【英语趣味课堂】优点和缺点-Strong and Weak Points

Simon: Yeah, I got a job interview coming up and I know they're gonna ask me about what are your strong points and your weak points. You know.

 

Todd: Yeah, that's tough, because like I know my strong points and my weak points.

 

Simon: Yeah, well, let's talk about that, actually, personality¹ wise. Forget about the job interview. Let's talk about, what do you think, what are your strong points as a person?

 

Todd: Ah, let's see. Well, I think the biggest one is I'm pretty generous². Like I really don't care about money, so I'll give my friends money or things that I have, cause I just don't care about that. Um, so that's probably my strong point. My weak points are I am very late all the time. I'm late to work. I'm late to meet my friends. I'm late when I have appointments, and I am always late, so that is probably my number one bad point, and um, I'm, and sometimes I'm a little selfish³. I want things my way, and only my way.

 

Simon: So it's, do you use that expression, "It's my way or the highway!"

 

Todd: I would never say that, but that's maybe how I think sometimes.

 

Simon: That's how you feel inside, yeah.

 

Todd: How about you? What are your strong points and your weak points?

 

Simon: Well, one of my weak points. I can say, much like you, was being late but, uh, since, you know, uh, since I've has a long term girlfriend, she's made sure that that part of me has changed, but I think one of my weak points is that, uh, I'm mentally⁴ disorganized. I'm all over the place all the time, so that sometimes makes me forget things like, uh, my keys, or you know, where I put an important piece of paper or something like that.

 

Todd: You know sometimes I wonder, because I'm a teacher, that maybe more people are that way today because we have so much input⁵, so much stimulus⁶ from TV, from the internet, from movies, from radio that we are not as mentally organized as people maybe 50 years ago.

 

Simon: Yeah, that quite, that could be possibly true, but most of my close friends, you know, say that I'm more disorganized in that way, or more chaotic⁷ than most people, so I think I'm a special case. You know, I lost my wallet about four or five times in the past year, so.

 

Todd: That's pretty bad. Um, what's your strong point though?

 

Simon: Well, you know, that's putting me on the spot. That's a pretty difficult question cause it's difficult to talk about yourself, but uh, you know I would have to say that I'm friendly, and easy-going⁸ and.

 

Todd: Yeah, I agree actually.

 

Simon: And uh, I think I have, I think I can get along with people well, so, that's would be my strong point I guess, easy going and and friendly, easy to get along with.

 

Todd: Well, I agree.

 

Simon: Oh, thank you, and I agree about you.

 

Todd: What? I'm always late.

 

Simon: That, too.

 

学习内容：

 

job interview

 

I got a job interview coming up and I know what they're going to ask me about. 

A 'job interview' is when you have a meeting and they ask you questions to decide if you are a good person for a job. Notice the following:

 

I need to go to bed early, because I have a job interview tomorrow.

 

I want things my way or selfish

 

Sometimes, I'm a little selfish and I want things my way. 

When you 'want things your way' you don't want to compromise⁹ or change your ideas or plans for anyone else. If you are a selfish person you only think about yourself or think about yourself before all other people. Notice the following:

 

Sample

Sample

mentally disorganized

 

I think one of my weak points is that I'm mentally disorganized. 

If you are 'mentally disorganized' it means¹⁰ that you don't have order to your thoughts. You have difficult keeping things in order and may forget things. Notice the following:

 

I feel really mentally disorganized right now. I need some time to think about all of this.

She never makes mistakes like that. She must be mentally disorganized from all that is happening in her life.

all over the place

 

I'm all over the place all the time, so that sometimes makes me forget things. 

You can be 'all over the place' physically¹¹ or mentally. If you are all over the place mentally it means that you can't organize your thoughts and you think of one thing and then another. When you are all over the place physically you have a lot of energy and can't stay focused¹² on one thing so you move around a lot. Notice the following:

 

She has very good ideas, but she is all over the place most of the time.

I'm sorry. I'm all over the place today.

input or stimulus

 

I wonder if maybe people are that way because we have so much input, so much stimulus from TV and the internet. 

'Input,' used like this, means information or ideas that are coming from outside sources¹³. This information affects how we think and view the world. 'Stimulus' is information that your brain reacts¹⁴ to and it causes you to think. Notice the following:

 

When you move to a new place there is a lot of input to process right away.

It is more important for babies to have stimulus even when they are really young.

chaotic

 

My close friends say that I'm more chaotic than most people. 

A 'chaotic' person has no order to his thoughts or actions. When a situation is chaotic there is no order and it is crazy. Notice the following:

 

Ten eight year old kids? That sounds chaotic!

Preparing everything was a little chaotic, but the party turned out well.

putting me on the spot (put on the spot)

 

That's a pretty difficult question and it's putting me on the spot. 

When you 'put someone on the spot' you want him to answer a question without having much time to think about it. When you are on the spot the attention in focused on you. Notice the following:

 

He was really nervous when his boss put him on the spot at the meeting today.

I used to hate it when teachers would call on me and put me on the spot.

1 personality   

n.个性，人格，名人

参考例句：

• Einstein was a great personality.爱因斯坦是个伟大的人物。
• She has a powerful personality.她有坚强的个性。

2 generous   

adj.慷慨的，大方的，慷慨给予的

参考例句：

• She was kind and generous.她心地善良，宽容大量。
• She was generous with her money.她很乐于仗义疏财。

3 selfish   

adj.自私的，利己主义的，自我中心的

参考例句：

• You must learn to share and not be so selfish.你一定要学会与他人分享，不要那么自私。
• She is a selfish person.她是一个自私自利的人。

4 mentally   

adv.精神上，理智上，在心中

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Male nurses are often employed in hospitals for the mentally ill.精神病院常雇用男护士护理精神病人。

5 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

6 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

7 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

8 easy-going   

adj.随和的；轻松的

参考例句：

• She is an easy-going girl.她是一个随和的女孩子。
• The students considered Mrs.Smith an easy-going teacher.学生们认为史密斯夫人是一位宽容随和的老师。

9 compromise   

n.妥协；妥协方案；vt.损害；vi.妥协，让步

参考例句：

• The spokesman made it clear that no compromise was yet in sight.发言人表明，目前还不会妥协。
• The probable outcome of the talks is a compromise.会谈的结果很可能是妥协。

10 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

11 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

12 focused   

adj.聚焦的v.（使）集中， （使）聚集( focus的过去式和过去分词 )；调整（镜头，眼睛）焦点[焦距]以便看清；（光、声等的）焦点；集中（光束于）

参考例句：

• Research has focused on improving the car's aerodynamics. 研究的重点是改善轿车的流线型。
• The discussion focused on three main problems. 讨论集中在三个主要问题上。

13 sources   

原因( source的名词复数 )； [物理学]源； 来源； 起源

参考例句：

• Government sources denied there had been a deliberate cover-up. 政府方面否认了有故意掩饰的行为。
• renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar power 像风力和太阳能这种用之不竭的能源

14 reacts   

起反应( react的第三人称单数 )； 反对； （对食物等）有不良反应； 物质起化学反应

参考例句：

• A dog reacts to kindness by wagging its tail. 狗摇尾巴以报答人们的爱护。
• The eye reacts to the light. 眼睛会对光作出反应。