雅思口语：relaxation 放松

　　plenty of natural light  很多自然光

　　a window with a view 窗外有风景

　　We might suppose that the best place to think would be a large room with a big desk, plenty of natural light and a window with a view – perhaps onto water or a park. 通常我们会认为最适合思考的地方 莫过于阔房宽桌，再配上温馨的阳光，说不定窗外刚好有流水或者公园。

　　the premise behind the layout of most offices 是大多数办公室的标配

　　This is the premise behind the layout of most offices. The nearer one gets to the top, the closer the nearer one gets to the top, the closer one's work station will approximate to this supposed ideal: in tribute to the quality of thinking that, ideally, one would do there.  这几乎是大多数办公室的标配。位子爬得越高，坐的位置 就越接近这种假想中的状态：如果一个人想要思路清晰， 那就去搞这么一套办公室吧。

　　the way our minds work 大脑运作方式

　　Bosses tend to have big desks and even larger views.But these assumption are not – in fact – really true to the way our minds work.但实际上，我们的脑袋运作 跟这种假设完全不搭边。

　　a cramped desk  狭窄的桌子

　　The primary obstacle to good thinking is not a cramped desk or an uninteresting horizon.脑袋是否灵光跟你那破桌子 还有无趣的品味也完全没关系。

　　profound thoughts  深奥思想

　　It is, first and foremost, anxiety. Often the most profound thoughts we need to grapple with have a potentially disturbing character.首当其冲的，反倒是焦虑不安。通常需要挠头处理的深奥思想 都特容易让人闹心。

　　pinpoint sth. accurately 精准的抓住重害

　　If we were to pinpoint them accurately and get clear about their significance,there could be a risk.如果我们想很精准的抓住重害， 搞清楚重点，会有很大的风险。

　　make some significant and tricky changes to our lives 做重大而棘手的改变

　　We might discover that some of our past, rather cherished, beliefs were not as wise as we'd supposed; we might realise we were previously deeply wrong about something; we might have to make some significant and tricky changes to our lives. 我们会发现过去相当珍视的理念 并非如我们所愿；我们会发现自己曾经错的一塌糊涂也有可能因着些重大而棘手的改变， 我们的命运从此不同。

　　a vigilant part of the self  内心警觉的部分

　　gets agitated 受到刺激

　　distracts us 让我们分心

　　confuses and muddles our train of thought 我们的思路就被搅成了浆糊

　　As these potential implications start to come vaguely into view, our inner censor, motivated by a desire for calm rather than growth, gets alarmed. A vigilant part of the self gets agitated; it distracts us, it makes us feel tired or gives us a strong need to go online. Skilfully, it confuses and muddles our train of thought. 潜意思里一旦有风吹草动——也许我们只想平淡而不是进取， 内心开始不断地提示报警。内心警觉的部分受到刺激， 她让我们分心，焦躁不安，还强烈地驱使着我们赶紧去上网。不出意外，我们的思路就被搅成了浆糊。

　　present marked threats to short-term peace 预示着内心暂时的宁静被打破

　　It blocks the progress we were starting to make towards ideas that – though important and interesting– also presented marked threats to short-term peace. 它直接阻隔了我们那些可能 有趣也很重要的思绪，同时也预示着内心暂时的宁静被打破。

　　do any kind of serious reflection 理清思绪

　　It in this context that the shower emerges as so helpful to the way our minds work and earns the right to be honoured as one of the best places on earth in which to do any kind of serious reflection.此情此景，要理清思绪， 洗澡是最惬意不过的了。洗澡，包治各式烦心事， 于是口口相传，盛誉满满。

　　is no longer on guard 卸下了防备

　　Amidst the crashing water and the steam and with a few minutes of respite before the day starts, the mind is no longer on guard. 随着水流的冲刷，蒸汽的迷蒙， 片刻的喘息之后，新的一天开始：而此刻的我们也卸下了心防。

　　soap our backs 涂满肥皂泡

　　rinse our hair 冲洗头发

　　We're not supposed to be doing much inside our heads; we're mainly occupied with trying to soap our backs and properly rinse our hair. 我们也没在想别的：涂满肥皂泡，洗净烦恼丝。

　　be half-forming at the back of our minds 在脑子里盘算很久或已具雏形

　　reach full consciousness 意识彻底觉醒

　　The ideas that have been half-forming at the back of our minds, ideas about what the true purpose of our lives might be and what we should do next, keep up their steady inward pressure– but now there is a lot less to stop them reaching full consciousness.

　　有些想法在脑子里盘算很久或已具雏形；此时此刻，意识想要彻底觉醒， 反倒是不费吹灰之力。

　　think freely and courageously 想得天马行空，无拘无束

　　We're not meant to be thinking and so – at last – we can think freely and courageously . 我们也不是注定要想个没完没了， 但至少想得天马行空，无拘无束。

　　authentic and bolder inner machinations 真实大胆的鬼主意

　　This quality of sufficient – but not overwhelming– distraction might equally well be present when we're driving down the highway or walking in a forest; when there's just enough for the managerial timid side of the mind to be doing to keep it from interfering with our authentic and bolder inner machinations. Our world places a very high premium on good ideas– but spends very little serious effort in investigating why we find it extraordinarily hard to hatch them.Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote:'In the minds of geniuses, we find our own neglected thoughts.'虽还不至于包治百病， 但效果却是一级棒。同样的场境诸如：高速行车，林间漫步。这时足以让头脑中那些怯生生的念头，不受限制地落实为真实大胆的鬼主意。这个世界可是为好主意是花过血本的。但却几乎没有花太多力气去探究 为什么我们超难想个好主意。美国作家爱默生曾经说过：天才的脑子里，会发现我们会忽略思考。

　　allow their inhibitions and preconceptions to get in the way of properly entertaining them 让自己的业障，偏见妨碍思想火花的绽放

　　In other words, so-called geniuses don't have thoughts different from the ones most of us have. They're just a lot better at not allowing their inhibitions and preconceptions to get in the way of properly entertaining them. 也就是所谓的天才的思想， 跟我们这些普罗大众没啥区别。只不过天才绝不会让自己的业障，偏见 妨碍思想火花的绽放。

　　morning shower 早起冲澡

　　In a utopian future, we would get a lot more creative about what real thinking is and where it happens. We'd learn that the real enemy of good thinking isn't a small desk or a modest view: it is – almost always – anxiety,  for which there can be few better cures than that library of our deeper selves: the morning shower.在未来的乌托邦，就真正的思想及其诞生而言， 我们会有更多创意发想。现在我们已经知道好主意的真正杀手 不是桌子太小，也不是视野太窄；而是也一直都是焦躁不安。再没有能比早起冲澡的良药 能释放内心深层的自己。

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