外刊学习：你可能天生就“爱拖延”

今日导读

列奥纳多·达·芬奇是意大利文艺复兴时期最杰出的代表之一，他才华横溢、学识渊博，是多个领域的专家和先驱。然而，达·芬奇其实也是一位“重度拖延症患者”，他的传世画作《蒙娜丽莎》画了四年，《最后的晚餐》画了三年，直到去世时，还有多幅手稿未画完。他在自己的一则笔记中写道：“Dimmi, dimmi se mai fu fatto cosa alcuna.”（告诉我，告诉我，到底有哪样事情是完成了的？）这简直与我们如今面对各种 deadline 却拖着迟迟不愿开动的现代人别无二致。“拖延症”究竟是一种怎样的状态？为何无论是天才还是普通人，无论是过去还是现在都难以避免？我们和 Lala 老师一起走进今天的新闻来一探究竟。

新闻原文

You might be genetically predisposed to procrastination

 Fast Company

If you like to put things off or surf the internet instead of getting work done, you might be able to blame your ancestors. Procrastination is based in our genetics, says Sharad Paul, MD, author of The Genetics Of Health: Understand Your Genes for Better Health.

While procrastination seems like a character flaw, it evolved for a reason. “The genes progressed down generations because these people were still holed up in caves fearful of predators [saying], ‘My tools are not sharp enough. I better spend more time perfecting this spear, ’” he says. “These people survived more because they avoided conflict, and these genes were handed down to future generations.”

While it’s tempting to simply blame your parents, the buck stops with you, says Paul. “People think that genes determine their fate. This is only true if their actions lead in that direction.”

The best thing to combat procrastination is to get moving, says Paul. “Start slow and keep building endurance levels up, ” he says. “There are many different forms of endurance exercise and many involve leg movement. Pick one that you like and make sure you vary it. An average of just 30 minutes a day has been shown to be beneficial.”

Anything can be modified or improved, including our gene expressions, says Paul, who likes to reference the 10, 000-hours theory Malcolm Gladwell shares in his book The Outliers, suggesting that talent is made with practice and commitment, not an innate trait.

“If you have the right genes, this could be perhaps a bit faster, but not by much, ” he says. “Therefore, there is hope for us all.”

带着问题听讲解

我们的拖延症从何而来？

如何理解“the buck stops with you”的含义？

我们可以通过什么样的方式来改善拖延症呢？

新闻正文

You might be genetically predisposed to procrastination

你可能天生就“爱拖延”

If you like to put things off or surf the internet instead of getting work done, you might be able to blame your ancestors. Procrastination is based in our genetics, says Sharad Paul, MD, author of The Genetics Of Health: Understand Your Genes for Better Health.

如果你总是喜欢做事拖延或者宁愿上网也不愿先把工作做完，你也许可以把这些归咎于你的祖先。《健康的基因构成：了解你的基因，更好地促进健康》一书的作者——沙拉德·保罗医学博士说，拖延症根植于我们的基因中。

While procrastination seems like a character flaw, it evolved for a reason. “The genes progresseddown generations because these people were still holed up in caves fearful of predators [saying], ‘My tools are not sharp enough. I better spend more time perfectingthis spear,’” he says. “These people survived more because they avoided conflict, and these genes were handed down to future generations.”

尽管拖延症似乎是一种性格缺陷，但它的形成是有原因的。保罗说，“（拖延的）基因能够一代又一代地进化下来，是因为当时的人们仍然因害怕其他食肉动物而躲藏在洞穴里，[并说着]‘我的工具不够锋利，我最好再花些时间来修缮这支矛’。这些人更多地幸存下来，因为他们躲过了外出战斗。他们的这些基因也因此被传给了后代。"

While it’s tempting to simply blame your parents, the buck stops with you, says Paul. “People think that genes determine their fate. This is only true if their actions lead in that direction.”

保罗说，虽然你可能禁不住想把拖延症归咎于父母，但这个责任终归在于你自己。“人们认为，基因决定了他们的命运。但只有当他们就按照这个方向行事时，这个观点才是正确的。”

The best thing to combat procrastination is to get moving, says Paul. “Start slow and keep building endurance levels up,” he says. “There are many different forms of endurance exercise and many involve leg movement. Pick one that you like and make sure you vary it. An average of just 30 minutes a day has been shown to be beneficial.”

保罗说，战胜拖延症最好的办法就是行动起来。他说，“（你可以）慢慢开始，不断提高耐力水平。锻炼耐力有许多不同的方式，其中许多都涉及到腿部运动。挑选一个你喜欢的运动，并确保你能把它玩出各种花样。事实证明，平均每天只需锻炼30分钟就会让你身心受益。”

Anything can be modified or improved, including our gene expressions, says Paul, who likes to reference the 10,000-hours theory Malcolm Gladwell shares in his book The Outliers, suggesting that talent is made with practice and commitment, not an innatetrait.

保罗说，任何东西都可以被调整或完善，包括我们的基因表现。他常引用马尔科姆·格拉德威尔在其著作《异数》中所分享的 10000 小时定律，认为天才是通过（不断的）练习和付出锤炼而成的，而非天资过人。

“If you have the right genes, this could be perhaps a bit faster, but not by much,” he says. “Therefore, there is hope for us all.”

“如果你刚好有合适的基因，这个过程可能会快一点，但也不会快很多，”他说，“因此，我们大家都是有希望的。”

重点词汇

predispose
/ˌpriːdɪˈspoʊz/
v. 有…的倾向，使倾向于做…
搭配短语：predispose sb. to sth.
predispose sb. to sth. 例句：Fatigue predisposes people to colds.

procrastination
/proʊˌkræstɪˈneɪʃn/
n. 拖延，拖延症
英文释义：the act of delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring
相关词汇：procrastinate（v. 拖延，耽搁）

put sth. off
推迟，阻止
搭配短语：put off the plan
相关词汇：put sb. off（令（某人）退却，使（某人）扫兴）
put sb. off 例句：The smell of hospitals always puts me off.

surf the internet
上网，上网冲浪

genetics
/dʒəˈnetɪks/
n. 基因（构成）

progress
/prəˈɡres/
v. 缓慢进行，取得进展
英文释义：to continue gradually
相关词汇：progress（n. 进步，进展）
progress（n.）搭配短语：make progress

hole up
躲藏，把…监禁
搭配短语：hole up/be holed up in the mountain

predator
/ˈpredətər/
n. 食肉动物，捕食者

perfect
/pɜːrˈfɛkt/
v. 使完美；改善，提高
相关词汇：perfect（adj. 完美的）
搭配短语：perfect the basketball technique

hand down
把…传下来
例句：These customs have been handed downthrough the ages.

the buck stops with sb.
责无旁贷，不能再推卸责任
例句：The buck stops with me.

endurance
/ɪnˈdʊrəns/
n. 耐受力，忍耐力
相关词汇：endure（v. 忍耐）
endure 例句：We had to endure a nine-hour delay at the airport.

vary
/ˈværi/
v. 改变；更改
英文释义：cause something to change in amount or level

modify
/ˈmɑːdɪfaɪ/
v.（稍作）修改，更改
例句：Please modify this e-mail to make it more polite.

reference
/ˈrefrəns/
v. 引用
词性拓展：reference（n. 谈及；引用；参考；推荐信）
搭配短语：to reference sth.

innate
/ɪˈneɪt/
adj. 天生的，固有的
英文释义：If a characteristic or ability is already present in a person or animal when they are born, it is innate.
搭配短语：innate sense of humor

trait
/treɪt/
n.（个人的）特征，品质
英文释义：A trait is something about you that makes you “you”.
同义词：characteristic; feature; quality