时代周刊:我在新冠期间遇到的5个人(1)

The five people you meet in a pandemic

新冠期间遇到的五个人

I did not start walking around my neighborhood to meet people. I went outside for the same reason Pleistocene-era humans did: air, food, and cave fever. But I also did not start walking around my neighborhood to not meet people. I understood the necessity and luxury of working from home, but I dreaded¹ the dreariness². There are only so many new places to set up your computer before you get bored enough to start talking to the Roomba. I needed to find humans. Not just faces on screens.

我开始在社区里走来走去，不是为了看见别人。我出去的原因和更新世时期的人类一样：空气、食物和洞穴热。但也并不是说我开始在附近走动不是为了看见别人。我理解在家工作的必要性和奢侈，但我害怕这种乏味。在你无聊到开始和Roomba(一种家用机器人)说话之前，可以设置电脑的新地方也就那些。我需要找到人类，而不仅仅是屏幕上的脸。

The year 2020 will go down as a tough one for people who were elderly, who were young, who were children, who were parents, who had parents, who were grandparents, who lived alone, who lived with others, who were married, who worked from home, who didn't work from home. But there's one other group whose difficulties should not be ignored: extroverts⁴. For a start, extroverts hate being ignored. And second, it has been a big shock for us outgoing types; until the pandemic, society was set up to favor those who liked group work. Now our desire for human company can make us a menace.

对于那些上了年纪的人，年轻人，孩子，父母，有父母的人，祖父母，独居的人，和别人住在一起的人，已婚的人，在家工作的人，不在家工作的人来说，2020年会是艰难的一年。但还有另外一个群体的困难不应该被忽视：性格外向者。首先，外向的人讨厌被忽视。其次，这对我们这些外向的人来说是一个巨大的冲击。在大流行之前，社会的建立是为了帮助那些喜欢集体工作的人。现在，我们与人为伴的渴望可能会使我们成为一种威胁。

Since I couldn't have people over, I went to them. I took my raging inner social butterfly and started to say hello to anyone in my vicinity. One of the first was the mailman. He has been our mailman for years, but his workday and mine overlapped⁵, and I rarely saw him. Suddenly I was encountering him all the time, because a) the pandemic has led to more deliveries, b) we are more likely to be home when they arrive and c) getting the mail now counts as an adventure. After a while, I learned his name was Archimedes.

因为我无法请别人过来，所以我就自己去了。我带着内心愤怒的交际花开始和附近的人打招呼。其中一个是邮差，他多年来一直是我们的邮差，但他的工作时间和我的工作时间重叠，所以我很少看见他。突然间我开始经常碰到他，因为a)大流行导致邮件增多，b)他们来的时候我们在家的可能性更高，还有c)现在收到邮件算是一种冒险。一段时间之后我知道了他的名字，叫阿基米德。

Basking⁶ in the joy of knowing someone with a name as redolent of human history as Archimedes got me through at least three more days of homebound humdrum⁷. Unfortunately for Archimedes, my name is nowhere near as memorable⁸, and Archimedes talks to dozens of customers a day, whereas I know only one mail carrier, and his name is Archimedes. Every time I see Archimedes on the street, I greet Archimedes like an old friend and ask about his (Archimedes') wife. Archimedes looks a bit stricken, as if he just got out of the bath and found me waiting there before discovering either how to measure density⁹ or where his towel was. I want to say to Archimedes, "Don't worry. You don't need to remember my name. I'm an extrovert³, Archimedes."

我沉浸在认识一个有着与阿基米德一样令人联想起人类历史的名字的人的喜悦中，这让我至少又熬过了3天乏味的回家之旅。不幸的是，对阿基米德来说，我的名字一点也不值得纪念，阿基米德每天都要和几十个客户交谈，而我只认识一个邮递员，他的名字就是阿基米德。每次我在街上看到阿基米德，我都会像老朋友一样跟他打招呼，问他(阿基米德的)妻子怎么样。阿基米德看起来有点懵，好像他在发现如何测量密度或者发现毛巾在哪里之前刚从浴池里出来，然后发现我在那里等着。我想对阿基米德说：“没事，你不需要记住我的名字。我比较外向，阿基米德。”

1 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

2 dreariness   

沉寂，可怕，凄凉

参考例句：

• The park wore an aspect of utter dreariness and ruin. 园地上好久没人收拾，一片荒凉。
• There in the melancholy, in the dreariness, Bertha found a bitter fascination. 在这里，在阴郁、倦怠之中，伯莎发现了一种刺痛人心的魅力。

3 extrovert   

n.性格外向的人

参考例句：

• A good salesman is usually an extrovert,who likes to mingle with people.一个好的推销员通常很外向，喜欢和人们交往。
• Do you think you're an extrovert or introvert?你认为你是个性外向的人还是个性内向的人？

4 extroverts   

性格外向的人( extrovert的名词复数 )； 活跃、愉快、爱交际的人

参考例句：

• In the second half, the students were criticized. Extroverts were unfazed. 在后半部分，举不动时学生要受批评，外向性格的学生表现出不满。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 大脑与疾病
• Extroverts prefer lively conversation to brooding on the meaning of life. 性格外向的人喜欢高谈阔论，而不愿思索人生的意义。

5 overlapped   

_adj.重叠的v.部分重叠( overlap的过去式和过去分词 )；（物体）部份重叠；交叠；（时间上）部份重叠

参考例句：

• His visit and mine overlapped. 他的访问期与我的访问期有几天重叠。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Our visits to the town overlapped. 我们彼此都恰巧到那小城观光。 来自辞典例句

6 basking   

v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽

参考例句：

• We sat basking in the warm sunshine. 我们坐着享受温暖的阳光。
• A colony of seals lay basking in the sun. 一群海豹躺着晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 humdrum   

adj.单调的，乏味的

参考例句：

• Their lives consist of the humdrum activities of everyday existence.他们的生活由日常生存的平凡活动所构成。
• The accountant said it was the most humdrum day that she had ever passed.会计师说这是她所度过的最无聊的一天。

8 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

9 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。