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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。
Come on, Neil, let’s make a start!
来吧，尼尔，我们开始吧！
I’ve got a deadline to meet today, and I haven’t finished my work yet!
我今天有个工作要到最后期限了，我还没完成呢！
Let me guess, it’s because you delayed, and delayed, and put your work off until the last minute - as usual!
让我猜猜，因为你像往常一样，一次又一次地拖延，把工作推迟到最后一分钟了！
You’re a real procrastinator, Sam – someone who keeps delaying things that need to be done.
萨姆，你真是个拖延症患者，总是拖延该做的事情。
What can I say? I work better when a deadline is approaching.
只能说，快到最后期限时，我工作得更好。
I see, but did you know that that people who procrastinate have higher levels of stress and lower wellbeing?
我明白了，但你知道拖延者的压力更大，幸福感更低吗？
Procrastination is also linked with lower financial and career success, so there's a lot of reasons not to do it.
拖延症还常常伴随较少的财富和不太成功的事业，所以我们有很多理由不拖延。
In this programme, we’re discussing procrastination,
在本期节目中，我们将讨论拖延症，
the act of delaying things that must be done until later, often because they’re difficult, boring or unpleasant.
即把必须做的事情推迟到以后做的行为，通常是因为事情太难、无聊或令人不快。
And, as usual, we’ll be learning some new vocabulary along the way.
而且，像往常一样，我们将学习一些新的词汇。
So, without wasting any more time, I have a question for you, Sam.
所以，别浪费时间了，我有个问题要问你，萨姆。
The fact that procrastinating, or putting things off, is bad for us doesn’t stop people doing it.
即使知道拖延对自己不利，但有人还是这样做。
According to recent research by DePaul University in Chicago,
芝加哥德保罗大学最近的一项研究显示，
what percentage of people procrastinate so much that it interferes with their day-to-day life?
有多大比例的人会拖延到干扰自己的日常生活呢？
Is it a) 10 percent? b) 20 percent? or c) 30 percent?
是 a) 10%？b) 20%？还是 c) 30%？
I’ll guess that around 10 percent of people have a serious procrastination problem.
我猜大约有10%的人有严重的拖延症。
OK, Sam. We’ll find out the answer later in the programme.
好的，萨姆。我们稍后将在节目中揭晓答案。
Sam is certainly not alone in putting things off until the last minute.
萨姆当然不是唯一一个把事情拖到最后一刻的人。
Here’s Ella al-Shamahi, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s, Why Do We Do That?
BBC广播4台的《我们为什么要这么做》节目的主持人艾拉·阿尔肖麻黑
talking to the comedian, Eshaan Akbar, about his procrastination habit.
曾与喜剧演员埃肖恩·阿克巴尔谈论拖延症。
Would you say, Eshaan, that you're a procrastinator?
埃肖恩，你觉得自己拖延吗？
I am a serial procrastinator without a shadow of a doubt.
毫无疑问，我一直是一个拖延症患者。
Why? Why do you think you procrastinate?
为什么？你觉得你为什么拖拉？
Over the years, I've told myself that I procrastinate because I work better under pressure.
多年来，我一直告诉自己，我之所以拖延，是因为我在压力下工作得更好。
That's what I've told myself.
我也是这么跟自己说的。
Eshaan thinks that he is a procrastinator without a shadow of a doubt,
埃肖恩认为自己毫无疑问是一个拖延者，
a phrase which is used to emphasise that you are completely certain of something.
“without a shadow of a doubt”用来强调你对某事完全确定。
Eshaan also says that, like Sam, he works better under pressure,
和萨姆一样，埃肖恩也说，他在压力下工作得更好，
when he feels stressed or anxious because of having too much to do.
当他因为有太多事情要做而感到压力或焦虑时。
But maybe, also like Sam, Eshaan has a problem organising his workload and managing his time.
但也许，也像萨姆一样，埃肖恩在安排工作和管理时间方面存在问题。
Hang on, Neil, my time management skills are OK, thank you!
等等，尼尔，我的时间管理得还可以，栓Q！
With me, it’s more of an emotional response.
对我来说，这更多的是一种情绪反应。
I see a mountain of work, feel threatened, and think, "how on earth will I finish all that?"
我看到堆积如山的工作，感到压力，然后想，“我到底怎么才能完成这些工作呢？”
What Sam says is supported by a theory of human evolution
萨姆的话得到了人类进化论的支持，
which explains how putting things off is an emotional response.
该理论解释了拖延是一种情绪反应。
Back when we were living in caves, life was dangerous and short, and our ancestors were impulsive.
当人类住在洞穴里时，生活很危险，生命很短暂，我们的祖先一向冲动行事。
They acted suddenly, on instinct, without thinking about the consequences of what they were doing.
他们根据本能突然行动，而不考虑事情的后果。
Back then, being impulsive was a good thing,
当时，冲动是件好事，
but in modern life, with work goals and deadlines, when we are impulsive and get distracted, we procrastinate.
但在现代生活中，有工作目标和最后期限，如果我们冲动行事，常常分心，就会拖延。
So rather than being a problem with time management,
因此，不是时间管理有问题，
Sam should blame her caveman ancestors who acted on impulse. Hmm.
萨姆的拖延是冲动行事的穴居人祖先的责任。嗯。
Let’s listen again to comedian Eshaan Akbar talking how he feels when he procrastinates.
我们再听一下喜剧演员埃肖恩·阿克巴尔如何谈论他在拖延时的感受。
A lot of stuff you read about procrastination focuses on the time management element of it.
很多关于拖延的资料都集中研究时间管理。
I probably got a better sense that for me it seems very squarely around the emotional aspect of it.
但我感觉，我拖延是因为情感方面的问题。
Perhaps I get more emotional gratification from doing it last minute.
也许最后一刻完成事情能让我更快乐。
And, I need to understand why I prefer that over the calm serenity of getting things done with oodles of time on my hands.
我需要理解为什么自己更喜欢这样，而不是在时间充裕的情况下悠闲地完成工作。
In the same way that our ancestors felt good living on impulse,
就像我们的祖先靠冲动生活得很好一样，
Eshaan thinks he gets gratification -a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction – from doing things at the last minute.
埃肖恩认为他从最后一刻完成事情中获得了快乐和满足感，即“gratification”。
What he doesn’t understand is why he prefers to work under pressure,
他不明白的是，为什么他更喜欢在压力下工作，
instead of finishing calmly with oodles, or lots of, time.
而不是在时间充裕的情况下悠闲地完成工作。
Unlike Eshaan, I’d rather finish my work feeling relaxed,
与埃肖恩不同的是，我喜欢悠闲地完成工作，
but there never seems to be enough time.
但似乎永远没有足够的时间。
Well, breaking down the task into smaller stages also breaks down the level of threat you feel from your workload.
把任务分成几个较小的任务阶段也会降低你的工作压力。
Also, forgiving yourself for procrastinating in the past seems helpful in avoiding procrastinating in the future.
此外，原谅自己过去的拖延似乎有助于避免未来的拖延。
So, forgive yourself and start making changes, Sam,
所以，原谅自己，开始做出改变吧，萨姆，
before you end up like the timewasters in my question:
在你像我问题中的人一样，拖延到影响自己正常生活之前。
what percentage of people procrastinate so much that it interferes with day-to-day life.
我问的是有多少比例的人会拖延到干扰日常生活的程度？
Well, I guessed it was 10 percent.
我猜是10%。
Which was… the wrong answer, I’m afraid.
回答……错误。
In fact around 20 percent of us have a procrastination habit so strong it makes life difficult.
其实，我们中约有20%的人，拖延症严重到使生活更加艰难。
Okay, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned from this programme on procrastination,
好了，让我们回顾一下本期有关拖延症的词汇。
delaying, or putting off, doing things until later, often because they’re difficult, unpleasant or boring.
拖延症就是推迟做某事，通常是因为事情难做、令人不快或令人厌烦。
The phrase without a shadow of a doubt is used to emphasise that you are completely certain of something.
“without a shadow of a doubt”这个短语用来强调你对某事完全有把握。
If you’re under pressure, you feel stressed or anxious because of having too much to do.
“under pressure”，即因为有太多事情要做而有压力或焦虑。
Impulsive behaviour is sudden and spontaneous, done without thinking about the consequences.
“impulsive behaviour”是突然的、自发的、不考虑后果的行为。
Gratification means a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction.
“gratification”指愉悦和满足的感觉。
And finally, when you have oodles of something, you have a lot of a very large amount of something pleasant….
最后，“oodles of something”，意为大量的令人愉快的东西。
Like time, which once again we’ve run out of.
比如时间。我们的时间又到啦。
I’m rushing off to finish my work, Neil, but remember to make time to join us again soon.
尼尔，我正要赶去完成工作，但大家记得抽时间来听我们的节目哦！
Here at 6 Minute English. Bye for now! Bye!
这里是6分钟英语。再见！再见！
