Verb Master 動詞達人

#一分鐘英語聽力   

We are What We Choose(3), Jeff Bezos

* 按照順序聽六遍，聽力從0到100

* 第七挑戰 – From Listening to Talking

亞馬遜總裁Jeff Bezos在這一分鐘講出他的重點，選擇，他講的不是「選擇比努力更重要」之類的心靈雞湯，而是選擇當好人，比當聰明人難多了

「你的腦袋瓜遲早會派上用場」

若沒有辦法立即用英文說出口，要多聽幾遍

【聽力挑戰1】

【聽力挑戰2 英文原文】

What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts and choices. Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they’re given after all. Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment of your choices.

This is a group with many gifts. I’m sure one of your gifts is the gift of a smart and capable brain. I’m confident that’s the case because admission is competitive and if there weren’t some signs that you’re clever, the dean of admission wouldn’t have let you in.

Your smarts will come in handy because you will travel in a land of marvels. We humans – plodding as we are – will astonish ourselves. We’ll invent ways to generate clean energy and a lot of it. Atom by atom, we’ll assemble small machines that will enter cell walls and make repairs. This month comes the extraordinary but also inevitable news that we’ve synthesized life. In the coming years, we’ll not only synthesize it, but we’ll engineer it to specifications. I believe you’ll even see us understand the human brain. Jules Verne, Mark Twain, Galieo, Newton – all the curious from the ages would have wanted to be alive most of all right now. As a civilization, we will have so many gifts, just as you as individuals have so many individual gifts as you sit before me.

How will you use these gifts? And will you take pride in your gifts or pride in your choices?

【聽力挑戰3 英文加中文提示】

What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts and choices.

Cleverness is a gift, kindness(善良) is a choice. Gifts are easy – they’re given(天生的) after all(畢竟).

Choices can be(往往是) hard. You can seduce yourself(引誘自己) with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment(損傷) of your choices.

This is a group with many gifts. I’m sure one of your gifts is the gift of a smart and capable(聰明又能幹的) brain.

I’m confident that’s the case because admission(入學許可) is competitive(競爭激烈的) and if there weren’t some signs(跡象) that you’re clever, the dean(大學系主任) of admission wouldn’t have let you in.

Your smarts will come in handy(遲早派得上用場) because you will travel in a land of marvels(神奇世界).

We humans – plodding(沉重乏味的) as we are – will astonish ourselves(讓自己驚訝).

We’ll invent ways to generate clean energy(無汙染能源) and a lot of it.

Atom(原子) by atom, we’ll assemble(組合) small machines that will enter cell walls(細胞壁) and make repairs(進行修復).

This month comes(出現) the extraordinary(非凡的) but also inevitable(不可避免的) news that we’ve synthesized life(合成生命).

In the coming years, we’ll not only synthesize it, but we’ll engineer it(工程設計、工程改造) to specifications(規格說明書, 懷疑Jess講錯，應該用species物種).

I believe you’ll even see us understand the human brain. Jules Verne(朱爾凡爾納，法國文豪兼科學家), Mark Twain(馬克吐溫), Galieo(伽利略), Newton(牛頓) – all the curious(稀奇古怪的人) from the ages(各個歷史年代) would have wanted to be alive most of all right now.

As a civilization(文明人), we will have so many gifts, just as you as individuals(單獨個人) have so many individual(個人的) gifts as you sit before me.

How will you use these gifts? And will you take pride in(以…為傲、以...為樂) your gifts or pride in your choices?

Detriment ['dɛtrɪmənt] 

【名詞】【正式】損傷，損害或破壞

He smoked a lot, to the detriment of his life.

(他抽太多菸，損害了生命健康)

Come in handy

【片語】遲早派得上用場、會很有用( = to be useful)

Sometimes a brain can come in quite handy, but it’s not gonna help you because I won three Purple Hearts. This land will surely vote for me.

(有時候用用大腦是很有用的，但已經救不了你，因為我贏了三枚紫星勳章，老百姓一定會投我的)

Plodding ['plɑdɪŋ]

【形容詞】沉緩無趣的

* 源自動詞Plod，緩慢困難的前進，比方又臭又長的校長講話，a plodding speech

Astonish [ə'stɑnɪʃ]

【動詞】非常吃驚、震驚

Engineer [,ɛndʒɪ'nɪr]

【動詞】精心策畫設計、工程設計

Curious ['kjʊrɪəs]

【形容詞】2) strange or unusual 稀奇古怪的

Mark Twain was a curious old man.

(馬克吐溫是個怪老人)

【聽力挑戰4 中譯加英文提示】

我今天想要跟大家講的是天賦和選擇之間的差異

聰明是天賦，善良是選擇，天賦很簡單，必竟是天生的(given)，選擇往往很困難

如果運用不小心，因為你會拿天賦來引誘(seduce)自己，很可能因此傷害(detriment)你的選擇

你們這群人都有很多的天賦，我相信其中一個天賦是聰明又能幹(smart and capable)的大腦

我確信這一點(I’m confident that’s the case，因為入學(admission)的競爭是十分激烈的(competitive)，如果你們表現得不夠聰明，招生主任(dean of admission)是不會讓你們進來的

你們的聰明才智遲早會派上用場(come in handy)，因為你們優游(travel)在這個神奇世界(land of marvels)

我們人類，沉重且乏味的前進(plodding)，會讓自己相當驚訝(astonish)，我們會找到方法產生很多種(and a lot of it)無汙染能源

一個原子接著一個原子，我們組合成(assemble)微型機械進入細胞壁(cell walls)進行修復

這個月將會出現(come)一個非比尋常(extraordinary)卻又不可避免(inevitable)的消息，我們終於人工合成了生命(synthesized life)

未來幾年，我們不僅會合成生命，我們還會基因工程(engineer)產生不同物種

我相信，你們甚至會見證我們了解人類的大腦，朱爾凡爾納、馬克吐溫、伽利略、牛頓，這些年代(the ages)稀奇古怪的人(the curious)到時候我們都希望他們復活

身為一個現代文明人(civilization)，你們將擁有如此多的天賦。就像坐在我們前的這麼多人，每個人都有非常多個人的天賦

你們怎麼樣運用這些天賦呢？你們將以你們天賦為榮，還是以你們選擇為樂？

【聽力挑戰5 中英對照】

What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts and choices.

我今天想要跟大家講的是天賦和選擇之間的差異

Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they’re given after all. Choices can be hard.

聰明是天賦，善良是選擇，天賦很簡單，必竟是天生的，選擇往往很困難

You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment of your choices.

如果運用不小心，因為你會拿天賦來引誘自己，很可能因此傷害你的選擇

This is a group with many gifts. I’m sure one of your gifts is the gift of a smart and capable brain.

你們這群人都有很多的天賦，我相信其中一個天賦是聰明又能幹的大腦

I’m confident that’s the case because admission is competitive and if there weren’t some signs that you’re clever, the dean of admission wouldn’t have let you in.

我確信這一點，因為入學的競爭是十分激烈的，如果你們表現得不夠聰明，招生主任是不會讓你們進來的

Your smarts will come in handy because you will travel in a land of marvels.

你們的聰明才智遲早會派上用場，因為你們優游在這個神奇世界

We humans – plodding as we are – will astonish ourselves. We’ll invent ways to generate clean energy and a lot of it.

我們人類，沉重且乏味的前進，會讓自己相當驚訝，我們會找到方法產生很多種無汙染能源

Atom by atom, we’ll assemble small machines that will enter cell walls and make repairs.

一個原子接著一個原子，我們組合成微型機械進入細胞壁進行修復

This month comes the extraordinary but also inevitable news that we’ve synthesized life.

這個月將會出現一個非比尋常卻又不可避免的消息，我們終於人工合成了生命

In the coming years, we’ll not only synthesize it, but we’ll engineer it to specifications.

未來幾年，我們不僅會合成生命，我們還會基因工程產生不同物種

I believe you’ll even see us understand the human brain. Jules Verne, Mark Twain, Galieo, Newton – all the curious from the ages would have wanted to be alive most of all right now.

我相信，你們甚至會見證我們了解人類的大腦，朱爾凡爾納、馬克吐溫、伽利略、牛頓，各個年代稀奇古怪的人，到時候我們都希望他們復活

As a civilization(文明人), we will have so many gifts, just as you as individuals(單獨個人) have so many individual(個人的) gifts as you sit before me.

身為一個現代文明人，你們將擁有如此多的天賦。就像坐在我們前的這麼多人，每個人都有非常多個人的天賦

How will you use these gifts? And will you take pride in your gifts or pride in your choices?

你們怎麼樣運用這些天賦呢？你們將以你們天賦為榮，還是以你們選擇為樂？

【聽力挑戰6 無字天書】

【聽力挑戰7 From 聽 to 說】

1) 天賦是天生的(given)

2) 如果你們不謹慎使用自己的天賦，很可能會危害到你的選擇(to the detriment of)

3) 我很確信這一點(confident)

4) 你們的聰明才智遲早會派上用場(smarts)

5) 這個月將會出現一個非比尋常卻又不可避免的消息(come)

6) 我以我的選擇為榮(pride)

【參考答案】

1) Gifts are given

2) If you’re not careful with your gifts, it’ll probably be to the detriment of your choices

3) I’m confident that’s the case.

4) Your smarts will come in handy.

5) This month will come an extraordinary but also inevitable news.

6) I take pride in my choices.