us again for another edition of 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com. Bye for now!
呵呵，好啊。欢迎大家登录bbclearningenglish.com收听下期BBC六分钟英语节目，拜拜~
Bye!
拜拜~