VOA慢速英语--表达你的“自我”

Express Your 'Self' 表达你的“自我”

Hello! From VOA Learning¹ English, this is Words and Their Stories.

Have you ever talked to someone who only wants to talk about themselves? It’s “me, me, me” or “I, I, I” all day long! This kind of talk can be a real “turn off” to the people listening.

But at times, perhaps we are all guilty² of being selfish³ or self-absorbed. For those days, here are some self-centered expressions you can use.

Today our program is all about you!

Let’s start with the word “self.”

“Self” can be added⁴ to many words to make new words. If you are self-conscious, you are aware of yourself in a bad way. You carefully plot⁵ your every move. People who are self-conscious can seem nervous around others and perhaps not very self-confident.

However, self-awareness is a good thing.

Self-awareness means⁶ you recognize both your good points and bad points. A person who is self-aware understands that what they say and do affects the people around them.

The difference between being self-aware and self-conscious may seem minor⁷. But there is a big difference.

Self-employed people are people who work for themselves. They are their own bosses. But people who are self-serving only think of their own needs. However, if you are self-employed, being a self-serving business person is a good thing. No one is there to help you. You must look after yourself.

Self-preservation is also good thing. You have to depend on yourself to survive. However, self-pity is not a good thing to have. Nobody likes to be around people who always feel sorry for themselves.

You don’t have to be filled with self-pity to annoy other people around you.

If you are unable to make a decision, people could say to you, “suit yourself.” This expression is a response when you don’t really care what someone does. It means to do as you please. In other words, have it your way!

Let’s listen to an example:

“I don’t think I’m going to the party tonight.”

“But you just said you were going and that you would give me ride!”

“Okay, I’ll go.”

“Look, suit yourself. Don’t go because of me. But make up your mind!”

Some expressions using the word “self” can sound strange.

Take, for example, the saying to be beside yourself. To many people, this might sound like you are having an out-of-body experience. But to be beside yourself means to be affected⁸ by a strong, usually negative emotion, like anger or sadness.

Here are a few examples:

“When her mother died, she was beside herself with grief⁹.”

“He was so upset that he was beside himself.”

Another unusual-sounding expression is to be full of yourself. This means that you think so highly¹⁰ of yourself that you are full; there is no room for anyone else.

If you are full of yourself, you might think that you are the greatest thing since sliced bread -- a common expression in American English.

If you are full of yourself, you may need to get over yourself. “To get over yourself” may sound like a difficult physical exercise. But it only means that you need to think of someone other than yourself.

If you are way too caught up in your own life or think you are better than everyone else, others might say to you, “Get over yourself.”

Now, getting out of your own way is different. This means that the thing or barrier¹¹ keeping you from getting what you want is you!

If you are the reason you are not achieving your goals a friend could say to you, “You have to get out of your own way!”

People who experience hard times can become a shadow of their former self. This means they have less influence or strength than they once did.

For example, imagine a man who has a loving wife, a high-paying job and helps out in his community. Then his wife leaves him. She blames herself for the separation¹². But this doesn’t help. The man turns to alcohol¹³ to escape his marriage problems. Then he loses his job, his home, his friends. When you see how low he has fallen, you could say he is a shadow of his former self.

But enough about him.

Let’s get back to you. Practice using some of these “self” expressions to express yourself.

1 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。

2 guilty   

adj.犯罪的；有罪的；内疚的

参考例句：

• There wasn't enough evidence to prove him guilty.没有充分的证据证明他有罪。
• Really honest people are ofter made to feel guilty.真正老实的人常被弄得感到犯了罪似的。

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 added   

adj.更多的，附加的，额外的

参考例句：

• They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
• The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。

5 plot   

v.绘制；n.小块土地，地区图，图，阴谋，情节；vt.划分，绘图，密谋；vi.密谋，策划

参考例句：

• The plot of the film is simply dreamed up.这个电影的情节完全是虚构的。
• It was two young reporters who uncovered the whole plot.是两位年轻记者揭露了整个阴谋。

6 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。

7 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 grief   

n.悲伤，悲痛，悲伤的事，悲痛的缘由

参考例句：

• Don't allow yourself to sink into grief,it can do no good.不要使自己陷入悲哀之中，这样一点好处也没有。
• After her mother died,she abandoned herself to grief.母亲死后，她沉浸于悲痛之中。

10 highly   

adv.高度地，极，非常；非常赞许地

参考例句：

• It is highly important to provide for the future.预先做好准备非常重要。
• The teacher speaks very highly of the boy's behaviour.老师称赞这个男孩的表现。

11 barrier   

n.栅栏，障碍，壁垒，关卡

参考例句：

• You must show your ticket at the barrier.你在关卡处必须出示许可证。
• The driver jumped a horse over a barrier.骑手骑马跳过障碍。

12 separation   

n.分离，分居，缺口

参考例句：

• After a long separation,they held a glad meeting.阔别多年之后，他们举行了一个令人愉快的聚会。
• Separation from his friends made him sad.与朋友们分离使他伤心。

13 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。