Introduction

How do you deal with difficult situations? Why do some people cope better in times of stress than others? Are we born with resilience or can we learn it? Rob and Georgina discuss resilience and teach you related vocabulary.

Question

'Resilience' is also a word used in science to describe the characteristic of a substance or object. But what does it mean?

a) It is very tough or hard

b) It can return to its original shape after being bent

c) It can turn from a solid into a liquid quickly

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Transcript

Note: This is not a word for word transcript??

Rob

Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Rob…?

Georgina

And I'm Georgina.?

Rob

Now, Georgina, how?resilient?are you??

Georgina

Resilient? You mean able to cope with difficult situations. I have a pile of work to do today, but I’m remaining calm and not getting stressed.?

Rob

That's good, you are showing?resilience. And today we’re discussing whether we’re born with resilience or we have to learn it.?

Georgina

OK, Rob. But first I expect you’re going to ask me a question – bring it on!??

Rob

OK. Resilience is also a word used in science to describe the characteristic of a substance or object. But what does it mean?

a) That it's is very tough or hard.

b) That it can return to its original shape after being bent.

c) It can turn from a solid into a liquid quickly.?

Georgina

I have a feeling it means b) an object that returns to its original shape after being bent.??

Rob

OK, I'll let you know if you were correct at the end of the programme. But let’s talk more about human resilience. There are many self-help books and motivational speakers all promising us we can learn to be resilient.?

Georgina

Well, it is a useful trait to have, and it’s something that can help you deal with many difficult situations from coping with the pressures of work to handling the death of a loved one.?

Rob

And it’s more than just telling someone to ‘toughen up’ or ‘get a grip’, as Dr David Westley knows. He is Head of Psychology at Middlesex University and talked about levels of resilience on the BBC World Service programme, The Why Factor.?

Dr David Westley, Head of Psychology at Middlesex University

First of all, there's our social supports, our communities, our families, the people who are important to us, the organisations we work for, so one way we can look at resilience is to measure that – the amount of social support available to us. Another way to think about resilience is to think about how we think about the situations we are in. So, for example, one way to look at that would be just to look at how?optimistic?people are as a guide to how resilient they might be when times get tough. And then a third level that we can look at for resilience is a biological level - how well we can soothe ourselves, calm ourselves down, how well we can actually regulate our own nervous systems at times of?distress.

Georgina

Right, so Dr Westley describes social supports – the people around us who we can talk to and support us and generally make us feel better. I think he’s saying, with more support we feel more resilient.?

Rob

It’s interesting to note that a resilient person isn’t necessarily someone quiet, who doesn’t make a fuss and gets on with things. Some experts think it’s people who ask for help and use this social support network who are acting in a more resilient way.?

Georgina

It’s a good point. And another level of resilience is how?optimistic?someone is. Being optimistic means having positive thoughts about the future and believing things will turn out well. A positive mind means you can deal with situations that, at first, look tough. Another level Dr Westley mentioned was our biological level - how our bodies cope in times of?distress. Distress is the feeling you get when you are worried or upset by something.?

Rob

So, when we’re distressed, a resilient person is able to soothe his or her body and regulate his or her nervous system, which helps them stay calm.?

Georgina

But, Rob, the big question is, are we born with resilience or can we learn it? Experts speaking on The Why Factor programme tended to think it could be learned.?

Rob

Yes, one of them is Ann Masten, a professor at the University of Minnesota. From her studies, she found it was something that we learn when we need to.?

Georgina

Ann Masten talks about how some of the children she studied?manifest?resilience from the start. When something manifests, it shows clearly and is easy to notice. They remain resilient despite?adversity?– a difficult time in their life they've had to face.?

Rob

Other children, what she calls the late bloomers, started off less resilient, struggled with adversity, but turned their lives around by becoming more resilient. Maybe we can learn resilience from a having a bad experience??

Georgina

Well, one thing Ann went on to say was that families and friends can be a great support and help with resilience. Those that were ‘late bloomers’ only connected with adults and mentors later in life.??

Rob

Yes, she says that teachers or parents are role models in how to handle adversity. And children are watching; they're learning from the adults around them by seeing how they react when they get challenged by something. Time now to find out how resilient you are when you discover the correct answer to the question I asked earlier. I said that ‘resilience’ is also a word used in science to describe the characteristic of a substance or object. But what does it mean? Is it...

a) It is very tough or hard.

b) It can return to its original shape after being bent.

c) It can turn from a solid into a liquid quickly.

And what did you say, Georgina??

Georgina

I said it was b) It can return to its original shape after being bent.?

Rob

And you are right - well done! Bamboo is a good example of a resilient material – you can bend it, it doesn’t break and returns to its original shape.?

Georgina

Thanks for the science lesson, Rob. Now we need to recap the vocabulary we’ve mentioned today…?

Rob

Yes, we’ve talked about being?resilient,?an adjective that describes someone’s ability to cope with difficult situations. When you do this you show?resilience.?

Georgina

Someone who is?optimistic?has positive thoughts about the future and believes things will turn out well.?

Rob

Distress?is the feeling you get when you are worried or upset by something.?

Georgina

When something?manifests?itself, it shows clearly and is easy to notice. And?adversity?is a difficult time in somebody’s life that they have had to face.?

Rob

And that brings us to the end of this discussion about resilience. Please join us again next time. Bye bye.?

Georgina

Bye.

Vocabulary

resilient

able to cope with difficult situations or to improve quickly after an illness or injury

resilience

ability to cope with difficult situations or improve quickly after an illness or injury?

optimistic?

have positive thoughts about the future and believe things will turn out well?

distress?

feeling you get when you are worried or upset by something?

manifest?

show clearly and is easy to notice

adversity?

difficult situation in somebody’s life

雙語(yǔ)版Transcript

Rob

Hello, and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I m Rob…?

大家好，這里是BBC英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)的6分鐘英語(yǔ)，我是羅伯。

Georgina

And I m Georgina.

我是喬治娜。

Rob

Now, Georgina, how resilient are you??

你的韌性如何？

Georgina

Resilient? You mean able to cope with difficult situations. I havea pile of work?to do today, but I’m remaining calm and not getting stressed.?

韌性？你的意思是應(yīng)付困難情況的能力吧。我今天有一大堆工作要做，但我保持鎮(zhèn)定，不覺(jué)得有壓力。

Rob

That s good, you are showing resilience. And today we’re discussing whether we’re born with resilience or we have to learn it.?

很好，你表現(xiàn)出了韌性。今天，我們討論人們是否天生具有韌性，還是必須后天習(xí)得。

Georgina

OK, Rob. But first I expect you’re going to ask me a question – bring it on!??

但首先我希望你問(wèn)我一個(gè)問(wèn)題–提出來(lái)吧！

Rob

OK. Resilience is also a word used in science to describe the characteristic of a substance or object. But what does it mean?

a) That it s is very tough or hard.

b) That it can return to its original shape after being bent.

c) It can turn from a solid into a liquid quickly.?

韌性也是科學(xué)領(lǐng)域中用來(lái)描述物質(zhì)或物體特性的詞。但它是什么意思？

a）它很堅(jiān)硬。

b）它彎曲后可以恢復(fù)到原始形狀。

c）它可以快速?gòu)墓腆w變成液體。

Georgina

I have a feeling it means b) an object that returns to its original shape after being bent.??

我感覺(jué)它是指b）彎曲后可以恢復(fù)原始形狀的物體。

Rob

OK, I ll let you know if you were correct at the end of the programme. But let’s talk more about human resilience. There are many self-help books and motivational speakers all promising us we can learn to be resilient.?

在節(jié)目末尾我會(huì)讓你知道正確與否。但讓我們多談?wù)勅祟?lèi)的韌性。有許多自助類(lèi)書(shū)籍和勵(lì)志的演講者都向我們保證，我們可以學(xué)習(xí)變得有韌性。

Georgina

Well, it is a useful?trait?to have, and it’s something that can help you deal with many difficult situations from coping with the pressures of work to handling the death of a loved one.?

這是一個(gè)有用的品質(zhì)，它可以幫助你應(yīng)對(duì)許多困難情況，從應(yīng)對(duì)工作壓力到處理愛(ài)人的死亡。

Rob

And it’s more than just telling someone to ‘toughen up’ or ‘get a grip’, as Dr David Westley knows. He is Head of Psychology at Middlesex University and talked about levels of resilience on the BBC World Service programme, The Why Factor.?

這不僅僅是告訴某人“要堅(jiān)強(qiáng)”或“控制住情緒”，正如David Westley博士所知道的。他是米德?tīng)柸怂勾髮W(xué)的心理學(xué)系主任，在BBC World Service的“Why因素”節(jié)目中談到了韌性的多個(gè)層面。

Dr David Westley

First of all, there s our social supports, our communities, our families, the people who are important to us, the organisations we work for, so one way we can look at resilience is to measure that – the amount of social support available to us. Another way to think about resilience is to think about how we think about the situations we are in. So, for example, one way to look at that would be just to look at how optimistic people are as a guide to how resilient they might be when times get tough. And then a third level that we can look at for resilience is a biological level - how well we can soothe ourselves, calm ourselves down, how well we can actually regulate our own nervous systems at times of distress.

首先，有我們的社會(huì)支持，我們的社區(qū)，我們的家庭，對(duì)我們很重要的人，我們工作的組織，因此，我們考察韌性的一種方法是衡量那些—我們可以得到的社會(huì)支持。考察韌性的另一種方法是想想我們?nèi)绾慰创约旱奶幘?。因此，比如說(shuō)，查看韌性的方法之一就是，當(dāng)情況變得嚴(yán)峻時(shí)，人們有多樂(lè)觀就說(shuō)明他們多能抗逆。然后第三個(gè)層面，我們可以考慮韌性的是生物層面：我們可以怎樣舒緩自己，使自己平靜下來(lái)，在痛苦的情況下我們?nèi)绾握{(diào)節(jié)自己的神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)。

Georgina

Right, so Dr Westley describes social supports – the people around us who we can talk to and support us and generally make us feel better. I think he’s saying, with more support we feel more resilient.?

所以Westley博士描述了social supports(社會(huì)支持)——在我們周?chē)?，他們可以與我們交談并支持我們，通常會(huì)使我們感覺(jué)更好。我想他是在說(shuō)，有了更多的支持，我們就更能抗逆。

Rob

It’s interesting to note that a resilient person isn’t necessarily someone quiet, who doesn’t?make a fuss?and gets on with things. Some experts think it’s people who ask for help and use this social support network who are acting in a more resilient way.?

有趣的是，一個(gè)有韌性的人并不一定是安靜的人——不會(huì)大呼小叫，與物體打交道。一些專(zhuān)家認(rèn)為，是尋求幫助并使用社會(huì)支持網(wǎng)的人，他們的行為更能抗逆。

Georgina

It’s a good point. And another level of resilience is how optimistic someone is. Being optimistic means having positive thoughts about the future and believing things will?turn out well. A positive mind means you can deal with situations that, at first, look tough. Another level Dr Westley mentioned was our biological level - how our bodies cope in times of distress. Distress is the feeling you get when you are worried or upset by something.?

很好。彈性的另一個(gè)層次是人的樂(lè)觀程度。樂(lè)觀意味著對(duì)未來(lái)抱有積極的想法，并相信事情會(huì)好起來(lái)的。積極的心態(tài)意味著你可以應(yīng)對(duì)起初看起來(lái)很難的情況。Westley博士提到的另一個(gè)層面是我們的生物層面-在痛苦情況下我們的身體如何應(yīng)付。Distress(痛苦)是當(dāng)你為某事?lián)幕蚓趩蕰r(shí)的感覺(jué)。

Rob

So, when we’re distressed, a resilient person is able to soothe his or her body and regulate his or her nervous system, which helps them stay calm.?

當(dāng)我們感到痛苦時(shí)，有韌性的人能夠安定自己的身體并調(diào)節(jié)他或她的神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)，這有助于他們保持平靜。

Georgina

But, Rob, the big question is, are we born with resilience or can we learn it? Experts speaking on The Why Factor programme tended to think it could be learned.?

但是，最大的問(wèn)題是，我們是天生具有韌性還是后天習(xí)得？在“Why因素”節(jié)目上發(fā)言的專(zhuān)家傾向于認(rèn)為可以后天習(xí)得。

Rob

Yes, one of them is Ann Masten, a professor at the University of Minnesota. From her studies, she found it was something that we learn when we need to.?

是的，其中之一是明尼蘇達(dá)大學(xué)教授Ann Masten。從她的研究中，她發(fā)現(xiàn)這是我們?cè)谛枰獣r(shí)就會(huì)學(xué)的東西。

Georgina

Ann Masten talks about how some of the children she studied manifest resilience from the start. When something manifests, it shows clearly and is easy to notice. They remain resilient despite adversity – a difficult time in their life they ve had to face.?

Ann Masten談到她研究的一些孩子是如何一開(kāi)始就表現(xiàn)出韌性。當(dāng)事物manifests(顯現(xiàn))，它會(huì)清晰展現(xiàn)并且很容易被注意。他們?nèi)匀槐３猪g性，盡管遇到了adversity (逆境)——是指生活中必須面對(duì)的艱難時(shí)期。

Rob

Other children, what she calls?the late bloomers, started off less resilient, struggled with adversity, but turned their lives around by becoming more resilient. Maybe we can learn resilience from a having a bad experience??

其他孩子，她稱(chēng)其為“后起之秀”，起初韌性較差，在逆境中掙扎，但通過(guò)變得更有韌性而改變了人生。也許我們可以從糟糕的經(jīng)歷中學(xué)習(xí)抗逆？

Georgina

Well, one thing Ann went on to say was that families and friends can be a great support and help with resilience. Those that were ‘late bloomers’ only connected with adults and mentors later in life.??

Ann繼續(xù)說(shuō)，家人和朋友可以成為巨大的支持并且有助于抗逆。那些“后起之秀”只在人生后期與成年人和導(dǎo)師建立聯(lián)系。???

Rob

Yes, she says that teachers or parents are role models in how to handle adversity. And children are watching; they re learning from the adults around them by seeing how they react when they get challenged by something. Time now to find out how resilient you are when you discover the correct answer to the question I asked earlier. I said that ‘resilience’ is also a word used in science to describe the characteristic of a substance or object. But what does it mean? Is it...

a) It is very tough or hard.

b) It can return to its original shape after being bent.

c) It can turn from a solid into a liquid quickly.

And what did you say, Georgina??

是的，她說(shuō)老師或父母是應(yīng)對(duì)逆境的榜樣。孩子們?cè)谟^察。他們從周?chē)某赡耆四抢飳W(xué)習(xí)，通過(guò)觀察他們遇到挑戰(zhàn)時(shí)的反應(yīng)?，F(xiàn)在時(shí)間到了，來(lái)看看你有多少抗逆能力，當(dāng)你發(fā)現(xiàn)我之前問(wèn)題的正確答案時(shí)。我說(shuō) “韌性”也是科學(xué)中用來(lái)形容某種物質(zhì)或物體特征的詞。但它是什么意思？是...

a）它很堅(jiān)硬。

b）它彎曲后可以恢復(fù)到原始形狀。

c）它可以快速?gòu)墓腆w變成液體。

你說(shuō)的是什么？

Georgina

I said it was b) It can return to its original shape after being bent.?

我說(shuō)是b）它彎曲后可以恢復(fù)到原始形狀

Rob

And you are right - well done! Bamboo is a good example of a resilient material – you can bend it, it doesn’t break and returns to its original shape.?

你說(shuō)對(duì)了——好樣的！竹子是彈性材料的一個(gè)好例子–你可以彎曲它，它不會(huì)斷裂，會(huì)恢復(fù)其原始形狀。

Georgina

Thanks for the science lesson, Rob. Now we need to recap the vocabulary we’ve mentioned today…?

感謝你的科學(xué)課?，F(xiàn)在我們需要回顧一下我們今天提到的詞匯...

Rob

Yes, we’ve talked about being resilient, an adjective that describes someone’s ability to cope with difficult situations. When you do this you show resilience.?

是的，我們談到resilient(韌性的)，一個(gè)形容詞，用來(lái)形容某人應(yīng)付困難情況的能力。當(dāng)你這么做，你就展現(xiàn)出resilience(韌性)

Georgina

Someone who is optimistic has positive thoughts about the future and believes things will turn out well.?

Optimistic是有對(duì)未來(lái)抱有積極的想法，并相信事情會(huì)好起來(lái)。

Rob

Distress is the feeling you get when you are worried or upset by something.?

Distress是當(dāng)你為某事憂慮或沮喪時(shí)得到的感覺(jué)。

Georgina

When something manifests itself, it shows clearly and is easy to notice. And adversity is a difficult time in somebody’s life that they have had to face.?

當(dāng)某事物manifest(顯現(xiàn))，它會(huì)清晰顯示并且很容易被注意到。Adversity(逆境)是人生中不得不面對(duì)的困難時(shí)刻。

Rob

And that brings us to the end of this discussion about resilience. Please join us again next time. Bye bye.?

關(guān)于韌性的討論就結(jié)束了。下次請(qǐng)收聽(tīng)我們的節(jié)目。再見(jiàn)。