Chatty adjective UK /ˈtʃæt.i/ US /ˈtʃæt̬.i/ 爱闲聊的;健谈的
Sociable adjective UK /ˈsəʊ.ʃə.bəl/ US /ˈsoʊ.ʃə.bəl/ 好交际的;善于社交的;合群的
Actually adverb UK /ˈæk.tʃu.ə.li/ US/ˈæk.tʃu.ə.li/ 实质上;事实上;的确
Approximately UK /əˈprɒk.sɪ.mət.li/ US /əˈprɑːk.sə.mət.li/ 大约,大概,上下
Awkward adjective UK /ˈɔː.kwəd/ US /ˈɑː.kwɚd/ 难用的;棘手的;难处理的,难对付的
Underestimate verb UK /ˌʌn.dəˈres.tɪ.meɪt/ US /ˌʌn.dɚˈes.tə.meɪt/ 低估;(对…)估计不足
Anticipating verb [ T ] UK /ænˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/ US /ænˈtɪs.ə.peɪt/ 预期,期望;预料
Negative adjective UK /ˈneɡ.ə.tɪv/ US /ˈneɡ.ə.t̬ɪv/ 否定的;拒绝的
Outcome noun UK /ˈaʊt.kʌm/ US /ˈaʊt.kʌm/ 结果,后果;效果
Courage noun [ U ] UK /ˈkʌr.ɪdʒ/ US /ˈkɝː.ɪdʒ/ 勇气,胆量;勇敢
Minimal adjective UK /ˈmɪn.ɪ.məl/ US /ˈmɪn.ə.məl/ 极小的;极少的
Highlighted verb [ T ] UK /ˈhaɪ.laɪt/ US /ˈhaɪ.laɪt/ 使导致重视,强调
意见先打开PM3再起始听 有错误的地区欢迎留言哦
Neil: Hello. This is 6 Minute English and Im Neil. Joining me for our discussion is Georgina.
Georgina: Hello!
Neil: Now, Georgina, youre a chatty,sociablekind of person, arent you?
Georgina: Well, yes, I think so.
Neil: But would you go up to a stranger and strike up a conversation?
Georgina: That might be going too far - if you dont know them, what are you going to start talking about?
Neil: A good question. But maybe you should - because in this programme were looking at how talking to strangers mightactuallybe good for you! But first, let me talk to you about todays question. Id like you to answer this. To make conversation we need words - so according to the Oxford English dictionary,approximately how many words are in use in the English language? Is it...
Georgina: We use a lot of words in English, but not 371,000 -so Ill go for a) 171,146.
Neil: OK. Well, as always I will reveal the answer later in the programme. Now, lets continue our conversation about having conversations with strangers! Many of us spend part of every day surrounded by strangers, whether on our commute to work, sitting in a park or cafe,or visiting the supermarket.
Georgina: But we rarely reach out and talk to them because we fear it would make us both feel uncomfortable - or awkward.And Gillian Sandstrom, social psychologist from Essex University in the UK, can explain why. Here she is speaking on BBC Radio 4s All In The Mind programme...
Gillian Sandstrom: We kind of underestimate, we have this negative voice in our head thats telling us "I shouldnt have said that, why did I do that? I said that story better last time". But the other person doesnt know any of that and theyre probably -you know, they might beanticipating that they wont have a positive conversation and then they do. And they think, wow,that person was amazing. So we walk round with this fear that the other person isnt going to be interested in talking to us.
Georgina: Fascinating stuff.So we have a negative voice in our head telling us about all the bad things that might happen.We basically underestimate ourselves.
Neil: To underestimate means to think that something is smaller or less important than it really is. We worry that what we say wont be interesting or important enough.
Georgina: Ah, but the other person doesnt know that. Theyre also anticipating - or guessing - theoutcome. Theyre thinking that if they have a conversation,it wont go well.But of course, when strangers do talk to each other it normally goes well.
Neil: Yes, its just fear that is stopping us. But if we get over that fear, and getchatting, people might actually like us -and we might make new friends.
Georgina: Another reason why you should pluck up the courageto talk to strangers is that its good for our health!
Neil: Pluck up the courage - thats a good phrase, Georgina, meaning force yourself to do something that youre scared about and...research by the University of Chicago found we may often underestimate the positive impact of connecting with others for both our own and others wellbeing.
Georgina: And connecting here means starting or having a good relationship with someone.So the research found that, for example, having a conversation with a stranger on your way to work may leave you both feeling happier than you would think.
Neil: Gillian Sandstrom also spoke about her research and the power of talking to strangers on the You and Yours programme.Listen out for the word connected -
Gillian Sandstrom: What weve shown in the research is that its really good for your mood. So people are in a better mood after they reach out and have a conversation, howeverminimal,and the other thing that the research has shown is that just makes people feel more connected to each other.
Neil: There you go! Talking to strangers is good for our mood - and mood means the way we feel. Its good for our mental health - and we might discover people actually like us! And even if were an introvert - a person who prefers to be alone rather than with other people - experiments have shown that talking to others can make us happier.
Georgina: The problem remains, Neil, that when speaking to someone new,what do you talk about?
Neil: How about some interesting facts -like approximatelyhow many words are in use in the English language? Which is what I asked you earlier. Is it? a) 171,146; b) 271,146 or c) 371,146? What did you say, Georgina?
Georgina: I said 171,146. Was I right?
Neil: Spot on, Georgina. Well done!Yes, there are an estimated 171,146 words currently in use in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary -plus many more obsolete words.
Georgina: I shall pick a few of them and make conversation with someone on the Tube later,but not before we recap some of the vocabulary weve explained.
Neil: Yes - so we highlightedsix words, starting with underestimate which is to think that something is smaller or less important than it really is.
Georgina: Anticipating means guessing or expecting a certain outcome. I anticipate this programme to be 6 minutes long!
Neil: Thats a given! Next, we mentioned the phrase to pluck up the courage,meaning to force yourself to do something that youre scared or nervous about.
Georgina: When you connect with someone, it means you start or have a good relationship with someone.I think weve connected on this programme, Neil!
Neil: Absolutely, Georgina. And thats put me in a good mood - mood means the way we feel.
Georgina: And finally, an introvert is a person who prefers to spend time on their own.
Neil: Thanks, Georgina. Well, thats our conversation over, but you can hear more from us on our website and on our app. Goodbye!
Georgina: Bye!
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