【一起听英语】新年愿望（在线收听）

在新的一年里，人们总是会为自己定下目标，许下愿望，希望在一年里能够实现，你的愿望是什么呢？有决定做到吗？

Jennifer: Hello and a very warm and friendly welcome to the first 6 Minute English

of 2013. My name is Jennifer and with me in the studio for today's

programme is Callum. Happy New Year!

Callum: Hi Jen – happy New Year!

Jennifer: Have you made any New Year's resolutions this year? A resolution is

something that you decide you are going to do for that year – my

resolution is that I'm going to get fit and go to the gym at least twice a

week.

Callum: Well, I don't really believe in making resolutions, as I can never stick to

them, but for the sake of the programme, I'll say that my resolution is to

eat less junk food and to be a bit healthier in general.

Jennifer: That's not a bad idea. But what would you think about becoming kinder in

2013?

Callum: Don't you think I'm kind enough already?

Jennifer: I do think you're quite a kind person, but maybe you could try harder?

Callum: Now, hang on a second!

Jennifer: Before you get cross, listen to today's story – it's all about a study in

America, which has shown that performing a kind act every day can have

lots of benefits for you in your work life and your social life.

Callum: That sounds interesting…

Jennifer: … but before we get to the story, I've got a question for you to answer.

We've talked already about New Year's resolutions, so what is the most

commonly broken resolution – what's the thing that people start out

doing, but then don't continue? Is it:

a) stopping smoking;

b) losing weight and getting fit;

c) travelling

Callum: Well, I'm going to go with b) losing weight and getting fit; I think that's

something that's very difficult for people to actually do.

Jennifer: We'll find out if you're right at the end of the programme. Now, let's take

a closer look at today's story. It's about a study done on schoolchildren in 

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America. They were asked to carry out three random acts of kindness

each week.

Callum: If something is random, it means it's unplanned. So, a random act of

kindness means that you do something for someone that you haven't

planned to do, just to be nice.

Jennifer: It's a lovely idea. But what could a random act of kindness be? Listen to

this first part of a report from BBC correspondent Victoria Gill. See if you

can identify some of the random acts of kindness she mentions.

BBC correspondent Victoria Gill:

This team of psychologists instructed classrooms of nine to eleven-year-old students to

carry out three random acts of kindness per week. These could be anything from giving

a stressed parent a hug to offering to share lunch with a friend.

Jennifer: What random acts of kindness did she mention?

Callum: The first example given was giving a stressed parent a hug. If you're

stressed, you're worried and under pressure.

Jennifer: So that's a random act of kindness that makes you feel good and doesn't

cost anything to do. What other examples were given?

Callum: Offering to share lunch with a friend. Would you be prepared to share

your lunch with me?

Jennifer: No! You said you wanted to lose weight for your New Year's resolution, so

keep your hands off my lunch! Seriously, though, children between the

ages of nine and eleven took part in this kindness study, so what effects

did being kind have on the children? Listen to the second part of Victoria

Gill's report: what positive effects did the study have?

BBC correspondent Victoria Gill:

At the end of the four weeks, these kind acts had boosted the children's wellbeing, but

they'd also shifted the dynamics of the whole classroom. The short period of enforced

kindness made children significantly more popular with their peers; something the

researchers measured by asking every child to nominate classmates that they would

most like to spend time with.

Jennifer: We heard that the acts boosted the children's wellbeing – that means it

made them feel better about themselves. It also changed the dynamics

of the classroom. Can you explain the word 'dynamics', Callum?

Callum: The word 'dynamics' here refers to the feel – the atmosphere - of the

classroom; the things that are important to the people in it and the way

people act. So, being kinder has changed the general feeling in the

classroom, and made it better.

Jennifer: Another positive effect was that children became more popular with their

classmates – so people will like you more if you are kind to them! Let's

hear the final part of the report and see if you can identify an adjective

which describes a kind and selfless act.

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BBC correspondent Victoria Gill:

The researchers say that encouraging schoolchildren to perform small and simple

altruistic acts could make the classroom a happier place, and even help to discourage

social problems such as bullying.

Jennifer: That word was 'altruistic'. If you do something which is altruistic, you do

it to help someone else and not gain anything yourself.

Callum: It's easy to see how performing kind acts can make classrooms or offices

happier places. Maybe we should start doing kind acts in BBC Learning

English for our New Year's Resolution?

Jennifer: Now that's not a bad idea! Speaking of New Year's Resolutions, we're

nearly at the end of the programme, so we have to answer the quiz

question! I asked what the most commonly broken resolution was. Was it:

a) stopping smoking;

b) losing weight and getting fit;

c) travelling more

Callum: And I said b) losing weight and getting fit.

Jennifer: Well you were… wrong, it was a) stopping smoking. According to Time

magazine, only 15% of people who stop smoking in January actually

succeed. But we're not very good at getting fit, either – 60% of gym

memberships taken out in January are never used and people don't stick

to their diets, either.

Callum: Hmm – that's not very good, is it? Well if I'm not going to stick to my

resolution to lose weight, then there is some good news…

Jennifer: What's that?

Callum: You can share your lunch with me after all!

Jennifer: Oh ok! Join us again for another edition of 6 Minute English from

bbclearningenglish.com. Bye for now!

Callum: Bye!