每个人身边总有那么几个爱迟到的朋友，他们姗姗来迟背后的原因是什么？是因为他们不讲礼貌或不懂得体谅别人吗？一些研究表明，事实并不仅仅是我们想象的那么简单。本集《随身英语》探讨这个恼人的习惯背后可能存在的深层原因。

课文内容

Vocabulary: Timekeeping 词汇: 守时

We all have one, don’t we? A friend who’s always late. The one who turns up for coffee a full half hour after the appointed time. The one who seems to be forever ‘stuck in traffic’. The dear pal who sends a message saying “Sorry, bit delayed”, when they’re already 20 minutes behind schedule. I mean, what kind of a friend is that? Or just maybe, if you’re really honest, this persistently tardy individual is actually you yourself?

Either way, if you’re on the receiving end, lateness can be extremely irritating, even infuriating. How on earth can people be so inconsiderate? 

Well, recent research suggests that there might be more to this than simple rudeness. Psychologists from Washington University believe people perceive time differently. Their study gave participants a specific amount of time in which to complete a task, and even provided them with a clock. Despite this, some people became so engrossed in the activity that they completely lost track of time and forgot to check the clock.

According to psychologist Dr Susan Krauss Whitborne, from University of Masachussetts Amherst, this is like when we scroll through our social media feed and think only five minutes have elapsed, when in fact twenty have slipped by. Does that feel familiar? She writes in Psychology Today that those who were better at clock-checking were therefore “less reliant on their potentially flawed internal timekeeper.” So, what about the reasons beyond our faulty inner clocks?

Well, our personality also plays a role. Laura Clarke writes for BBC Capital that the less punctual among us often share traits such as “optimism, low levels of self-control, anxiety, or a penchant for thrill-seeking”.Why optimism, you ask? Optimists tend to overestimate how much they can achieve and underestimate problems – which means they don’t account for the long traffic jam on the way to meet you for that coffee.

Here’s another thought: maybe language is to blame? The English phrase ‘to be fashionably late’ is used to describe the optimum time to arrive at an event. If you’re too early, you can appear overly eager, but if you’re a bit late you seem cool and sophisticated. The problem is, what one person regards as fashionably late, another may view as plain impolite. So, next time you have coffee, do try to be on time.

词汇表

the appointed time 约好的时间
stuck in traffic 堵在路上
behind schedule 迟于约定的时间
persistently 一次又一次地
tardy 迟到的，行动缓慢的
on the receiving end 等人的那一方
infuriating 令人愤怒的
inconsiderate 不为他人着想的，不体谅别人的
perceive 看待
engrossed 全身贯注的
lose track of time 忘记时间
feed （社交媒体上的）状态更新
elapse （时间）流逝
slip by 不知不觉地流逝
timekeeper （个人）对时间的把握
punctual 守时的
a penchant for （拥有）…的嗜好，倾向
thrill-seeking 追求刺激的
overestimate 高估
to be fashionably late “约会故意迟到一会儿”，以显示自己处事老练而时髦

测验与练习 

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 

1. Why are optimists more likely to be late? 

2. Which is stronger: irritating or infuriating.    

3. Is it a good idea to be ‘fashionably late’ for a job interview?    

4. Which two adjectives describe something that has a problem or defect?    

5. True or false: According to the article, people who are more punctual have better inner clocks.    

2. 请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处 。

1. I need to take control of my life. The days keep ______ and I never achieve anything.

overestimating      elapsed      losing track of time      slipping by

2. Luke is always ______. I’ve never seen him be late for anything.

tardy      punctual      persistent      fashionably late

3. Don’t ______ Lucy. She might be quiet, but she’s extremely professional.

underestimate      overestimate      misunderestimate      overhear

4. We had so much fun last night that we completely ______ and got home very late.

lose track of time      lost track of times      tracked lost time      lost track of time

5. I don’t like ______ the receiving end when he’s angry. He can get very aggressive.

being      to be      being on      being on the

答案  

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 

1. Why are optimists more likely to be late? 
Optimists are more likely to underestimate potential problems and overestimate their ability to achieve things within a period of time.

2. Which is stronger: irritating or infuriating.
Infuriating is stronger. It is related to the word ‘furious’, which means extremely angry. If you are ‘irritated’, you are only annoyed. 

3. Is it a good idea to be ‘fashionably late’ for a job interview?
No. If you are late for any job interview you will be seen as unprofessional. In certain contexts it’s OK to be slightly late, for example at some parties.

4.Which two adjectives describe something that has a problem or defect?
Flawed and faulty.

5. True or false: According to the article, people who are more punctual have better inner clocks.
False. The article suggests that those who are more punctual are better at checking the time frequently, whereas those who are late forget to do so. It says that our inner clocks are not reliable on their own.

2. 请你在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处 。

1. I need to take control of my life. The days keep slipping by and I never achieve anything.

2. Luke is always punctual. I’ve never seen him be late for anything. 

3. Don’t underestimate Lucy. She might be quiet, but she’s extremely professional. 

4. We had so much fun last night that we completely lost track of time and got home very late. 

5. I don’t like being on the receiving end when he’s angry. He can get very aggressive.