Your Hidden Potential: Ordinary vs Extraordinary - British English Podcast

Hello, and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast, the listening

您好，欢迎来到“像母语一样的英语播客”，

resource that's designed for intermediate to advanced level English learners.

这是专为中级到高级英语学习者设计的听力资源。

My name is Anna, and today we are exploring the extraordinary.

我叫安娜，今天我们正在探索非凡。

If you would like to take your podcast learning experience further, then

如果您想进一步提升播客学习体验，那么

you can, by becoming a Plus Member.

您可以通过成为 Plus 会员来实现。

Plus Members get access to lots of bonus episodes, and they receive an

Plus 会员可以观看大量奖励剧集，他们

email every week with transcripts to the latest episodes, as well as

每周都会收到一封电子邮件，其中包含最新剧集的文字记录以及

word lists so that you can learn more about the things that I'm saying.

单词列表，以便您可以更多地了解我所说的内容。

So, if you're interested in becoming a Plus Member and supporting this

因此，如果您有兴趣成为 Plus 会员并支持该

podcast to grow and improve, then check out the link in the description.

播客的发展和改进，请查看说明中的链接。

So, let's get on with today's extraordinary episode.

那么，让我们继续今天精彩的一集吧。

I am an avid squash player.

我是一名狂热的壁球运动员。

Happiness for me is on court, feeling on top form with a racket in hand.

对我来说，幸福就是在球场上，手里拿着球拍，感觉自己处于最佳状态。

One of the most beneficial lessons I have learned in squash is to

我在壁球中学到的最有益的教训之一就是

'never give up', you could say that this is a valuable life lesson too.

“永不放弃”，可以说这也是宝贵的人生教训。

There are countless occasions where your opponent will place the ball on

在无数的情况下，你的对手会将球放在

the opposite side of the court, either lobbing it over your head into the back

球场的另一侧，要么将球从你的头顶上方抛入后

corner, or doing a sneaky dropshot at the front of court when you are at the back.

角，要么当你在后场时偷偷地在球场前部进行投篮。

It's easy to throw your hands up and admit defeat on those occasions,

在这种情况下，你很容易举手承认失败，

rather than fight to return a shot that is seemingly out of reach.

而不是努力回击看似遥不可及的球。

However, if you simply make an effort to get to the ball, an astonishing thing

然而，如果你只是努力去接球，令人惊讶的事情

happens, half the time you succeed.

就会发生，你成功的几率有一半。

If you give up, then you lose the rally, it's a sure thing, it's a done deal.

如果你放弃了，那么你就会失去这次反弹，这是肯定的事情，事情已经板上钉钉了。

If you try, then you are in with a chance.

如果你尝试，那么你就有机会。

So, now I go for everything, no matter how impossible it may seem.

所以，现在我会全力以赴，无论看起来多么不可能。

It never ceases to amaze me how often I come up trumps.

我经常获胜，这一直让我感到惊讶。

I'm often congratulated with cheers of,

经常有人欢呼祝贺我，

"Extraordinary shot, Anna!

“安娜，击球太棒了！

How on earth did you get that?"

你到底是怎么做到的？”

Extraordinary, am I an extraordinary squash player?

非凡，我是一个非凡的壁球运动员吗？

On the contrary, I am actually very ordinary, but very ordinary people

相反，我其实很平凡，但是很平凡的人

can do extraordinary things if they just try a little harder than others.

只要比别人努力一点，也能做出不平凡的事情。

Do you consider yourself to be extraordinary?

你认为自己很非凡吗？

Have you ever done anything extraordinary?

你曾经做过什么非凡的事情吗？

I bet you have.

我打赌你有。

First of all, what makes a person ordinary or extraordinary?

首先，什么使一个人平凡或非凡？

An ordinary person follows the status quo, they do what is expected of them.

普通人遵循现状，做别人期望他们做的事。

I consider myself to be a highly conscientious, straight walking,

我认为自己是一个非常认真、正直、

hard-working contributor to society.

勤奋的社会贡献者。

Not extraordinary in the slightest.

一点也不特别。

I do as others do in a very ordinary way.

我和其他人一样，以一种非常平常的方式做事。

I'm not hugely talented or highly intelligent.

我并不是很有才华，也不是非常聪明。

I'm not Serena Williams or Albert Einstein.

我不是塞雷娜·威廉姆斯或阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦。

But I believe that ordinary people are capable of doing extraordinary things.

但我相信，平凡的人也能做出不平凡的事。

My theory is that an extraordinary person is one that can be truly happy in their

我的理论是，一个非凡的人是一个能够真正快乐地对待自己的人

own skin and therefore feels free to explore their own desires and dreams, able

，因此能够自由地探索自己的欲望和梦想，

to hold fast to their own principles even in the face of opposition and obstacles.

即使面对反对和障碍也能够坚持自己的原则。

Let's dive into some examples.

让我们深入研究一些例子。

We're going to turn our sights to some historical examples

我们将把目光转向一些历史上

of extraordinary people.

杰出人物的例子。

And let me start with the mother of the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks.

让我从民权运动之母罗莎·帕克斯开始。

She was born in 1913 in Alabama, USA, during a time of deep racial segregation.

她于 1913 年出生于美国阿拉巴马州，当时种族隔离十分严重。

She worked as a seamstress and was an active member of the NAACP, which

她是一名裁缝，也是全国有色人种协进

is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

会（全国有色人种协进会）的活跃成员。

On December the 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks was on a bus home after a long day at work.

1955 年 12 月 1 日，罗莎·帕克斯 (Rosa Parks) 在结束一天的工作后乘公共汽车回家。

She was asked by the bus driver to surrender her seat to a

公交车司机要求她

white man, as was required by segregation laws, but she refused.

按照种族隔离法的要求将座位让给白人，但她拒绝了。

She was arrested.

她被捕了。

And this simple act led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a coordinated protest

这个简单的行为引发了蒙哥马利巴士抵制运动，这是

by the African American community against segregated public transport.

非裔美国人社区针对种族隔离公共交通发起的协调一致的抗议活动。

About this incident, Rosa said,

对于这起事件，罗莎说：

"People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was

“人们总是说我没有让座是因为我累了

tired, but that isn't true.

，但事实并非如此。

I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually

我身体上并没有累，或者说没有比平时

was at the end of a working day.

结束时 更累。” “一个工作日。

I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then.

我并不老，尽管当时有些人认为我已经老了。

I was 42.

我当时42岁。

No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in."

不，我唯一累的是厌倦了屈服。”

So what was the overall impact of Rosa's actions, her refusal

那么罗莎的拒绝行为的总体影响是什么？

to give in on that day?

在那一天屈服？

Well, the bus boycott that her actions sparked lasted for 381 days, during

那么，她的行为引发的抵制公交活动持续了381天，期间

which the African American community, led by figures like Martin Luther King

以马丁·路德·金等人物为首的非裔美国人社区

Jr., boycotted the entire bus system.

抵制了整个公交系统。

The US Supreme Court eventually ruled that segregation on public buses was

美国最高法院最终裁定公共汽车上的种族隔离违宪

unconstitutional, marking a significant victory for the civil rights movement.

，标志着民权运动的重大胜利。

Imagine doing something so extraordinary on your bus ride home from work.

想象一下，在下班回家的公交车上做一些如此非凡的事情。

Now, moving on to an extraordinarily brave young woman, Malala Yousafzai.

现在，我们来谈谈一位非常勇敢的年轻女性，马拉拉·优素福扎伊 (Malala Yousafzai)。

Malala, born in 1997, grew up in the Swat Valley in Pakistan, where the Taliban

马拉拉出生于 1997 年，在巴基斯坦斯瓦特山谷长大，塔利班

had banned girls from attending school.

禁止女孩在那里上学。

Malala, with the support of her father, continued to advocate for the

马拉拉在父亲的支持下，继续倡导受教育权

right to education, documenting her experiences on a blog for the BBC Urdu.

，并在 BBC 乌尔都语博客上记录了她的经历。

In 2012, at the age of 15, Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman

2012年，15岁的马拉拉 在放学回家时

while returning home from school.

被塔利班枪手枪击头部

Miraculously, she survived the attack — which beggars belief; she

。 奇迹般的是，她在袭击中幸存下来——这令人难以置信；她的

was shot in the head at point blank range and lived to tell the story.

头部被近距离射中，但她活着讲述了这个故事。

That is nothing short of a miracle.

这简直就是一个奇迹。

What is extraordinary about this young lady is that she continued her activism

这位年轻女士的非凡之处在于，她

with even greater determination.

以更大的决心继续她的活动。

I don't know if I would have the courage to continue on my mission after

我不知道 经历了这样的刺杀

an assassination attempt like that.

之后，我是否还有勇气继续执行我的任务

And in 2014, Malala became the youngest ever Nobel Prize

。 2014 年， 年仅 17 岁的

laureate at the age of just 17.

马拉拉成为有史以来最年轻的诺贝尔奖

Malala's advocacy has since expanded globally, emphasising the importance

获得者 。此后，马拉拉的倡导扩展到全球，强调教育对女孩和妇女的重要性

of education for girls and women.

。

Keep up the good work, Malala.

继续努力，马拉拉。

Next, I would like to mention an extraordinary man who was

接下来，我想提一下一位热心致力于

fiercely committed to peace and reconciliation, Nelson Mandela.

和平与和解的非凡人物，纳尔逊·曼德拉。 曼德拉

Born in 1918 and sadly lost in 2013.

出生于 1918 年，于 2013 年不幸去世 。曼德拉是

Mandela was a leading figure in the struggle against

南非 反对种族隔离斗争的领军人物

apartheid in South Africa.

。

Apartheid is a basic term which means racial segregation.

种族隔离是一个基本术语，意思是种族隔离。

He became involved in political activism in the 1940s, joining the

他在 20 世纪 40 年代开始参与政治活动，加入了

ANC, which is the African National Congress and advocating for the

非洲人国民大会（ANC），即非洲人国民大会，并倡导

rights of black South Africans.

南非黑人的权利。

In 1962, Mandela was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for his

1962年，曼德拉因 参与反种族隔离活动

involvement in anti-apartheid activities.

被捕并被判处终身监禁

He spent 27 years in prison, during which he became a symbol of the

。他在监狱里度过了 27 年，在此期间他成为 全球反种族隔离运动

global anti-apartheid movement.

的象征 。

During his time behind bars, he faced harsh conditions, meant to break his

在入狱期间，他面临着严酷的条件，这注定要动摇他的

resolve, but he stuck to his guns.

决心，但他坚持自己的立场。

Mandela was released from prison in 1990 and he played a crucial role

曼德拉于 1990 年出狱，他

in negotiations to end apartheid.

在结束种族隔离的谈判中发挥了关键作用。

In 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections, and Mandela

1994年，南非举行首次民主选举，曼德拉

was elected as the country's first black president, symbolising the

当选为该国第一位黑人总统，象征着

end of institutionalised racism.

制度化种族主义的结束。

Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai, and Nelson Mandela; these individuals faced

罗莎·帕克斯、马拉拉·优素福扎伊和纳尔逊·曼德拉；这些人面临着

significant challenges and risks, but their resilience, courage, and commitment

重大挑战和风险，但他们的韧性、勇气和

to their principles led to extraordinary achievements that had a lasting

对原则的承诺带来了非凡的成就，

impact on our societies and the world.

对我们的社会和世界产生了持久影响。

I hope that you found today's episode inspiring.

我希望今天的节目对您有所启发。

Now go out and do something extraordinary or just be your ordinary

现在出去做一些非凡的事情，或者

self in the most extraordinary way.

以最非凡的方式做普通的自己。

Until next time, take very good care and goodbye.

直到下次，好好照顾并再见。