环球英语 — 157：The Discouragement Question

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Tony Ford¹.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Every year thousands of young people compete for limited places at universities. This is especially true in South Korea³. Students study very hard. They need to pass tests to enter university. And their parents expect them to do well. This puts a lot of pressure on the young people. They know their future depends on the results. But some of them cannot pass the tests no matter how hard they try. Kim Myuang was twenty years old. He was one of these young people who could not pass the test. And he felt very worried. He did not know what to do. He felt discouraged⁴ - he lost hope. So he stopped trying. And he started playing games on the internet instead. He played for hours and hours everyday.
Voice 2
Everyone feels discouraged sometimes. But for some people this hopeless feeling can become severe⁵. And they may not know what to do. They may feel that no one understands their situation. Rick Warren is a Christian⁶ leader and writer. People often ask him questions about difficult problems. One question they ask is ‘How can I deal with discouragement⁷?’ In today’s Spotlight we will tell some of Rick’s answers. But first we go back to Kim’s story.
Voice 1
Kim Myung felt discouraged because he failed his university tests. This failure made him stop trying. And it made him sad. Many people are like Kim. When they fail, they feel sorry for themselves. Some people may feel anger - and they look for other people to blame. Or they blame themselves. They may think ‘Why did I ever try to do this? It is impossible’. A person’s way of looking at the situation is very important. Rick says:
Voice e
“You may feel bad. But it does not mean you are doing the wrong thing. You can be doing the right thing in the wrong way. Do not give up. Try a new way.”
Voice 1
Rick uses the example of a sick person. When people are sick, they try different cures. Sick people do not just go to one doctor. They may try several doctors. Or they may try a new diet, or new medicines.
Voice 2
Kim Myung decided⁸ to try a new way. He went to a treatment centre. At that centre he got emotional⁹ support. He learned¹⁰ to deal with pressures in his life. Kim Myung’s problems are common in South Korea. The South Korean government is very concerned about this situation. It built a public treatment centre for people to get help. It also started a telephone support system. People can call a telephone number and talk to someone about their problems. They can receive information about treatments centres too.
Voice 1
But not all students seek help. Many experience increased pressure to do well without talking about it. Such students study all day at school. Then, they study with private teachers for four or five hours a day. These children become tired. Their bodies are tired. Their minds are tired. Tiredness is a big cause of discouragement.
Voice 2
Usually people start a project with a lot of energy. They feel good in the beginning. But in the middle of the project they start to feel tired. This is the time many people give up - they stop trying. But all they may need to do is rest for a while. Everyone needs time to rest and relax. Rick Warren states:
Voice 3
“Take time off to enjoy life. Many of our problems come because we cannot sit still. Rest is a need. Take time to renew¹¹ your mind.”
Voice 1
University tests may cause pressure. But so does work. Around the world people seem to be getting busier. Some people have to work very long hours. They have many duties. They feel that there is no time to rest. They may feel under great pressure to always be at work. This kind of pressure leads to discouragement. Tina is a woman who worked long hours. And she started to feel discouraged. She said:
Voice 4
“I thought, ‘There must be more to life than this’. I was working such long hours. I had very little social life. I could not face a future like this.”
Voice 2
Tina made her job the most important thing in her life. Maybe her goal was to get a high position at work. Maybe she wanted to earn a lot of money. But she was not happy. She did not have anyone to support her. Spending time with other people is important. People need other people for support. They need friends who will encourage them. Busy times at work are a part of life. So is pressure. But these things do not need to control a person. Rick says:
Voice 3
“Some of you are discouraged by intense¹² pressure at work. Reorganize your time. Reorganize your way of living. And re-examine your goals. Busyness is a great enemy of friendships. We are concerned with making money. We need to pay all our bills. So we work all the time. We have to meet our targets. We think these things are the point of life. They are not. The point of life is learning¹³ to love - to love God and to love other people.”
Voice 1
Some people do spend time with other people. Yet they spend all their time trying to please these people. They fear what others think of them. Or they fear bad comments. This makes them want to be perfect. Sometimes they do things they do not want to do to please another person. They may even try to do other people’s duties. In the end, the extra effort does not make them happy. It is not possible to please everyone. People who try to please everyone experience increased pressure. They become very discouraged. And they may want to run away from their problems. Rick says:
Voice 3
“In life there are only three ways you can move - against something in anger, away from something in fear, or with it in love.”
Voice 2
Rick is saying that people may attack a person or thing because it gives them problems. Or they move away from something or someone in fear. But they could move with something in love. This may mean that they have the courage to believe in themselves. They do not let other people’s opinions change the way they think or act. They are strong in what they believe. But they still show kindness to other people.
Voice 1
People who learn how to fight discouragement learn how to defeat it. Discouragement is just one issue¹⁴ that Rick Warren has examined. Listen out for more issues¹⁵ on other Spotlight programmes.
 

1 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

2 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。

3 Korea   

n.朝鲜(亚洲)

参考例句：

• Korea lies to the east of China.韩国位于中国东面。
• Korea and China are separated by only the Yalu River.朝鲜和中国只隔一条鸭绿江。

4 discouraged   

a.泄气的，沮丧的

参考例句：

• She tactfully discouraged their uninvited guests from staying longer. 她巧妙地使这些不请自到的客人知趣儿，没有再呆下去。
• Husbands are discouraged from voting as proxy for their wives. 不主张丈夫代妻子投票。

5 severe   

adj.严格的，凶猛的，严肃的，严重的，严厉的，朴素的

参考例句：

• The severe storm did for most of the crops.猛烈的暴风雨毁掉了大部分庄稼。
• The pace was too severe to be kept up for long.跟上这步伐太难了，无法持久。

6 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。

7 discouragement   

n.泄气

参考例句：

• an atmosphere of discouragement and despair 灰心绝望的气氛
• The loud music was a discouragement to conversation. 吵闹的音乐妨碍了别人谈话。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

10 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。

11 renew   

vt.使更新，复始，使恢复，补充；vi.更新，重新开始

参考例句：

• The most important thing is to renew your health.最重要的是恢复你的健康。
• We must renew our supplies of coal.我们必须补充煤的储备。

12 intense   

adj.认真的，专注的；强烈的；紧张的；热情的

参考例句：

• Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
• The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。

13 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

14 issue   

n.出版，发行，（报刊等）期、号，论点，问题，结果， （水，血等的）流出；vt.使流出，放出，发行（钞票等），发布（命令），出版（书等）发给；vi.发行，流出，造成...结果，进行辩护，传下

参考例句：

• I bought the book the day after its issue.这书出版后的第一天，我就去买了它。
• I'll support her down the line on that issue.在那个问题上我将全力支持她。

15 issues   

（水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题

参考例句：

• Let's start with the more easily addressable issues. 我们先从较容易处理的问题着手。
• Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter issues of politics. 就业和征税是很重要的政治问题。