我觀察了許久，發(fā)現(xiàn)大家對(duì)故事比較感興趣，幾乎沒有人不喜歡邊聽故事邊領(lǐng)悟一點(diǎn)道理，所以，最近打算結(jié)合這個(gè)故事系列，和大家一起聊一聊身邊的故事，研究研究英語表達(dá)，再順便總結(jié)一些方法。
《孫子兵法》云：知己知彼，百戰(zhàn)不殆。了解自己，才能夠最大化個(gè)人優(yōu)勢(shì)，了解對(duì)方，才能夠確保自己的優(yōu)勢(shì)是符合需求的。
所以，我們的第一站是了解自己，在接下來的時(shí)間里，我們閱讀的故事均來自于《自控力》（The willpower Instinct）。
01 簡(jiǎn)介
先簡(jiǎn)單介紹一下作者，凱利.麥格尼格爾博士，了解影響自控的生理學(xué)基礎(chǔ)、心理陷阱和各種社會(huì)因素。博士還吸收了心理學(xué)、神經(jīng)學(xué)和經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)等學(xué)科的最新洞見，為斯坦福大學(xué)繼續(xù)教育項(xiàng)目開設(shè)了一門叫做“意志力科學(xué)”的課程，感興趣的可以上網(wǎng)搜索這門課程。
博士認(rèn)為，一個(gè)人如果能夠用正確的方式對(duì)待外在的壓力，那么這個(gè)人就具備了最重要的做事信心，從而可以從容處理好大部分的事務(wù)。
在喪文化如此盛行的當(dāng)代社會(huì)，凱莉博士將帶著我們審視自我，接受自我，改變自我，她會(huì)結(jié)合最新的科學(xué)研究，顛覆我們的傳統(tǒng)觀念，告訴我們?nèi)绾螠p肥，如何集中注意力，如何保證充足的睡眠，如何教育孩子，如何告別拖延，如何擁有高效的人生。
02 講個(gè)身邊的故事
話不多說了，我們今天要講的故事從大家都熟悉的話題展開，網(wǎng)絡(luò)信息給我們帶來了什么。（以下的排版先是英文原文再是中文講解，但不是英文和中文并不是一一對(duì)應(yīng)。請(qǐng)大家務(wù)必先自己分析，然后帶著問題去找解決方式）
Michele, a thirty-one-year-old radio show producer, was constantly checking e-mail on her computer or her phone. It was disrupting her productivity at work and annoying her boyfriend, who could never manage to get Michele’s full attention. Her willpower challenge for the class was to check e-mail less, and she set an ambitious goal of checking no more than once an hour. After the first week, she reported that she did not come even close to her goal. The problem was that she often didn’t even realize that she was checking her e-mail until after she was scrolling through new messages. She could stop once she realized what she was doing, but whatever impulse led her to look at her phone or click over to her e-mail was happening outside of conscious awareness. Michele set the goal to catch herself sooner in the process.
故事的女主人公，三十多歲，是一名典型的都市女白領(lǐng)，除了吃飯睡覺上廁所之外，大部分時(shí)間都貢獻(xiàn)給了工作。做為一名廣播制片人，她幾乎分分鐘都要查看電子郵件，所以，說她是一名行走的機(jī)器人并不為過。
但是很顯然，一個(gè)人的精力完全放到工作中，就會(huì)導(dǎo)致她在生活中的不如意，比如，男票的抱怨，身體得不到充足休息導(dǎo)致的每況愈下的健康狀況，差強(qiáng)人意的工作表現(xiàn)和業(yè)績(jī)體現(xiàn)。
意識(shí)到問題嚴(yán)重性后，女主人公做了個(gè)重要大決定，減少郵件的查看頻率。她給自己定制了非常精確的頻率，一小時(shí)最多查看一次郵件。
雖然第一周她并沒有馬上達(dá)成目標(biāo)，但是她發(fā)現(xiàn)了問題所在：她查看郵件完全是潛意識(shí)指使的，也就是說，那個(gè)不斷查看郵件的她其實(shí)就像一臺(tái)執(zhí)行命令的機(jī)器一樣，沒有意識(shí)，沒有想法。
所以，找到了問題的核心之后，她就輕松找到了解決方式：執(zhí)行命令的時(shí)候，跳出機(jī)器思維，啟動(dòng)她的主觀意識(shí)，從而中止手上正在或?qū)⒁獔?zhí)行的任務(wù)。
結(jié)果怎樣呢？
By the next week, she was able to notice when she was reaching for her phone or opening her e-mail. That gave her an opportunity to practice stopping before she got fully sucked in. The impulse to check was more elusive. Michele had trouble recognizing what was prompting her to check before she was in the process of checking. With time, though, she came to recognize a feeling almost like an itch—a tension in her brain and body that was relieved when she checked her e-mail. That observation was fascinating to Michele; she had never thought of checking e-mail as a way to relieve tension. She had thought she was just seeking information. As she paid attention to how she felt after she checked, Michele realized that checking her e-mail was as ineffective as scratching an itch—it just made her itch more. With this awareness of both the impulse and her response, she had much more control over her behavior, and even surpassed her original goal to check less often outside of work hours.
第二周開始，當(dāng)她要查看郵件和手機(jī)時(shí)，女主人公不斷練習(xí)“中斷”行為，及時(shí)阻止了自己的郵件沉迷行為。
這還只是第一步，隨著時(shí)間的推移，女主人公還發(fā)現(xiàn)了自己不斷查看郵件的根本原因：緩解壓力。 人們感受到癢的感覺時(shí)，第一反應(yīng)就是用手撓一撓緩解癢的癥狀。與此類似，當(dāng)她感覺到壓力的時(shí)候，她也會(huì)想到一種方式緩解壓力，這個(gè)方式就是，不同查收郵件。
基于這一發(fā)現(xiàn)，她理性分析了這種解壓方式的不靠譜：撓癢并不能真的解決癢的問題，反而讓人撓上了癮。
因?yàn)樗軌蛞庾R(shí)到查看電子郵件的沖動(dòng)來源，也能夠及時(shí)控制自己的第一反應(yīng)，她成功地達(dá)成了目標(biāo)，她在非工作時(shí)間查看郵件的頻率甚至低于目標(biāo)值。
03 語言點(diǎn)解釋：
單詞及詞組
constant： 時(shí)常性的（adjective ）
* happening all the time or very often over a period of time
* staying the same : not changing
Examples
* He suffers from constant headaches.
* Her constant chatter was a nuisance.
* The house is in constant need of repairs.
Manage : 處理，解決，管理（verb）
* to have control of (something, such as a business, department, sports team, etc.)
* to take care of and make decisions about(someone's time, money, etc.)
* to direct the professional career of (someone, such as an entertainer or athlete)
Examples
* The business is managed by the owner's daughter.
* The company is badly managed.
* When she managed the department, we never missed a deadline.
Ambitious :有進(jìn)取心的，野心勃勃的，有難度的（adjectives）
* having ambition
*? having a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous
* not easily done or achieved
Examples
* The company was created by two veryambitious young men in the early 1900s.
* This 500-page book is her mostambitious effort yet.
* Your plans for the future are veryambitious.
No more than: 不多于
You use more than before a number or amount to say that the actual number or amount is even greater.
come close to :接近
If you are close to something or if it is close, it is likely to happen or come soon.
If you are close to doing something, you are likely to do it soon.
whatever：無論什么（pronoun）
* anything or everything that
*? no matter what
* used in questions that express surprise or confusion
Examples
* “What's that smell?” “I don't know, but whatever it is, it's awful!”
* Whatever you do, don't press thatbutton!
conscious：有意識(shí)的（adjective）
*? awake and able to understand what is happening around you
* aware of something (such as a fact or feeling)
* knowing that something exists or is happening
*? known or felt by yourself
Examples
* Is the patient conscious yet?
* He was fully conscious when we foundhim.
* the capacity for conscious thought
Be sucked in : 沉迷于
If you are sucked into a bad situation, you are unable to prevent yourself from becoming involved in it.
impulse：沖動(dòng)做某事，沖力（noun,verb ）
* a sudden strong desire to do something
* a small amount of energy that moves fromone area to another
Examples
* He has to learn to control his impulses.
* the new auto factory was just the impulsethat the local economy needed.
Elusive:難以言喻的，晦澀難懂的（Adjective）
* hard to find or capture
* hard to understand, define, or remember
Examples
* The truth may prove elusive.
* the giant squid is one of the ocean's most elusive inhabitants.
Prompt:促使，導(dǎo)致，表明(Verb,noun)
* to cause (someone) to do something
* to be the cause of (something)
* to say (something that encourages a person to talk)
Examples
* Curiosity prompted her to ask a few questions.
* Pride prompted his angry response.
* The evidence prompted a criminal investigation .
Itch : 癢，渴望(Noun,verb)
* to have or produce an unpleasant feelingon your skin or inside your mouth, nose, etc. that makes you want to scratch
* to have a strong desire to dosomething or forsomething
Examples
* His eyes began to burn and itch becauseof his allergies.
* This sweater makes me itch.
Relieved: 寬恕的，放心的(Adjective)
feeling relaxed and happy because something difficult or unpleasant has been stopped, avoided, or made easier
Examples
* I was relieved to hear that you're feelingbetter.
* He was greeted at the door by his muchrelieved mother.
Surpass: 超越，勝過(Verb)
to be better or greater than (someone or something)
Examples
* Attendance is expected to surpass lastyear's record.
* Last quarter, sales surpassed two million.
* His work regularly surpasses all.
04 長(zhǎng)難句分析：
1. It was disrupting her productivity at work and annoying her boyfriend, who could never manage to get Michele’s full attention
這影響了她的工作產(chǎn)能，也惹惱了她的男朋友，（因?yàn)椋┧荒艹晒Λ@得米歇爾的完全注意。
這句話要注意it的作用，我們講it是一種代詞，可以指代某個(gè)名詞，也可以指代名詞性質(zhì)的短語（即形式主語或者形式賓語）。這句話里，it指代了前文講過的constantly checking e-mail on her computer or her phone這件事情，是名詞性質(zhì)的短語。
另外一個(gè)注意點(diǎn)，非限制性定語從句， who could never manage to get Michele’s full attention 。其實(shí)沒有必要分析的那么清楚，只要知道這句話是屬于修飾作用的就好，修飾的對(duì)象是什么呢，boyfriend。學(xué)過高中語法的童鞋可能經(jīng)常會(huì)被各種限制性定語從句，非限制性定語從句搞暈，其實(shí)，在使用過程中不用分的那么清楚，只要知道從句用來修飾的是哪個(gè)名詞就好。
2. The problem was that she often didn’t even realize that she was checking her e-mail until after she was scrolling through new messages
問題在于，她只有在瀏覽新信息的過程中才能意識(shí)到她自己是在查看郵件。
句子的核心成分，the problem was ...., 屬于主系表結(jié)構(gòu)，that引導(dǎo)了一個(gè)從句，這個(gè)從句的核心成分是 she didn’t realize .....屬于主謂賓結(jié)構(gòu)，that 又引導(dǎo)了一個(gè)從句，從句中的核心成分為是she was checking her email， 接著下面的until，看到until就會(huì)想到上文的 not ...until....這樣的固搭配（所以，見到句子出現(xiàn)否定要注意上下文的常見搭配）.until 后面又跟著一句從句， 從句核心是 she was scrolling .....
3. She could stop once she realized what she was doing, but whatever impulse led her to look at her phone or click over to her e-mail was happening outside of conscious awareness.
只要她意識(shí)到她在做什么，她就能終止行為。 但是，總有一種說不清的沖動(dòng)正發(fā)生在她的意識(shí)之外，這種沖動(dòng)使得她查看手機(jī)，點(diǎn)開電子郵件。
英語句子按照結(jié)構(gòu)成分分為3種，簡(jiǎn)單句，并列復(fù)合句，主從復(fù)合句。簡(jiǎn)單句就是指，一個(gè)句子只有一組主謂結(jié)構(gòu)活著一組主系表結(jié)構(gòu)，并列復(fù)合句指，一個(gè)句子出現(xiàn)了2組及兩組以上的主謂或者主系表結(jié)構(gòu)，且這幾組結(jié)構(gòu)之間是并列的關(guān)系，而從屬復(fù)合句是指，這幾組結(jié)構(gòu)之間存在從屬關(guān)系，一個(gè)結(jié)構(gòu)可能是另一個(gè)結(jié)構(gòu)的賓語或者表語成分。
這句話中，出現(xiàn)了較多的主謂結(jié)構(gòu)。
前半句和but句子是并列復(fù)合句，分別引導(dǎo)了兩個(gè)主要句子。
4. With time, though, she came to recognize a feeling almost like an itch—a tension in her brain and body that was relieved when she checked her e-mail.
但是，隨著時(shí)間的推移，她慢慢發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種類似于撓癢的感覺： 只要感受到大腦的緊張，她就會(huì)查看電子郵件，她的身體也隨之感受到了放松。
這句話的核心其實(shí)很明顯， she came to recognize a feeling ，like a itch是補(bǔ)充說明的，這種感覺就像是撓癢。
英語里，破折號(hào)的作用主要是解釋說明或者插入說明，所以，從意思層面來講，說的是同一個(gè)層面的信息。
5. As she paid attention to how she felt after she checked, Michele realized that checking her e-mail was as ineffective as scratching an itch—it just made her itch more.
因?yàn)樗P(guān)注了一下她查看郵件后的感受，米歇爾發(fā)現(xiàn)，查看郵件和撓癢一樣無效—撓癢只會(huì)給她讓來更多的撓癢行為。
這句話我們要特別注意 as的用法，前一個(gè)as 引導(dǎo)了一個(gè)從句，可以理解成因?yàn)?。。。，后面半句話的核心結(jié)構(gòu)是Michele realized that..., 此處that引導(dǎo)的從句中還包含著一對(duì) as...as...,表示同級(jí)比較，和。。。一樣。
05 這個(gè)故事和你有什么關(guān)系
看完了這個(gè)故事，你有什么啟發(fā)嗎？
看手機(jī)，看電腦已經(jīng)成為我們?nèi)粘Ｉ钪斜夭豢缮俚囊徊糠?，現(xiàn)代科技的發(fā)展確實(shí)給我們帶來了很多便利，但也給我們?cè)黾恿撕芏酂馈?/p>
因?yàn)榻K日坐在電腦前，我們的身體素質(zhì)越來越差，腰間盤突出，免疫力低下，肥胖等健康殺手離我們?cè)絹碓浇?；終日與虛擬世界的人交流，我們和現(xiàn)實(shí)世界越來越遠(yuǎn)，朋友見面甚至不知道說什么，家人團(tuán)聚就是各自看手機(jī)的聚會(huì)；形形色色的信息給我們帶來過多的“噪音”干擾，面對(duì)一團(tuán)團(tuán)迷霧，我們很難找到屬于自己的出路。
所以，如果你想解決各種心理的焦慮，解決各種拖延，請(qǐng)先管理好網(wǎng)絡(luò)時(shí)間，學(xué)學(xué)主人公 Michele，在工作學(xué)習(xí)之外，減少對(duì)網(wǎng)絡(luò)的依賴性吧，給自己定力一個(gè)目標(biāo)，比如說一小時(shí)不看微信，有時(shí)間統(tǒng)一回復(fù)信息，你不會(huì)錯(cuò)過什么重要事情的（如果事情真的很重要，人們應(yīng)該通過電話溝通而不是微信傳送消息）。
06延伸閱讀：
送你一個(gè)小竅門，幫助你提升專注力的方法— 冥想
One study found that just three hours of meditation practice led to improved attention and self-control. After eleven hours, researchers could see those changes in the brain. The new meditators had increased neural connections between regions of the brain important for staying focused, ignoring distractions, and controlling impulses. Another study found that eight weeks of daily meditation practice led to increased self-awareness in everyday life, as well as increased gray matter in corresponding areas of the brain.
學(xué)以致用：
請(qǐng)嘗試用句子分析的方式理解以下幾個(gè)長(zhǎng)句：
1.The new meditators had increased neural connections between regions of the brain important for staying focused, ignoring distractions, and controlling impulses.
2.Another study found that eight weeks of daily meditation practice led to increased self-awareness in everyday life, as well as increased gray matter in corresponding areas of the brain.
有任何問題歡迎交流哦，我是作者，80后寶媽，高級(jí)口譯，實(shí)戰(zhàn)派老師，7年接觸的學(xué)生年齡分布各階段，碰到的學(xué)習(xí)難題很多已經(jīng)超越了語言學(xué)習(xí)本身，我們要從更高的角度看待英語學(xué)習(xí)這件事。
