每日英语练习 - 2026-06-14（星期日）

📌 今日主题

综合练习 — 名人演讲名段：Brené Brown《脆弱的力量》(The Power of Vulnerability)

Brené Brown 是美国休斯顿大学研究教授，她研究勇气、脆弱、羞耻和共情。这段 TED 演讲（2010年 TEDxHouston）是全球观看量最高的 TED 演讲之一，超过 7000 万次播放。今天我们节选演讲开头部分，学习如何用故事引入话题。

📝 英文原文

I’ll start with this: a couple years ago, an event planner called me because I was going to do a speaking event. And she called, and she said, “I’m really struggling with how to write about you on the little flyer.” And I thought, “Well, what’s the struggle?” And she said, “Well, I saw you speak, and I’m going to call you a researcher, I think, but I’m afraid if I call you a researcher, no one will come, because they’ll think you’re boring and irrelevant.” And I was like, “Okay.”

And she said, “But the thing I liked about your talk is you’re a storyteller. So I think what I’ll do is just call you a storyteller.” And of course, the academic, insecure part of me was like, “You’re going to call me a what?” And she said, “I’m going to call you a storyteller.” And I was like, “Why not magic pixie?” I tried to call deep on my courage. And I thought, you know, I am a storyteller. I’m a qualitative researcher. I collect stories; that’s what I do. And maybe stories are just data with a soul. And maybe I’m just a storyteller.

And so I said, “You know what? Why don’t you just say I’m a researcher-storyteller.” And she went, “Haha. There’s no such thing.” So I’m a researcher-storyteller, and I’m going to talk to you today about expanding perception — and so I want to tell some stories about a piece of my research that fundamentally expanded my perception and really actually changed the way that I live and love and work and parent.

Here is the thing: if you cannot measure it, it does not exist. I thought I’m going to go in there, I’m going to study the wholehearted, I’m going to sit across from these people and talk to them about their lives and find out what they have in common, and then I’m going to document it. What came out of that research was a surprise, and it wasn’t what I expected. Connection is why we’re here. It’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives. The ability to feel connected is neurobiologically wired into our existence. We cannot survive without it.

🔍 重点词汇

💡 实用表达

1. “I’m struggling with how to…” 表示自己在某个问题上犯难。比 “I don’t know how to…” 更地道。 例：I’m struggling with how to balance work and family.

2. “And I was like…” 非常口语化的表达，引述自己的反应或想法，相当于中文的”我当时就想……”。 例：When I saw the bill, I was like, “Wow, that’s expensive!”

3. “I tried to call deep on my courage.” 意思是”我努力鼓起勇气”，非常生动的表达。 例：Before the presentation, I tried to call deep on my courage.

4. “Maybe stories are just data with a soul.” 精彩的比喻，“也许故事就是有灵魂的数据”。适合在演讲中使用。 例：In business, maybe numbers are just stories without context.

5. “Here is the thing…” 引出关键观点的万能开头，相当于”关键是……”、“重要的是……”。 例：Here is the thing — you can’t succeed without taking risks.

🎯 练习步骤

1. 通读全文：先完整读一遍英文原文，理解大意。注意这是一段用幽默故事引入学术话题的演讲开头。

2. 精读标记：逐句阅读，标记不熟悉的词汇和表达。注意 Brené Brown 如何用对话体（直接引语）来制造画面感和幽默感。

3. 跟读练习：大声朗读 3 遍，注意以下要点：

   • 引述对话时的语调变化（模仿不同角色的声音）
   • “And I was like…” 等口语表达的自然连读
   • 重音位置：如 “qualitative researcher”、“fundamentally expanded”

4. 脱稿复述：合上文本，用自己的话复述大意（中英文都可以）。

5. 结构化输出：用以下框架组织你的复述：

   • 这段话在说什么？（一句话概括）

     Brené Brown 用一个活动策划人如何介绍她的故事，引出了关于脆弱和连接的主题。

   • 主要观点是什么？（列 2-3 个要点）
     1. 别人如何定义你，和你如何定义自己，可能很不一样
     2. 故事是有灵魂的数据，是最好的沟通方式
     3. 人与人的连接是生存的基本需要
   • 我的感受/看法？（一句话）

     （用你自己的话说）

🗣️ 口才小贴士

用故事开场，而不是直接抛观点

Brené Brown 没有一上来就说”我今天要讲脆弱的力量”，而是讲了一个活动策划人不知道怎么介绍她的故事。这种方式有几个好处：

1. 降低听众防备：故事让人放松，直接讲道理容易让人有压力
2. 制造悬念：听众会好奇”然后呢？”
3. 建立亲和力：暴露自己的”不安全感”（被叫 storyteller 而不是 researcher），让听众觉得你很真实
4. 自然过渡到主题：故事讲完后，再引出核心观点就水到渠成了

练习建议：下次做演讲或汇报时，试着用一个简短的个人故事开头（30秒-1分钟），而不是直接说”今天我要讲……”。观察听众的反应差异。