你觉得你是隐形的吗?
You think you're invisible?
Welcome to 6 Minute English, the programme where we explore an interesting topic and bring you six items of useful vocabulary.
欢迎收听六分钟英语,在该节目中我们会探讨一个有趣的话题,奉上六个有用的单词。
I'm Neil.
我是尼尔。
And I'm Dan.
我是丹。
Now, Dan, have you ever wanted to become invisible?
丹,你想过要变成隐形的吗?
Invisible – impossible to see. Of course! Who hasn't?
隐形的,是指看不见的。当然了,谁没想过呢?
Well how about this: most of us think we are in fact invisible, at least some of the time…
有没有这么想过:大多数人认为事实上我们都是隐形的,至少在某些时候……
We'll be looking at the invisibility cloak illusion in this programme.
今天的节目我们来看看隐形衣的错觉。
Fascinating. And in that phrase we heard our first three words.
不错。在这个短语中,我们听到了第一个三字词语。
Invisibility – the state of being invisible.
invisibility(隐形),是指看不见的状态。
A cloak is a long piece of material worn like a coat around the shoulders.
cloak(斗篷)是指长版的可以裹住肩膀的衣服材料。
And the third word in that phrase – an illusion – is something that seems real but isn't.
该词组的第三个单词,illusion,是指某物看起来是真实的但实际上并非如此。
OK, question time. Which of these stories features an invisibility cloak?
问题时间到了。下列哪个故事中有隐形衣?
Is it…a) The Hobbit
a) 《霍比特人》
b) Harry Potter
b) 《哈利·波特》
Or c) The Invisible Man
还是c) 《隐形人》?
I know they are all connected to invisibility, but I'm gonna say…a) The Hobbit.
我知道他们都和隐形相关,但我想选a) 霍比特人。
Ok – we'll reveal the answer later on.
之后我们再揭晓答案。
Now, let's hear more about this invisibility cloak illusion.
现在我们再听听关于隐形衣错觉的事情。
What's the theory, Neil?
这是什么理论呢,尼尔?
Right – imagine you're sitting in a crowded train.
想象你坐在拥挤的火车上。
People are busy looking at phones and books, but they're also looking at each other.
人们忙着看手机和书,但他们同时也在观察对方。
They're people-watching, as we call it.
我们将这种行为称作“观察人”。
Yes. Yes, I do that. I do it a lot, if I'm honest!
没错,我也是。老实说,我做过很多类似的事。
So – where does the invisibility part come in?
那么,隐形的部分怎么来的呢?
A team of scientists from Yale University did some experiments on this.
耶鲁大学的一组科学家对此做过一些实验。
Commenting on the research here is neuroscientist Dr Catherine Loveday from Westminster University.
威斯敏斯特大学的神经系统科学家凯瑟琳·洛芙迪就此研究进行评论。
What did the Yale team find?
耶鲁的团队得出了什么结论呢?
So this study, they asked people that,
这项研究中,研究人员要求人们,
first they did a survey and they asked people sat in a canteen how much they were watching somebody,
首先做了一个调查,询问坐在小卖部中的人们,他们观察别人时看出了多少,
and how much they thought those people were observing them.
以及他们认为别人观察自己时看出了多少。
And there was always a mismatch.
这二者总是不匹配的。
People always thought they were more observational than the people who were watching them.
人们总是认为相比观察自己的人,自己的观察能力更强。
So, people think they observe others more than others watch them.
所以人们认为自己观察别人,比别人观察自己更多。
Everyone thinks they aren't observed very much
每个人都认为他们不会被看出什么。
- it's almost as if they're invisible to others – or wearing an invisibility cloak!
似乎他们对其他人来说就是隐形的,或者说穿上了一件隐形衣。
And the difference between how much they are actually being watched and think they're being watched is what she called a mismatch.
他们实际上被看出了多少,以及他们所认为的人们关注的东西总是有差别的,凯瑟琳称之为mismatch(错配)。
It's the difference between two things – they're two things which don't match.
二者是有差别的,他们是不匹配的两件事。
In other words – it's not true that people aren't watching us
换句话说,人们没有在观察我们的看法是不对的。
– which is why the idea of having an invisibility cloak is just an illusion.
这也是为什么拥有隐形衣也是一种错觉。
This next bit is interesting.
下一个研究也很有意思。
Two people were asked to wait in a room.
两个人被要求在一间屋子里等着。
Then they were each asked to make two lists:
然后他们每人被要求做两个列表:
one, what they noticed about the other person;
一个表写他们注意到对方什么;
and two, what they thought the other person noticed about them.
另一个列表写他们认为对方会注意到自己什么。
So list one was always longer than list two.
所以表一通常比表二长。
Not only that – but there was also an important difference in the content of the lists.
不仅如此,重要的是,列表的内容也有差异。
Let's hear again from neuroscientist Dr Catherine Loveday.
我们听听凯瑟琳教授的解释。
What was the difference?
有什么差别呢?
When people are observing you they're doing it in a non-judgemental, fairly empathic way
当人们观察你时,他们是以一种非评判性、同理心的方式在观察,
– and not actually noticing the things that you're self-conscious about.
不会真正注意到你自己难为情的东西。
So if for example you feel self-conscious about a spot on your nose,
例如你自己意识到你鼻子上有个斑,
or something that you're wearing, that won't be what they're noticing.
或者你穿着什么,这些都不是他人注意的事情。
It's a much less judgemental form of observation.
别人的观察少了很多评判。
Right, so even if we're feeling self-conscious about something
没错,所以即便我们自己对某事感到难为情,
– that means feeling extra aware of an aspect of ourselves
也就是格外注意自己的某一方面,
– maybe our appearance or our clothes – we needn't be.
也许是我们的外表或者我们的着装,其实是没必要的。
Yes, you don't need to feel self-conscious.
是的,你没必要感到难为情。
People aren't being judgemental.
人们没有在评判你。
And being judgemental means being critical.
评判的是指挑剔的。
That's good news.
这是好消息。
So even though all I'm thinking about is how badly I need a haircut,
即便我都在想我急需理发,
the other person is probably noticing something completely different.
其他人也许在注意完全不同的东西。
Back to the question about the invisibility cloak.
回到隐形衣的问题上。
Which story is it in?
哪个故事里面有隐形衣?
I said The Hobbit.
我说的是《霍比特人》。
And it was in fact – Harry Potter.
事实上是《哈利·波特》。
Not only does the garment make you impossible to see, it also protects you against magic spells.
隐形衣不仅可以让别人看不到你,还可以抵御魔法咒语。
Wow – I need one of those!
哇,我需要一件隐形衣。
In The Hobbit, it's a ring that makes you invisible,
在《霍比特人》里,指环可以让你隐形,
and in The Invisible Man, the main character uses chemicals to achieve the same effect.
在《隐形人》里,主角使用化学物质实现相同的效果。
Now, before we become invisible ourselves, how about we go through today's words?
在我们隐形前,浏览一遍今天的单词吧?
Marvellous. First we had invisible – which means impossible to see.
棒极了!首先我们提到隐形的,是指不可能看见。
You could say that stars are invisible during the day.
你可以说白天星星是看不到的。
They're only visible at night.
他们只有在晚上才能看到。
We also had cloak – who would wear a cloak?
我们还提到斗篷。谁会穿斗篷呢?
Maybe a king or a monk? Or maybe you, Neil?
也许是国王或者僧侣?又或者是你,尼尔?
I'm sure I could look good in a cloak – that's a long piece of material worn over the shoulders.
我想我穿斗篷一定很好看。斗篷是指罩住肩膀的长款衣服。
What about illusion?
幻觉是指什么呢?
Illusions appear to be true, but they're not.
幻觉是指看起来是真的,但其实不是。
It can describe an idea: you could say a politician has the illusion that everything he says is true.
可以描述这样一个观点:你可以说政客有一种他说什么都是对的幻觉。
Then we had mismatch – which can refer to the difference between two things which perhaps should be similar:
然后我们提到了不相配,是指两个相似事物的差异性。
there's a mismatch between what Michael says and what he does.
迈克尔说的和做的之间有差距。
Who's Michael?
谁是迈克尔?
Just an example!
就是举个例子!
You could also say that Michael and Simone are an unlikely couple
你可以说迈克尔和西蒙妮是一对不搭的情侣。
– they seem very different – they're a bit of a mismatch.
他们似乎很不同。有点不搭。
What is it with you and Michael?!
那你和迈克尔呢?
One, he doesn't exist, and two, I think you're being judgemental.
第一,他不存在。第二,我觉得你在评判。
Well, I'm criticising him so, yeah, you're right – I'm being judgemental.
我在批评他,你说的没错。我是在评判。
Perhaps I should stop.
也许我应该停止评判。
It's just that… it's just that I'm in love with Simone myself,
只是因为我自己喜欢西蒙妮,
and I get all nervous and self-conscious when I see her.
我一看到她就很紧张,就难为情。
You mean you become embarrassed about what she might think of you – you become self-conscious?
你是说你一想到她怎么看你你就会尴尬,感到难为情?
I do.
是的。
Even though she doesn't exist either?
即便她根本不存在?
Well, only in my examples.
这也只是我举的例子。
Sometimes I wish I really did have an invisibility cloak.
有时我希望我真的有一件隐形衣。
Hey, hang on, Dan - where have you gone?
等等,丹,你去哪了?
Haha – very funny, I'm still perfectly visible.
很有趣。我完全隐形了。
Time to go – but do visit our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages, and of course our website!
时间到了,但你可以访问我们的Facebook, Twitter, Instagram 和 YouTube的主页,当然还有我们的网站!
Goodbye for now.
现在要说再见了!
Bye!
再见!
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