TED演讲：不要一悔再悔(10)

 　　Now there is a case to be made that control freaks and perfectionists should not get tattoos¹, and I'm going to return to that point in a few minutes.  那么有一点就是控制狂和完美主义者千万别纹身,一会儿我会提到这一点。

　　But first I want to say that the intensity² and persistence³ with which we experience these emotional components⁴ of regret is obviously going to vary depending on the specific thing that we're feeling regretful about.  首先是我们体验到的懊悔各阶段的强度和持久度，很显然是取决于后悔的特定对象。

　　So for instance, here's one of my favorite automatic generators⁵ of regret in modern life.  比如这就是一个常常导致我后悔的例子。

　　Right. And the amazing thing about this really insidious⁶ technological⁷ innovation is that even just with this one thing, we can experience a huge range of regret.  是的。这个狡猾的技术发明的奇特之处就是，仅仅是这样一个东西就足够让你无比后悔。

　　You know, you can accidentally hit "reply all" to an email and torpedo⁸ a relationship.  你知道，你可能不小心点了这个按钮，然后断送了一段恋爱。

　　Or you can just have an incredibly embarrassing day at work. Or you can have your last day at work. 或者就是在办公室里羞愧地想钻地洞或者被炒鱿鱼。

　　And this doesn't even touch on the really profound regrets of a life.  这些比起真正的生命中的遗憾完全不算什么。

　　Because of course, sometimes we do make decisions that have irrevocable and terrible consequences,  因为有时候我们的决定会导致无可挽回的结果，

　　either for our own or for other people's health and happiness and livelihoods⁹, and in the very worst case scenario¹⁰, even their lives.  也许是关于自己或者别人的健康、幸福或者生活之类，最严重的是涉及到别人的生命。

　　Now obviously, those kinds of regrets are incredibly piercing and enduring.  很显然那些遗憾会无比痛苦且持久。

　　I mean, even the stupid "reply all" regrets can leave us in a fit of excruciating agony for days. 甚至仅仅是愚蠢的“恢复给所有人”就能折磨我们好几天。

1 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

3 persistence   

n.坚持，持续，存留

参考例句：

• The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
• He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

4 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

5 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 insidious   

adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧

参考例句：

• That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。
• Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。

7 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

8 torpedo   

n.水雷，地雷；v.用鱼雷破坏

参考例句：

• His ship was blown up by a torpedo.他的船被一枚鱼雷炸毁了。
• Torpedo boats played an important role during World War Two.鱼雷艇在第二次世界大战中发挥了重要作用。

9 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

10 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。