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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam. And I'm Neil.
大家好。这里是 BBC 学习英语栏目的六分钟英语。我是萨姆。我是尼尔。
Have you heard the expression doomscrolling, Neil?
你听过阴暗刷屏这个词吗，尼尔？
It's when people spend a lot of time reading, or 'scrolling', a mobile phone or computer screen in order to read negative news stories - stories full of doom.
它指的是人们花大量时间刷手机或看电脑上的负面新闻，即悲惨的故事。
I hate to admit it, but I do sometimes doomscroll.
我不想承认，但我有时也会阴暗刷屏。
Well don't feel too bad, Neil, because you're not alone.
别难过，尼尔，因为你并不孤单。
Research from the University of California found that people all over the world doomscroll, regardless of culture.
加州大学的一项研究发现，无论文化背景如何，世界各地的人都会阴暗刷屏。
What's more, there may even be evolutionary reasons why we're attracted to bad news.
更重要的是，我们容易被坏消息吸引，可能进化出的特点。
In this programme, we'll be investigating why we feel compelled to look at, and even seek out, bad news.
在本期节目中，我们将调查为什么我们觉得必须看看甚至去寻找坏消息。
And, as usual, we'll be learning some new vocabulary, as well.
像往常一样，我们也将学习一些新的词汇。
But before that I have a question for you, Neil.
但在此之前我有个问题要问你，尼尔。
Doomscrolling is a very modern idea which is only possible with the 24/7, non-stop cycle of news reporting.
阴暗刷屏的概念在现代才出现，因为这只有在新闻报道迅速、及时、不间断的情况下才可能实现。
So, according to international news agency, Reuters, what has been the top global news story of 2023 so far?
那么，据国际知名报社——路透社报道，目前为止，2023年全球头号新闻是什么？
Is it a) The war in Ukraine? b) Increasing prices and inflation? or, c) Prince Harry's autobiography?
是 a) 乌克兰战争？b) 不断上涨的物价和通货膨胀？还是，c) 哈里王子的自传？
I think the answer is an issue that's affecting everyone - inflation.
我认为是一个能影响到所有人的事件——通货膨胀。
OK, Neil. I'll reveal the answer at the end of the programme.
好的，尼尔。我将在节目最后揭晓答案。
Now, it might be true that the non-stop news cycle makes doomscrolling possible, but that doesn't explain why we do it.
或许是不间断的新闻播报让阴暗刷屏成为可能，但这并不能解释我们为什么要这样做。
Anthropologist Ella al-Shamahi thinks the answer may lie in human evolution.
人类学家埃拉·奥舍玛黑认为这可能是人类进化出的本能。
Here she outlines the problem for BBC Radio 4 programme, Why Do We Do That?
在BBC4频道的《为什么我们要这样做？》节目中，她概述了这个问题。
We go searching out for bad news, looking for things that will make us feel ick inside.
我们去寻找坏消息，寻找那些让我们感到恶心的消息。
And so many of us do it.
很多人都这样做。
Is it a result of 24/7 doom on tap on our phones?
这是因为手机不间断地推送坏消息吗？
Or, is it some kind of compulsion that comes from somewhere way, way back?
或者，这是某种延续已久的强迫症吗？
Reading bad news stories makes us feel ick
读坏消息会让我们感到恶心。
- an informal American phrase which means feel sick, often because of something disgusting or disturbing.
“feel ick”是一个非正式的美式短语，意思是感觉不舒服，通常是因为见了恶心或令人不安的事情。
It's a feeling caused by the fact that, thanks to the internet, now we have the news on tap
人们有这种感觉是因为有了互联网，现在我们可以随时获得新闻。
- easily available so that you can have as much of it as you want, whenever you want.
“on tap”形容某物很容易获得，什么时候想要都行，想要多少都行。
But Ella thinks that's not the whole story.
但埃拉认为这并不是事情的全貌。
There's another theory: way back in human history, when we lived in caves, it seemed everything could kill us, from wild animals to eating the wrong mushroom.
还有另一种理论：很早之前，当人类住在洞穴里时，似乎稍有不慎就会死掉。野生动物可以杀死我们，毒蘑菇也可以。
Knowing what the dangers were, and how to avoid them, was vital to our survival,
知道危险是什么，以及如何避免它们，对我们的生存至关重要，
and from an evolutionary perspective, survival is everything.
从进化论的角度来看，生存就是一切。
As a result, we humans naturally pay attention to the negative stuff, something Ella calls 'negativity bias'.
结果，人类自然就更关注消极的东西，埃拉称之为“消极偏见”。
But while cavemen only knew what was happening in their local area, nowadays we know the bad news from all over the world.
但是，当时住在洞穴里的人类只知道他们身边发生的事情，现在我们知道世界各地的坏消息。
Here's Ella again, discussing this with her friend, TV presenter, Clara Amfo, for BBC Radio 4 programme, Why Do We Do That?
埃拉还在BBC4频道的《为什么我们要这样做？》节目中，与她的朋友——电视节目主持人克拉拉·安福讨论过这个问题。
Before it would be like, I don't know, I'm assuming you'd go to the neighbour's cave and they'd only know… the bad news from… that particular mountain.
之前，假设你去了邻居的洞穴，他们也只知道某座山里的坏消息。
Whereas now, it's like, "Let me tell you about the really bad information and situation that's going on in some island somewhere…".
而现在，人们会说“告诉你哦，在某个小岛上发生了非常糟糕的事”。
It's just the good news doesn't make up for it. It really doesn't, and I think trauma's romanticised, really.
好消息不能弥补坏消息的消极影响。真的不能。我认为人们把挫折、困难浪漫化了，真的。
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", "this is a test".
“没能打败你的事情会让你更加强大”，“这是一场考验”。
I think we're conditioned to believe that negative experiences shape us more than joyous ones.
我认为，我们习惯于相信消极的经历比快乐的经历更能磨练自己。
Reading bad news from around the world can depress us,
阅读世界各地的坏消息会让我们沮丧，
and Ella thinks that the little good news we do hear doesn't make up for the depressing news.
而埃拉认为我们听到的好消息并不能弥补坏消息的消极影响。
To make up for something means to compensate for something bad with something good.
“make up for something”的意思是用一些好的东西补偿一些坏的东西。
Good news is hard to find.
好消息很难找到。
In fact, Clara thinks society has romanticised bad, traumatic news.
其实，克拉拉认为社会已经把不好的、让人痛苦的消息浪漫化了。
If you romanticise something, you talk about it in a way that makes it sound better than it really is.
如果你“romanticise”某事，你会用一种听起来比实际情况更好的方式来讲述它。
Connected to this is the saying, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger",
与此相关的一句谚语是“what doesn't kill you makes you stronger”，
meaning that by going through difficult experiences in life, people build up strength and resilience for the future.
意思是生活中的艰难困苦会给人以力量、韧性。
Maybe it's best to stop doomscrolling altogether, but with so much bad news pouring into our mobile phones every day, it's not easy.
也许最好是不要阴暗刷屏。但每天我们的手机都推送许多坏消息，所以不看并不简单。
OK, it's time to reveal the answer to my question, Neil.
好了，尼尔，是时候揭晓我的问题的答案了。
I asked you what news agency, Reuters, considers the top news story of 2023 so far.
我问你，到目前为止，路透社认为2023年的头条新闻是什么。
And I guessed it was b) inflation.
我猜是 b) 通货膨胀。
Which was… the correct answer, although there's still plenty of time for 2023 to bring us more doom, hopefully along with a little positivity too.
回答...正确。但是2023年还剩下很长时间，可能会带来更多的坏消息，也希望能有些好消息。
OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this programme about doomscrolling
好了，让我们回顾一下本期关于阴暗刷屏的词汇。
- spending lots of time reading bad news stories on your phone.
“doomscroll”指的是花很多时间阅读手机上的坏消息。
Feeling ick is American slang for feeling sick, often because of something disgusting or disturbing.
“feel ick”是美国俚语，意思是感觉不舒服，通常是因为见了恶心或令人不安的事情。
When something is on tap, it's easily available so that you can have of much of it as you want.
“on tap”形容某物很容易得到，想要多少就有多少。
The phrasal verb to make up for something means to compensate for something bad with something good.
短语动词“make up for something”的意思是用好的东西补偿坏的东西。
When we romanticise something, we make it sound better than it is.
当我们“romanticise”某事时，我们让它听起来比实际情况好一些。
And finally, the saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" means that by going through difficult life experiences, people build up strength for the future.
最后，谚语“what doesn't kill you makes you stronger”，意思是生活中的艰难困苦可以给人以力量。
Once again our six minutes are up,
我们的六分钟又到了。
but if doomscrolling's not for you, remember you can find lots of positive news stories to build your vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.
如果不喜欢阴暗刷屏，记得你可以在这里找到很多好消息，顺便积累一些词汇。
But that's bye for now! Bye!
再见了！再见！
