Episode: Luna the Dog Survived a Month in Yellowstone Subtitle: 狗狗 Luna 在黄石公园生存了一个月 Duration: approximately 5 minutes Level: B1 PubDate: 2026-10-19 --- [Sarah]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts. Today I want to tell you a story. Imagine you are on the vacation of a lifetime, in one of the most famous parks in the world. You leave your dog in a cabin for two hours. When you come back, she is gone. zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts。今天我想给你讲一个故事。想象你正在一生一次的假期里，身处世界上最著名的公园之一。你把狗留在小木屋里两个小时。回来时，她不见了。 [Sarah]: That is what happened to a family from California this September. Their dog is named Luna. She is a 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier, a small white dog with pointy ears and a gray collar. zh:这就是今年九月一个加州家庭经历的事。他们的狗叫 Luna。她是一只 10 岁的杰克罗素梗，一只白色小狗，尖尖的耳朵，戴着灰色项圈。 [Sarah]: The place was Yellowstone National Park. It was the first national park in the United States. It covers about 3,500 square miles, across Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. zh:那个地方是黄石国家公园。它是美国第一座国家公园，占地约 3500 平方英里，横跨怀俄明州、蒙大拿州和爱达荷州。 [Sarah]: Yellowstone is beautiful, but it is also wild. It is home to grizzly bears, wolves, and coyotes. For a small dog, being alone there is very dangerous. zh:黄石很美，但也很野。那里有灰熊、狼和郊狼。对一只小狗来说，独自待在那里非常危险。 [Sarah]: Luna escaped on September 10. Her family left her in a cabin at Canyon Village with a Do Not Disturb sign on the door. Then they went to see a geyser. zh:Luna 在 9 月 10 日跑丢了。家人把她留在峡谷村的一间小木屋里，门上挂着"请勿打扰"的牌子。然后他们去看间歇泉了。 [Sarah]: But a housekeeper opened the door anyway. Luna ran out. The staff tried to catch her, and they chased her around the area for more than two hours. zh:但一名客房服务员还是打开了门。Luna 跑了出去。工作人员想抓住她，在附近追了两个多小时。 [Sarah]: When the family came back, Luna was gone. They searched, but rangers told them the truth. A small dog would probably not survive the cold or the coyotes. zh:家人回来时，Luna 已经不见了。他们四处寻找，但护林员告诉了他们实情：一只小狗很可能熬不过寒冷，也躲不过郊狼。 [Sarah]: The family went home without her. A few days later, they heard something surprising. People had seen Luna. She was still alive. zh:家人没找到她就回家了。几天后，他们听到了意外的消息：有人见过 Luna。她还活着。 [Sarah]: They contacted Katie Boucher. She is a volunteer and the president of Norris Ark Training and Recovery Center in Montana. She decided to help. zh:他们联系了凯蒂·鲍彻。她是志愿者，也是蒙大拿州诺里斯方舟训练与救援中心的负责人。她决定帮忙。 [Sarah]: There is one more thing about Luna. Before she was adopted, she spent her first year living on the streets. She knew how to survive. zh:关于 Luna 还有一件事。被收养之前，她生命的头一年是在街头度过的。她知道怎么活下来。 [Sarah]: For weeks, people saw her around the park. She crossed roads. She walked through employee housing. She even walked into lodges through the automatic doors. zh:几个星期里，人们在公园各处看到她。她穿过马路，走过员工宿舍，甚至从自动门走进旅馆。 [Sarah]: And this is the strange part. Luna was retracing her family's steps. She went back to the eateries and lodges they had visited the day before she was lost. zh:奇怪的地方在这里。Luna 在重走家人的路线。她回到家人迷路前一天去过的餐馆和旅馆。 [Sarah]: So why was she so hard to catch? Because people kept calling her name and chasing her. That made her afraid, and she ran deeper into the park. zh:那为什么这么难抓到她？因为人们一直喊她的名字、追她。这让她害怕，于是她往公园更深处跑。 [Sarah]: There was another problem. Rescuers could not use food in the trap. Food would attract bears and wolves, the very animals Luna was trying to avoid. zh:还有另一个问题。救援人员不能在陷阱里放食物。食物会引来熊和狼，而这正是 Luna 想躲开的动物。 [Sarah]: Winter was also coming. The campground and roads were going to close on Monday. Boucher knew this was her last week to search. zh:冬天也快来了。营地和道路周一就要关闭。鲍彻知道，这是她搜寻的最后一周。 [Sarah]: So they built a live trap. It was a doghouse with a bed of straw and grass. It would hold Luna without hurting her. And instead of food, they used scraps from a T-shirt and a pillowcase from her family. zh:于是他们做了一个活捕笼。那是一个铺着干草和青草床的小狗屋，能把 Luna 留住又不会伤到她。他们没用食物，而是用了她家人的 T 恤和枕套的碎布。 [Sarah]: On Tuesday, a park employee saw Luna circling the trap. She lay down near it. She was thinking about it. zh:周二，一名公园员工看到 Luna 在笼子周围转圈。她在旁边趴了下来。她在犹豫。 [Sarah]: On Wednesday morning, at 9 a.m., they found her inside. Luna had survived 35 days in the wild. zh:周三上午 9 点，他们发现她已经在笼子里了。Luna 在野外生存了 35 天。 [Sarah]: They took her to a veterinarian. She was underweight, but she was alert and in good spirits. Her owner held her during the exam. Boucher said she cried all the way from the park. zh:他们把她带去看了兽医。她体重偏轻，但很警觉，精神状态不错。检查时，主人一直抱着她。鲍彻说，她从公园一路哭了过来。 [Sarah]: They never used food. They used the smell of home. After 35 days in the wild, Luna walked toward the smell of her family. zh:他们始终没用食物。他们用的是家的气味。在野外度过 35 天后，Luna 走向了家人的气味。 [Sarah]: That is the story for today. If you have a dog, give her an extra hug. And thank you for listening. See you in the next episode. zh:这就是今天的故事。如果你有狗，就多抱她一下。谢谢收听，我们下期见。

Episode: Mice Above 21,000 Feet: The Highest Mammals Subtitle: 21,000 英尺之上的老鼠：世界最高的哺乳动物 Duration: approximately 7 minutes Level: B1 PubDate: 2026-10-19 --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, what is the highest place you have ever stood? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，你站过的最高地方是哪里？ [Sarah]: Hmm, maybe the top of a tall building? Or a small mountain on a holiday. Nothing too serious. zh:嗯，也许是一栋高楼的楼顶？或者假期里爬过的一座小山。没什么太厉害的。 [Mike]: Okay, now imagine standing almost 7,000 meters above the sea. The air is thin. It is below freezing. And a small mouse runs past your feet. zh:好，现在想象你站在海拔近 7000 米的地方。空气稀薄，气温在冰点以下。然后一只小老鼠从你脚边跑过。 [Sarah]: A mouse? Up there? No way. There is almost nothing to eat, and the air has very little oxygen. zh:一只老鼠？在那上面？不可能。那里几乎没东西吃，空气里氧气也很少。 [Mike]: That is exactly what scientists thought. But it is true. The animal is called the Andean leaf-eared mouse, and it holds a Guinness World Record. zh:科学家们原本也这么想。但这是真的。这种动物叫安第斯叶耳鼠，它还拥有一项吉尼斯世界纪录。 [Sarah]: So how did anyone even find it? That mountain must be very hard to reach. zh:那人们到底是怎么发现它的？那座山一定很难到达。 [Mike]: It started with a short video. Some local mountaineers filmed a mouse running across the snow at about 6,205 meters. They sent the video to a biologist named Jay Storz. zh:一切都始于一段短视频。几位当地登山者拍到一只老鼠在约 6205 米的雪地上跑。他们把视频发给了一位叫杰伊·施托兹的生物学家。 [Sarah]: And where was he when he got it? zh:他收到视频的时候在哪里？ [Mike]: He was on sabbatical in Argentina. He is also a serious mountaineer, so he did not just watch the video. He decided to go and look for the mouse himself. zh:他当时在阿根廷休假。他本人也是一名认真的登山者，所以他没有只看视频。他决定亲自去找这种老鼠。 [Sarah]: Wait, a biologist who climbs mountains? That sounds like the perfect person for this. zh:等等，一个会爬山的生物学家？听起来这活儿非他莫属。 [Mike]: Exactly. In 2020, his team went to a volcano called Llullaillaco. It is on the border between Chile and Argentina, and it is 6,739 meters high. That is about 22,110 feet. zh:没错。2020 年，他的团队去了一座叫尤耶亚科山的火山。它位于智利和阿根廷交界处，高 6739 米，大约 22110 英尺。 [Sarah]: 22,110 feet. I cannot even imagine that. What is it like at the top? zh:22110 英尺。我根本想象不出来。山顶上是什么样子？ [Mike]: It is a hard place for any animal. Temperatures rarely rise above freezing, and the air has less than half the oxygen you get at sea level. zh:对任何动物来说那都是个艰难的地方。气温很少升到冰点以上，空气中的氧气还不到海平面的一半。 [Sarah]: Right. Even very strong climbers can only stay there for a short time. So how did they catch a mouse? zh:对。就连很强壮的登山者也只能在那里待一小会儿。那他们是怎么抓到老鼠的？ [Mike]: They set traps near the top and waited. And yes, they caught one on the summit. Later trips found more mice, and even active burrows. zh:他们在山顶附近设了陷阱，然后等待。结果他们真的在山顶抓到了一只。后来的考察又发现了更多老鼠，甚至还有正在使用的洞穴。 [Sarah]: So these mice are not just visiting. They actually live there. zh:所以这些老鼠不是偶尔路过。它们是真的住在那里。 [Mike]: They live there. And the species has another surprising record. It lives from sea level all the way up to more than 6,700 meters. No other mammal has such a wide range. zh:它们就住在那里。而且这个物种还有另一个惊人的纪录。它从海平面一直生活到 6700 多米高的地方。没有其他哺乳动物有这么大的分布范围。 [Sarah]: Okay, that is the mystery. How does a tiny mouse survive cold and thin air that would make a human feel sick? zh:好，谜题就在这里。一只小老鼠，怎么能在让人类难受的寒冷和稀薄空气里活下来？ [Mike]: The first part is heat. The highland mice can produce a lot of body heat by burning fat. Their muscles have more "power plants" that use oxygen. zh:首先是热量。高地老鼠能通过燃烧脂肪产生大量体热。它们的肌肉里有更多利用氧气的"发电厂"。 [Sarah]: Power plants in the muscle. You mean mitochondria? zh:肌肉里的发电厂。你是说线粒体？ [Mike]: Yes. And in tests, the highland mice did better in cold, low-oxygen conditions than lowland mice of the same species. In simple words, their engines work better when the air is thin. zh:对。在测试中，高地老鼠在寒冷、低氧的环境里，比同物种的低地老鼠表现更好。简单说，空气稀薄时，它们的"发动机"更给力。 [Sarah]: So they are born with better engines. That makes sense. zh:所以它们天生就有更好的发动机。这说得通。 [Mike]: But here is the part that surprised the scientists. The mice also have special genes for dealing with plant poisons. zh:但接下来这部分让科学家们很意外。这些老鼠还有处理植物毒素的特殊基因。 [Sarah]: Plant poisons? Why would a mountain mouse need those? zh:植物毒素？一只山上的老鼠为什么需要这些？ [Mike]: Because life up there is not just snow and rock. The mice eat plants from the Andes, and many of those plants are full of chemicals that protect them from animals. The highland mice can break those chemicals down. zh:因为那里的生活不只有雪和岩石。这些老鼠会吃安第斯山的植物，而其中很多植物充满用来防御动物的化学物质。高地老鼠能把这些化学物质分解掉。 [Sarah]: So they are not only great climbers. They are also tough eaters. zh:所以它们不仅擅长爬山，还特别能"吃"。 [Mike]: Right. And that changes the picture. The mountain is not just a cold, empty place. It is a whole world with food, poison, and competition. zh:对。这改变了我们的理解。那座山不只是一个寒冷空旷的地方。它是一个有食物、有毒物、有竞争的世界。 [Sarah]: Wait, I have another question. Why the Andes? Why not the Himalayas? They are even higher. zh:等等，我还有一个问题。为什么是安第斯山？为什么不是喜马拉雅山？那边还更高。 [Mike]: Good question. The answer is the weather. The record was set in a very dry desert plateau called the Puna de Atacama. For much of the year, the peaks there have little ice and snow, so small animals can reach the top. zh:好问题。答案是天气。这项纪录是在一个叫普纳-德阿塔卡马的极干燥高原上创造的。那里一年中大部分时间山峰上冰雪很少，所以小动物能到达山顶。 [Sarah]: So on other mountains, the summit is locked under ice. Here, the door is open. zh:所以在其他山上，山顶被冰雪封住了。而在这里，门是开着的。 [Mike]: Exactly. And here is a fun detail. The Inca people also built shrines on the tops of these same peaks. No snow, so they could climb. zh:没错。还有一个有趣的细节。印加人也曾在这些同样的山峰顶上建神龛。因为没有雪，所以他们能爬上去。 [Sarah]: So humans and mice used the same mountain roads. Just at very different times. zh:所以人类和老鼠用的是同一条山路，只是时代差得很远。 [Mike]: Yes. The Inca built temples, and the mice built burrows. Both found a way to live above the clouds. zh:对。印加人建神庙，老鼠挖洞穴。它们都找到了在云层之上生活的方法。 [Sarah]: I love that. So what does this study teach us, beyond one cool record? zh:我很喜欢这个说法。那么除了一个很酷的纪录，这项研究还告诉我们什么？ [Mike]: It shows that the limits of life are not fixed. When scientists look closely, they often find life in places they thought were empty. zh:它说明生命的边界不是固定的。当科学家仔细去看，常常会在以为空无一物的地方发现生命。 [Sarah]: And the video? The one that started everything? zh:那那段视频呢？就是开启这一切的那段。 [Mike]: Storz joked that a mouse running in the snow would never go viral on TikTok. But that little video led to years of expeditions, a Science paper, and a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. zh:施托兹开玩笑说，一只老鼠在雪地里跑，永远不会在 TikTok 上火。但那段小小的视频带来了多年的考察、一篇《科学》论文，还有吉尼斯世界纪录里的一席之地。 [Sarah]: So much for TikTok. Sometimes the quietest video has the loudest ending. zh:TikTok 可看不出来。有时候最安静的视频，结尾最响亮。 [Mike]: And the mouse? It is still up there, small, fast, and completely at home. Thanks for listening, everyone. See you in the next episode! zh:那老鼠呢？它还在上面，小小的、飞快的，完全把那里当成了家。谢谢大家收听，我们下期见！

Episode: Plennie Wingo: 8,000 Miles Walking Backwards Subtitle: 普莱尼·温戈：倒着走 8000 英里 Duration: approximately 10 minutes Level: B1 PubDate: 2026-10-18 --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, quick test. Could you walk across this room backwards, right now, without looking around? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，快测一下。你能现在就倒着走过这个房间，还不回头看吗？ [Sarah]: Across the room? Maybe. But I would go very slowly, and I would bump into something for sure. zh:走过这个房间？也许吧。但我会走得很慢，而且肯定会撞到东西。 [Mike]: That is what most people say. Now imagine walking backwards, not across a room, but across countries. 8,000 miles, for a year and a half. zh:大多数人都这么说。现在你想象一下，不是倒着走过一个房间，而是倒着走遍好几个国家。8000 英里，走上一年半。 [Sarah]: 8,000 miles? That has to be a joke. Nobody can do that. zh:8000 英里？一定是开玩笑。没人做得到。 [Mike]: It is real, and there is even a Guinness World Record for it. The record holder is an American man named Plennie Wingo. zh:是真的，甚至还有一项吉尼斯世界纪录。纪录保持者是一个叫普莱尼·温戈的美国人。 [Sarah]: Plennie Wingo. Okay, who was he? A famous athlete? A soldier? zh:普莱尼·温戈。好吧，他是谁？著名运动员？还是军人？ [Mike]: Neither. He owned a small cafe in a town called Abilene, in Texas. He was a normal businessman with a wife and a daughter. zh:都不是。他在得克萨斯州一个叫阿比林的小镇开了一家小咖啡馆。他是个普通的生意人，有妻子和女儿。 [Sarah]: So how does a cafe owner end up walking backwards across the world? zh:那一个咖啡馆老板，怎么会变成倒着走遍世界呢？ [Mike]: The year was 1931. It was the Great Depression. Banks closed, businesses failed, and millions of people lost their jobs. zh:那是 1931 年，正是大萧条时期。银行倒闭，企业破产，数百万人失业。 [Sarah]: Right, the Great Depression. My grandparents told stories about it. It was the hardest time in modern history. zh:对，大萧条。我祖父母讲过那时的故事。那是现代史上最艰难的时期。 [Mike]: Exactly. And Wingo's cafe was one of the businesses that failed. He lost almost everything. zh:没错。温戈的咖啡馆就是倒闭的企业之一。他几乎失去了一切。 [Sarah]: So he was broke and desperate. Did he do it for money? zh:所以他破产了，很绝望。他这么做是为了钱吗？ [Mike]: He hoped so. In those years, people did wild stunts to get attention and earn a little money. One man sat on top of a flagpole for 49 days. Another pushed a peanut up a mountain with his nose. zh:他是这么希望的。那个年代，人们用各种疯狂的花招来吸引眼球、挣点小钱。有个人在旗杆顶上坐了 49 天。还有个人用鼻子把一颗花生推上了山。 [Sarah]: A peanut? With his nose? Okay, that is very strange. So Wingo needed his own stunt. zh:花生？用鼻子？好吧，那太奇怪了。所以温戈需要有他自己的花招。 [Mike]: Yes. Here is how the idea started. He overheard some children say that everything had already been done, that there was nothing new left to try. zh:对。这个想法是这么来的。他无意中听到几个孩子说，什么事都被做过了，再没有新东西可以尝试了。 [Sarah]: And that annoyed him? zh:这让他不爽了？ [Mike]: It did. So he said, out loud, well, nobody has ever walked around the world backwards. And then the idea would not leave his head. zh:是的。于是他大声说，好吧，还从来没有人倒着走遍世界。然后这个念头就再也离不开他的脑子了。 [Sarah]: That is such a human moment. One sentence said in a hurry, and then it becomes your whole life. zh:这真是很有人味的一刻。随口一句话，然后就变成了你的整个人生。 [Mike]: True. So he started training, and he bought a very clever tool. zh:确实。于是他开始训练，还买了一个很聪明的工具。 [Sarah]: A tool for walking backwards? What kind of tool? zh:倒着走路用的工具？什么样的工具？ [Mike]: A pair of sunglasses with tiny mirrors on the sides. They were made for motorcycle riders, but for Wingo they were perfect. He could look ahead in the mirrors while his body faced backwards. zh:一副两侧带小镜子的墨镜。这种眼镜本来是给摩托车骑手做的，但对温戈来说再合适不过。他的身体朝后，却能通过镜子看清前面的路。 [Sarah]: That is actually brilliant. So he could see where he was going without turning around. But what about cars on the road? zh:这还真是聪明。这样他不用转身就能看清前方。可路上的汽车怎么办？ [Mike]: He wore a suit and a tie and carried a cane. On his back he had a sign that read, walking backwards around the world. zh:他穿着西装、打着领带，还拄着一根手杖。背上挂着一块牌子，上面写着"倒着走遍世界"。 [Sarah]: I love that he dressed like a businessman. So when did he start? zh:我很喜欢他穿得像个生意人。那他什么时候出发的？ [Mike]: On April 15, 1931, he left Fort Worth, Texas, walking backwards. He went east to the coast, then crossed the ocean by ship to Germany. zh:1931 年 4 月 15 日，他倒着走出得克萨斯州的沃思堡。他一路向东走到海边，然后坐船跨过大洋去了德国。 [Sarah]: Wait, on a ship? Did he walk backwards on the ship too? zh:等等，坐船？他在船上也倒着走吗？ [Mike]: He did. He walked backwards up the ramp onto the ship. Then in Germany he kept going south, toward Turkey. zh:是的。他倒着走上传船的跳板。到了德国，他又继续向南，朝土耳其走。 [Sarah]: And how far did he walk every day? zh:那他每天走多远？ [Mike]: About 25 kilometers a day. And here is a small secret: he only walked backwards between towns. Inside a town, he finally turned around and walked like a normal person. zh:每天大约 25 公里。这里还有个小秘密：他只在小镇之间倒着走。进了镇子，他终于会转回身，像普通人一样走路。 [Sarah]: That makes sense. You cannot cross a busy street backwards. So did people help him along the way? zh:这很合理。你没法倒着穿过一条繁忙的马路。那一路上有人帮他吗？ [Mike]: Some did. He collected stamps and signatures in a notebook from every town he passed. Newspapers wrote about him. But many people thought he was crazy. zh:有些人帮了。他每经过一个镇子，就在笔记本上收集印章和签名。报纸也写他的故事。但很多人觉得他疯了。 [Sarah]: Crazy, or a danger. I can imagine drivers getting angry at a man walking backwards on the road. zh:是疯了，还是危险。我能想象司机们看到有人在路上倒着走会有多生气。 [Mike]: You are right. He was arrested more than once. In one city, the police put him in jail simply for walking backwards through town. zh:你说得对。他被抓了不止一次。在一个城市，警察仅仅因为他倒着穿城走路，就把他关进了监狱。 [Sarah]: Poor man. And what about the trip itself? Was it hard? zh:可怜的人。那旅途本身呢？辛苦吗？ [Mike]: Very hard. He wore out 12 pairs of shoes. He slept outside many nights. One night, he even slept inside a public phone booth to hide from a pack of wild animals. zh:非常辛苦。他穿坏了 12 双鞋，很多个夜晚都睡在户外。有一晚，为了躲开一群野兽，他甚至睡在一个公用电话亭里。 [Sarah]: In a phone booth? That sounds like a scene from a comedy. zh:睡在电话亭里？听起来像喜剧里的一个桥段。 [Mike]: It gets funnier. In one town, he ate a whole meal backwards. He started with dessert, and he finished with soup. zh:还有更好笑的。在一个镇子，他把整顿饭倒着吃。他先吃甜点，最后喝汤。 [Sarah]: No way. He really committed to the joke, did he not? zh:不会吧。他还真是把这个玩笑贯彻到底了，对吧？ [Mike]: He did. And his body changed. After months of walking backwards, the muscles in his legs shifted. His calves ended up on the front of his legs. zh:确实。而且他的身体变了。倒着走了几个月之后，他腿上的肌肉也移位了。他的小腿肚跑到了腿的正面。 [Sarah]: Okay, that part is a little scary. So how did the journey end? Did he reach Turkey? zh:好吧，这段有点吓人。那旅程怎么结束的？他到土耳其了吗？ [Mike]: He reached Istanbul, the biggest city in Turkey. But the police there told him he had to leave the country, for his own safety. zh:他到了土耳其最大的城市伊斯坦布尔。但那里的警察要他离开这个国家，说是为了他自身的安全。 [Sarah]: So he did not finish walking around the whole world. zh:所以他没有走遍整个世界就停下了。 [Mike]: No. A rich Italian man paid for his ticket back to the United States. Then Wingo did one more long walk, from Santa Monica, California, back to Texas. zh:没有。一位富有的意大利人出钱给他买了回美国的船票。之后温戈又走了一段很长的路，从加利福尼亚的圣莫尼卡一路倒着走回得克萨斯。 [Sarah]: And that was the end of it. So after all that, did he get rich? zh:这就结束了。那折腾了这么一大圈，他发财了吗？ [Mike]: This is the sad part. In total, he made about $4. His wife asked for a divorce while he was away. And his fame faded fast. zh:这就是令人难过的部分了。他总共只赚了大约 4 美元。他不在家的时候，妻子还提出了离婚。他的名气也很快消退了。 [Sarah]: $4. He walked 8,000 miles and earned $4. That is almost painful to hear. zh:4 美元。他走了 8000 英里，只赚了 4 美元。听着都让人心里难受。 [Mike]: It is. He wrote a book about the trip, but it did not sell well. He lived quietly, and he died at the age of 98, mostly forgotten. zh:确实。他写了一本记录这趟旅程的书，但卖得不好。他平静地生活着，98 岁去世时，几乎被人遗忘。 [Sarah]: So he failed. He risked everything and got almost nothing. That is a hard ending. zh:所以他失败了。他赌上一切，却几乎一无所获。这是个很残酷的结局。 [Mike]: That is what I thought too, until I read one line he wrote. He wrote, with the whole world going backwards, maybe the only way to see it was to turn around. zh:我本来也这么想，直到我读到他写的一句话。他写道：当整个世界都在倒退时，也许唯一的办法就是转过身去。 [Sarah]: Wait. Say that again. zh:等等。你再说一遍。 [Mike]: With the whole world going backwards, maybe the only way to see it was to turn around. zh:当整个世界都在倒退时，也许唯一的办法就是转过身去。 [Sarah]: So he was not just a man with a silly trick. In 1931, the whole world really was falling apart. Everyone felt lost and afraid. zh:所以他并不只是个玩傻把戏的人。1931 年，整个世界真的在崩塌。每个人都感到迷茫和恐惧。 [Mike]: Exactly. And in a strange way, he was the calmest person around. Everybody else kept running forward, chasing money that had disappeared. He just turned around and kept walking. zh:正是。而且说来奇怪，他反而是最镇定的那一个。其他所有人都在向前奔跑，追逐着已经消失的钱。他呢，只是转过身，继续往前走。 [Sarah]: Hmm. So the man walking backwards might have been the one person facing the truth. That is a very different picture. zh:嗯。所以那个倒着走的人，也许才是唯一面对真相的人。这画面就完全不一样了。 [Mike]: And there is one more twist. In 1976, when he was 81, he did it again. He walked backwards across California, about 400 miles, all the way to a famous museum in Santa Monica. zh:而且还有一个转折。1976 年，他 81 岁的时候，又做了一次。他倒着走穿越加利福尼亚，大约 400 英里，一直走到圣莫尼卡一家有名的博物馆。 [Sarah]: At 81? He never really stopped. So maybe he did win something after all. zh:81 岁？他其实从没真正停下来。所以也许他终究还是赢了点什么。 [Mike]: Maybe. He never got rich, and most people today have never heard his name. But his record still stands. To this day, nobody has walked backwards farther than Plennie Wingo. zh:也许吧。他从没富过，今天大多数人也从没听过他的名字。但他的纪录还在。直到今天，也没有人倒着走的路比普莱尼·温戈更远。 [Sarah]: So here is my question for our listeners. When the whole world feels like it is going backwards, do you keep running forward, or do you turn around and look? Something to think about. See you next time! zh:那我也给听众留个问题。当整个世界都好像在倒退时，你是继续向前跑，还是转过身去看一看？值得想一想。我们下期见！

Episode: Daniel Suelo: The Man Who Quit Money Subtitle: 丹尼尔·苏埃洛：那个放弃金钱的男人 Duration: approximately 7 minutes Level: B1 PubDate: 2026-10-17 --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, quick question. Could you go a whole day without spending a single cent? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，快问快答。你能一整天不花一分钱吗？ [Sarah]: A whole day? Easy. I could stay home, eat what is in the fridge, and not go anywhere. But a week? That would be hard. zh:一整天？简单。我可以待在家，吃冰箱里的东西，哪也不去。但要是一星期？那就难了。 [Mike]: Okay, then imagine this. Not a week. Not a month. How about 16 years with no money at all? zh:好，那想象一下。不是一星期，也不是一个月。整整16年，一分钱都没有，怎么样？ [Sarah]: No way. That cannot be real. People need money for food, for a home, for everything. zh:不可能。那不可能是真的。人需要钱买吃的、住的地方，什么都得花钱。 [Mike]: It is real. His name is Daniel Suelo. He is an American, a former cook from a small town called Moab, in the state of Utah. zh:是真的。他叫丹尼尔·苏埃洛，美国人，以前是厨师，来自犹他州一个叫莫阿布的小镇。 [Sarah]: Wait, a former cook? So he had a normal job and a normal life. What happened? zh:等等，以前是厨师？所以他有过正常的工作和正常的生活。发生了什么？ [Mike]: In 2000, he made a big decision. He took his last $30, left it in a phone booth, and walked away for good. zh:2000年，他做了一个重大决定。他拿着最后的30美元，放进一个公用电话亭，然后永远地离开了。 [Sarah]: He just left his money in a phone booth? For anyone to take? That is wild. Why would he do that? zh:他就把钱留在电话亭里？谁想拿就拿？太疯狂了。他为什么这么做？ [Mike]: Here is the important part. He was not broke. He chose this. He did not lose his money. He gave it up on purpose. zh:重点来了。他不是破产了。这是他自己的选择。他没有失去钱，他是故意放弃的。 [Sarah]: So he is not poor. He just decided to live without money. That is a very different story. zh:所以他不穷。他只是决定不用钱生活。这完全是另一回事了。 [Mike]: Exactly. And where do you think he lives? Not in an apartment. He lives in caves in the desert canyons near Moab, close to a huge national park. zh:没错。你猜他住哪？不是公寓。他住在莫阿布附近沙漠峡谷的洞穴里，紧挨着一个巨大的国家公园。 [Sarah]: Caves? Like, real caves in the rocks? That sounds hard and cold. zh:洞穴？就是岩石里真的山洞？听起来又苦又冷。 [Mike]: Yes, real caves in the sandstone. He has used about a dozen of them over the years. He sleeps in a sleeping bag and keeps his things simple. zh:对，砂岩里真实的洞穴。这些年他用过大约十几个。他睡在睡袋里，东西很少。 [Sarah]: Okay, but food. Everybody has to eat. Where does his food come from? zh:好，但吃的呢。人人都得吃饭。他的食物从哪来？ [Mike]: Three ways. He picks wild food, like wild onions and berries. He takes food that shops throw away. And he accepts gifts from friends and even strangers. zh:三种办法。他采野生的食物，比如野洋葱和浆果；他捡商店扔掉的食物；他还接受朋友甚至陌生人的赠予。 [Sarah]: Food that shops throw away. So, dumpster diving. And I heard he even eats roadkill. Is that true? zh:商店扔掉的食物，那就是翻垃圾桶了。我还听说他甚至吃路上被撞死的动物。真的吗？ [Mike]: It is true. Roadkill means animals hit by cars on the road. He says he will not let good meat go to waste. zh:是真的。Roadkill 就是指被车在路上撞死的动物。他说他不会让好好的肉白白浪费掉。 [Sarah]: Wow. I am not sure I could do that. But wait, does he need money for other things? A phone, a car, doctor visits? zh:哇。我不确定我做得到。不过等等，他别的地方就不需要钱吗？打电话、开车、看病？ [Mike]: He has no job, no bank account, and no car. He does not take government help, and he does not pay taxes. zh:他没有工作，没有银行账户，也没有车。他不接受政府补助，也不交税。 [Sarah]: Hold on. No job, no home, no money. That sounds like being homeless. Is he just a man who takes from others? zh:等等。没工作、没家、没钱，听起来就像无家可归。他是不是就是个靠别人接济的人？ [Mike]: That is a fair question, and some people say exactly that. They call him a freeloader. But others say he gives back. zh:这个问题问得好，确实有人这么说。他们叫他"白吃白喝的人"。但也有人说他是有回报的。 [Sarah]: Gives back how? If he has no money, what can he give? zh:怎么回报？如果他没有钱，他能给什么？ [Mike]: He volunteers, he helps friends, and he shares whatever he finds. He is not a hermit. He is part of his community and even writes a blog. zh:他做志愿者，帮朋友，找到什么就分享什么。他不是隐士。他是社区的一份子，甚至还写博客。 [Sarah]: Wait, a blog? But a blog needs a computer and the internet. That costs money! zh:等等，博客？可写博客需要电脑和网络。那都要花钱啊！ [Mike]: Good catch. He uses a computer at a friend's place or at a library. You can live without money and still be part of the modern world. zh:观察得很细。他用朋友的电脑或者图书馆的电脑。你可以不用钱生活，同时仍然和现代世界保持连接。 [Sarah]: Okay, that makes sense. So why did he start? There must be a story behind it. zh:好吧，有道理。那他为什么会开始？背后一定有故事。 [Mike]: There is. Before this, he felt trapped and unhappy. He was even depressed for a while. He said he was sick of the endless race for money. zh:有的。在这之前，他感到被困住、不快乐，甚至一度抑郁。他说他厌倦了为钱无休止地奔波。 [Sarah]: So it was not about being lazy. It was about wanting to be free. zh:所以这不是因为懒，而是因为想要自由。 [Mike]: Right. And here is the idea that changed everything for him. He says money only exists because we all agree that it does. zh:对。还有一个彻底改变了他的想法。他说，金钱之所以存在，只是因为我们都同意它存在。 [Sarah]: Hmm, think about it. A dollar bill is just paper. A number in an app is just a number. We all just believe in it. zh:嗯，想想看。一美元纸币不过是一张纸。App 里的一个数字不过是个数字。我们只是都相信它而已。 [Mike]: Exactly. We believe in it so strongly that we spend most of our lives chasing it. zh:正是。我们如此坚定地相信它，以至于把一生大部分时间都用来追逐它。 [Sarah]: So is money the villain here? Should we all quit money too? zh:那钱就是坏蛋吗？我们是不是也都不该用钱了？ [Mike]: Not at all. Daniel himself says he is not asking anyone to copy him. Money is a tool. A hammer is not good or bad. The problem is when the tool runs your whole life. zh:完全不是。丹尼尔自己说，他没有让任何人照做。金钱是个工具。锤子本身没有好坏。问题在于当这个工具支配了你的整个人生。 [Sarah]: I like that. So the lesson is not "quit money". It is "do not let money own you". zh:我喜欢这个说法。所以重点不是"放弃金钱"，而是"别让金钱拥有你"。 [Mike]: Well said. But there is one more part that really surprised me. zh:说得好。不过还有一点真的让我很意外。 [Sarah]: Of course there is. What is it? zh:当然有。是什么？ [Mike]: Our whole society is built so that you have to have money. In his words, it is almost illegal to live outside the system. You need money for a home, for official papers, for almost everything. zh:我们整个社会就是建立在"你必须有钱"之上的。用他的话说，想活在系统之外几乎是不合法的。你需要钱才能有住所、有各种证件，几乎办任何正式的事都需要钱。 [Sarah]: So the strangest thing is not that one man lives without money. It is that our world makes it so hard to try. zh:所以最奇怪的，不是一个人不用钱生活，而是我们的世界让这种尝试变得如此困难。 [Mike]: That is it. Maybe the most surprising thing about Daniel is not Daniel at all. It is us, and how much power we gave to a piece of paper. zh:就是这样。也许关于丹尼尔最令人意外的，根本不是丹尼尔，而是我们自己——我们给了那张纸多大的权力。 [Sarah]: That is a strange thought to carry all day. Friends, could you go one day without spending any money? Try it and tell us how it goes. See you next time! zh:这个念头够你想一整天的。朋友们，你能一整天不花一分钱吗？试试看，然后告诉我们结果，我们下期见！

Episode: Sofa Sleepy, Bed Awake: Where Did Your Sleep Go? Duration: approximately 6 minutes Level: B1 (Intermediate) --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, be honest. Does this ever happen to you? You are dozing on the sofa. Someone wakes you and says, go to bed. You get into bed, and suddenly you are wide awake. zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，老实说，这事在你身上发生过吗？你在沙发上打瞌睡，有人把你叫醒说"去床上睡吧"。你躺到床上，突然就完全清醒了。 [Sarah]: Oh, all the time! Just last night, I fell asleep watching televison, then lay in bed for an hour with my eyes open. Why does that happen? zh:哦，经常啊！就昨晚，我看着电视睡着了，然后躺在床上睁着眼躺了一个小时。为什么会这样？ [Mike]: Good question. It is a real puzzle, and sleep scientists have several answers. The first one is called sleep pressure. zh:好问题。这确实是个谜，睡眠科学家有好几个解释。第一个叫"睡眠压力"。 [Sarah]: Sleep pressure? That sounds stressful. Is it a bad thing? zh:睡眠压力？听起来很有压力。是坏事吗？ [Mike]: No, it is a good thing. It is the natural need for sleep that builds up all day. The longer you stay awake, the more pressure you feel. Picture a phone battery that fills up with sleepiness. zh:不，是好事。它是白天一点点积累起来的自然睡眠需求。你醒得越久，这种压力越大。可以把它想象成一块装满睡意的手机电池。 [Sarah]: Okay, so by night, my battery is almost full. Then I doze off on the sofa, and I use up some of that charge. zh:好，那么到了晚上，我的电池几乎满格。然后我在沙发上睡着了，就用掉了一部分电量。 [Mike]: Exactly. And here is the problem. When you wake up and walk to bed, your battery is no longer full. You already spent your sleep on the sofa. zh:完全正确。问题就在这里。当你醒来走到床边时，电池已经不满格了。你在沙发上已经花掉了自己的睡意。 [Sarah]: Oh, that makes so much sense. It is like eating snacks before dinner. By dinner time, you are not hungry anymore. zh:哦，这就太有道理了。就像饭前吃零食。到了晚饭时间，你就不饿了。 [Mike]: Good example. But that is only the first reason. The second one is even stranger, and it is about the bed itself. zh:这个例子很好。但这只是第一个原因。第二个更奇怪，而且和床本身有关。 [Sarah]: The bed? Wait, the bed should help me sleep, not keep me awake. zh:床？等等，床应该帮我睡觉才对，不是让我清醒啊。 [Mike]: You would think so. Doctors call this conditioned arousal. If you often lie in bed awake, tossing and turning, and worrying about sleep, your brain learns something new. zh:你本来会这么想。医生把这叫作"条件性觉醒"。如果你经常在床上醒着、翻来覆去、为睡不着发愁，你的大脑就会学到一件新事。 [Sarah]: Learns what? zh:学到什么？ [Mike]: It learns that the bed means being awake and upset. The bed turns into a signal to wake up, not to sleep. The sofa never hurt you, so it stays safe and calm. zh:它学会"床 = 清醒和烦躁"。床变成了一个让你清醒的信号，而不是睡觉的信号。而沙发从没让你难受，所以它一直是安全、放松的。 [Sarah]: That is a little sad. So the sofa wins because I am not trying to sleep there. There is no pressure at all. zh:这有点伤感。所以沙发赢了，是因为在那里我根本没想睡。完全没有压力。 [Mike]: Right. On the sofa you are not trying. You are just resting, watching television, half asleep. No goal, no stress. The bed is where you try, and trying too hard can keep you awake. zh:对。在沙发上你没在努力。你只是休息、看电视、半睡半醒，没有目标，没有压力。床是你"努力"的地方，而太用力反而会让你清醒。 [Sarah]: Those are two reasons. But wait, does walking to the bedroom make it worse too? Turning on the bathroom light, brushing my teeth? zh:这是两个原因了。不过等等，走到卧室是不是也让情况更糟？开浴室的灯、刷牙？ [Mike]: Good point. Standing up, bright light and brushing your teeth all wake your body again. By the time you reach the bed, your body thinks it is time to be awake. zh:说得好。站起来、明亮的灯光、刷牙，这些都会再次唤醒你的身体。等你走到床边时，身体以为又该清醒了。 [Sarah]: That explains why I feel more awake after brushing my teeth than before. So is my friend doing it all wrong? She scrolls on her phone in bed for two hours, then wonders why she cannot sleep. zh:这就解释了我为什么刷完牙反而更清醒。那我朋友是不是全做错了？她在床上刷两个小时手机，然后纳闷自己为什么睡不着。 [Mike]: That is a common mistake. Bright screens and stressful content both wake you up. And every night you lie awake in bed, you teach your brain the same bad lesson again. zh:这是常见错误。明亮的屏幕和让人紧张的内容都会让你清醒。而且每一晚你在床上醒着，就会再教大脑一次同样的坏功课。 [Sarah]: So what is the fix? Do I need a new pillow, or a bigger bed? zh:那怎么解决？我需要新枕头，或者大一点的床吗？ [Mike]: No. Sleep doctors use two ideas. One is sleep hygiene: keep the room dark, quiet and cool, and wind down before bed. The other feels backwards, but it is my favorite. zh:不用。睡眠医生用两个办法。一个是"睡眠卫生"：让房间保持黑暗、安静、凉爽，睡前放松下来。另一个感觉完全反着来，但我最喜欢。 [Sarah]: Now I am curious. What is it? zh:我好奇了。是什么？ [Mike]: If you cannot fall asleep in about 15 to 20 minutes, get out of bed. Go to another room, keep the lights dim, and do something calm. Only come back when you feel sleepy again. zh:如果你大约15到20分钟还睡不着，就起床。去另一个房间，把灯光调暗，做点平静的事。等又有睡意了再回去。 [Sarah]: Get out of bed? That sounds wrong at first. But I get it. You want to stop teaching your brain that bed means awake. zh:起床？一开始听着不对。但我懂了。你想停止教大脑"床 = 清醒"这件事。 [Mike]: Exactly. And here is the part that surprised me most. What do you think is the best way to sleep well in bed? zh:完全对。还有一点最让我意外。你猜，想在床上睡得好，最好的办法是什么？ [Sarah]: Hmm, go to bed earlier? Buy a softer mattress? zh:嗯，早点上床？买更软的床垫？ [Mike]: No. It is to not fall asleep on the sofa in the first place. Save all your sleepiness, and spend it on your bed. zh:都不是。是一开始就别在沙发上睡着。把睡意全都留着，留到床上再用。 [Sarah]: So the sofa is not better at making me sleep. It is just better at not caring if I sleep. zh:所以沙发并不是更会让我入睡。它只是更"不在乎"我睡不睡。 [Mike]: That is it. We spend so much money on the bed. Soft pillows, special sheets. And the free sofa just keeps winning. zh:就是这样。我们在床上花那么多钱，软枕头、特别的床单。结果免费沙发还是一直赢。 [Sarah]: Because the sofa never asks us to sleep. It is the only place in the house with no homework. zh:因为沙发从不要求我们睡觉。它是家里唯一一个"没有作业"的地方。 [Mike]: No homework. I am going to remember that tonight, on my own sofa. zh:没有作业。今晚我要在自己家沙发上好好体会一下。 [Sarah]: Mike, that is exactly how you got here! Friends, has this ever happened to you? Tell us your funniest sofa story, and see you next time! zh:Mike，你这正是问题所在啊！朋友们，这事发生在你身上过吗？讲讲你最好笑的沙发故事，下期见！

Episode: Hooked in 3 Minutes: Why Micro-Dramas Win Duration: approximately 5 minutes Level: B1 (Intermediate) --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, honest question. How many episodes of a show can you watch in one lunch break? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，诚实回答我，一个午休你能追几集剧？ [Sarah]: Two? Maybe three if I eat fast. Why? Did you find a super short show? zh:两集？如果吃得快也许三集。怎么了？你发现了什么超短的剧吗？ [Mike]: I watched 20 episodes yesterday. Twenty. During lunch. And each one is only about two minutes long. zh:我昨天看了一共20集。20集哦，就在午休时间。每集只有两分钟左右。 [Sarah]: Wait, what? Twenty episodes in one lunch? Are you talking about those tiny vertical dramas on your phone? zh:等等，什么？一顿午饭看20集？你说的是手机上那种竖屏小短剧吗？ [Mike]: Exactly. Micro-dramas. Short vertical videos, one to three minutes each. A whole story has about 80 episodes. zh:对，就是微短剧。竖屏短视频，一集一到三分钟。一个完整故事大概有80集。 [Sarah]: Oh, I know them. My aunt watches them every night. Secret billionaire, kind grandma, bad boss. The plots are so wild. zh:哦，我知道。我姑姑每天晚上都看。隐藏富豪、善良奶奶、坏老板，剧情都特别夸张。 [Mike]: Yes! That is the classic set. A poor girl is laughed at at a party. Then suddenly, five handsome men call her boss. zh:没错！这就是经典套路。可怜女孩在聚会上被嘲笑，突然，五个帅哥叫她老板。 [Sarah]: Haha, yes! And then the screen says, to be continued. A cliffhanger means a story stops at the most exciting moment, right? zh:哈哈，对！然后屏幕上出现"未完待续"。Cliffhanger 就是故事停在最刺激的地方，对吧？ [Mike]: Exactly, a cliffhanger. You must click next to know what happens. One click, another two minutes. Then another click. zh:完全对，就是 cliffhanger。你必须点下一集才知道后面发生什么。点一下，又两分钟。再点一下。 [Sarah]: That explains my aunt. She says, just one more episode. Then it is midnight. She binge-watches them. zh:这就解释了我姑姑。她总说，再看最后一集，然后就到半夜了。她这就是 binge-watch 刷剧停不下来。 [Mike]: Binge-watch is the right word. To watch many episodes without stopping. I told myself five episodes. I watched 40. zh:Binge-watch 这个词很准，就是停不下来连着看。我本来只想看五集，结果看了40集。 [Sarah]: Forty? Mike! Did you even eat your lunch? What makes them so addictive? zh:40集？Mike！你午饭还吃了吗？它们到底为什么让人上头？ [Mike]: First, they are fast. No slow start. In the first 30 seconds, someone is slapped, fired, or divorced. zh:第一，它们快，没有慢热。前30秒，不是有人被打脸，就是被开除、被离婚。 [Sarah]: Oh no, poor girl again. So there is no boring part? A plot twist means a sudden surprise in the story, right? zh:天啊，又是可怜女孩。所以全程无尿点？Plot twist 就是剧情突然反转，对吧？ [Mike]: Yes, a surprise turn. Every two minutes, a new twist. The poor cleaner is actually the CEO. The quiet husband owns 10 buildings. zh:对，意外转折。每两分钟一个新反转。保洁阿姨其实是总裁，安静的老公名下有10栋楼。 [Sarah]: That is crazy. But also fun. Life is slow, but in these dramas, the bad guy gets punished in three minutes. zh:太离谱了，但也很快乐。生活很慢，但在这些剧里，坏人三分钟就被收拾了。 [Mike]: You got it. That fast justice feels so good. You feel angry in minute one, and happy in minute three. zh:你说到点子上了。这种快速报应太爽了。第一分钟生气，第三分钟就开心了。 [Sarah]: And they fit our life. One episode while waiting for the bus. Two episodes in line for coffee. No need for a TV. zh:而且它们很贴合生活。等公交看一集，排队买咖啡看两集，根本不需要电视。 [Mike]: True. Old TV dramas have 40 episodes, each 45 minutes. Who has that time now? Here, three minutes is enough for one full emotion. zh:没错。老电视剧40集，每集45分钟，谁现在有这时间？这里，三分钟就给足一种情绪。 [Sarah]: But Mike, the acting is sometimes so over the top. Everyone shouts. Do people really like that? zh:可是 Mike，有时候演技太夸张了，人人都在吼。大家真的喜欢吗？ [Mike]: At first I laughed too. Then I could not stop. The simple English, big faces, loud voices. Perfect for B1 learners, by the way. zh:一开始我也笑，后来停不下来。简单的英语、大表情、大嗓门，顺便说一句，特别适合 B1 学习者。 [Sarah]: Haha, good point. Short lines, clear feelings. If he is angry, you know it. If she cries, you see it. zh:哈哈，有道理。台词短，情绪清楚。他生气，你一眼看出。她哭，你马上看到。 [Mike]: Right. And there is one more secret. They are cheap to make. A small crew, seven days, one office building. Done. zh:对，还有一个秘密。它们拍起来便宜。小剧组、七天、一栋办公楼，搞定。 [Sarah]: Seven days for 80 episodes? That is wild. So they can try many wild ideas fast. Werewolf boss? Time-traveling grandma? zh:七天拍80集？太疯狂了。所以他们能快速试各种离谱创意。狼人老板？穿越奶奶？ [Mike]: Yes, and if one fails, they make another tomorrow. Big movies cannot do that. They need two years and 100 million dollars. zh:对，扑街了明天再拍一部。大电影做不到，要两年时间和1亿美元。 [Sarah]: Okay, I get why they win now. Fast stories for fast lives. But do you ever feel empty after 40 episodes? zh:好吧，我懂它们为什么赢了。快节奏故事配快节奏生活。但你连看40集后会空虚吗？ [Mike]: Last night, yes. I looked up, my rice was cold, my phone was hot. I forgot what I watched. Only my thumb remembered. zh:昨晚，有。我一抬头，饭凉了，手机烫了。看了啥都忘了，只剩大拇指还记得滑动。 [Sarah]: Your thumb remembered? That is funny and a little sad. Maybe that is the real three-minute lesson. zh:大拇指记得？又好笑又有点心酸。可能这才是真正的三分钟道理。 [Mike]: Maybe. We laugh at the cheesy boss with 10 buildings. But we still click next. Who is really hooked? zh:也许吧。我们笑话坐拥10栋楼的土味老板，但手还在点下一集。到底是谁上头了？ [Sarah]: Oh wow. You came for a quick lunch drama, and stayed for 40 episodes. Friends, how many episodes can you watch in one go? Tell us, and see you next time! zh:哇哦。你本想午休随便看看，结果看了40集。朋友们，你们一口气能看几集？告诉我们，下期见！

Episode: Fell 35 Floors: The Hunan Woman Who Lived Duration: approximately 6 minutes Level: B1 (Intermediate) --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, quick question. If someone falls from the 35th floor, what are the chances they live? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，问你个问题。如果有人从35楼掉下来，活下来的机会有多大？ [Sarah]: Zero? That sounds impossible. From that high, nobody survives. Why do you ask? zh:零吧？这听起来不可能。这么高掉下来，没人能活。你为什么这么问？ [Mike]: Because it happened in real life. In Hunan, a 27-year-old woman fell from the 35th floor in 2025. And she lived. zh:因为现实里真发生了。在湖南，一个27岁女子2025年从35楼坠落。然后，她活下来了。 [Sarah]: Wait, what? 35 floors? That is like 100 meters high. Are you sure? That gives me goosebumps. zh:等等，什么？35层？那差不多有100米高。你确定吗？我鸡皮疙瘩都起来了。 [Mike]: I am sure. Her nickname is Wan An An. On October 12, 2026, she talked to a reporter from Xiaoxiang Morning Herald. She told her story herself. zh:千真万确。她网名叫晚安安。2026年10月12日，她接受了潇湘晨报记者的采访，亲自讲了自己的经历。 [Sarah]: Oh, so we hear it from her, not just the news. What happened after the fall? Where did they take her? zh:哦，那就是她本人讲的，不只是新闻。她坠落后怎么样了？被送去哪了？ [Mike]: To Xiangya Third Hospital in Changsha. She stayed in the ICU for more than 50 days. Doctors did about 10 operations on her. zh:送到了长沙的湘雅三医院。她在ICU住了50多天。医生给她做了10次左右的手术。 [Sarah]: More than 50 days in the ICU? And 10 operations? Pull through means to survive something very dangerous, right? She really pulled through. zh:在ICU住50多天？还做了10次手术？Pull through 是指从非常危险的情况里活过来，对吧？她真的挺过来了。 [Mike]: Exactly, she pulled through. And here is a strange detail. The doctors said the green plants below her building saved her. They worked like a cushion. zh:没错，她挺过来了。还有个神奇的细节。医生说楼下的绿化救了她，起到了缓冲垫的作用。 [Sarah]: Plants? You mean trees and bushes? A cushion means something soft that slows you down, right? Like a pillow? zh:植物？你是说树和灌木吗？Cushion 是指能减速的软东西，对吧？像枕头那样？ [Mike]: Yes, like a big soft pillow made of leaves. The branches slowed her fall, step by step. Without them, the story would be very different. zh:对，就像一个用树叶做的大枕头。树枝一层层减缓了她下坠的速度。没有它们，故事就完全不同了。 [Sarah]: Wow. So nature caught her. But what was it like when she woke up? Could she remember everything? zh:哇，大自然接住了她。那她醒来时是什么感觉？她都记得吗？ [Mike]: No. She was in a coma for a long time. After many operations, she woke up. But she had selective amnesia. She forgot some things. zh:不记得。她昏迷了很久，做了好几次手术才醒来。但她出现了选择性失忆，有些事忘了。 [Sarah]: Selective amnesia. That means you lose only some memories, right? Not everything? That must feel so strange. zh:选择性失忆，就是只失去一部分记忆，对吧？不是全忘了？那感觉一定很奇怪。 [Mike]: Yes, only parts. And worse, at first she could not even speak. She wanted to talk, but no words came out. zh:对，只是一部分。更难的是，刚开始她连话都说不出来。想说话，却发不出声音。 [Sarah]: Oh no. She survived the fall, but could not say a word. I cannot imagine how scared she felt. zh:天啊，坠楼活下来了，却一句话都说不出。我无法想象她当时有多害怕。 [Mike]: Then she left the ICU. And the real pain started. When doctors used less pain medicine, her whole body hurt. Her muscles became very weak. zh:后来她转出了ICU，真正的痛苦才开始。镇痛药减量后，她浑身剧痛。肌肉也退化得很厉害。 [Sarah]: Muscle loss? You mean her muscles got smaller because she stayed in bed too long? Even turning over in bed needed help? zh:肌肉退化？你是说因为躺太久肌肉变小了吗？连翻身都需要人帮忙？ [Mike]: Exactly. She said even turning over needed help from others. Many times she wanted to give up. The pain in her body and her heart was too much. zh:完全对。她说连翻身都要别人帮忙。无数次她想放弃，身体和心里的疼都太重了。 [Sarah]: I understand that feeling. After something so big, it is normal to feel tired and sad. What kept her going? zh:我懂那种感觉。经历这么大的事，觉得累、觉得难过都很正常。是什么让她坚持下来的？ [Mike]: She said this life was won back by doctors and family. They fought so hard for her. So she told herself, I must live well. zh:她说这条命是医生和家人拼命抢回来的。所以她告诉自己，我一定要好好活。 [Sarah]: That is beautiful. Fight for means to try very hard to get something, right? They fought for her life, and now she fights for it too. zh:这话真好。Fight for 是指拼尽全力去争取，对吧？他们为她的命拼过，现在她也为自己拼。 [Mike]: Yes. There is one more hard fact. She lost her right lower leg. But she can sit in a wheelchair and go out with friends. Soon she will get a prosthetic leg. zh:是的。还有一个沉重的事实：她的右下肢截肢了。但她可以坐轮椅和朋友出去玩，不久后还会装假肢。 [Sarah]: A prosthetic leg just means an artificial leg, right? So she can walk again one day? That is real hope. zh:Prosthetic leg 就是假肢，对吧？那她以后还能走路？这才是真正的希望。 [Mike]: Yes. And you know what surprised her most? Before she woke up, she feared hate and cold eyes. She thought people would judge her. zh:对。最让她意外的是什么？醒来前，她害怕嫌弃和恶意，以为人们会评判她。 [Sarah]: Judge her? You mean people would say bad things about her? But that did not happen? zh:评判她？你是说人们会说她坏话？但那并没有发生？ [Mike]: It did not. She said the hate she imagined never came. Friends still hang out with her. Life goes on, just in a wheelchair for now. zh:没有。她说想象中的恶意并没有到来。朋友们还和她一起玩。生活继续，只是暂时坐在轮椅上。 [Sarah]: I love that part. So her biggest change is inside? How does she see life now? zh:我喜欢这部分。所以她最大的变化在心里？她现在怎么看生活？ [Mike]: She said she used to worry about work and life all the time. Now she feels different. Happiness is seeing what you have, not what you lost. zh:她说以前总为生活和工作焦虑。现在完全不同了。幸福是看见自己拥有的，而不是纠结失去的。 [Sarah]: Wow. Seeing what you have. That is simple, but so hard to do. I guess you need to almost lose everything to really get it. zh:哇，看见自己拥有的。话很简单，做起来很难。可能真的要差点失去一切，才懂吧。 [Mike]: That is it. And she has a message for people in trouble. Do not give up. Believe in miracles. Because she is one. zh:就是这样。她还想鼓励处在困境里的人：不要放弃，相信奇迹。因为她自己就是一个。 [Sarah]: She fell 35 floors, the trees caught her, and now she catches hope for others? Friends, if you were her, what would your first wheelchair trip be? Tell us, and see you next time! zh:她从35楼掉下来，大树接住了她，现在她把希望传给别人？朋友们，如果你是她，坐轮椅的第一次出门想去哪？告诉我们，下期见！

Episode: Zheng Qinwen Beats Andreeva to Win China Open Duration: approximately 5 minutes Level: B1 (Intermediate) --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, have you ever tried to win something in front of your family? Your hands shake more, right? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，你有没有试过在家人面前争胜？手会抖得更厉害，对吧？ [Sarah]: Oh yes. I once played a small tennis game while my parents watched. I missed the easiest ball. So when I heard about Zheng Qinwen, I really felt for her. zh:太有了。我有一次在爸妈围观下打网球，连最简单的球都打丢了。所以听到郑钦文的事，我特别懂她的感受。 [Mike]: That is the perfect start. On October 11, in Beijing, Zheng Qinwen played the final of the 2026 China Open. She faced Mirra Andreeva from Russia, the new French Open champion. zh:这个开头太合适了。10月11日，在北京，郑钦文打了2026中国网球公开赛的决赛。对手是俄罗斯的米拉·安德烈耶娃，新科法网冠军。 [Sarah]: Wow, a home final against a Grand Slam champion. That is huge pressure. What was the score? zh:哇，主场决赛打大满贯冠军，压力太大了。比分是多少？ [Mike]: Zheng won 2 to 0. The score was 7-5, 6-4. Both sets were close. Nobody ran away with the match. zh:郑钦文2比0赢了。比分是7比5、6比4。两盘都很接近，谁都没能轻松拉开。 [Sarah]: 7-5, 6-4. So every game mattered. How did she finish it? Was it a long rally? zh:7比5、6比4，那每一局都很关键。她是怎么结束的？是多拍大战吗？ [Mike]: No, it was one clean shot. On match point, she hit an ace. The ball went to Andreeva's backhand side. Andreeva could not even touch it. zh:不，是一记干净利落的发球。赛点上，她发了一个 ace。球飞向安德烈耶娃的反手，她连碰都没碰到。 [Sarah]: An ace on match point? That is cold-blooded. Wait, for our learners: match point means one more point and you win the whole match, right? zh:赛点上发 ace？这心脏也太大了。等等，给学英语的朋友解释下：match point 就是再拿一分就能赢下整场的意思，对吧？ [Mike]: Exactly. And an ace means your serve lands in, and the other player cannot touch it. One serve, game over. Best possible ending. zh:完全对。Ace 就是发球落在界内、对手碰都碰不到。一记发球，比赛结束。最完美的收尾。 [Sarah]: And what did she do after that ace? Please tell me she stayed cool. zh:那她发完这个 ace 之后呢？告诉我她保持冷静了。 [Mike]: Not at all. She fell to the court and cried. She lay there sobbing. Two years of waiting came out at that moment. zh:完全没有。她倒在球场上哭了。就躺在那儿掉眼泪。两年的等待都在那一刻哭了出来。 [Sarah]: Break down in tears. That is our next expression. It means you start crying because the feeling is too strong. I love that she did not hide it. zh:Break down in tears 喜极而泣，这是我们今天下一个表达。意思是情绪太强烈忍不住哭出来。我喜欢她没有掩饰。 [Mike]: She said winning in Beijing, in front of her home crowd, was always one of her dreams. Home crowd just means the fans from your own country, cheering for you. zh:她说在北京、在主场观众面前夺冠，一直是她的梦想之一。Home crowd 就是来自你自己国家、为你加油的球迷。 [Sarah]: That makes sense. But why two years of waiting? She is an Olympic champion. Was she not winning all the time? zh:这很合理。但为什么说是两年的等待？她可是奥运冠军，难道不是一直在赢吗？ [Mike]: Good question. She reached world No. 4 last year. Then she hurt her right elbow. It was serious. Her ranking fell all the way to No. 54. zh:问得好。她去年最高到过世界第4。然后右手肘受了重伤，很严重。排名一路掉到第54位。 [Sarah]: From No. 4 to No. 54? That must hurt more than the elbow. How did she even get into this tournament? zh:从第4掉到第54？这比手肘疼多了吧。那她是怎么进这次比赛的？ [Mike]: As a wild card. A wild card means the organizers invite you in, even if your ranking is too low. It is like a second chance ticket. zh:靠外卡。Wild card 就是排名不够，但组委会邀请你参赛。像一张第二次机会的门票。 [Sarah]: And she used that ticket to win everything? That is like a movie story. Who did she beat before the final? zh:然后她拿着这张门票赢下了一切？简直像电影。她决赛之前赢了谁？ [Mike]: In the semifinal, she beat Elise Mertens from Belgium, 7-5, 6-2. That took her into her first China Open final. She had played this event for four years in a row. zh:半决赛，她7比5、6比2赢了比利时名将梅尔滕斯。那是她第一次进中网决赛。她已经连续四年参加这项赛事了。 [Sarah]: Four years of trying, then the final in year four. And this win is her first WTA 1000 title, right? Maiden title means first big title? zh:努力了四年，第四年进决赛。这次是她第一个 WTA 1000 冠军，对吧？Maiden title 就是第一个重要冠军的意思？ [Mike]: Yes. WTA 1000 is one level below the Grand Slams. It is a very big trophy. And she is the first Chinese player to win the China Open since it started in 2004. zh:对。WTA 1000 是仅次于大满贯的一级，是很有分量的奖杯。而且她是这项赛事2004年创办以来，第一个夺冠的中国人。 [Sarah]: First Chinese winner at home in more than 20 years. No wonder the crowd went crazy. Did she say anything funny after? zh:20多年来第一个在家夺冠的中国人，难怪全场疯了。她赛后有说什么有趣的吗？ [Mike]: She did not give a long speech. She sang. At the award ceremony, she took the microphone and sang for the fans. The photos show her holding the trophy and laughing while singing. zh:她没做长演讲。她唱歌了。颁奖仪式上，她拿起话筒给球迷唱歌。照片里她捧着奖杯边唱边笑。 [Sarah]: From crying on the ground to singing with the trophy? That is the fastest mood change in tennis history. I would still be crying during the song. zh:从躺在地上哭，到捧着奖杯唱歌？这是网坛史上最快的情绪切换了。换我唱歌时还在哭呢。 [Mike]: That is why I like this story. For two years she was quiet, fixing her elbow, falling down the rankings. Then one ace, and suddenly she is singing in front of Beijing. zh:这就是我喜欢这个故事的原因。两年来她很安静，养伤、排名下滑。然后一记 ace，突然就在北京放声唱歌了。 [Sarah]: So friends, here is a question for you. If you won your biggest match at home, would you cry first, or sing first? Tell us your answer, and see you next time! zh:所以朋友们，留个问题给你。如果你在主场赢下人生最大的一场胜利，你会先哭还是先唱？告诉我们你的答案，下期见！

Episode: Brain-IT: AI That Sees What You See Duration: approximately 7 minutes Level: B1 (Intermediate) --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, have you ever had a dream so strange that you wished you could show it to someone? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，你有没有做过一个很奇怪的梦，希望能放给别人看？ [Sarah]: All the time. Last week I dreamed my cat was giving a speech. I woke up and thought, if only I had a video of that. zh:经常。上周我梦见我的猫在演讲。我醒来就在想，要是有个视频就好了。 [Mike]: Well, science just moved one step closer to that. A team in Israel built an AI model called Brain-IT. It can look at your brain activity and rebuild the picture you are seeing. zh:科学刚向这个方向近了一步。以色列的一个团队做出一个叫 Brain-IT 的 AI 模型。它能看你的大脑活动，还原你正在看的画面。 [Sarah]: Wait, really? It reads my mind through a brain scan? How does that even work? zh:等等，真的吗？它通过脑扫描读我的心？这是怎么做到的？ [Mike]: The team is led by Michal Irani. She works at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Her team uses a machine called fMRI. It watches blood flow in your brain while you look at pictures. zh:团队由 Michal Irani 带领。她在魏茨曼科学研究所工作。她的团队用一种叫 fMRI 的机器。你看图片时，它观察你大脑里的血流变化。 [Sarah]: So different pictures make different parts of the brain light up? And the AI learns that pattern? zh:所以不同的图片会让大脑不同部位亮起来？AI 就学习这个规律？ [Mike]: Exactly. To train the AI, they need pairs of data. One picture, plus the brain scan from the person looking at it. Thousands and thousands of such pairs. zh:完全对。要训练 AI，他们需要成对的数据。一张图片，加上看图那个人的一份脑扫描。几千几万组这样的数据。 [Sarah]: That sounds like a lot of work. How many people joined this study? zh:这听起来工作量很大。有多少人参加了这项研究？ [Mike]: Only eight people. They used a public set called the Natural Scenes Dataset. It is the biggest set of its kind in the world. Each person went into the scanner 30 to 40 times. Each time they looked at thousands of pictures. In the end, the team got about 73,000 pairs. zh:只有八个人。他们用了一个公开数据集，叫自然场景数据集。它是全世界同类中最大的。每个人进了扫描仪30到40次，每次看几千张图片。最后团队拿到约73,000组配对数据。 [Sarah]: Eight people, 30 to 40 scans each? That must have taken forever. Lying still in a noisy machine and just looking at pictures? zh:八个人，每人扫描30到40次？那得多花时间啊。躺在又吵的机器里一动不动，光看图片？ [Mike]: Yes, it is slow and tiring. That is the big problem. Good brain data is very hard to collect. So the team found a smart trick. They built a second model that works backwards. zh:对，又慢又累。这是最大的难题。好的脑数据太难收集了。所以团队想了个聪明的办法。他们又建了一个反向工作的模型。 [Sarah]: Backwards? You mean it starts from a picture and guesses the brain activity? zh:反向？意思是它从图片出发，去猜大脑活动？ [Mike]: Right. Give it a normal photo, and it predicts what your brain would look like when you see it. In this way, they can make much more training data without putting more people into the scanner. zh:对。给它一张普通照片，它就预测你看到它时大脑会是什么样。这样不用再让人进扫描仪，也能造出多得多的训练数据。 [Sarah]: Oh, like making practice questions before a test. Smart. But does the new model really work better? zh:哦，就像考试前自己出练习题。真聪明。但新模型真的更好用吗？ [Mike]: Irani says yes, in two ways. Older models could rebuild the main idea, but they often got the layout or the colors wrong. A red car could come back blue, or on the wrong side of the street. Brain-IT keeps the content and the small details much better. zh:Irani 说是的，有两方面。老模型能还原大意，但经常搞错构图或颜色。红车可能变蓝车，或者跑到马路错的一边。Brain-IT 把内容和小细节都还原得好得多。 [Sarah]: Colors and layout matter a lot. If my cat gives a speech, I want the cat, not a dog. And what is the second improvement? zh:颜色和构图很重要。如果是我的猫演讲，我要看到猫，不是狗。第二个改进是什么？ [Mike]: Speed with new people. Older models needed tens of hours of scan data to learn how to read a new person. Every brain is a little different. Brain-IT needs only about one hour. zh:对新人的适应速度。老模型要读懂一个新人，需要几十小时的扫描数据。每个人大脑都有点不一样。Brain-IT 只需要大约一小时。 [Sarah]: Wow, from tens of hours to one hour. That is a huge drop. So what is next? Videos? Dreams? zh:哇，从几十小时降到一小时，降太多了。那下一步呢？视频？梦境？ [Mike]: That is exactly their plan. Right now Brain-IT only works with still pictures. Irani wants to move to sounds first, and then to video. The dream part is the hardest and the most exciting. zh:这正是他们的计划。现在 Brain-IT 只会处理静态图片。Irani 想先做声音，再做视频。梦境部分最难，也最让人激动。 [Sarah]: I can see why video is hard. A video changes many times each second. But I read that one fMRI scan takes about two seconds. The machine is just too slow, right? zh:我能想到视频为什么难。视频每秒变很多次。但我看到 fMRI 扫一次要大约两秒。机器太慢了，对吧？ [Mike]: You got it. The pictures in a video move fast, but the scanner moves slowly. It is like trying to film a race with a camera that takes one photo every two seconds. You miss most of the action. If they fix this, Irani says, maybe one day we can read dreams. zh:你说中了。视频画面动得快，扫描仪动得慢。就像用一个两秒拍一张的相机去拍赛跑，大部分动作都错过了。如果能解决这个问题，Irani 说，也许有一天我们真能读梦。 [Sarah]: Reading dreams sounds like science fiction. But is there a warm side to this? Can it help sick people? zh:读梦听起来像科幻。但它有温暖的一面吗？能帮病人吗？ [Mike]: Yes. Kenneth Norman is a professor at Princeton University. He studies the brain too. Back in 2022, he said this kind of tool could help people with depression or worry. A therapist could show patients when their thoughts turn dark, and help them turn back. zh:有。Kenneth Norman 是普林斯顿大学的教授，也研究大脑。早在2022年他就说，这类工具能帮抑郁或焦虑的人。治疗师可以让病人看到自己的想法何时变消极，再帮他们转回来。 [Sarah]: That is beautiful. Like a mirror for your mind. You see the sad loop starting, and you learn to stop it. Some doctors also hope it can help people with brain illness, right? zh:这很美好。就像心灵的镜子。你看到难过的循环开始了，就学会停下来。一些医生也希望它能帮脑部疾病患者，对吧？ [Mike]: Yes, some brain scientists praise Brain-IT for that reason. But others feel nervous. The same tool that helps a patient could also be used to take thoughts by force. That is the fear. zh:对，一些脑科学家为此称赞 Brain-IT。但也有人紧张。能帮病人的同一个工具，也可能被用来强行拿走想法。这就是担心。 [Sarah]: Force? You mean in a court? Like testing if someone is lying? zh:强行？指在法庭上吗？比如测有没有人撒谎？ [Mike]: Exactly. Back in 2017, a paper in the Journal of Law and the Biosciences talked about mind reading with brain scans. It said courts could one day use it to check defendants, prisoners, or even jury members. It also warned it could be used in unfair and forced ways. zh:正是。早在2017年，《法律与生物科学杂志》上的一篇论文就谈过用脑扫描读心。论文说，法庭未来可能用它来检查被告、囚犯，甚至陪审员。但也警告，它可能被用在不公平、强制的用途上。 [Sarah]: That gives me chills. My brain talks all day. Most of it is shopping lists and silly songs. Nobody needs to see that without my permission. zh:我听得发冷。我的大脑整天碎碎念，大多是购物单和傻歌。没我允许，谁也不该看。 [Mike]: And that is why scientists are split. One side sees healing. The other side sees spying. The model itself is amazing, but the rules about how we use it matter even more. zh:所以科学家分成两派。一边看到治病，一边看到监视。模型本身很厉害，但怎么用它的规则更重要。 [Sarah]: You know what I keep thinking about? My blank Monday-morning brain. If you scanned me at 7 a.m., the AI would rebuild a gray cloud and a cup of coffee. Mystery solved. zh:你知道我一直在想什么吗？我周一早上放空的大脑。如果你早上7点扫我，AI 只能还原出一团灰云加一杯咖啡。谜底揭晓。 [Mike]: And mine would show pizza. Even during a science test. So friends, if this machine ever comes to your city, what is the first picture you would want it to see from your mind? Tell us, and see you next time! zh:而我只会是披萨。就算在考科学时也是。所以朋友们，如果这台机器来到你的城市，你最想让它看到你脑中的哪张画面？告诉我们，下期见！

Episode: Panama 7.6 Quake: From Village to Capital Duration: approximately 6 minutes Level: B1 (Intermediate) --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, have you ever felt a building move under your feet? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，你有没有试过感觉脚下的楼在动？ [Sarah]: No, and I hope I never do. That sounds scary. Why do you ask? Did something happen? zh:没有，我希望永远不要。那听起来很吓人。你为什么问？发生什么了吗？ [Mike]: Yes, yesterday morning. A 7.6 earthquake hit Panama. At first, scientists said it was 8.0. Later they changed it to 7.6. zh:有，昨天早上。巴拿马发生了7.6级地震。一开始科学家说是8.0级，后来改成了7.6级。 [Sarah]: Wow, 8.0? Even 7.6 sounds huge. Where exactly did it happen? zh:哇，8.0？就算7.6也很大了。到底发生在哪里？ [Mike]: Near a small place called Pitaloza Arriba. The center was about 10 km southwest of that village. It is in Herrera province, near the southern part of the country. zh:在一个叫 Pitaloza Arriba 的小地方附近。震中在那个村庄西南约10公里。在埃雷拉省，靠近这个国家的南部。 [Sarah]: I have never heard that name. Is it a big city? zh:我从没听过这个名字。是大城市吗？ [Mike]: No, it is a tiny remote village. Most people in the world learned this name only yesterday. But the shaking traveled very far. zh:不是，是个偏远小村。全世界大多数人都是昨天才知道这个名字。但震感传得非常远。 [Sarah]: How far? Did people in the capital feel it? zh:有多远？首都的人有感觉吗？ [Mike]: Yes. In Panama City, buildings shook. People ran out into the streets. Outside one shopping mall, a big crowd stood and waited for news. zh:有。在巴拿马城，楼都晃了。人们跑到街上。在一家商场外面，一大群人站着等消息。 [Sarah]: Oh, that picture I saw. People outside the hospital too, right? Mothers and babies? zh:哦，我看到那张照片了。医院外面也有人，对吧？妈妈和宝宝们？ [Mike]: Yes, at Santo Tomas hospital. People stood outside the maternity ward and checked their phones. Imagine, new babies arrived on the same morning the earth moved. zh:对，在圣托马斯医院。人们站在产科病房外面看手机。想想看，地球晃动的同一个早上，新宝宝出生了。 [Sarah]: That gives me goosebumps. So was the capital badly damaged? zh:我起鸡皮疙瘩了。那首都受损严重吗？ [Mike]: Luckily, no. A civil protection officer named Omar Smith said there was no damage in the capital, even with its hundreds of tall buildings. zh:幸运的是，没有。民防官员 Omar Smith 说首都没受损，尽管那里有几百栋高楼。 [Sarah]: That is good news. But what about places near the center? zh:那是好消息。但震中附近呢？ [Mike]: That is where the damage is. In three central provinces, Veraguas, Herrera, and Los Santos, some buildings and roads collapsed. zh:那里有损失。在中部的三个省，贝拉瓜斯、埃雷拉和洛斯桑托斯，一些房子和道路塌了。 [Sarah]: Collapsed? That sounds serious. Were many people hurt? zh:塌了？听起来很严重。很多人受伤吗？ [Mike]: So far, no deaths have been reported. That is surprising for such a big quake, and everyone hopes it stays that way. zh:目前还没有死亡报告。对这么大的地震来说很意外，大家都希望一直这样。 [Sarah]: I hope so too. But wait, I also heard the word tsunami. Was there a wave? zh:我也希望。不过等等，我还听到了海啸这个词。有海浪吗？ [Mike]: There was a warning, not a big wave in the end. Scientists said waves of 1 to 3 meters were possible along some coasts of Panama. zh:最后只是预警，没有大浪。科学家说巴拿马部分海岸可能有1到3米的海浪。 [Sarah]: Only Panama? Or other countries too? zh:只有巴拿马？还是其他国家也有？ [Mike]: Several neighbors were on the list too, like Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. People near the sea were told to stay careful. zh:几个邻国也在名单上，比如哥伦比亚、厄瓜多尔、尼加拉瓜和危地马拉。住在海边的人被提醒要小心。 [Sarah]: I would be so nervous if I lived near the beach. What happened in the end? zh:如果我住在海边，肯定紧张死了。最后怎么样了？ [Mike]: A few hours later, the warning center said the threat had passed. No action was needed, only normal care near the sea. The US West Coast was never in danger. zh:几小时后，预警中心说威胁已经过去。不用采取行动，在海边正常小心就行。美国西海岸从没危险。 [Sarah]: From fear to relief in one morning. That is a lot of feelings. Was that the end? zh:一早上从害怕到放心，心情起伏太大了。这就结束了吗？ [Mike]: Not quite. In the afternoon, a 6.6 aftershock hit the same area. An aftershock is a smaller quake that comes after the big one. zh:还没完。下午，同一地区又发生了6.6级余震。余震就是大地震之后的小地震。 [Sarah]: Oh, so the earth did not calm down at once. It is like when you drop a heavy box, and small things keep falling off the shelf. zh:哦，所以地球不是一下就平静了。就像你掉了个重箱子，架子上的小东西还会继续往下掉。 [Mike]: That is a great picture. And here is one more fact. This is the fourth big quake in Latin America this year with a magnitude above 7.0. zh:这个比喻很好。再告诉你一个事实。这是今年拉美第四个7.0级以上的大地震。 [Sarah]: Four? I remember Venezuela in June and Colombia in August. The earth has been busy this year. zh:四个？我记得6月委内瑞拉、8月哥伦比亚。今年地球真忙。 [Mike]: Busy is the right word. The depth also matters. This quake was only 10 km deep. That is shallow, so the shaking feels stronger. zh:忙这个词很对。深度也很重要。这次地震只有10公里深。很浅，所以震感更强。 [Sarah]: So shallow means closer to us, and we feel it more. Deep means farther away, and we feel it less. Right? zh:所以浅就是离我们近，感觉更强。深就是离得远，感觉更弱。对吗？ [Mike]: Exactly. Think of it like a knock on the door. A knock right behind the door sounds loud. The same knock from three rooms away sounds soft. zh:完全对。就像敲门。门后直接敲很响，隔三个房间敲就很轻。 [Sarah]: That helps a lot. Two new words for me today: epicenter and aftershock. The epicenter is where it starts. The aftershock is what follows. zh:这下明白多了。我今天学到两个新词：epicenter 和 aftershock。epicenter 是起点，aftershock 是后面的余震。 [Mike]: And magnitude tells us how big it is. 7.6 is major. It can destroy buildings near the center and shake cities far away. zh:还有 magnitude 表示有多大。7.6就是大地震。能摧毁震中附近的房子，还能让远方的城市晃动。 [Sarah]: You know what stays with me? That tiny village name. Yesterday nobody knew Pitaloza Arriba. Today the whole world is saying it. zh:你知道我印象最深的是什么吗？那个小村名。昨天没人知道 Pitaloza Arriba，今天全世界都在念它。 [Mike]: And those babies at Santo Tomas hospital. One day their parents will tell them, you were born on the morning the whole country shook. zh:还有圣托马斯医院的宝宝们。有一天他们的父母会告诉他们，你出生在举国震动的那个早上。 [Sarah]: That is a story for life. Okay, friends, have you ever felt an earthquake? What did you do first? Tell us, and see you next time! zh:这是一辈子的故事。好，朋友们，你感受过地震吗？你第一反应是做什么？告诉我们，下期见！

Episode: Anne Carson Wins the 2026 Nobel Literature Prize Duration: approximately 6 minutes Level: B1 (Intermediate) --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, quick question. If you won the biggest prize in the world, where would you want to be when the phone rings? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，问你个问题。如果你赢得了全世界最大的奖，你希望电话打来时自己在哪里？ [Sarah]: At home, I guess. With cake ready. Why? Did someone win something big this week? zh:应该是在家吧，蛋糕都准备好。怎么了？这周有人得了什么大奖吗？ [Mike]: Yes. Yesterday, the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature went to Anne Carson. She is 76, from Canada. And when the Academy called her, she was in Iceland, listening to the wind. zh:有。昨天，2026年诺贝尔文学奖颁给了安妮·卡森。她76岁，加拿大人。而学院给她打电话时，她正在冰岛听风声。 [Sarah]: Listening to the wind? Not waiting by the phone in a suit? That is wonderful. But wait, who is Anne Carson? I do not know her books. zh:听风？不是穿着西装在电话旁等？太有意思了。不过等等，安妮·卡森是谁？我没读过她的书。 [Mike]: Most people have not. She is a poet, but also a professor. She teaches ancient Greek, a language nobody speaks today. And she translates poems that are 2000 years old. zh:大多数人都没读过。她是诗人，也是一名教授。她教古希腊语，一门今天没人说的语言。她还翻译2000年前的诗。 [Sarah]: Oh, so she is a scholar in a quiet library. How did a scholar win the Nobel Prize in Literature? zh:哦，所以她是安静图书馆里的学者。那这样的学者怎么拿到诺贝尔文学奖的？ [Mike]: Here is the fun part. She takes those very old stories and writes about our life today. Love, loneliness, heartbreak. The prize committee praised her bold and inventive work. zh:有意思的就在这里。她拿那些特别古老的故事，写我们今天的生活。爱情、孤独、心碎。评委会称赞她的作品大胆又有创造力。 [Sarah]: Old stories about new feelings? Can you give me one example? My brain needs a picture. zh:用老故事讲新感受？能举个例子吗？我需要个画面。 [Mike]: Sure. Her most famous book is Autobiography of Red, from 1998. The hero comes from a Greek myth. He is a monster with three bodies and red wings. Hercules kills him with one arrow. zh:当然。她最有名的书是1998年的《红的自传》。主角来自希腊神话。他是个有三个身体、红色翅膀的怪物。赫拉克勒斯一箭射死了他。 [Sarah]: A monster as the hero? That is unusual. Most stories make the monster the bad guy. zh:怪物当主角？这不常见。大多数故事都把怪物写成反派。 [Mike]: Exactly, and Carson changes everything. In her book, the monster becomes a shy modern boy. He has small red wings. He hides them at school. His mother is cold. His brother is cruel to him. zh:没错，而卡森改了一切。在她的书里，怪物变成了一个害羞的现代男孩。他有小小的红色翅膀。在学校他把翅膀藏起来。妈妈很冷漠。哥哥对他很坏。 [Sarah]: Oh, that poor boy. So the wings are like something different about you, something you want to hide? zh:哦，这个可怜的男孩。所以翅膀就像是你身上不一样的东西，你想把它藏起来的那种？ [Mike]: You got it. Later he falls in love with Hercules. But Hercules does not love him back. Years later they meet again in another country, and it becomes a painful love triangle. The story ends near a volcano. zh:你说对了。后来他爱上了赫拉克勒斯。但赫拉克勒斯不爱他。多年后他们在异国重逢，变成一段痛苦的三角恋。故事在一座火山前结束。 [Sarah]: A volcano? Why a volcano? That sounds dramatic. zh:火山？为什么是火山？听起来很有戏剧性。 [Mike]: Feelings are like a volcano. Quiet on the outside, burning hot inside. The book takes about 4 hours to read. Many readers say those 4 hours changed how they see poetry. zh:感情就像火山。外面安静，里面滚烫。这本书大概4小时能读完。很多读者说，这4小时改变了他们对诗歌的看法。 [Sarah]: 4 hours? That is shorter than a flight from Beijing to Tokyo. Okay, you sold me on book one. What is book two? zh:4小时？比北京飞东京还短。好，第一本书你把我说动了。第二本是什么？ [Mike]: Book two is The Beauty of the Husband, from 2001. It is about her own failed marriage. 29 short parts. Each part starts with one line from the poet Keats. The wife knows her husband keeps cheating, but she cannot leave him. zh:第二本是2001年的《丈夫之美》。写她自己失败的婚姻。29个短章。每章开头引用诗人济慈的一句诗。妻子知道丈夫一直在出轨，却离不开他。 [Sarah]: Ouch. That hurts to hear. And the book asks a hard question, right? How does one person get power over another person? zh:哎呀。听着就疼。这本书问了一个很难的问题，对吧？一个人是怎么获得对另一个人的权力的？ [Mike]: Yes! That is the exact question in the book. And this book won the T. S. Eliot Prize. Carson was the first woman to win it. zh:对！这正是书里的问题。而且这本书拿了T.S.艾略特诗歌奖。卡森是第一位拿到这个奖的女性。 [Sarah]: The first woman? I love that detail. So both books are really about the same thing: how love can trap us. zh:第一位女性？我喜欢这个细节。所以两本书其实讲的是同一件事：爱怎么把人困住。 [Mike]: You said it better than I could. One book uses a myth. The other uses a marriage. Same heart. zh:你说得比我好。一本用神话，一本用婚姻。同一颗心。 [Sarah]: So why did she win this year? Was she famous for a long time? zh:那她为什么今年获奖？她出名很久了吗？ [Mike]: For years. Like the Japanese writer Murakami, her name comes up every October. In 2020 the prize went to another poet, Louise Gluck, so people thought Carson had to wait. This year the wait ended. zh:很多年了。跟日本作家村上春树一样，每年10月都会提到她。2020年奖给了另一位诗人露易丝·格吕克，所以大家觉得卡森还得等。今年等待结束了。 [Sarah]: Better late than never. She is 76, after all. Did she say anything about winning? zh:迟到总比不到好。毕竟她76岁了。她获奖后说了什么吗？ [Mike]: The Academy secretary said Carson felt surprised and very happy. She did not have much time to talk. She only said she was in Iceland, listening to the wind. zh:学院秘书说，卡森又惊讶又开心。她没时间多聊。只说自己在冰岛听风声。 [Sarah]: There it is again, the wind. You know what? A woman who listens to the wind is exactly the person who can hear a 2000-year-old poem and turn it into a love story today. zh:又是风。你知道吗？一个会听风的人，正是能听见2000年前的诗、把它变成今天爱情故事的人。 [Mike]: That is a beautiful way to put it. One more number for you. The prize is 12 million Swedish kronor. And she is only the 19th woman to win the literature prize in more than 120 years. zh:你说得真好。再给你一个数字。奖金是1200万瑞典克朗。而且120多年来，她只是第19位获奖女性。 [Sarah]: Only 19? That number says a lot. Okay, last question. If our listeners read only one book, which one? zh:才19位？这个数字说明了很多。好，最后一个问题。如果听众只读一本，读哪本？ [Mike]: Start with Autobiography of Red. Read it like a story, not like homework. A boy with wings, learning to live with being different. If the volcano part makes you stop and think, the book has done its job. zh:从《红的自传》开始。把它当故事读，别当作业。一个长翅膀的男孩，学着跟自己的不一样相处。如果读到火山那段你停下来想了想，这本书就算成功了。 [Sarah]: A boy with wings. I will remember that picture. Thanks, Mike. And thank you for listening, everyone. What old story would you rewrite for today? Tell us, and see you next time! zh:长翅膀的男孩。这个画面我记住了。谢谢Mike。也谢谢大家收听。你会把哪个老故事改写成今天？告诉我们，下期见！

Episode: Plague in Siberia: A Lab Death Mystery Duration: approximately 7 minutes Level: B1 (Intermediate) --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, when you hear the word plague, what comes to your mind? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，当你听到鼠疫这个词，你会想到什么？ [Sarah]: Honestly? Old history books. The Black Death, long ago. Not news from this week. Why? Did something happen? zh:说实话？古老的历史书。黑死病，很久以前的事。不是这周的新闻。怎么了？出什么事了吗？ [Mike]: Something strange happened in Siberia. A young lab worker died, and suddenly nearly 200 people are under medical watch. zh:西伯利亚发生了一件奇怪的事。一名年轻的实验室工作人员去世，突然有近200人被医学观察。 [Sarah]: Wait, 200 people watched? Because of one death? That sounds serious. Where exactly? zh:等等，200人被观察？因为一例死亡？听起来很严重。具体在哪里？ [Mike]: In Irkutsk, a region in eastern Siberia. She was in her late 20s. She worked at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute. She died on Oct 2 with severe pneumonia. zh:在西伯利亚东部的伊尔库茨克地区。她二十多岁。她在伊尔库茨克反鼠疫研究所工作。她在10月2日因重症肺炎去世。 [Sarah]: An anti-plague institute? So her job was to study plague? That makes it even stranger. zh:反鼠疫研究所？所以她的工作就是研究鼠疫？这就更奇怪了。 [Mike]: Exactly. Local media said it may involve a broken test tube. They said she might have been infected during lab work. But that part is not officially confirmed. zh:没错。当地媒体说可能与一支破裂的试管有关。他们说她可能在实验工作中被感染。但这部分还没有官方证实。 [Sarah]: Oh no. A broken tube sounds like a movie scene. What did the local leaders say? zh:天哪。试管破裂听起来像电影情节。当地官员怎么说？ [Mike]: The head of nearby Buryatia, Alexei Tsydenov, said she died from a form of plague. But he also said she did not travel to his region. So two stories started to spread. zh:附近布里亚特的负责人阿列克谢·齐杰诺夫说，她死于某种形式的鼠疫。但他也说她没有去过他的地区。于是两种说法开始流传。 [Sarah]: That is confusing. One side says plague, the other side says what? zh:这让人困惑。一边说是鼠疫，另一边说什么？ [Mike]: The health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said it was pneumonia of unknown origin. They said the situation in Irkutsk is stable. They also said they found no dangerous germs linked to her work. zh:卫生监督机构说这是不明原因肺炎。他们说伊尔库茨克的情况稳定。他们还说没有发现与她工作相关的危险病菌。 [Sarah]: So one office says plague, another says no germs found. Who should we believe? What about the 200 contacts? zh:所以一个机构说是鼠疫，另一个说没发现病菌。该信谁？那200名接触者呢？ [Mike]: About 189 people were identified as contacts. They are all under observation. The good news is, so far none of them show symptoms. zh:大约189人被确定为接触者。他们都在接受观察。好消息是，到目前为止他们都没有出现症状。 [Sarah]: That is a relief. Did the WHO say anything? They usually follow such cases. zh:这让人松了口气。世界卫生组织说了什么吗？他们通常会跟进这类病例。 [Mike]: Yes. The WHO said it has followed the case since the first media reports. Then on Oct 7, Russia told the WHO there is no plague case. Russia said no high-threat pathogens were found in the contacts. zh:说了。世卫组织说从第一批媒体报道起就一直在跟进。然后在10月7日，俄罗斯告诉世卫组织没有鼠疫病例。俄方说在接触者中没有发现高威胁病原体。 [Sarah]: So the official risk is low now. But people are still worried, right? Plague is such a scary word. zh:所以现在的官方风险是低的。但人们还是担心，对吧？鼠疫这个词太吓人了。 [Mike]: True. Even Donald Trump talked about it on Oct 5. He called it a rough disease. He said America would help Russia if needed. zh:没错。甚至特朗普在10月5日也谈到了这件事。他说这是一种很凶险的疾病。他说如果需要，美国愿意帮助俄罗斯。 [Sarah]: That shows how seriously people take it. Mike, can we slow down? Many listeners may ask, what exactly is plague? zh:这说明大家有多重视。Mike，我们慢一点。很多听众可能会问，鼠疫到底是什么？ [Mike]: Good point. Plague is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. It lives mostly in small mammals like rats, and in their fleas. Think of fleas as tiny taxis for the germ. zh:问得好。鼠疫由一种叫鼠疫耶尔森菌的细菌引起。它主要生活在老鼠这样的小哺乳动物和它们身上的跳蚤里。可以把跳蚤想象成细菌的微型出租车。 [Sarah]: Tiny taxis. Yuck, but easy to remember. I heard there are two main forms. Is that right? zh:微型出租车。好恶心，但很好记。我听说主要有两种类型，对吗？ [Mike]: Right. The classic one is bubonic plague. That was the Black Death in the 14th century. It causes painful swollen areas called buboes. It usually does not spread from person to person. zh:对。经典的一种是腺鼠疫。就是14世纪的黑死病。它会引起疼痛的肿块，叫淋巴结肿。它通常不会在人与人之间传播。 [Sarah]: And the other form is more dangerous? The one in the news? zh:另一种更危险？就是新闻里这种？ [Mike]: Yes, pneumonic plague. It infects the lungs. A person can catch it by breathing in tiny infectious drops. That is why health workers watch it more closely. zh:对，肺鼠疫。它感染肺部。一个人吸入微小的感染飞沫就可能中招。这就是卫生人员更加关注它的原因。 [Sarah]: Breathing in. That does sound scarier. Is it still common today? I thought it was gone. zh:通过呼吸感染。听起来确实更可怕。现在还常见吗？我以为它已经消失了。 [Mike]: It never left. There are still about 2000 cases around the world every year. Most can be cured with common antibiotics if doctors act fast. Speed is everything. zh:它从没消失。全球每年仍有大约2000例。如果医生行动够快，大多数用普通抗生素就能治好。速度就是一切。 [Sarah]: 2000 cases a year? That is more than I expected. Where do they happen? zh:每年2000例？比我想象的多。都发生在哪里？ [Mike]: In places where wild rodents carry the germ. Even in the western parts of the US. Animal plague exists on every continent except Oceania. But human cases do not happen everywhere. zh:在野生啮齿动物携带病菌的地方。甚至包括美国西部。动物鼠疫存在于除大洋洲以外的每个大洲。但并不是到处都有人发病。 [Sarah]: Wow, even in America. How easily does it spread between people? Like COVID? zh:哇，美国也有。它在人与人之间传播有多快？像新冠那样吗？ [Mike]: Experts say no. One professor in London said it is fairly transmissible, but not as transmissible as COVID. Still, he warned about drug-resistant strains. If a lab works with such a strain, treatment gets harder. zh:专家说没有。一位伦敦的教授说它有一定传播性，但不如新冠。不过他提醒要注意耐药菌株。如果实验室研究的是这类菌株，治疗会更难。 [Sarah]: Ah, that explains the worry about a lab case. So why do labs keep studying such a dangerous germ? zh:啊，这就解释了为什么实验室病例让人担心。那实验室为什么还要研究这么危险的病菌？ [Mike]: Mostly to make better vaccines. For soldiers, for doctors, for people in areas where plague still appears. You have to understand the enemy to fight it. zh:主要是为了研制更好的疫苗。为了士兵，为了医生，为了鼠疫仍会出现地区的人们。要打败敌人，就得先了解它。 [Sarah]: You have to understand the enemy. That is a good line. And maybe that is the strange part of this story. zh:要打败敌人，就得先了解它。这句话说得好。也许这正是这个故事最奇怪的地方。 [Mike]: How do you mean? zh:你指什么？ [Sarah]: The safest place should be the lab that fights plague. Yet this time, the scare started inside that very building. The guard house became the mystery house. zh:最安全的地方本该是研究鼠疫的实验室。可这一次，风波恰恰从这栋楼里开始。岗哨变成了谜屋。 [Mike]: That is a sharp way to put it. And here is the quiet lesson I take. Plague is not a ghost from history. It is still out there in nature. What changed is us. We now have antibiotics, labs, and fast alerts. zh:这个说法很犀利。我从中看到一个安静的道理。鼠疫不是历史里的幽灵。它还在大自然里。变的是我们。我们现在有了抗生素、实验室和快速预警。 [Sarah]: So the real question is not will plague return, but how fast we respond when it knocks. Thanks for listening to Learn English with Podcasts. If a scary headline pops up this week, will you panic, or will you check the facts first? Tell us, and see you next time. zh:所以真正的问题不是鼠疫会不会回来，而是它敲门时我们反应有多快。感谢收听 Learn English with Podcasts。如果这周看到吓人的新闻，你会恐慌，还是先查事实？告诉我们，下期见。

Episode: Wang Ying at 67: 1200 Birds After Cancer Duration: approximately 5 minutes Level: B1 (Intermediate) --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, if a doctor gave you bad news just before retirement, what would you do? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，如果在退休前夕医生告诉你一个坏消息，你会怎么做？ [Sarah]: Oh, that sounds scary. I think I would just stay home and worry. Why do you ask? zh:哦，听起来很可怕。我可能会待在家里发愁。你为什么这么问？ [Mike]: Because today we will meet Wang Ying. She is 67 years old. She worked as a teacher in Kunming, Yunnan. Now she is a bird photographer. zh:因为今天我们要认识王英。她67岁。她曾在云南昆明的一所学校任职。现在她是一名鸟类生态摄影师。 [Sarah]: A bird photographer at 67? That is cool. How did she start? zh:67岁的鸟类摄影师？太酷了。她是怎么开始的？ [Mike]: It started with a shock. In 2013, just before retirement, doctors found she had thyroid cancer. She felt her world went dark. zh:一切从一个打击开始。2013年，就在退休前夕，医生查出她得了甲状腺癌。她觉得天都塌了。 [Sarah]: Oh no. Right before retirement. That is the worst timing. What did she do? zh:天哪。就在退休前。这个时间太糟了。她做了什么？ [Mike]: She did something wild. She spent 150,000 yuan and went to Antarctica for one month. Alone, with her camera. zh:她做了一个大胆的决定。她花了150,000元，去南极待了一个月。一个人，带着相机。 [Sarah]: Wait, 150,000 yuan for one trip? That is almost all her savings. And Antarctica is freezing cold! zh:等等，一趟旅行花150,000元？那几乎是全部积蓄。而且南极冷得要命！ [Mike]: Exactly. The boat ride was long and bumpy. The wind was strong. It was far from comfortable. But she had one clear goal. zh:没错。船程又长又颠。风很大。一点也不舒服。但她有一个明确的目标。 [Sarah]: What was it? Penguins? zh:是什么？企鹅吗？ [Mike]: Yes. She wanted just one shot. A mother penguin coming back to feed her baby. In the snow, in heavy wind. Everyone else left. She stayed alone in minus temperatures and waited. zh:对。她只想拍一个镜头。企鹅妈妈回来喂小企鹅的镜头。顶着风雪。别人都走了。只有她一个人在零下几十度里坚持等。 [Sarah]: Wow. She waited alone in the snow? Did she get it? zh:哇。她一个人在雪里等？拍到了吗？ [Mike]: She got it. She said she was so happy. That one photo made the whole hard trip worth it. zh:拍到了。她说她太高兴了。就这张照片，让整趟艰难的旅行都值了。 [Sarah]: That is touching. But what about the cancer? Did the trip change anything? zh:很感人。但癌症呢？这趟旅行改变了什么吗？ [Mike]: And guess what. Right after she came back, she went for a check. The doctor said the tumor got smaller. After only one month. zh:猜怎么着。从南极一回来，她就去肿瘤医院检查。医生说她的肿瘤变小了。只过了一个月。 [Sarah]: Smaller? After one month? So no surgery? zh:变小了？才一个月？那不用手术了？ [Mike]: Right. The doctor said no surgery for now, just watch it. Wang Ying said that gave her hope for life. She felt she came back to life. zh:对。医生说暂时不用手术，继续观察。王英说，这给了她生的希望。她觉得自己又活过来了。 [Sarah]: I can feel that. Sometimes hope is the best medicine. So what did she do after she recovered? zh:我能感受到。有时候希望就是最好的药。那她恢复之后做了什么？ [Mike]: She picked up her camera and never put it down. Now at 67, she spends most of the year traveling with a big camera. Her savings became long lenses. Climbing mountains took the place of beauty treatments. zh:她拿起相机就再没放下。如今67岁的她，每年大半时间都扛着相机在外面跑。积蓄变成了长枪短炮。跋山涉水代替了护肤保养。 [Sarah]: Ha, I love that. Cameras instead of face cream. How far has she gone? zh:哈哈，我喜欢这个说法。相机代替面霜。她走了多远？ [Mike]: In more than ten years after retirement, she traveled across China and visited more than 30 countries. She photographed nearly 1200 kinds of birds. zh:退休十几年，她走遍了全中国，还走过了30多个国家。拍下了近1200种鸟。 [Sarah]: 1200 kinds? That is amazing. I can only name maybe ten birds. Pigeon, sparrow, and... chicken? zh:1200种？太厉害了。我大概只能说出十种鸟。鸽子、麻雀，还有……鸡？ [Mike]: And your lunch does not count. But think about it. 1200 kinds means early mornings, cold rain, long waits. Every photo is patience. zh:你吃的鸡可不算。不过想想看。1200种意味着无数个早起、冷雨和漫长等待。每张照片都是耐心。 [Sarah]: True. So what is next for her? At 67, will she slow down? zh:说得对。那她接下来呢？67岁了，会慢下来吗？ [Mike]: Not at all. She already booked trips for this year and next year. America, Peru, and Africa. She said, the more places you visit, the more you see. Then you learn to let go and stop worrying about small things. zh:完全不会。她已经预订了今年和明年的行程。美国、秘鲁，还有非洲。她说，走的地方多了，见的东西多了，看淡了，想开了，有些东西就不会再计较了。 [Sarah]: The more you see, the less you worry. That is a beautiful line. I guess travel gave her a new way to look at life. zh:见得越多，计较得越少。这句话真美。我想旅行给了她看待生活的新方式。 [Mike]: She spent so much on travel that she has no savings left for skincare. But her photos of 1200 birds? No face cream can give you that glow. zh:她把钱都花在旅行上，没钱做保养了。但她拍的1200种鸟？什么面霜都给不了那种光彩。 [Sarah]: So next time I want to complain about getting old, I will think of Wang Ying with her big camera in the snow. Thanks for listening to Learn English with Podcasts. Who would you photograph if you traveled for ten years? Tell us, see you next time. zh:所以下次我想抱怨变老时，我会想起扛着大相机站在雪里的王英。感谢收听 Learn English with Podcasts。如果旅行十年，你最想拍什么？告诉我们，下期见。

Episode: Sunshine Act: Should Clocks Stop Changing? Duration: approximately 7 minutes Level: B1 (Intermediate) --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, imagine you wake up on Sunday, and your clock says 1 a.m. twice in one night. Confusing, right? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，想象一下，周日早上醒来，你的时钟在一晚上出现了两次凌晨1点。很混乱吧？ [Sarah]: Twice? That sounds like time travel. Did my phone break? zh:两次？听起来像时间旅行。是我手机坏了吗？ [Mike]: No, your phone is fine. That is daylight saving time ending. In most of the US, on November 1, at 2 a.m., clocks go back to 1 a.m. One extra hour of sleep. zh:不，手机没坏。那是夏令时结束。在美国大部分地区，11月1日凌晨2点，时钟拨回凌晨1点。多睡一小时。 [Sarah]: Ah, the famous spring forward, fall back. In spring we move clocks forward one hour, in fall we move them back. But why do we do this at all? zh:啊，著名的春天拨快、秋天拨回。春天把钟拨快一小时，秋天再拨回来。但我们为什么要这么做？ [Mike]: Good question. The idea is simple. Move sunlight to the evening. In summer, you get light until 8 or 9 p.m. People can shop, play, and use less lamp light. zh:问得好。想法很简单。把阳光移到晚上。夏天晚上八九点天还亮。人们可以逛街、玩耍，少开灯。 [Sarah]: So it started to save energy? Like save candles long ago, and save electricity later? zh:所以一开始是为了省能源？比如很久以前省蜡烛，后来省电？ [Mike]: Exactly. It became popular during the First World War. Later, the US made rules. Now clocks go forward on the second Sunday in March, and back on the first Sunday in November. zh:没错。它在第一次世界大战期间流行起来。后来美国定了规则。现在每年三月第二个周日拨快，十一月第一个周日拨回。 [Sarah]: That explains one thing for our listeners in China. From November 2, US stocks trade from 22:30 to 5:00 Beijing time. One hour later than before. zh:这就解释了一件事。中国听众注意，从11月2日起，美股交易时间变成北京时间22点30到次日5点。比之前晚了一小时。 [Mike]: Right. One small clock change moves money, meetings, and sleep. And that is why President 川普 says this whole thing is ridiculous. zh:对。小小的拨钟会影响金钱、会议和睡眠。所以特朗普总统说这整件事很荒唐。 [Sarah]: He really hates it? What did he say? zh:他真这么讨厌？他说了什么？ [Mike]: Last Saturday, he talked to reporters for only five minutes. He spent more than half the time on this. He said it makes everyone confused. zh:上周六，他和记者只聊了五分钟。有一多半时间都在抱怨这件事。他说这把所有人都搞晕了。 [Sarah]: Confused about what? Missing meetings? zh:什么搞晕了？开会迟到吗？ [Mike]: Yes. He said shorter afternoon light makes people late for meetings and dinner. And for golf lovers, after fourteen holes, it is already too dark. A normal game has eighteen holes. zh:对。他说下午天黑得早，让人开会、吃晚饭迟到。对高尔夫爱好者来说，打完十四洞天就黑了。正常一轮要打十八洞。 [Sarah]: Wait, fourteen holes? That sounds so personal. He really loves golf. zh:等等，十四洞？这理由太个人了吧。他是真爱高尔夫。 [Mike]: He does. But it is not only about golf. On July 14, the House passed a law called the Sunshine Protection Act. The vote was 308 to 117. It wants permanent daylight saving time. No more clock changes. zh:他确实爱。但不只是高尔夫。7月14日，众议院通过了一部叫《阳光保护法案》的法律。投票是308比117。想永久实行夏令时。再也不拨钟了。 [Sarah]: 308 to 117? That is a big win. So it is done? zh:308比117？大胜啊。那不是成了？ [Mike]: Not yet. It is stuck in the Senate. And one man blocking it is Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas. He is from Trump's own party. zh:还没。它卡在参议院了。其中一个阻挠的人是阿肯色州参议员汤姆·科顿。他还是特朗普自己党的人。 [Sarah]: Oh, that is awkward. Friends fighting. What did Trump do? zh:哦，这就尴尬了。朋友打架。特朗普做了什么？ [Mike]: He posted online. He said, my friend Cotton is blocking a very important bill. He asked people in Arkansas to call Cotton and change his mind. Then he posted what he said was Cotton's personal phone number. zh:他在网上发帖。他说，我的朋友科顿在阻挠一项非常重要的法案。他让阿肯色州人民给科顿打电话，劝他改变立场。然后他公开了据称是科顿的个人手机号。 [Sarah]: His real phone number? That is wild. Did people really call? zh:真实手机号？太猛了。真有人打吗？ [Mike]: Local news said yes. Two officials confirmed it was really his number. Now that phone goes straight to voicemail. zh:当地媒体说有。两名官员证实那确实是他的号码。现在那个电话直接转语音留言了。 [Sarah]: Poor Cotton. How did he answer? zh:可怜的科顿。他怎么回应的？ [Mike]: He said he also dislikes changing clocks. But full-year daylight saving means winter mornings stay dark longer. Many people must go to work and school in the dark. zh:他说他也不喜欢每年调表。但全年夏令时意味着冬天早上天亮更晚。很多人要摸黑上班上学。 [Sarah]: As a parent, I get that. He said people in Arkansas do not want their kids to go to school in total darkness. He will always put Arkansas first. zh:作为家长，我能理解。他说阿肯色人不想让孩子摸黑上学。他会始终把阿肯色州放在首位。 [Mike]: And Trump hit back fast. He said, if you really put Arkansas first, support this bill. Give Republicans a Senate win. You need it, our beloved party needs it. zh:特朗普迅速回击。他说，如果你真把阿肯色州放在首位，就该支持这项法案。给共和党一次参议院的胜利吧。你需要它，我们深爱的党也需要它。 [Sarah]: So it is not only about time. It is about politics now. Is Cotton alone? zh:所以现在不只是时间问题。是政治问题了。只有科顿反对吗？ [Mike]: No. Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana said this week the bill is already dead. He thinks the Senate leader John Thune will not even bring it to a vote. zh:不是。路易斯安那州参议员约翰·肯尼迪本周说这法案已经没戏了。他认为参议院领袖约翰·图恩根本不会把它拿出来表决。 [Sarah]: Interesting. Has America tried permanent daylight saving before? It sounds familiar. zh:有意思。美国以前试过永久夏令时吗？听起来很耳熟。 [Mike]: Yes, and it failed in less than a year. During the 1973 oil crisis, America wanted to save electricity. Congress passed a law in December 1973. The trial started on January 6, 1974. zh:试过，不到一年就失败了。1973年石油危机时，美国想省电。国会在1973年12月通过法律。1974年1月6日开始试行。 [Sarah]: More light in the evening, less lamp use. Did it work? zh:晚上多一小时光，少开灯。有效果吗？ [Mike]: Evenings were brighter, but winter mornings became much darker. Parents worried about kids waiting for school buses in the dark. Support fell fast, from 79% in December 1973 to 42% in February 1974. zh:晚上是亮了，但冬天早晨变得更黑。家长担心孩子摸黑等校车。支持率掉得飞快，从1973年12月的79%跌到1974年2月的42%。 [Sarah]: From 79% to 42% in two months? That is a huge drop. zh:两个月从79%跌到42%？掉得太狠了。 [Mike]: Right. Congress gave up. In October 1974, they changed the law back. From October 27 to February 23, America used standard time again, then switched back to daylight saving. The all-year plan did not survive one year. zh:对。国会放弃了。1974年10月，他们改回法律。从10月27日到次年2月23日，美国恢复用标准时间，再切回夏令时。全年计划连一年都没撑住。 [Sarah]: So fifty years later, we are having the same argument. Dark evenings or dark mornings? You cannot have both. zh:所以五十年后，我们在吵同一个问题。要么晚上黑，要么早上黑。你不可能都要。 [Mike]: Exactly. You can move the clock, but you cannot move the sun. Take one hour from the morning, give it to the evening. Someone will always be unhappy. zh:没错。你能拨动时钟，但拨不动太阳。从早上拿走一小时，给晚上。总有人不高兴。 [Sarah]: And this time, the fight even includes a phone number on the internet. Mike, if someone posted your number, would you change your mind? zh:而这一次，争吵里还多了一个被挂到网上的手机号。Mike，如果有人公开你的号码，你会改主意吗？ [Mike]: I would just change my number. And keep my golf clubs ready. Thanks for listening to Learn English with Podcasts. Tell us, do you prefer bright mornings or bright evenings? See you next time. zh:我只会换个号码。顺便把高尔夫球杆准备好。感谢收听 Learn English with Podcasts。告诉我们，你更喜欢明亮的早晨还是明亮的傍晚？下期见。

Episode: Qilian: 100,000 Tourists, One Small County Duration: approximately 7 minutes Level: B1 (Intermediate) --- [Mike]: Welcome back to Learn English with Podcasts! Sarah, what would you do if you traveled far for a holiday, but every hotel was full? zh:欢迎回到 Learn English with Podcasts！Sarah，如果你大老远去度假，却发现每家酒店都满房了，你会怎么办？ [Sarah]: Oh no. That sounds terrible. I would probably sleep in my car. Did that really happen somewhere? zh:哦不。那太可怕了。我可能会睡在车里。真有这种事吗？ [Mike]: Yes, in Qilian. It is a small county in Qinghai, in western China. Only about 50,000 people live there. zh:有，在祁连。那是青海的一个小县城，在中国西部。常住人口只有约5万人。 [Sarah]: Only 50,000 people? That is really small. What happened there? zh:只有5万人？那真是个小地方。那里发生了什么？ [Mike]: On October 3, more than 100,000 tourists arrived in one day. There were about 35,000 cars. All 400 hotels in the county were full. Fully booked means no free rooms at all. zh:10月3日，一天就涌入了超10万游客。车流约3.5万辆。全县400多家酒店全部满房。Fully booked 就是一间空房都没有。 [Sarah]: Wow, 100,000 visitors in a town of 50,000. That is twice the local population. Where did all those people sleep? zh:哇，5万人的小城来了10万游客。是本地人口的两倍。这么多人睡哪儿？ [Mike]: That is the kind part of the story. The local tourism office opened free beds in student dorms. The dorms had heating. Outside it was minus 4 degrees, with rain and snow on the mountains. zh:这就是故事温暖的部分。当地文旅部门开放了免费的学生宿舍。宿舍里有暖气。而外面只有零下4度，山上还在下雨下雪。 [Sarah]: Sleeping in a warm school dorm on a freezing night? That actually sounds nice. Was it really free? zh:在寒冷的夜晚睡进温暖的学生宿舍？听起来其实不错。真的免费吗？ [Mike]: Totally free. One visitor, Lin Bin, came from Xian. He could not find a room anywhere. Then he saw a notice from Qilian tourism and called them. That night he moved into a middle school. zh:完全免费。一位叫林彬的游客从西安来。哪儿都找不到房间。后来他看到祁连文旅的公告，就打了电话。当晚他就住进了祁连县民族中学。 [Sarah]: What was the room like? zh:房间是什么样的？ [Mike]: Four people in one room. The staff gave them completely new bedding. Another family searched for 3 hours with no luck. Then a local man helped them call the tourism office. In half an hour, they went from homeless to warm beds. zh:一间房住4个人。工作人员发放了全新的床上用品。还有一家人找了3小时没找到。在当地一位大哥的帮助下打通了文旅局的电话。半小时内，他们就从无家可归住进了暖和的宿舍。 [Sarah]: Half an hour? That is fast. How many calls did the office get that night? zh:半小时？真快。那晚办公室接了多少电话？ [Mike]: From October 3 to 2:30 the next morning, they got 510 calls for help. That was more than 800 visitors. About 453 people slept in 2 schools. Another 200 people found rooms through villages and returned hotel rooms. zh:从10月3日到次日凌晨2时30分，他们接到510个求助电话。涉及800多名游客。约453人住进了2所学校。另有200人通过乡村接待点和酒店退订房源得到安置。 [Sarah]: That is a lot of work in one night. Who answered all those calls? zh:一晚上这么多工作。都是谁在接电话？ [Mike]: A worker named Chen. He said from 17:30 to midnight, they took more than 400 calls. They wrote every call on paper notes: phone number, group size, men and women. Then they sent photos to hotel groups and school teams. zh:一位姓陈的工作人员。他说从17时30分到午夜，他们接了400多个电话。他们把每个电话手写在便签上：电话、人数、男女组成。再拍照发到酒店群和学校安置群。 [Sarah]: 400 calls in 7 hours? They could not even stop for dinner, right? zh:7小时400多个电话？连晚饭都吃不上了吧？ [Mike]: Right. Their boss ordered hamburgers for them. Chen ate one hamburger for 2 hours. He just had no time to eat. To take notes means to write down key information quickly. zh:对。局长给他们点了外卖。陈先生一个汉堡吃了两个小时。根本没时间吃。To take notes 就是快速记下关键信息。 [Sarah]: I feel tired just hearing that. And what did the boss do? Just give orders in the office? zh:光听着我就觉得累。那他们的局长呢？只在办公室指挥吗？ [Mike]: No, she was making beds. Her name is Feng Lingling. She leads the local tourism office. On October 2 and 3, she worked inside the school dorms. There is a video of her putting new quilts on beds and carrying bags for visitors. zh:没有，她在铺床。她叫冯玲玲，是当地文旅局局长。10月2日和3日，她都在学校宿舍一线帮忙。有段视频拍到她给游客铺被褥、搬行李。 [Sarah]: The tourism chief herself making beds? That is unusual. What else did she do? zh:文旅局长亲自铺床？真少见。她还做了什么？ [Mike]: She and her team first moved all the students things away and tidied them up. Then they put on fresh bedding from the emergency department. And they told every visitor, one by one, please do not touch the kids things. zh:她带着工作人员先把学生的东西全部收拾好。再铺上从应急部门调来的全新被褥。游客入住时，他们一个个专门嘱咐，请不要动孩子的东西。 [Sarah]: Please do not touch the kids things. That line is so sweet. Did the visitors listen? zh:请不要动孩子的东西。这句话真暖心。游客们听话吗？ [Mike]: Mostly yes. Feng said more than 90 percent of the visitors were very nice. Some even offered to pay for the dorm beds. When they heard it was free, they were so surprised and thankful. zh:基本都听话。冯玲玲说九成以上的游客素质都非常好。有的还主动提出要付钱。听到免费后都非常惊讶，不停道谢。 [Sarah]: I can understand that. Did anything funny or touching happen that night? zh:我能理解。那晚还发生过什么有趣或感人的事吗？ [Mike]: Two small stories. First, one school was full, so they opened a second school. There were several visitors over 80 years old. The staff let them rest in the check-in room first. zh:有两个小故事。第一，一所学校住满了，又安排了另一所学校。有几位80岁以上的老人。工作人员先把他们临时安置在登记的房间里休息。 [Sarah]: That was kind. Then the staff had to work in that room all night? zh:真贴心。那工作人员不是要在那个房间忙一整夜？ [Mike]: Yes. Later the staff wanted to move to the hallway, so the old people could sleep well. But the old visitors said, it is too cold outside, stay here, we do not mind. In the end, the staff still moved out to the hallway. zh:对。后来工作人员担心影响老人休息，准备搬到楼道里登记。但老人们说，外面太冷了，就在屋里吧，不吵。最后，工作人员还是搬到了楼道里。 [Sarah]: Oh, both sides were thinking of each other. What is the second story? zh:哦，双方都在为对方着想。第二个故事呢？ [Mike]: One worker carried things all night and ate nothing. He almost fainted from low blood sugar. Low blood sugar means your body needs food fast, or you feel weak. A visitor gave him 2 mooncakes, and he felt better. zh:一位同事一直忙着搬东西没吃饭，低血糖差点晕倒。Low blood sugar 就是身体急需吃东西，否则会发软发晕。一位游客给了他两个月饼，他才缓过来。 [Sarah]: The visitors took care of the helpers, too. That night, when did Feng and her team finally go home? zh:游客也在照顾工作人员。那晚冯玲玲他们几点才回家？ [Mike]: Around 2:40 in the morning. Feng said they thought holiday crowds would be like a normal busy summer. July and August are the busy season there. But this year, one popular road, Route 9, became famous online. So many more people came for the long holiday. zh:凌晨2时40分左右。冯玲玲说，本来以为十一人流最多和旺季持平。那里旺季一般是7月和8月。但今年9号公路在网上火了，所以十一来了特别多的人。 [Sarah]: Ah, one famous road brought 100,000 people. So what can we learn from Qilian? zh:啊，一条网红公路带来了10万人。那我们能从祁连学到什么？ [Mike]: Maybe this. Good service is not big words. It is 400 phone calls answered, one bed made at a time, and one hamburger eaten over 2 hours. Go the extra mile means to do more than people expect. zh:也许是这个。好的服务不是大话。是400个电话一个个接，一张张床铺好，一个汉堡吃上两小时。Go the extra mile 就是做超出别人预期的事。 [Sarah]: And the warmest hotel that night was not a hotel at all. It was a school, with new quilts, heating, and a chief making your bed. Would you like that kind of night, Mike? zh:而那晚最暖的酒店根本不是酒店。而是一所学校，有新被褥、有暖气，还有局长帮你铺床。Mike，你想体验这样的夜晚吗？ [Mike]: If the mooncakes are included, yes. Thanks for listening to Learn English with Podcasts. Tell us, what is the kindest help you got on a trip? See you next time. zh:如果还有月饼吃，可以啊。感谢收听 Learn English with Podcasts。告诉我们，你旅行中得到过最暖心的帮助是什么？下期见。