英语每日一听 | 每天少于5分钟

• 第2849期:The four-day week

  It's becoming increasingly popular for businesses to only accept payments by card. Yes. London's bus network has been cashless since 2014.越来越多的商家只接受刷卡支付。是的，伦敦的公交系统从 2014 年起就已经全面取消现金支付了。And now there are many food and drink outlets in the UK that only accept payment by card. We're looking at the benefits of a cashless company.现在英国有许多餐饮店也仅接受刷卡支付。我们现在要讨论无现金公司的好处。Yes, specifically in the hospitality trade. If you think about in the past, Richard, restaurants. Imagine the scenario. Saturday night, they've done very well, OK.是的，尤其是在餐饮与服务行业。想想过去吧，Richard，比如餐馆。想象一个场景：星期六晚上，他们生意很好。They've had a lot of customers, well, a lot of orders. They've taken a lot of money. What happens at the end of the evening?有很多顾客、很多订单，收入也很多。那么在晚上打烊后会发生什么？Well, obviously the first thing is, after they close, they've got to count the cash, haven't they? They've got to count the takings for the night and record it.首先显而易见的是，打烊后他们必须清点现金，对吧？必须数清这晚的收入并记录下来。And it needs to be checked with the receipts. Exactly. So that takes up a lot of time and resources.而且还需要与收据核对。没错。所以这会占用大量时间和人力资源。And then, of course, if it's night time, they've got to hang on to that money, probably keep it in a safe. If it's a Saturday night, they've got to keep all that cash safe and then probably not be able to take it to the bank, what, until Monday morning?而且，如果是晚上，他们必须妥善保管这些现金，可能要放在保险箱里。如果是星期六晚上，他们需要整晚保管所有现金，并可能直到周一早上才能存入银行。And the bank is the other problem as well, of course, Jackie, because banks will charge customers if they deposit large amounts of cash.银行也是一个问题，Jackie，因为银行在客户存入大量现金时会收取费用。What kind of bank charges do restaurants have a year then, about?那餐馆一年大概要付多少银行手续费呢？Well, it can be as much as from £3,000 to £5,000 for a decent-sized restaurant, and obviously the chains pay much more than that.一家规模不错的餐馆一年大约要支付 3,000 到 5,000 英镑，连锁店则要付更多。Actually, even when people paid with their cards in the past, it wasn't easy or cheap for the restaurants either. The card processing system was much more complicated than it is now.事实上，即使过去顾客使用银行卡支付，对餐馆来说也不简单或便宜。当时的刷卡处理系统比现在复杂得多。OK, so you're talking about people putting their cards into the machine, the handheld machine? Exactly, yes.你是指顾客把卡插进那种手持刷卡机？没错。They had different cards, different fees, some were accepted, some weren't, different card readers. The process is much more streamlined now.当时不同的卡收费不同，有些能刷，有些不能，而且刷卡机也不统一。现在这个流程已经顺畅多了。Yeah, and I think that the card readers, they're much cheaper and easier to use, aren't they, for restaurants?是的，而且现在的刷卡机对餐馆来说更便宜、更容易使用了，对吧？Yes, and interestingly enough, in addition to that, at one particular McDonald's branch, where they introduced cashless kiosks, i.e. they wouldn't take cash at all, the values of the individual orders went up by 30%.是的，而且很有趣的是，在某家麦当劳分店，他们引入了完全不接受现金的自助点餐机后，单笔订单金额竟然上涨了 30%。Well, I suppose people are more willing to spend more if it's with a card, as opposed to putting their hands in their pockets for cash.嗯，我想人们在刷卡时更愿意多花钱，相比掏出现金要更轻松。Certainly would seem so. So maybe, perhaps after all, we are moving towards a cashless society.确实如此。所以或许，我们正在迈向一个无现金社会。However, interestingly, the Bank of England has observed that despite the rate of card transactions soaring, and actually back in 2016, purchases using a debit card overtook cash for the first time in the UK, the volume of cash in circulation is at a record high, which sounds a bit strange.不过有趣的是，英格兰银行观察到，尽管银行卡交易量大幅上升——实际上早在 2016 年英国借记卡消费就首次超过现金——但市场上流通的现金量却创下历史新高，这听起来有点奇怪。And the number of British people who only deal in cash, which is about 2.7 million, is also rising.而只使用现金的人数也在上升，约有 270 万英国人只使用现金交易。So why is that then? Well, there's a number of reasons.那为什么会这样呢？原因有很多。People are hoarding money after the 2008 crash.人们在 2008 年金融危机后开始囤积现金。They're stuffing it underneath their mattresses again, are they?他们又把现金塞回床垫下面了吗？Yeah, sounds a bit strange. But perhaps most interestingly, there's a booming criminal economy.是的，听起来有点奇怪。但也许最值得注意的是，黑色经济正在蓬勃发展。Cash in hand, avoiding taxes, etc. Exactly.比如私下收现金、逃税等等。没错。So cards are great for restaurants, but not necessarily for all businesses.所以刷卡支付对餐馆很有帮助，但不一定适用于所有行业。

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• 第2848期:The four-day week

  Back in March 2018, an insurance company from New Zealand started a landmark trial with its company staff. It decided to trial a four-day working week. Almost 250 staff at Perpetual Guardian took part.早在 2018 年 3 月，新西兰一家保险公司开始对员工进行一项具有里程碑意义的试验：他们决定试行每周四天工作制。大约有 250 名来自 Perpetual Guardian 的员工参与了这项试验。We're looking at the pros and cons of working a four-day week. Right, Jackie. So that New Zealand company, what was the result of their trial? The employees completed surveys before they did the trial and after they did the trial.我们现在要讨论每周四天工作制的利与弊。好的，Jackie。那么那家新西兰公司，他们的试验结果如何？员工们在试验前和试验后都填写了问卷调查。And it was upon reading the results that the company declared it was a great success and decided to adopt the new schedule full-time.在看到调查结果后，公司宣布试验非常成功，并决定永久采用这一新的工作安排。OK. So why was it such a great success then? Well, there were three factors that they looked at.好的。那么它为何如此成功？他们主要从三个因素进行评估。And overall, staff reported lower stress levels, higher levels of job satisfaction. Interesting. And also an improved sense of work-life balance.总体而言，员工表示压力降低、工作满意度提高——很有趣——而且工作与生活的平衡感也有所提升。OK. That sounds obvious. The employees loved it. What did the firm get out of it?好的，这听起来很合理。员工很喜欢。那么公司从中获得了什么呢？Actually, because there was less stress, productivity increased. People who enjoy their job at the end of the day work better. Fantastic.实际上，由于压力减少，生产力反而提高了。喜欢自己工作的人最终会做得更好。太棒了。But actually, the four-day week, it's nothing new, is it? No, they've had it in America for some time. Richard, the difference is, in America, you still work 40 hours, right? But you just do it over four days.不过事实上，每周四天工作制并不新鲜，对吧？对，美国很早以前就有了。Richard，不同之处在于，美国人仍然工作 40 小时，只是把这 40 小时压缩在四天内完成。So you still do the same number of hours as you did in five days, but you do it in the four days.也就是说，你工作时长一样，只是从五天集中到四天中。Exactly. You're working a 10-hour day instead. The important thing here was that people worked fewer hours got paid the same.没错，你每天工作 10 小时。这里重要的是，人们工作更少的时间，却拿同样的薪水。They worked for four days but got paid for five. Exactly.他们只工作四天，但拿五天的工资。没错。So a four-day week then, it can't all be good then, surely?所以每周四天工作制肯定也不是全都是好处吧？Well, I suppose there is a possibility that if you're working harder for four days, you could actually come the fourth day, become less productive.嗯，我想有一种可能是，如果你在四天内更拼命工作，到了第四天你的效率可能反而下降。And also those on a four-day week, they may feel some pressure to come into meetings on that fifth day when they're not there. Or work from home.此外，实行四天工作制的人，可能会感到压力必须在他们本不应该上班的第五天参加会议，或在家工作。OK, it was a great success then, this four-day week. But why did the company actually go for it in the first place?好的，这个四天工作制非常成功。但是，公司当初为什么会尝试这样的制度？Yeah, new technology, Richard. I mean, you know, the use of computers.嗯，是因为新科技，Richard。比如电脑的使用。People always thought, didn't they, that in the future, it wasn't that long ago, they said in the future, people will be working more from home and having a more relaxed work-life balance.人们一直认为——直到不久前还这样说——未来大家会更多在家工作，拥有更轻松的工作与生活平衡。Yeah, they always said people will be working less in the future, didn't they? But it appears that people are actually working more.是啊，他们总说未来人们会工作得更少，对吧？但事实似乎是人们现在反而工作得更多。Exactly. You can't get away from the office nowadays, can you, with emails and phone calls, etc.没错，如今你完全无法远离办公室邮件、电话等。No. It's created a culture where workers are required to be constantly available to work.是的，这创造了一种文化：员工必须随时待命。You see that all the time, Richard. And with our friends, they're on the phone or answering emails at the weekend.你经常能看到这样的情况，Richard。我们的朋友们在周末也在打电话或回邮件。Now that company in New Zealand did one thing. But they've been trying something else in France, haven't they?那家新西兰公司采取了一种方式。但法国采取了另一种方式，对吧？Yeah, France realised that work was spilling into after hours. So they tried a different approach.是的，法国意识到工作不断侵入下班时间，于是他们尝试不同的方式。And this was getting companies to make regulations that stopped employees responding to emails, answering phones after a certain time.他们让公司制定规定，禁止员工在特定时间后回复邮件或接电话。But I wonder, it's interesting, the four-day week. It works for some companies. I wonder if it's the future.不过我很好奇，四天工作制很有趣。它对一些公司有效。我想知道这是否会成为未来趋势。Yes, I think it depends on the company itself, doesn't it? Some companies can lend their ways to four days where it might be impossible for others.是的，我想这取决于公司本身。有些公司可以适应四天工作制，而另一些公司则完全无法实行。Anyway, do you work for a company who does a four-day working week? Or would you like to see it introduced to your company? 总之，你的公司实行四天工作制吗？或者你希望公司引入这样的制度吗？

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• 第2847期:The sportswriter

  I'm talking to Simon. Hi Simon. Hi.我正在和西蒙说话。嗨，西蒙。嗨。Who is hoping to become a full-time freelance sports writer. Am I right about that? Yes, just about, yes.他希望成为一名全职自由体育作家。我这样说对吗？是的，差不多，是的。What kind of sports do you write about? Well, at the moment I only write about football.你写哪种运动？嗯，目前我只写足球。That's my specialist subject and that is done in two directions. I have always followed Manchester City Football Club, so that is my English arm of the football writing. And because I'm a resident of Lisbon, I also write about Portuguese football affairs.那是我的专长，而且分为两个方向。我一直关注曼城足球俱乐部，所以那是我足球写作的英格兰部分。而由于我住在里斯本，我也写葡萄牙足球的相关事务。Manchester City, you write about Manchester City. I do. Who do you write for? I write predominantly for ESPN.曼城，你写曼城的内容。是的。你主要为谁写？我主要为 ESPN 写作。Right. So I have a contract with them to produce three or four Manchester City-related articles per week. Per week? Per week.好的。我和他们有合约，每周需要写三到四篇与曼城相关的文章。每周？每周。And you find enough to write about per week? Always. And how long have you been doing that for? I've been doing that for about six or seven years, I think.那你每周都能找到足够的题材？总是能。你这样做多久了？我想大概六七年了。And then you said your other arm, as it were, is writing about Portuguese football. Tell me about that.你刚才还说你的另一部分写作是关于葡萄牙足球的。说说这个吧。Well, there's a huge global interest in the English Premier League, obviously, so there's a lot of competition amongst sports writers, football writers, to get their work published. There is not so much being done in the area of Portuguese football, so it's more of a niche market.嗯，全球对英超的兴趣非常大，所以体育记者、足球记者之间竞争激烈，想发表文章很难。而关于葡萄牙足球的内容并不多，所以这是一个更小众的市场。I write for an English-language website called portugol.net, which is run by a friend of mine in Lisbon. It's the biggest and most well-known English-language site covering Portuguese football.我为一个叫 portugol.net 的英文网站写稿，它由我在里斯本的朋友经营。这是最大、最知名的英文葡萄牙足球网站。Am I right in saying then, both... for both the Manchester City writing and for the Portugal writing, your writings appear on the internet only? No, it can be in print as well.那么我这样说对吗——无论是写曼城还是写葡萄牙足球，你的文章都是发表在网络上？不，也可以是纸媒。OK. Sometimes... sometimes... there's a lot of website-based stuff, but I write, for example, for the Irish Examiner.好。有时候……有很多是在线内容，但比如我也会为《Irish Examiner》（爱尔兰观察家报）写稿。All right. Again, about Manchester City. So that will be a newspaper?好的，又是关于曼城的。这是纸媒吗？That's a weekly column on a Monday in the newspaper, which is sort of a reflective piece on what happened at the weekend.那是报纸上每周一的专栏，主要是对周末比赛的一些回顾性评论。If there are other people listening who have a passion for a sport and like writing about it, what advice would you give them if they wanted to do something like this as well?如果有其他人热爱某项运动，也喜欢写作，希望做类似的事情，你会给他们什么建议？If it's football, it's very difficult to get into because there is a cabal of well-known writers who almost always are chosen by the newspapers and the magazines to do their stuff for them.如果是足球，这个行业很难进入，因为报纸和杂志几乎都选择那群知名作者来写稿。So are you the Man City expert?所以你算是曼城专家吗？Because I'm so old, I do have an advantage over some of the younger guns because I go back further and I can add historical perspective to a lot of my articles, which some of the others can't unless they research it.因为我年纪大，我相比年轻作者有优势——我能回顾更久远的历史，可以在文章中加入历史视角，而其他人若不特别研究，就无法做到。And even then, they don't have the feel as someone who was actually there and lived through whichever period we're writing about or talking about.即使研究了，他们也没有那种亲历其境的感觉——不像真正经历过那个时代的人。So you've got the experience. Yes. Yeah.所以你有经验。是的，没错。But I would say just keep going and try and get yourself noticed.但我会说，坚持写，让别人注意到你。If you have the skill and the ability and you write in an interesting, informative and entertaining way, somebody somewhere will take you on.如果你有技巧、有能力，并且写得有趣、有信息量、有可读性，总会有人愿意用你的文章。They probably will not offer to pay you to start with. So be prepared to do work for free just to get your name out there.他们一开始可能不会付你钱，所以准备好先免费写稿，让自己的名字被看到。Now, I know you're not a full-time freelance worker. So although you seem to be very busy, it's still a step away then from it paying all your bills.我知道你还不是全职自由工作者。虽然你看起来很忙，但这些收入还不足以支付你所有的开销。Yes, it doesn't pay all my bills. That's why I also teach.是的，不能完全覆盖所有开支。所以我还要教书。My dream would be to be free of teaching and just to write because I'd like to be a creative writer as well as a contracted writer because there's not complete creativity with what I do.我的梦想是不再教书，只靠写作，因为我希望既能成为创意写作者，也能成为签约作者——我现在做的写作并不完全属于创意写作。And how are you going to get onto that next step? Very good question.那你要怎么迈向下一步？好问题。Just keep writing. The more writing I do, the more it gets noticed. The more people want stuff from you, the more people are prepared to pay for it.就是继续写。我写得越多，就越容易被注意到。越多人想要你的内容，就越多人愿意付费。And your passion shows through your writing. I hope so. I hope so.而且你的热情会通过你的文字展现出来。我希望如此，我希望如此。

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• 第2846期:Thinking with Adam Grant

  Hey, WorkLifers, it's Adam here, and I have some exciting news.嘿，WorkLifers，我是 Adam，有个令人兴奋的消息要告诉你们。Last year, by popular demand, we started releasing more conversations and debates with my favorite thinkers, creators, doers, and leaders.去年，根据大家的强烈要求，我们开始发布更多与我最喜爱的思想家、创作者、实干家和领导者的对话与讨论。The goal is to figure out what makes them tick, and what they can teach us about a life well lived.目标是弄清楚是什么驱动着他们，以及他们能教会我们如何过好一生。Sometimes we talk about work, but often it's just been a window into the interesting ways their minds work.有时我们谈论工作，但更多时候，这些对话是了解他们独特思维方式的窗口。If you haven't had a chance to listen, the guests have included Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brene Brown, Ava DuVernay, and Malcolm Gladwell.如果你还没收听过，嘉宾包括林-曼努尔·米兰达、布芮内·布朗、艾娃·杜威内以及马尔科姆·格拉德威尔。You asked for more episodes, so we're doing just that, regular episodes all year round.你们希望有更多节目，所以我们照做了——全年持续更新。We've decided to call it Rethinking with Adam Grant, because that's been the pull for me, a chance to reexamine the things I think are true, and to dig into the psychology of these fascinating guests.我们决定把节目命名为《Rethinking with Adam Grant》（与 Adam Grant 一起重新思考），因为这对我来说，是一个重新审视自以为真实的事物、深入挖掘这些迷人嘉宾心理的机会。We'll kick off the fall with conversations with entrepreneur Mark Cuban, best-selling author Celeste Ng, Oscar-winning actor and producer Rhys Witherspoon, neuroscientist Chantal Pratt, Nobel Laureate physicist Saul Perlmutter, and death-defying rock climber Alex Connold.秋季我们将以一系列对话开场——包括企业家马克·库班、畅销书作家伍绮诗、奥斯卡影后兼制片人瑞茜·威瑟斯彭、神经科学家尚塔尔·普拉特、诺贝尔物理学奖得主索尔·珀尔马特，以及挑战死亡极限的攀岩者亚历克斯·霍诺德。And season six of Work Life will still be coming out right here next year.另外，《Work Life》第六季将在明年继续在这个频道推出。Thanks as always for listening. Follow Rethinking with Adam Grant on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.一如既往感谢你的收听。请在 Apple Podcasts、Spotify 或任何你使用的平台关注《Rethinking with Adam Grant》。

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• 第2845期:Fixable

  You know that saying, move fast and break things? I do. Well, we say move fast and fix things, because in our experience, speed and fixing go hand in hand. Absolutely.你知道那句“快速行动，打破常规”的说法吗？ 我知道。而我们说的是“快速行动，迅速修复”，因为根据我们的经验，速度和解决问题是相辅相成的。的确如此。Speed's gotten a dangerous reputation, but it signals that you take a problem seriously, and it builds momentum for real change. Which is why we move fast and we fix things. My name is Anne Morris.速度常常名声不佳，但它表明你认真对待问题，并且能为真正的改变积累动能。 这就是为什么我们快速行动并迅速解决问题。我叫安妮·莫里斯。I'm a company builder and a leadership coach. And I'm Frances Frey. I'm an author and a Harvard Business School professor.我是一名公司创建者和领导力教练。而我是弗朗西丝·弗雷，一名作家，也是哈佛商学院的教授。And, most importantly, I'm Anne's wife. You're going off script, sunshine. We're the co-authors of two books on building better businesses, and we've spent decades helping everyone, from entrepreneurs just starting out to CEOs of global corporations.而且最重要的是，我是安妮的妻子。你已经开始偏离台本了，亲爱的。我们共同撰写了两本关于打造更好企业的书籍，并花了数十年时间帮助各类人士——从刚创业的创始人到全球公司的 CEO。We help them all solve their work problems. Along the way, we've noticed something surprising. When people come to us with a work problem, whether it's completely new or something they've been wrestling with for years, often they're just one good conversation away from removing the roadblock and finding a solution.我们帮助他们解决各种工作难题。在这个过程中，我们注意到一个令人惊讶的现象：不管人们带来的工作问题是全新的，还是多年来一直困扰他们的，往往只需要一次高质量的对话，就能解除障碍，找到解决方案。That's where we come in. We guide people past those barriers so that they can make things happen. And that's exactly what we'll be doing here.这就是我们出现的地方。我们引导人们跨越这些障碍，让他们真正推动事情发生。而这正是我们将在这里做的事。Unfixable. This is a new show from the TED Audio Collective. Each week, we'll take a call from someone who's stuck, someone who's facing a work problem that they just don't know how to solve.《不可修复？》——这是 TED 音频团队推出的新节目。每周我们都会接到来自陷入困境的人的来电，他们正面临一个不知道如何解决的工作难题。We'll cover things like when to say enough is enough. The workload was starting to get unmanageable. What to do when you think your boss is acting unethically.我们将讨论的话题包括：什么时候该说“够了”；工作量已经变得无力承担；以及当你认为上司行为不道德时该怎么办。How do I convey that messages in a manner where they understand doing the right thing is not just aboutrhetoric. And my personal favorite, how to find your strengths and lean into them. Wow, you know, I came for the discussion and I'm staying for the ego boost.我该如何传达信息，让他们明白做正确的事不仅仅是口头说说？还有我个人最喜欢的话题：如何发现自己的优势并好好运用它们。哇，我本来是来听讨论的，现在是为了被夸留下的。This is great. Our hope is that by doing this work out here in the open, inviting everyone to the party, we can start to really spread the message that meaningful change happens fast and really that everything is fixable. Everything is fixable.太棒了。我们希望通过公开做这些事情、邀请所有人参与，真正传达一个信息：有意义的改变可以很快发生，而且——所有问题都能修复。所有问题都能修复。And that's where you come in. If you have a work problem you're feeling stuck on, get in touch. Tell us how we can help.这就是你可以参与的地方。如果你有工作上的困扰，卡住了，来联系我们。告诉我们如何能帮到你。Email us at fixable at ted.com or give us a call at 234-fixable. That's 234-349-2253. And make sure to subscribe to Fixable right now on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss a single episode.你可以发邮件到 [email protected]，或拨打 234-FIXABLE（234-349-2253）。并记得在你喜欢的播客应用上订阅《Fixable》，别错过任何一集。Part of what we do in the world is just bring some can-do lesbian spirit into organizations. We are can-do lesbians and we think there's a can-do lesbian inside of everyone. You just have to find her.我们做的事情之一，就是把那种“什么都能做的女同志精神”带进各个组织。我们是能干的女同志，而且我们相信每个人心里都住着一个能干的女同志。你只需要把她找出来。You just got to find her. She's in there.你只要找到她。她就在你的心里。

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