哭泣真的能讓我們的心情變好嗎？女性比男性哭的次數更多嗎？如今，在公共場所哭泣是否已被人們接受？本文討論眼淚的力量和哭泣的好處。

詞匯：emotions 情感

What makes you cry? Being moved by a soppy or sad movie, waving a loved one off, or getting emotional after splitting up with your partner can all cause tears to roll down our faces.  We all have the power to cry, but is that a good thing?

When you think about it, shedding tears from your eyes is an odd thing to do. But it seems to be an automatic reaction when we get sad, upset or even when we’re very happy. What triggers this reaction differs from person to person. However, the feeling is the same – your cheeks puff up, your eyes tighten and before you know it, tears are streaming down your face. Some of us may sniffle a little while others might cry like a baby – and some people suggest that it’s women who cry more than men.

A study in the UK in 2017 found that women admitted that they cry 72 times a year. This was, on average, more than men. Writing for the BBC, Adam Rutherford says “according to pretty much every study done, women do cry more than men, and this result has been consistent since we’ve been looking.” But does this mean men don’t get as upset or emotional as women, or are they just more embarrassed about showing their true feelings? The debate continues.

One place where we experience emotional and tearful outbursts is in the workplace. This can be somewhere where emotions run high – someone might be stressed, their workload might be too much, and, as therapist, Joanna Cross told the BBC, “crying is often a build-up of frustration and undealt-with situations and it’s a bit of a final straw moment.” She describes how someone might start weeping when they’re just asked to make a cup of tea because, “actually that’s often a backlog of situations.”

But crying in the office or elsewhere can be cathartic: it can actually make you feel better.  Maybe it dissolves or clears the negative or sad feelings you’ve had. Bawling your eyes out shows others how you feel, so perhaps it’s a crying shame that more of us, particularly men, don’t cry more often.

詞匯表

moved 被感動的
soppy 傷感的
emotional 情緒激動的
shed tears 流淚
upset 沮喪的，難過的
trigger 引起（壞事）
stream 涌出
cry like a baby 像嬰兒一樣哭泣，哭泣
embarrassed 害羞的
true feelings 真情實感
tearful 含淚的，流淚的
outburst （情感）爆發
emotions run high 情緒波動大，情緒高漲
frustration 挫折，沮喪
(the) final straw 最后一根稻草，使人最終崩潰的一擊
weep 哭泣，流淚
cathartic 情感宣泄的
bawl your eyes out 痛哭流涕
It’s a crying shame 不像話，不應該

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. What type of film might cause you to cry?

2. According to research, who cries the most, men or women?

3. According to the article, what might cause you to start crying at work?

4. What might be the positive effects of crying?

5. True or false? Being very happy can cause you to cry.

2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1.I found the speech my father made at my wedding very _______.

moved                             move                               movable                    moving

2. I find eating nuts _______ an allergic reaction, so I avoid eating any food that contains them.

upsets                             triggers                           outbursts                   cathartic

3. The coronavirus outbreak was the _______ for my brother’s coffee shop business. He ran out of money and had to close.

crying shame                  final straw                       shedding                   true feelings

4.  That new rom-com was funny and sad, and I was _______ by the end of it.

crying like a baby           cry like a baby                 cried like a baby        crying like baby

5. My girlfriend thinks I’m _______ when I cry seeing dolphins in the sea, but I think I just appreciate the beauty of nature!

embarrassed                  upset                               weeping                     soppy

答案

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。  

1. What type of film might cause you to cry?
A sad or soppy movie can ‘move us’ – or make us cry.

2. According to research, who cries the most, men or women?
According to research, women cry more than men.

3. According to the article, what might cause you to start crying at work?
Stress, frustration, too much work or a backlog of situations, might cause you to start crying at work.

4. What might be the positive effects of crying?
Crying can be cathartic; it can actually make you feel better.

5. True or false? Being very happy can cause you to cry.
True. We can cry when we get sad, upset or even when we’re very happy.

2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. I found the speech my father made at my wedding very moving.

2. I find eating nuts triggers an allergic reaction, so I avoid eating any food that contains them.

3. The coronavirus outbreak was the final straw for my brother’s coffee shop business. He ran out of money and had to close.

4. That new rom-com was funny and sad, and I was crying like a baby by the end of it.

5. My girlfriend thinks I’m soppy when I cry seeing dolphins in the sea, but I think I just appreciate the beauty of nature!