别再想着成为一个特别的人
Giving Up on Being Special
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
We’re likely to try out many sorts of lives before we land, finally, on the quiet variety. Rarely does anyone start there, the kind of life where we try to be in bed by ten and are intensely grateful when nothing has gone dramatically wrong in the preceding hours.
First, we might try out the life of fame, the sort where we dream that someone will stop us in a shop or train and say, ‘Aren’t you…?’ or ‘Don’t I know you from…’ That is a not-negligible thrill, especially if you didn’t feel too noticed in childhood or if, in adolescence, it was always someone else who was able to make people you loved smile. Or we might be drawn to the life of melodramatic relationships, the kind where we’re constantly wondering whether they love us or we love them, where we break up every couple of weeks and are calling them, frantically, to come back from their parent’s house and we didn’t mean all those crazy words we said, we were just scared.
It can take a lot of pain before we make our peace with so-called ordinariness and accept it for the wonder it is; before we can deeply love a day when we have ‘nothing’ to do other than wake up early, finish the dishes from last night, shower, read a few poems, answer some emails, maybe go to the museum to see some African masks or a canoe from Oceania, buy some bread, fry some eggs.
We might become rather fierce at anyone and anything that threatens this hard-won achievement; at well-meaning people who invite us on complicated excursions or worrying parties; at newspapers that force us to think about driven types starting companies and releasing a new film or record. We know how much these stimulants can cost us.
It takes great confidence to give up on being special. It takes kindness to oneself to interrupt the longing for suffering and anguish. One might have needed to try out almost everything else before realizing, in the end, that it was calm we always really wanted.
VOCABULARY
1. preceding adj. 前面的，在前的
2. thrill n. 兴奋，激动
3. adolescence n. 青春期，青少年时期
4. frantically adv. 疯狂地，拼命地
5. canoe n. 独木舟，划艇
6. anguish n 痛苦，苦恼
QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
1. What might drive someone to seek a life of fame according to the passage?
A. They are naturally outgoing.
B. They have always been in the limelight.
C. They lacked attention during their childhood or adolescence.
D. They are ambitious and determined.
2. How does the author describe the process of accepting an ‘ordinary’ life?
A. Quick and effortless.
B. Painful and gradual.
C. Exciting and adventurous.
D. Easy and instantaneous.
3. What is the implied consequence of being drawn into the world of fame or melodramatic relationships?
A. It provides a thrilling lifestyle.
B. It leads to financial success.
C. It disturbs the tranquility of ordinary life.
D. It results in ultimate happiness.
4. What does the author suggest is the most desired state in the end?
A. Seeking fame.
B. Engaging in dramatic relationships.
C. Living a calm life.
D. Starting one’s own company.
5. According to the passage, what is the cost of being constantly stimulated by new ventures and releases?
A. Financial expense.
B. Time commitment.
C. Damaged relationships.
D. Loss of peace and tranquility.
KEY
1. What might drive someone to seek a life of fame according to the passage?
A. They are naturally outgoing.
B. They have always been in the limelight.
C. They lacked attention during their childhood or adolescence.
D. They are ambitious and determined.
【答案】C
【解析】细节题。问题的命题出处在第二段：That is a not-negligible thrill, especially if you didn’t feel too noticed in childhood or if, in adolescence, it was always someone else who was able to make people you loved smile.根据原文，人们追求名利的一个可能原因是他们在童年或青少年时期缺乏关注。
2. How does the author describe the process of accepting an ‘ordinary’ life?
A. Quick and effortless.
B. Painful and gradual.
C. Exciting and adventurous.
D. Easy and instantaneous.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。问题的命题出处在第三段：It can take a lot of pain before we make our peace with so-called ordinariness. 根据原文，接受“普通”生活的过程可以是痛苦和渐进的。
3. What is the implied consequence of being drawn into the world of fame or melodramatic relationships?
A. It provides a thrilling lifestyle.
B. It leads to financial success.
C. It disturbs the tranquility of ordinary life.
D. It results in ultimate happiness.
【答案】C
【解析】推理题。问题的命题出处在第四段：We might become rather fierce at anyone and anything that threatens this hard-won achievement... 根据原文，被拉入名声或戏剧化关系之中的世界可能会扰乱普通生活的平静。
4. What does the author suggest is the most desired state in the end?
A. Seeking fame.
B. Engaging in dramatic relationships.
C. Living a calm life.
D. Starting one’s own company.
【答案】C
【解析】细节题。问题的命题出处在最后一段：… that it was calm we always really wanted. 根据原文，作者认为最后最期待的状态是能够过上平静的生活。
5. According to the passage, what is the cost of being constantly stimulated by new ventures and releases?
A. Financial expense.
B. Time commitment.
C. Damaged relationships.
D. Loss of peace and tranquility.
【答案】D
【解析】推理题。问题的命题出处在第四段：“We know how much these stimulants can cost us.” 根据原文，不断地被新的事业和信息发布所刺激的代价是失去平和与宁静。
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