英语听力—环球英语 1209 Dying Regrets

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Marina Santee.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Mike Procter. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　I wish I had more time with my family.

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　I wish I had seen my friends more often.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　People often have regrets like these. Bronnie Ware² heard many of these regrets from people who were dying³. She discovered these regrets can help other people. It can help them choose how to live a better life. Today’s Spotlight is on Bronnie Ware and the regrets of dying people.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Bronnie Ware lives in Australia. Several years ago she needed a job that would give her a place to live. So she became a companion and moved into the house of her employer⁴. She was like a helpful friend to her employer Ruth. But soon Ruth became very sick - she was dying. So Bronnie cared for her until she died.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Then Bronnie truly discovered her new job. She became a palliative carer. She cared for people who would not recover - they were dying. Bronnie would be with them for twelve [12] hours a day. She cared for their physical needs. And she was with them when they died.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Bronnie was a palliative carer for eight years. She cared for people in the last three [3] to twelve [12] weeks of their lives. Bronnie spent a lot of time alone with her patients. She shared some very special times with them. Bronnie is also a singer and song writer. So sometimes she sang songs to her patients. She talked with them a lot. She told ABC Radio National that she also listened to them a lot.

 

　　Voice 5

 

　　”People do not have much to do at the very end of life. But they do talk. They do not have the energy to do anything else. So my job became that of a listener⁵.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Bronnie’s patients talked about their lives and their memories. Some patients remembered their lives with happiness. But many patients had regrets. They regretted how they had lived their lives. Bronnie found that many of them regretted the same things.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Five common regrets appeared time and time again. Bronnie wrote about her experience in her internet blog. Millions of people were interested in what she wrote. So she also wrote a book. The book is called 'The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.' Bronnie wrote about the five most common regrets that dying people had. For each common regret she also made suggestions. She tells people how to avoid having these regrets at the end of their lives.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Here is the first regret:

 

　　Voice 6

 

　　“I wish I had had the courage to live a life true to myself. I wish I had not lived the life other people expected of me.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Bronnie said that this was the most common regret of all. She wrote on her blog:

 

　　Voice 5

 

　　“When people are dying they look back at their lives. They see how many of their dreams have not been satisfied⁶. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams. They died knowing this was a result of the choices they had made, or not made”.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Bronnie suggests that it is very important to try and act upon some of your dreams. She says that many people understand this AFTER they become sick. But by then, it is too late.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The second regret is:

 

　　Voice 6

 

　　“I wish I had not worked so hard.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Bronnie said that working too hard was a very common regret. This was particularly true of the men who were her patients. They spent too much time working on their jobs. So they missed spending time with their families.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The third common regret is:

 

　　Voice 6

 

　　“I wish I had had the courage to express my feelings.’

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Bronnie comments that many people suppressed⁷ their feelings. They hid their emotions to keep peace with other people.

 

　　Voice 5

 

　　“As a result, they settled⁸ for an average life. They never became who they were truly able to be.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　And the fourth regret:

 

　　Voice 6

 

　　“I wish I had stayed connected with my friends.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Bronnie found that her patients missed their old friends. When her patients were dying, they valued these old friends. Dying people understood the importance of friendship more. But by then it was not always possible to find these old friends.

 

　　Voice 5

 

　　“Many had become very busy in their own lives. They had let special friends disappear over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friends enough time. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Finally, the fifth regret:

 

　　Voice 6

 

　　“I wish that I had let myself be happier.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Bronnie was surprised that this was a common regret. She says that many people do not understand that they can choose happiness. They only understand this as they are dying.

 

　　Voice 5

 

　　“They had stayed fixed⁹ in old ways. Fear of change had them fooling other people that they were satisfied with life. They were also fooling themselves. Life involves choosing. Choose consciously¹⁰, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Bronnie learned¹¹ from caring for dying people. She learned from their regrets. Now she thinks about regrets before she decides to do something. She wonders if she will regret deciding to do it. Or regret deciding not to do it. She finds this a helpful tool.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Many people read Bronnie Ware’s blog and book. It makes many people think about their regrets. The news website, the Guardian¹² online, published an article about Bronnie’s work. Many people read it and shared their regrets. One person regretted not seeing more of the amazing things in the world. Another man regretted not taking life more slowly. He regretted not taking time to stop and look at things.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Daniel Vogler is 23. He read about Bronnie Ware and dying regrets. He is still young, but it made him think about how he chooses the direction of his life. On his website Daniel imagines that he is 95 or 100 years old. He does not want to have dying regrets. He wants to be satisfied with his life. He wants to know that he lived his life to its fullest. Like Bronnie, Daniel has made a list. His list is about living a full life. A life with no regrets. Like Bronnie, he also talks about choosing with care and purpose:

 

　　Voice 7

 

　　“Remember what is truly important in life every morning. Be purposeful about who you relate to. Do not let your situation dictate¹³ this. Enjoy God being with you. And enjoy the gift of life.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of today’s programme was Katy Blake. The producer was Nick Mangeolles. The voices you heard were from the United¹⁴ Kingdom and the United States. All quotes¹⁵ were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our programmes on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .programme is called ‘Dying Regrets’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight programme. Goodbye.

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 ware   

n.(常用复数)商品，货物

参考例句：

• The shop sells a great variety of porcelain ware.这家店铺出售品种繁多的瓷器。
• Good ware will never want a chapman.好货不须叫卖。

3 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

4 employer   

n.雇用方，雇主

参考例句：

• My employer deducted ten pounds from my wages this week.我的雇主从我本周的工钱中扣除了十英镑。
• His monthly salary is paid into the bank by his employer.他的月薪由雇主替他存入银行。

5 listener   

n.听众；收听者

参考例句：

• I'm a regular listener to her show.我经常收听她的节目。
• She became an attentive listener.她变成了一个专心致志的聆听者。

6 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。

7 suppressed   

被抑制的，被忍住的

参考例句：

• The rebellion was brutally suppressed. 起义遭到了残酷的镇压。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

8 settled   

a.固定的；稳定的

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled without acrimony. 没有唇枪舌剑，这场纠纷就解决了。
• a settled way of life 安定的生活方式

9 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

10 consciously   

ad.有意识地，自觉地

参考例句：

• She realized how tense she was and consciously relaxed. 她发觉自己很紧张，于是有意识地放松了一下。
• He claims that the writer never consciously formulated his own theoretical position. 他声称该作家从未有意识地阐明他自己的理论见解。

11 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

12 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

13 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

14 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。

15 quotes   

v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价

参考例句：

• He quotes a few verses from Tennyson in his paper. 他在论文中引用了英国诗人丁尼生的几行诗句。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He quotes (from) the Bible to support his beliefs. 他引用圣经来支持自己的信念。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》