环球英语 12 Being Perfect

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Elizabeth Lickiss. Welcome to Spotlight¹. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Song: (It’s Got To Be) Perfect
It has got to be perfect.
It has got to be worth it
Too many people take second best
Well, I will not take anything less
It has got to be perfect.
Voice 1
‘Perfect’ - a song from 1988 sung by ‘Fairground Attraction’. The group sings of relationships and of mistakes in the past. And they sing that this new relationship will be perfect! Today we look at being perfect! And we ask the question - can anything be too perfect?
Voice 2
Mrs Smith returned from work. Her husband met her at the door. He kissed her. She could hear running water upstairs. Ah, Mr Smith had remembered that she felt tired when she came home. So, he was preparing a nice hot bath. Mrs Smith went upstairs to rest in the hot water. The children were in bed asleep. The house was clean. Mr Smith prepared a lovely dinner. They sat down to eat together. Her husband told her how beautiful she looked. Mrs Smith looked at her husband with a happy smile. Then, she turned her head - and woke up. It was of course, a dream.
Voice 1
Many of us dream about perfection². To be perfect is to be without any failings! We may dream of the perfect ideal³ job. We may dream of living in a beautiful new house. We may desire a perfect body. Or, we may dream of having a perfect husband or wife. Most of us know that being perfect is not really possible. But some people find this harder to accept than others. We call such people ‘perfectionists’.
Voice 2
English uses the word ‘perfectionist’ in two ways - one good, one bad. We call some sports people ‘perfectionists.’ They work hard for the best possible result. They try to perform perfectly⁴ in a competition. People say that artist Michelangelo was a perfectionist. Maybe this quality helped him create some of his masterpieces⁵, his beautiful art. And we depend on some perfectionist’s high expectations! For example, we would want a heart doctor to perform perfectly on our hearts. A small mistake could result in death! These kinds of perfectionists have high expectations. They aim to succeed in life. But mostly, they know their limits. Many of us would like some of the qualities from this kind of perfectionist!
Voice 1
But the other kind of perfectionist describes someone with a real problem. We may call them ‘extreme⁶ perfectionists.’ These kinds of perfectionists cannot accept any kind of mistakes. They set impossible goals for themselves. And, they can feel useless when they do not meet these goals. Doctor Rachel Naomi Remen was one of these people. She is now a ‘recovering perfectionist.’ She said that she was never satisfied⁷ with what she did. It was just never good enough! Her expectations for herself and others were just too high. She said,
Voice 3
‘I am a recovering perfectionist. Before I began recovering, whatever I did was never good enough. It was the same for people around me. I sat in judgment⁸ on life itself. Perfectionism is the belief that life is broken.’
Voice 2
Doctor Paul Hewitt works⁹ at the University of British Columbia in Canada. He has studied perfectionism. He says that there are different kinds. Self-perfectionism is the kind that people usually think of. This is when a person requires him or herself to be perfect. Another kind is when the perfectionist expects other people to be perfect. A third kind relates to social conditions. The perfectionist believes that other people require him or her to be perfect. And there is a fourth kind. This is when a person feels the need to appear perfect to others.
Voice 1
These beliefs put great pressure on the perfectionist. An extreme perfectionist will never reach his own high expectations. His best will never be good enough. And this can lead to a lifetime¹⁰ of felt failures. A perfectionist may feel unworthy for life.
Voice 2
But there is some good news, says Rachel Naomi Remen. She has studied the health of the mind and the body for many years. She says that no one is born a perfectionist. So, this means¹¹ that recovery¹² is possible! She is a ‘perfect’ example!
Voice 1
Like many things, change begins in the mind. The University of Illinois, in the United¹³ States, suggests some methods to help change thinking. It gives this advice for the extreme perfectionist:
Voice 4
First, understand that extreme perfectionism is not desirable¹⁴! It is not possible to be perfect!
Voice 3
Set goals that are possible!
Voice 4
Understand that the world will continue, even if you are not perfect! Everything will not just end because you make one mistake.
Voice 3
Think about the process, not just the end result!
Voice 4
When you feel worried and depressed¹⁵, ask yourself this: Have I created impossible goals and expectations for myself in this situation?
Voice 3
Ask yourself, ‘What is the worst thing that could happen?’
Voice 4
Think of a recent mistake you have made. List all the things you can learn from it.
Voice 1
Finally, the university says,
Voice 3
Try these suggestions. You will see that perfectionism is not a necessary influence in your life. There are other ways to think that are more helpful. You are more likely to succeed without your perfectionism. And you will feel better about yourself in the process.
Voice 2
Looking at life in a more real way does not mean that you have to stop trying your best! It simply means accepting what your best is. It is possible to have high expectations. It is possible to work to your best ability. And it is possible to accept yourself at the same time!
Voice 1
Cindy Russell is another recovering perfectionist. She knows that a healthy balance is important. She says,
Voice 4
‘God wants us to work towards perfection. He understands when we are not perfect. There is forgiveness’.
Voice 2
In most people’s minds God is perfect. This makes us wonder how people can ever connect with God! Many religions encourage people to try to be perfect - to get closer to God. Christian¹⁷ belief is different. When someone becomes a Christian they accept that they will never be perfect! Their connection with God is through Jesus Christ¹⁶, who is perfect. They believe that his life and death brings them forgiveness. This makes them acceptable¹⁸ to God. They become perfect in His eyes through Jesus Christ.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 perfection   

n.尽善尽美，无比精确

参考例句：

• Their works reach to a great height of perfection.他们的作品到了极完美的境地。
• The picture wants something of perfection.这幅画还有些不够完美。

3 ideal   

adj.理想的，完美的；空想的，观念的；n.理想

参考例句：

• The weather at the seaside was ideal—bright and breezy.海边的天气最宜人，风和日丽的。
• They promised to be faithful to their ideal for ever. 他们保证永远忠于自己的理想。

4 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

5 masterpieces   

n.杰作，名作( masterpiece的名词复数 )；佳作

参考例句：

• The museum houses several of his Cubist masterpieces. 博物馆收藏了他的几件立体派杰作。
• The book designer will have to redo the masterpieces layouts. 图书设计者将不得不重做这部名著的版面设计。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 extreme   

adj.末端的，尽头的；极度的，极端的；n.极度，最大程度

参考例句：

• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。
• His views are rather extreme.他的见解相当偏激。

7 satisfied   

adj.满意的，满足的；清偿过的；确信的，毫无疑问的v.使满意( satisfy的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• She's never satisfied with what she's got. 她对自己的所得从不感到满足。
• He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. 他脸上挂着得意扬扬的笑容。

8 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

9 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

10 lifetime   

n.一生，终身，寿命，使用期限

参考例句：

• He wrote many books during his lifetime.他一生著作甚多。
• During his lifetime his work was never published.他的作品在他的有生之年从未出版过。

11 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。

12 recovery   

n.恢复，痊愈；追回，寻回，收复

参考例句：

• The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle. 医生们说他的复原是件奇事。
• The quick recovery was truly in response to medication.这次迅速康复确实是对药物治疗的反应。

13 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

14 desirable   

adj.值得拥有的；可取的，有利的

参考例句：

• Some reasonable adjustments seem desirable.某些合理的调整似乎是可取的。
• Prolonged negotiation was not desirable.拖长了的谈判并不是大家所想要的。

15 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

16 Christ   

n.基督，救世主，耶稣

参考例句：

• I regarded him as the Christ.我把他当作救世主。
• Christ preached that we should love each other.基督在布道中说人们应该互爱。

17 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

18 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。