星座
Star signs
Hello I’m Rob – a Gemini.
大家好，我是Rob——我是双子座的。
Welcome to 6 Minute English.
欢迎收听六分钟英语节目。
I’m joined today by Neil.
今天和我一起主持节目的是Neil。
Hi Rob. I'm a Virgo.
你好，Rob。我是处女座。
So, what does that say about my personality?
那么星座学上是怎么描述我这个星座的性格的呢？
That's the group of thoughts, feelings and behaviours which make you who you are.
性格是构成我们自身的诸多思想、感觉以及行为。
It means I am supposed to be independent and observant!
我的意思是我的性格应该是独立的，并且具有敏锐的观察力！
Really?
是吗？
OK, observant – in other words, quick at noticing things.
是啊，观察力敏锐——换句话说就是善于观察事物。
Well, as a Gemini, I'm supposed to be witty and adaptable!
好吧，身为双子座，我应该是机智的并善于适应环境的。
I think that's true.
我觉得很对。
You are adaptable, Rob.
你的确适应性很强，Rob。
You get used to new things and situations very easily, I think.
我觉得你很善于适应新事物以及新环境。
Well, these characteristics we've mentioned are based on what astrologers say.
恩，刚才我们提到的这些性格描述都是基于星相学家提出的观点。
And astrology is today's theme.
而且我们今天的主题也是关于占星的。
Astrologers are people who say they can find out about your personality,and maybe your future,
星相学家是那些自称能够分析出你的性格，甚至你的未来的人。
by analysing the position of stars and planets the day you were born.
他们通过分析你出生时的恒星以及行星的位置来做出预测。
It's controversial.
这种研究是极具争议的。
Many astronomers – the scientists who study the stars and planets – don't believe it's true,
很多天文学家，那些专门研究恒星和行星的专家们并不相信这种说法。
but some well-known people believe it's a very serious business.
但很多名人却十分笃信占星学。
And I'll put a question to you about that.
下面我就问你一个相关的问题。
People born under the sign of Virgo are said to be very precise.
据说处女座的人都是非常严谨的。
Hmm, I'm not so sure about that…
恩，这个我可不是很确定……
But I'd better make sure everything I say today is very accurate so I fit the description!
但是我今天最好确保我说的每句话都是准确的，不然就不符合我的星座描述啦。
OK. Let's see if you can answer this question accurately.
好的，那让我们来看看你能不能正确的回答出这个问题。
Which of these famous people were publicly criticised when it came to light that they relied too much on horoscopes to take decisions?
以下哪个名人在被发现过分依赖占星学来做决策之后遭到了公众的批评？
Was it:
他（她）是：
a) Margaret Thatcher
a) Margaret Thatcher
b) Nancy Reagan or
b) Nancy Reagan
c) Michael Jackson
c) Michael Jackson
I think… I can remember this.
我想……我记得我好像知道
I think it's Nancy Reagan, b.
应该是Nancy Reagan, b。
OK. Are you sure?
好的，你确定吗？
I am.
恩，我确定。
OK.
好的。
Well, you'll have to be patient because you won't get the answer until the end of the programme.
那你可要耐心一点了，因为我们要等到节目的最后才会揭晓答案。
Now, let me read my horoscope for today…
现在，让我来看看我今天的星座分析……
Oh, you and your horoscopes, honestly, Neil!
噢，你的星座分析，不过老实说，Neil！
Do you know when newspapers and magazines started to offer horoscopes to their readers?
你知道从什么时候开始报纸以及杂志开始为读者刊登星座分析的吗？
No, I don't.
这个我还真的不太清楚。
Well, let's hear from Nicholas Campion,
那下面就让我们来听听 Nicholas Campion是怎么说的。
who teaches the cultural history of astrology at the University of Wales.
他在威尔士大学教授占星学的文化历史。
What does he have to say about it?
他会说些什么呢？
Campion, a Pisces, uses one particular word when he describes how people feel about their place in the universe.
Campion是双鱼座，他用了一个单词来描述人们对于自己在宇宙中的位置的感觉。
Which word is it?
到底是哪个单词呢？
The newspaper horoscope was invented about 1930.
在报纸上刊登星座分析始于1930年。
There's a parallel between what was happening in astronomy at the time.
同一时期，天文学上也发生了一些变化。
In the late 20s,
在20年代后期，
the idea that the universe is huge and expanding was discovered and popularised by the astronomer Edwin Hubble.
天文学家Edwin Hubble提出了宇宙是无穷大、并且还在不断的扩大的观点，这个观点盛行一时。
This became a metaphor for the idea that we live on the edge of a distant corner of the universe and we are all very insignificant.
这个观点隐约地象征着着我们只不过生活在宇宙遥远角落的边缘，我们是渺小且微不足道的。
At the same time we suddenly get these horoscope columns appearing which I see as a kind of domestication of astrology.
同时，星座专栏开始遍地开花。在我看来这是占星术的驯化变体。
Insignificant!
我们是微不足道的！
It means of very little importance.
这意味着我们是无关紧要的。
He says that's how people felt when astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered how huge the universe is…
他说的是当Edwin Hubble发现宇宙是无穷大之后，当时人们的感受
And this academic thinks astrology tried to bring this idea under control;
这个理论认为占星学开始尝试掌控这个观点
it domesticated it.
占星学“驯化”了这个观点。
It brought it to our personal level,
它把这个观点引入到了个人层面，
and made it all about routine, everyday events.
让它贯穿到人们常规的、日常发生的事情之中。
How interesting.
真有趣。
It makes us think that the stars are all about us.
它让我们认为星系运行的每一点变化都是和我们有关的。
Astrology tells us that the stars are all about me! I want to read my horoscope now!
占星学告诉我们星星的变化都是和我有关的！我想赶紧看看我今天的星座分析！
Well, before you do that,
好吧，在你看那个之前，
you have to listen to what another specialist,
你最好再听听另外一位专家说的，
this time a psychologist, has to say.
这次是一名心理学家。
Paul Rogers, a Sagittarius,
Paul Rogers，射手座，
teaches at the University of Central Lancashire, in the north of England.
他是英国南部的兰开夏中部大学的一名老师。
A Sagittarius – he might be independent like me.
射手座——他有可能像我一样独立哦。
Yes, go ahead!
来，让我们来听听他是怎么说的！
OK. Well, he might spoil the fun you're having with your newspaper.
好的，不过，他有可能扫了你读星座专栏的兴趣噢。
Here he is:
看他是怎么说的：
People are misperceiving these generalised statements as being unique to their own personality.
人们误以为这些笼统的描述是对于他们自己性格的独有描述。
There are other counter biases that people fall prey to,
人们深受一些反偏见的影响，
for example, the confirmation bias.
比方说证实偏见。
If you believe in something,
如果你相信某个观点，
you'll look for evidence to support that belief and you'll ignore evidence that rejects that belief.
你就会寻找一些可以支持这个信念的证据，而忽视那些反对的证据。
He talks about belief!
他提到了信念！
Something which you think is true without much proof.
信念就是你所相信的东西，而且不需要太多的证据。
He says that people who think horoscopes are true do so because the predictions seem to confirm what they already think about themselves.
他说那些如此相信星座分析的人是因为那些预测似乎进一步巩固了他们本身对于自己的看法。
Yes, people look for evidence –
没错，人们寻找证据——
an indication that something they believe is true.
寻找那些可以证明他们自己的想法是正确的暗示。
But it's all in their mind and not in the stars themselves.
但这些都是他们自己心里所想的，并不是星系本身的。
People believe what they want to believe.
人们只选择相信那些他们想要相信的东西。
They need some sense of control over life.
他们需要一些可以控制自己生活的感觉。
You know what?
你知道吗？
This is true.
这是真的。
Believe in horoscopes or not,
不管信不信星座，
it's very comforting to have this sense of direction in life.
拥有这种可以掌控生活方向的感觉让人很安心。
Everything seems so unpredictable!
因为世间万事都是如此的变化莫测！
Here's something predictable: our quiz.
但是今天有一件事是可以猜到的：我们的问题。
Let's go back to it and see if you got the question right.
让我们再回到一开始提出的问题，看看你的答案到底对不对。
I asked you which of these famous people were publicly criticised when it came to light that they relied too much on horoscopes.
我问你的问题是哪个名人在被发现过分依赖占星来做决定之后遭到了公众的批评。
Was it Margaret Thatcher, Nancy Reagan or Michael Jackson?
是Margaret Thatcher, Nancy Reagan 还是 Michael Jackson?
I said Nancy Reagan.
应该是Nancy Reagan。
And you were right.
你猜对了。
Nancy Reagan, wife of the late president Ronald Reagan, has long been interested in astrology.
Nancy Reagan，已故总统Ronald Reagan的妻子，她一直都对占星学很有兴趣。
In 1988, she was criticised and ridiculed when it was revealed that she had consulted astrologers during her time at the White House.
1988年，在被发现她在白宫期间曾咨询过占星家之后遭到了公众的批评和嘲笑。
I knew I was right because I'm always accurate!
我就知道我是对的，因为我总是很准确！
Of course. Well done!
当然了，干的好！
Right, well, before we go, could you remind us of some of the English words we’ve heard today?
好的，那在我们结束今天的节目之前，你能再和大家复习一下我们今天提到的英语单词吗？
personality
性格
observant
观察力敏锐的
adaptable
善于适应的
astrologers
占星家，星相学家
astronomers
天文学家
insignificant
无关紧要的
domestication
驯养，驯化
evidence
证据
belief
信念
Thank you, Neil.
谢谢，Neil。
Well, that’s it for this programme.
好的，我们今天的节目到这就结束了。
Please join us soon again for 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
希望大家下次继续收听我们的六分钟英语节目。
Here's one thing you can predict: we’ll be back!
有一件事是板上钉钉的：那就是——我们还会再见面的！
Bye.
再见。
Bye bye.
再见。