时尚英语话题 76

 　　76. Stuck in The Past
I think it's natual to reflect at the end of the day,or the end of the week,month or year. But the danger of a reflecting and focusing¹ on the past is that we kind of get lost in it. I know people that think about all the mistakes they've made,the lost opportunities,the things they wish they could go back and change. They always seem to be talking about the past. They just can't let go of it. It's almost like they spend more time in the past than in the present. On the other hand, I think having zero regret is a mistake. It's good to say "sorry", it's good to learn from my mistakes. But too much is too much. It's nice to think about the good old days when life was great. Times from my childhood, times when we used to go to a certain school, times when we used to play certain games. It's nice to think about the once-in-a-while and be not sdulgic. But we live in the present, it's good to laugh about time's gone by. But what happens when we are crying about those times, what happens when we get depressed² because of them. The past could never be a stronger pool on us than the present. When we are another, I think we have to let go of the past if it keeps us from functioning well in the present.
Talk about it, how do we let go of the past? Do you have any friends that only talk about the good old days when you get together? Do you find yourself regreting a lot about your past? Would you say you are a present-thinking person? What kinds of things bring you back to the here-and-now? Do you know anyone who can't let go of the past? What event of the past is still bothering that person? "Those who did not learn from the history are doomed³ to repeat it", what does this statement⁴ mean to you? What about people who are living in the future? What do you think of them?

1 focusing   

v.调焦；（使）集中， （使）聚集( focus的现在分词 )；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：

• Many firms are focusing on increasing their markets overseas. 许多商行都专注于扩大国外市场。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• More expensive cameras have adjustable focusing. 比较贵的照相机有可调焦距。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

4 statement   

n.陈述；声明；综述

参考例句：

• The government will put out a new statement tomorrow.政府将于明天发布一项新声明。
• Put down your statement in black and white.把你的话用白纸黑字写下来。