每日英语练习 - 2026-06-19（周五）
📌 今日主题
TED 经典演讲 — Brené Brown：脆弱的力量（The Power of Vulnerability）
Brené Brown 是休斯顿大学的社会工作学教授，她花了十几年研究”脆弱”（vulnerability）与”勇气”（courage）的关系。今天选读的段落是她演讲的核心——什么是”全心全意的人（whole-hearted people）“，以及他们身上最关键的共同特质。这个演讲是 TED 史上观看次数最多的演讲之一（超过 7000 万次），语言自然生动，非常适合口语跟读和模仿。
📝 英文原文
Note: The following excerpt is from Brené Brown’s TED talk “The Power of Vulnerability.”
There was only one variable that separated the people who have a strong sense of love and belonging and the people who really struggle for it. And that was — the people who have a strong sense of love and belonging believe they’re worthy of love and belonging. That’s it. They believe they’re worthy.
And so here’s what I found. What they had in common was a sense of courage. Courage, the original definition of courage, when it first came into the English language — it’s from the Latin word “cor,” meaning “heart” — and the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. And so these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect. They had the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others, because, as it turns out, we can’t practice compassion with other people if we can’t treat ourselves kindly. And the last was they had connection, and — this was the hard part — as a result of authenticity, they were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they were.
The other thing that they had in common was this: They fully embraced vulnerability. They believed that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful. They didn’t talk about vulnerability being comfortable, nor did they really talk about it being excruciating. They just talked about it being necessary. They talked about the willingness to say “I love you” first … the willingness to do something where there are no guarantees … the willingness to breathe through waiting for the doctor to call after your mammogram. They’re willing to invest in a relationship that may or may not work out.
🔍 重点词汇
| 单词/短语 | 音标 | 中文释义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|---|
| variable | /ˈveəriəbl/ | 变量；可变因素 | ”There was only one variable that separated the two groups.” |
| worthy | /ˈwɜːrði/ | 值得的，配得上的 | ”They believe they’re worthy of love and belonging.” |
| courage | /ˈkʌrɪdʒ/ | 勇气 | ”What they had in common was a sense of courage.” |
| compassion | /kəmˈpæʃən/ | 同情心，慈悲 | ”We can’t practice compassion with others if we can’t treat ourselves kindly.” |
| authenticity | /ˌɔːθenˈtɪsəti/ | 真诚，真实性 | ”As a result of authenticity, they were willing to let go.” |
| vulnerability | /ˌvʌlnərəˈbɪləti/ | 脆弱性，弱点 | ”They fully embraced vulnerability.” |
| embrace | /ɪmˈbreɪs/ | 拥抱；欣然接受 | ”Embrace vulnerability instead of running away from it.” |
| excruciating | /ɪkˈskruːʃieɪtɪŋ/ | 极其痛苦的，折磨人的 | ”They didn’t talk about vulnerability being excruciating.” |
| guarantee | /ˌɡærənˈtiː/ | 保证，担保 | ”There are no guarantees in relationships.” |
| invest | /ɪnˈvest/ | 投入（时间/精力/感情） | “They’re willing to invest in a relationship.” |
| whole-hearted | /ˌhəʊl ˈhɑːrtɪd/ | 全心全意的 | ”These are whole-hearted people living from a deep sense of worthiness.” |
| breathe through | /briːð θruː/ | 坚持度过（困难时期） | “The willingness to breathe through waiting for the doctor to call.” |
💡 实用表达
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“The courage to be imperfect” — 不完美的勇气。这是演讲中最震撼人心的表达之一，提醒我们追求完美的代价。
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“Let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they were” — 放下别人期待的”应该的样子”，做真实的自己。一个很好的排比结构，适合在面试或自我介绍中使用。
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“What made them vulnerable made them beautiful” — 让他们脆弱的东西也让他们美丽。反直觉的表达，非常打动人心。
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“There are no guarantees” — 没有任何保证。日常和职场中都可以用，比如 “Starting a business — there are no guarantees, but we have to try.”
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“Tell the story of who you are with your whole heart” — 用全心全意讲述自己的故事。“with your whole heart” 是非常地道且优美的表达。
🎯 练习步骤
- 通读全文：先完整读一遍英文原文，理解大意
- 精读标记：逐句阅读，标记不熟悉的词汇和表达
- 跟读练习：大声朗读 3 遍，注意断句、重音和语调
- 脱稿复述：合上文本，用自己的话复述大意（中英文都可以）
- 结构化输出：用以下框架组织你的复述：
- 这段话在说什么？—— 什么样的人拥有真正的归属感和爱
- 主要观点是什么？
- 唯一的变量是”相信自己值得被爱”（worthiness）
- 全心全意的人有三种特质：勇气、慈悲、连接
- 他们愿意拥抱脆弱，因为脆弱是必要的
- 我的感受/看法？—— Brené Brown 的研究颠覆了我们对”脆弱”的传统认知
🗣️ 口才小贴士
Brené Brown 的”故事开头”技巧：注意演讲的开场——她用一个幽默的小故事（活动策划人不知道该怎么介绍她）来引出主题。这不是随意闲聊，而是一个精心设计的”钩子”（hook）。口才建议：下次你需要在公众场合发言时，不要直接说”我今天要讲的主题是……”，而是先用一个亲身经历的、有反差感的小故事开场。这样既能拉近与听众的距离，又能自然引出你的核心观点。Brené 的公式是：个人小故事 + 幽默 + 一句话点题。试试用这种结构准备你的下一次发言。