B2 English Conversation: Why Can't We Relax? · High Level Listening Advanced English Podcast
本视频探讨现代人对生产力的过度追求，适合练习B2-C1英语听力与表达。内容涉及工作生活平衡、自我提升压力及如何正确放松，提升词汇和观点表达能力。
Hey everybody, welcome back to High Level Listening.
大家好，欢迎回到“高级听力”课程！
We've got another B2 and C1 level
我们又有一名达到 B2 级别和 C1 级别的人了。
English video for you today where we're going to really try to test your listening skills and help you push through into that higher level English.
今天为大家准备了一个英文视频，在这个视频中，我们将着重测试大家的听力能力，并帮助大家进一步提升英语水平。
Today we're talking about something that can make even your free time feel strangely stressful.
今天我们要讨论的是一种会让你的闲暇时间都变得充满压力的东西。
It's kind of that pressure to always be productive.
这种压力总是让人感到必须不断保持高效（即必须始终有所“产出”）。
Yeah, exactly.
是的，完全正确。
Does this ever sound like you?
这种情况听起来有没有像你自己的经历？
Imagine you've finished work, you've answered all your emails and you've done everything that you actually needed to do,
想象一下：你已经完成了工作，回复了所有邮件，也完成了所有真正需要做的事情。
but then sitting on the sofa or relaxing for an hour, somehow starts to make you feel guilty.
但是，当你坐在沙发上休息一个小时时，不知为何，你会开始感到内疚。
Like maybe there's a little voice in your head saying you should be exercising,
也许你脑海里有个小小的声音在告诉你：“你应该去锻炼身体。
you should be learning something or cleaning the house or finally tackling one of the million things on your do list.
你应该学习点新东西，或者打扫打扫房子，总之应该着手处理你待办事项清单上那些堆积如山的任务之一。
I feel like that's my entire generation for sure.
我觉得我的整个那一代人都是这样。
And that's what's interesting about today's B2 and C1 discussion because that's what it's going to be about today.
这就是今天关于 B2 和 C1 的讨论之所以有趣的地方——因为今天的讨论内容正是围绕这些主题展开的。
So being productive is obviously useful.
因此，提高工作效率显然非常有益。
Setting goals and improving yourself can be very positive things.
设定目标并不断提升自己，确实是非常积极的行为。
But when does being disciplined turned into putting yourself under this constant pressure that you can't even take a moment to relax?
但是，纪律严明到底在什么情况下会演变成一种让你持续处于压力之下的状态，以至于连片刻的放松时间都没有呢？
Yeah, so today we're going deeper into that very question.
是的，今天我们将更深入地探讨这个话题。
Has being busy become a kind of status symbol?
忙碌是否已经成为一种身份象征了呢？
Has self -improvement turned into another form of work?
自我提升是否已经变成另一种形式的工作了呢？
And have we become so uncomfortable with doing nothing that we've forgotten how to properly switch off?
难道我们真的对“什么都不做”这种状态感到如此不适，以至于都忘了如何正确地“关闭自己”（即停止思考或行动）吗？
Absolutely.
当然可以。
And this lesson is really going to challenge your listening and vocabulary skills in that higher level English.
这一课确实会考验你的听力能力和词汇量，因为所使用的英语属于较高难度级别。
And if you want to improve your English and get better at expressing your own opinions, kind of on deeper topics like this,
如果你想提高自己的英语水平，并更擅长表达自己的观点，尤其是在像这样的深入话题上，
come check out our B2 and C1 active discussion pack.
快来看看我们的 B2 和 C1 活动讨论资料包吧！
We've kind of revamped some of the worksheets to kind of make them a little bit more easily digestible and practical.
我们对其中一些练习题进行了改进，使其更易于理解且更具实用性。
So you'll get these guided speaking exercises, vocabulary lists,
因此，你将获得这些引导性口语练习材料以及词汇表。
full transcripts, of course, if you want to follow along and the mp3s that you can help you turn your passive English into more active speaking.
当然，如果您想跟随学习的话，还有完整的文字记录（transcripts）以及 MP3 文件；这些资源可以帮助您将被动式的英语学习方式转变为更主动的口语表达方式。
So you'll find the link in the description and the pinned comment below.
你可以在描述部分以及下方的固定评论中找到该链接。
Okay, so let's start with something that I've definitely noticed.
好的，让我们先从一个我确实注意到的现象开始吧。
People almost seem to, I don't know, take pride in how busy they are.
人们似乎都为自己非常忙碌而感到自豪（或者说，对此感到得意）。
You ask someone how they've been and instead of simply saying good,
你问某人最近过得怎么样，而对方并没有简单地回答“很好”。
they'll say, oh my gosh, I've been absolutely slammed or it's been nonstop lately.
他们会说：“哦，我的天啊，我最近真是忙得不可开交，简直一刻都停不下来。
And sure sometimes life genuinely is hectic, but I think we've gradually developed this mindset where being constantly busy is somehow a measure of success.
确实，有时候生活确实非常忙碌，但我认为我们逐渐形成了一种观念：即一直处于忙碌状态在某种程度上就是成功的象征。
The more commitments you have, the more important you appear to be.
你的承诺越多，你在他人眼中的重要性也就越大。
If your schedule is packed and people are constantly demanding your time and attention,
如果你的日程安排非常紧张，而且总有人不断要求你的时间和关注……
it can give you this sense of purpose and make you feel indispensable.
这会让你感受到自己的存在意义，并让你觉得自己不可或缺。
However, on the flip side, you, if you've had a relatively quiet week with hardly anything going on,
然而，从另一个角度来看，如果你这一周过得相当平静，几乎没有什么事情发生……
you might actually feel a little embarrassed to admit it as though you're not being productive enough.
你可能会觉得有点尴尬，甚至觉得自己不够高效（或者说没有充分发挥出应有的作用）。
There's kind of this underlying pressure to constantly have something on your plate.
其实存在一种潜意识的压力，迫使人们必须始终“有事可做”（即始终有任务或项目需要处理）。
And I think we've reached a point where slowing down is almost mistaken for sort of a lack of ambition.
我认为我们已经到了这样一个阶段：放慢发展速度几乎会被误认为是缺乏雄心壮志的表现。