# 英语文章翻译
# C1P1
It’s hard to imagine meeting someone for the first time and not exchanging any personal information.
很难想象，与某人第一次见面却没有交换任何个人信息。
At the very least, you offer your name and a few important facts - perhaps age, occupation,reason for joining a certain organization, or reason for attending a certain class.
至少你会提供你的名字和一些重要的个人情况比如年龄、职业、加入某个组织或者参加某个课程的原因。
As friendships develop, however, the answer to the question “Who are you?” becomes more complex.
然而随着友谊的发展，“你是谁” 这个问题的答案会变得越来越复杂
Our identities start to form when we are children and continue to grow,solidify, and even change as we mature.
我们的身份认同从孩童时代开始形成，并随着我们的成长而不断发展和巩固，甚至会随着我们的成熟而发生变化。
A person’s identity is actually made up of many different aspects, some broad and some narrow.
一个人的身份实际上由许多不同的方面构成，有些方面宽泛，有些方面则具体。
For instance, you might identify with the broad categories of “German,”“male,” and “student” as well as the narrower ones of"violinist,"“left-handed person,” and “brother of Anna.”
例如，你可能会认同 “德国人”、“男性” 和 “学生” 这些宽泛的类别，以及 “小提琴手”、“左撇子” 和 “安娜的哥哥” 这些更具体的类别
Identity traits can be ascribed, achieved or chosen.
身份特质可以是赋予的、获得的或选择的。
An ascribed trait is one that you are born with; examples include your ethnicity, your birthplace, and being the child and possibly the sibling of certain people.
被赋予的是你与生俱来的特质；例如，你的种族、出生地，以及作为某些人的子女甚至可能是兄弟姐妹。
An achieved trait is one you work for, such as being a university graduate or the employee of a certain company. An identity such as a club membership or affiliation with a political party is chosen.
获得性特质是你努力追求的，比如大学毕业或成为某公司的员工。而身份则是你选择的，比如加入某个俱乐部或成为某个政党的成员。
However, traits are not always so easy to categorize.
然而，特征并不总是那么容易归类。
Is speaking your native language, for example, ascribed (because you were born into the family and country where that language was spoken), achieved (because you studied the language and became more proficient), or even chosen (if you grew up in a multilingual country, but preferred one language over another)?
例如，说你的母语，是因为你出生在讲这种语言的家庭和国家，所以被赋予了这种语言？还是因为你学习了这种语言并变得更加熟练，所以掌握了这种语言？或者，如果你在一个多语言国家长大，但更喜欢一种语言而不是另一种语言，那么你是主动选择了这种语言？
Our identities are important not only because they shape our belief in who we are, but also because they impact how others treat us.
我们的身份之所以重要，不仅是因为它们塑造了我们对自我身份的认知，更是因为它们影响着他人对我们的态度。
Although traits can be positive (intelligent; loyal) or negative (stubborn;criminal), people are more affected by how similar or different their traits are compared to those of other people.
尽管特质可以是积极的（如聪明、忠诚）或消极的（如固执、犯罪），但人们更容易受到自己特质与他人特质相似或相异程度的影响。
For example, if you are a fan of the Falcons sports team, you have something in common with other Falcons fans.
例如，如果你是猎鹰队的球迷，那么你和其他猎鹰队的球迷就有共同之处。
The next time you go to an event or social gathering, watch how people who are strangers at first try to find something in common with the people they meet-perhaps a shared hometown,a similar occupation or hobby, or even the same opinion about the weather that day or a current event
下次你去参加活动或社交聚会时，观察一下那些起初是陌生人的人是如何试图找到与他们遇到的人的共同点的 —— 也许是共同的家乡、相似的职业或爱好，甚至是当天对天气或当前事件的相同看法
People don’t just define themselves as who they are, however; theyalso define themselves as who they are not.
然而，人们不仅仅定义自己是谁，他们还定义自己不是谁。
That is to say, they aren’t just fans of the Springfield High School basketball team; they are also not fans of the Pleasant Valley High School basketball team.
也就是说，他们不仅是斯普林菲尔德高中篮球队的粉丝，同时也不是普莱森特谷高中篮球队的粉丝
A friendly rivalry between two sports teams isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when rivalries are taken too far or tensions arise over differences about larger social issues, the consequences can be more serious.
两支运动队之间友好的竞争并不一定是坏事，但当竞争过度或因更大的社会问题上的分歧而引发紧张局势时，后果可能会更加严重。
Interestingly, groups that have a lot in common sometimes form the most intense separate identities.
有趣的是，有很多共同点的群体有时会形成最强烈的独立身份。
To someone who doesn’t use a computer at all, they might all seem very similar.
对于一个根本不使用电脑的人来说，它们可能看起来都很相似。
However, debates over the best brands of laptop can become quite heated.
然而，关于笔记本电脑最佳品牌的争论可能会变得相当激烈。
People form different groups over whether they preferred a book or movie adaptation; which brand of cell phone they prefer; which leader in the same political party they support.
人们会因为喜欢某本书或某个电影的改编、某个手机品牌、或因支持同一党内领导人而形成不同群体。
States or cities that are near each other can be stronger rivals than those separated by greater distances.
相距较近的州或城市可能比相距较远的州或市更强大。
Rather than confirming the positive effects of social identity, these rivalries can make people feel insecure, threatened, angry, or even fearful.
这些竞争非但没有证实社会认同的积极影响，反而会让人们感到不安全、威胁、愤怒，甚至恐惧。
The challenge, then, for both leaders and all of us in society is to foster the positive effects of group membership while avoiding the negative ones.
因此，对于领导者和我们社会中的所有人来说，挑战在于培养群体成员的积极影响，同时避免消极影响。
# C1P2
You know the old saying: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
你知道一句老话：老狗学不了新把戏。
It’s no surprise that we tend to believe that a person’s personality is stable.
我们倾向于相信一个人的性格是稳定的，这并不奇怪。
People might disagree about whether someone is born with a certain personality or develops a personality while growing up,but it’s commonly accepted that someone’s personality will be much the same at age 50 as it was at age 20.
人们可能不同意一个人是天生具有某种性格，还是在成长过程中发展出某种性格，但人们普遍认为，一个人的性格在 50 岁时与 20 岁时基本相同。
Both in our personal lives and our work lives, we’re told that we need to accept people the way they are and to learn to get along with other people even when they’re difficult.
在我们的个人生活和工作生活中，我们被告知，我们需要接受人们的现状，学会与他人相处，即使他们很难相处。
After all, they’re never going to change.
毕竟，他们永远不会改变。
New evidence,however, suggests that this isn’t true.
然而，新的证据表明，事实并非如此。
Published in the journal Psychology and Aging, a comprehensive study by four psychologists examined a group of Scottish volunteers over a period of 63years, making it the longest study of its type ever done.
发表在《心理学与衰老》杂志上的一项由四位心理学家进行的综合研究对一组苏格兰志愿者进行了为期 63 年的调查，使其成为有史以来最长的同类研究。
And what they found was unexpected: namely, no correlation at all between the participants’ scores on personality tests when they were 14 years old and the same tests when they were 77 years old.
他们的发现出乎意料：即参与者 14 岁时的性格测试得分与 77 岁时的相同测试得分之间根本没有相关性。
The test examined six areas: self-confidence,perseverance, stability of moods, conscientiousness,originality, and desire to learn.
该测试考察了六个方面：自信、毅力、情绪稳定性、责任心、原创性和学习欲望。
The original study involved 1,208 children, and 174 of them were available for the follow-up study six decades later.
最初的研究涉及 1208 名儿童，其中 174 名儿童在 60 年后可用于后续研究。
Because it’s not reliable to have people rate themselves, the participants were evaluated in these categories by other people-by teachers when they were 14, and by friends or relatives when they were 77.
因为让人们对自己进行评分是不可靠的，所以参与者在 14 岁时由其他人进行评估，在 77 岁时由朋友或亲戚进行评估。
They were also tested for intelligence and general well-being.
他们还接受了智力和总体小方格状况的测试。
The researchers were surprised to find that none of the ratings matched up with each other over the years.
研究人员惊讶地发现，多年来，这些评级都不匹配。
Earlier studies and tests produced somewhat different outcomes.
早期的研究和测试产生了一些不同的结果。
Research suggested a few character traits had a low correlation over time and others had a modest correlation.
研究表明，随着时间的推移，一些性格特征的相关性较低，而另一些则相关性适中。
The Scottish study, although smaller in scope because it involved fewer participants, measured them over a much longer period of time.
苏格兰的这项研究尽管规模不大，但其时间跨度更长。
This led there searchers to conclude that personality shifts are more likely to occur over long periods of time.
这导致研究人员得出结论，人格转变更有可能在很长一段时间内发生。
Now, it’s not a perfect study,of course; such a thing is rare, if not impossible, with human beings and personality.
当然，这并非一项完美的研究；对于人类和性格而言，这样的研究实属罕见，甚至可以说是不可能的。
For instance, the people who did the ratings in 1950 were not the same people who did the ratings in 2012, and this could have caused some difference.
例如，1950 年进行评级的人与 2012 年进行评级的人并非同一拨人，这可能会造成一些差异。
It’s difficult for a study on something as broad as identity and personality to take all the variables into consideration.
对于像身份和性格这样广泛的研究课题来说，要将所有变量都考虑在内是很困难的。
However, the results are still significant, and they have interesting implications.
然而，结果仍然是重要的，他们有有趣的启示。
Let’s consider some of those implications for a moment. What does it all mean? And is it only of academic interest, or can you yourself apply this knowledge to your own life?
让我们考虑一下其中的一些含义。这一切意味着什么？这仅仅是学术上的兴趣，还是你能把这些知识应用到你自己的生活中？
For one thing,it should give you a new way to think about other people.
首先，它应该给你一种思考他人的新方式。
For example, say you’re contacted on social media by someone you knew in school years ago. If you didn’t like the person at that time, you might be tempted to refuse the connection.
例如，假设你在社交媒体上被你多年前在学校认识的人联系。如果你当时不喜欢这个人，你可能会想要拒绝这段关系。
If you didn’t like each other then, after all, why would you like each other now?
毕竟，如果你们当时不喜欢对方，为什么现在会喜欢对方呢？
But if it’s true that personality can change, then there’s a reason to give that person another chance.
但如果性格真的可以改变，那就有理由再给那个人一次机会。
He or she might be very different now -and you might beto0.
他或她现在可能和以前大不相同了 —— 你也可能是。
You might also have more reasonable expectations of old childhood friends who reconnect after many years.
你也可能对多年后重新联系的童年老朋友有更合理的期望。
If you know their personalities (and yours) could have changed over the years, you’ll be less disappointed if your friendship isn’t as deep now as it was before.
如果你知道他们（和你自己）的性格可能会随着时间的推移而改变，那么如果你们的友谊没有以前那么深厚，你就不会那么失望了。
Rather than feel frustrated with yourselves, the two of you can accept that you have changed.
与其对自己感到沮丧，不如接受自己已经改变的事实。
The study has implications for the workplace too.
这项研究对工作场所也有影响。
Personality forms a large part of a worker’s suitability for a job, both in dealing with co-workers and in dealing with clients.
性格在很大程度上决定了一个人是否适合一份工作，无论是在与同事打交道还是与客户打交道时。
If a person has a personality trait that interferes with work-say he argues with customers or she misses deadlines-it’s important for managers to know that these traits can change.
如果一个人的性格特征会干扰工作，比如他会和客户争吵，或者她错过了截止日期，那么管理者就应该知道这些性格特征是可以改变的。
It’s usually cheaper to train a current employee than to let that person go and hire a replacement.
通常来说，培训一名现有员工要比让他离开并雇佣一个替代者便宜得多。
Even employees who aren’t experiencing problems can be trained to be even better and more effective in terms of personality.
即使没有遇到问题的员工也可以通过培训，在个性方面表现得更好、更有效。
This will help ensure that people continue to get along with one another.
这将有助于确保人们继续彼此相处。
Finally, there are personal implications.
最后，还有个人影响。
If you’re the sort of person who says things like "I have a quick temper"or “My problem is I can’t help procrastinating” or "I’ve always been too sensitive, and I blame myself when ever something goes wrong,"it should be good news to know that these personality traits are not ones you have to keep.
如果你是那种会说 “我脾气暴躁” 或 “我的问题是我总是忍不住拖延” 或 “我总是太敏感，一旦出了问题我就会责怪自己” 的人，那么知道这些性格特征并不是你必须保留的，这应该是个好消息。
Although some therapists do good work helping patients accept themselves as they are,to build self-esteem,wouldn’t it be more beneficial to eliminate negative personality traits than to learn to accept them?
尽管一些治疗师在帮助病人接受自己的本来面目、建立自尊方面做得很好，但消除消极的人格特征不是比学会接受它们更有益吗？
Knowing that you can change is the first stage in learning how to change.
知道自己可以改变是学习如何改变的第一步。
Then you can look forward to saying things like,“I used to be too sensitive, but I’m not anymore”;or look forward to a time when,as we might start saying, you can learn some new tricks.
然后你就可以期待说这样的话：“我以前太敏感了，但现在不会了。” 或者期待有一天，就像我们开始说的，你可以学到一些新技巧。
# C2P1
Oh, no! You dropped the cup, and it smashed! Time to throw it away and buy a new one.
哦，不！你把杯子掉在地上，打碎了！是时候扔掉它，买一个新的了。
Unless, perhaps, you are a fan of the Japanese art of kintsugi or kintsukuroi–roughly translated,"to mend with gold."This is the practice among certain craftsmen of mending the broken pieces of pottery, such as a plate, a cup, or a bowl, with gold (or similar) lacquer.
除非你是日本 kintsugi 或 kintsukuroi 艺术的粉丝。这是某些工匠用金（或类似的）漆修补破碎的陶器碎片的做法，例如盘子，杯子或碗。
The gold is used to glue the pieces back together
金子是用来把碎片粘在一起的
If small pieces are missing, they can be created out of gold, or a piece from a different bowl or plate can be used instead.
如果少了一小块，可以用黄金制作，或者用另一个碗或盘子里的小块代替。
The repaired product’s value is not reduced, though-it is actually enhanced.
修复后的产品的价值并没有减少，反而增加了。
It is believed to become more beautiful because it was broken.
人们认为它因为被打破而变得更加美丽。
Pieces of kintsugi pottery can be enormously expensive and are featured in museum exhibits in Japan and overseas.
金杉陶器非常昂贵，在日本和海外的博物馆都有展出。
These days you can even see machine-made ceramics with gold designs on them that look as if they are kintsugi,even though the original was actually never broken.
如今，你甚至可以看到机器制作的陶瓷，上面有金色的图案，看起来像是金杉，尽管原来的金杉实际上从未破损过。
But the mended patterns have become so trendy that people want to imitate them.
但是缝补的图案变得如此流行，以至于人们都想模仿它们。
There’s a story or legend behind the practice - which may or may not be historically accurate, but beautifully illustrates the concept.
这种做法背后有一个故事或传说 —— 可能与历史不相符，但却很好地说明了这一概念。
More than five hundred years ago, there lived a military ruler in Japan, who owned a bowl he especially loved.
五百多年前，日本有一位军事统治者，他有一只碗，他特别喜欢。
One day while he was entertaining some guests, his servant dropped the bowl, and it broke into five pieces.
一天，当他招待客人时，他的仆人把碗掉在地上，摔成了五片。
Knowing the leader’s bad temper, his guests worried that he would punish the servant
客人们知道首领的坏脾气，担心他会惩罚仆人
However, one of the guests made up an amusing poem about the incident
然而，其中一位客人就这件事编了一首有趣的诗
Everybody laughed, including the ruler.
每个人都笑了，包括统治者。
When he relaxed, he was able to see that the bowl’s beauty had not been destroyed by the accident.
当他放松下来时，他能看到碗的美丽并没有被事故破坏。
Instead,because the vessel could be repaired, the ruler now had a new appreciation for its strength and ability to survive.
相反，因为容器可以修复，统治者现在对它的力量和生存能力有了新的认识。
In fact, according to the story, the true life of the bowl began the moment it was dropped.
事实上，根据这个故事，这个碗的真正生命从它被扔下的那一刻就开始了。
If this seems a hard notion to understand, then consider it in light of another Japanese philosophy, that of wabi-sabi.
如果这似乎是一个难以理解的概念，那么请根据另一种日本哲学来考虑它，那就是 wabi-sabi。
This is harder to translate into English, but it refers to the combination of three beliefs that nothing is permanent, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.
这句话很难翻译成英语，但它指的是三个信念的结合：没有什么是永恒的，没有什么是完成的，没有什么是完美的。
Applied to arts and crafts, it explains why the Japanese traditionally value handmade objects.
应用于工艺品，它解释了为什么日本传统上重视手工制品。
Even though they look less perfect than those made by machine, it is actually this imperfection that makes them beautiful
尽管它们看起来没有机器制作的那么完美，但实际上正是这种不完美让它们变得美丽
In fact, artists who value the wabi-sabi aesthetic create works that are deliberately imperfect, such as a bowl that isn’t entirely round or a vase with a thumbprint visible in the clay.
事实上，看重 wabi-sabi 美学的艺术家会刻意创造出不完美的作品，比如一个不全圆的碗，或者一个在粘土上可以看到拇指指纹的花瓶。
Rough surfaces, instead of ones smoothed by machines, are common in wabi-sabi ceramics, and often the pieces are not glazed or colored.
粗糙的表面，而不是机器光滑的表面，在 wabi-sabi 陶瓷中很常见，而且这些碎片通常没有上釉或着色。
It’s not just Japan that has such a tradition, however
然而，并非只有日本有这样的传统
A similar idea can be found in Iran, among the makers of Persian rugs.
在伊朗的波斯地毯制造商中也可以找到类似的想法。
Tradition has it that those who weave carpets will deliberately include one small flaw,as recognition of the fact that nothing can be perfect.
传统上，编织地毯的人会故意留下一个小瑕疵，因为他们意识到没有什么是完美的。
The intentional mistake reminds them to be modest about their work.
故意的错误提醒他们对自己的工作要谦虚。
Similarly, some early American settlers known as the Puritans included a “humility square” when they sewed a quilt -one square that didn’t match the rest of the blanket.
类似地，一些被称为清教徒的早期美国定居者在缝制被子时也会附上一块 “谦卑的方巾”—— 这块方巾与毯子的其他部分不匹配。
Some Native American bead workers would include an intentional “mistake bead” for the same reason.
出于同样的原因，一些印第安人的头饰工人会故意加上一个 “错误的头饰”。
Such practices have also been reported among Amish furniture makers in the United States and some forms of Islamic art - although careful work by sociologists and historians suggests that these stories are actually not true, but rather a romanticized version of their art or a misunderstanding of a tradition.
在美国的阿米什家具制造商和某些形式的伊斯兰艺术中也有类似的报道 —— 尽管社会学家和历史学家的仔细研究表明，这些故事实际上不是真实的，而是他们艺术的浪漫化版本，或者是对传统的误解。
True or not,however, these cultural practices teach us not only about art but about life, and the importance of not only accepting, but actually celebrating, our imperfections.
无论真假，这些文化实践不仅教会了我们艺术，也教会了我们生活，教会了我们不仅要接受，而且要赞美我们的不完美的重要性
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about making mistakes; but for many people, worrying about small imperfections keeps them from finishing a project or appreciating one they have finished.
这并不意味着我们不应该在意犯错误；但对很多人来说，担心小瑕疵让他们无法完成一个项目，也无法欣赏他们已经完成的项目。
People who are “perfectionists” can feel insecure and anxious about the art they create, which makes it harder for them to enjoy what they do.
“完美主义者” 会对自己创造的艺术感到不安和焦虑，这使得他们更难享受自己所做的事情。
The concept can even be applied more broadly than just to art, however.
然而，这个概念甚至可以应用于更广泛的领域，而不仅仅是艺术。
Consider yourself, for example. Do you have any imperfections - anything from physical scars to personal habits?
以你自己为例。你有什么不完美的地方吗 —— 从身体上的伤疤到个人习惯？
What if, instead of considering these to be flaws, you could appreciate them as part of what makes you a beautiful person?
如果你不认为这些是缺点，而是把它们看作是让你成为一个美丽的人的一部分呢？
