人生不總是一帆風順，難免會遇到起伏。雖然有些事情會讓你感到悲傷難過、心煩意亂，但不妨幽默一把，調侃生活中的不如意。本期 “隨身英語” 節目探討如何笑談生活的艱辛。

詞匯：coping 應對

Sometimes life doesn’t seem to play fair. It blindsides you at the most inopportune moments, and even if we can learn to grin and bear the ups and downs, they can take their toll on our psyche. So rather than suffer in silence or let these things get you down, maybe there is another way: what if humour can help you get through the dark times?

According to author and clinician Kristen Lee: “Laughter and tears are both therapeutic – we need both to process such hard times.” But how can we find the tough things that happen funny? Our lives are really serious, often filled with mundane and repetitive activities, whether it’s arbitrary bill paying or fighting for a seat on your commute, we need to make time for fun and play – enjoy the little things. Why not make funny noises to remind you to stop taking things seriously, or learn some silly jokes, just to tell when times get hard? They could make you or other people around you laugh!

When a hurdle pops up in life, it’s easy to get bogged down – but the way we recount events can impact on our resilience. Rather than see the negatives, look for the ironic moments and tell people about them! Why not write parodies in your spare time about events that take place to help you compartmentalise? Script what happened as if it was happening to a character rather than yourself.

We all know that some things in life aren’t fair. But take those events and send them up a bit in your scripts! Sometimes life needs a bit of a roasting to get your thoughts in order, and embracing your comedic side, seeing life’s difficult moments as obstacles that can be made fun of rather than overwhelm you, may help you get through them more easily. And who knows, you may just discover a talent for writing at the end of it.

詞匯表

play fair 公平待人
blindside 攻其不備
inopportune 不合時宜，不是時候
grin and bear 咬牙忍受
ups and downs 曲折，起伏
psyche 精神狀態，心靈
suffer in silence 默默忍受
get someone down 使某人沮喪
get through 渡過（難關）
tough 困難的
mundane 單調乏味的
hurdle 難題，難關
get bogged down 陷于困境的，停滯不前的
ironic 令人啼笑皆非的，有諷刺意味的
parody 戲仿作品
compartmentalise 劃分成不同部分
send something up 調侃某事
roast 吐槽，開玩笑
embrace 欣然接受
make fun of 取笑，拿…開玩笑

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. According to the article, what can some events in life do to our psyche?

2. What does Kristen Lee say is needed to process difficult times?

3. What are our everyday lives normally filled with?

4. According to the article, what things can we do to enjoy life a bit more?

5. What can writing parodies of life help you to do?

2.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. I know it was sad, but don’t let it get you _______.

down                         in                            out                      on

2. I heard that the performance was hilarious and the comedians _______ each other.

fried                          baked                     roasted                cooked

3. Please don’t _______ fun of me! I have feelings.

have                         make                      do                        be  

4. We need to really _______ the changes the new boss has made.

embrace                   psyche                   hurdle                  play fair

5. We need to work through this and not get bogged _______ by the minor problems.

on                             off                          up                        down

答案

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. According to the article, what can some events in life do to our psyche?
Sometimes life doesn’t seem to play fair. It blindsides you at the most inopportune moments, and even if we can learn to grin and bear the ups and downs, they can take their toll on our psyche.

2. What does Kristen Lee say is needed to process difficult times?
According to author and clinician Kristen Lee: “Laughter and tears are both therapeutic – we need both to process such hard times.”

3. What are our everyday lives normally filled with?
Our lives are really serious, often filled with mundane and repetitive activities, whether it’s arbitrary bill paying or fighting for a seat on your commute.

4. According to the article, what things can we do to enjoy life a bit more?
You could make funny noises to remind you to stop taking things seriously, or learn some silly jokes, just to tell when times get hard. They could make you or other people around you laugh!

5. What can writing parodies of life help you to do?
Writing parodies in your spare time about events that take place could help you compartmentalise.

2.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. I know it was sad, but don’t let it get you down.

2. I heard that the performance was hilarious and the comedians roasted each other.

3. Please don’t make fun of me! I have feelings.

4. We need to really embrace the changes the new boss has made.

5. We need to work through this and not get bogged down by the minor problems.