生活英语听力文章：闹钟-上班族的定时炸弹
The Ticking Time Bomb 闹钟-上班族的定时炸弹
嘀嗒作响的定时炸弹
Have you ever thought or said something like this? “If he does that one more time, I am going to lose it!” Or, “If she keeps treating me that way, I am going to give her a piece of my mind!” Or, “If this happens again, I won’t be able to restrain myself!”
你曾这样想过或说过吗“如果他在做一次这种事情，我就会失去它”，“如果她一直那样对我，我会给她我的真心”，抑或“如果这种事情再次发生，我会控制不住自己的”
These are examples of what I call the ticking time bomb. When I hear people say these types of things, I cringe and want to say “WARNING”. When you know in advance that you are going to retaliate if someone does or says something again, you are in danger of exploding and damaging your reputation.
这些都是所谓的定时炸弹的例子。每当我听到有人说这类事时我会很畏惧并且想要告诫他们。如果你提前知道当有人再次说或做某些事时你会报复，你会陷入爆炸和自毁声誉的险境中。
Consider this true story.
认真考虑下面的这个真实的故事。
Brenda was a senior sales associate in the Customer Service Department at a busy retail store. She was having difficulty with a complicated return, so she called Doug, the manager on duty, and asked for assistance.
布伦达在一个很火的零售店里做客服部相关的高级销售，她在复杂的收益方面遇到了困难，所以打电话给值班经理道格寻求帮助。
Doug was a young, new manager who had been getting pulled in every direction all day. He asked with an exasperated tone, “Okay, Brenda, what are you having trouble with?”
道格是个年轻的刚上任不久的经理，每天都被各种事情烦扰着。他用恼怒的语气问布伦达“好吧，布伦达，你遇到了什么麻烦?”
Brenda explained the problem and asked Doug to help her.
布伦达解释了问题并向道格求助
Doug curtly replied, “That’s your job, Brenda. You figure it out. You have to learn to deal with this kind of situation yourself.”
道格无礼的回答道“布伦达，那是你的工作，你把它计算清楚，你要学会自己处理这种事情”
Brenda, who was already frustrated, exploded loudly in front of all the customers and her associates. “I know how to do my job, Doug! I’ve been here a lot longer than you, so don’t insult me!”
原本就很受挫的布伦达在所有顾客和同伴的面前大声的爆发道“道格，我知道如何做好自己的工作，我来这比你久，所以不要辱骂我”
After Doug left, Brenda turned to her customer and said, “I hate it when he does that. He does it all the time. He thinks he knows everything but he doesn’t.”
在道格离开后，布伦达对顾客说道“我很讨厌道格这样做，他总是这样子，他以为他知道所有的事情，其实不然”
The customer with the return item felt awkward, believing it was her fault for causing the scene; the other associates tried to act like they hadn’t heard the conversation; and Brenda now had a lot of explaining to do when her shift ended.
这些收益项目相关的顾客就会感到很尴尬，他们认为这种场景的发生是布伦达的错，其他的伙伴试图表现的像没听到这场谈话，当布伦达轮班结束后会有很多解释要做。
You guessed it; Brenda was a ticking time bomb. She had clearly been harboring some ill feelings toward the new manager from other encounters. When under pressure, she was unable to hold it in any longer and lost control of her emotions.
你猜对了，布伦达就是一个定时炸弹。她显然对新上任的经理藏有恶意的情感。在高压下她就控制不了，整个情感失控了。
Damage Assessment
伤情评估
This story is just one example of the many damaging repercussions of “losing it.” It could happen anywhere—at home, in the workplace, or even on the tennis court. My guess is we’ve all been there at one time or another.
这个故事仅是众多“失去”的不良影响中的一例，他可能发生在任何地方---家里、工作场所、抑或网球场，我猜想这种事情我们遇到过的不止一次。
Whether it’s a rare occurrence for you, or something you struggle with regularly, today’s lesson is about helping you make different decisions when you know you are about to lose it. When you feel this way, you benefit best by “putting a lid on it.” Don’t do or say something you will regret later.
无论是否会发生在你身上，或者你经常在这些事情里挣扎，今天的内容会在你知道你要失去时帮你做出不一样的决定。当你有这样的感觉时，最好把它盖上。不要做或说出将来让你后悔的事情。
Even though Brenda may have felt justified in her anger, her outburst reflected poorly on her ability to remain calm under pressure. She inflicted hurt and embarrassment on her supervisor, and she failed to project the level of professionalism that her employer requires and expects. Consider the other potential consequences:
即使布伦达觉得他的愤怒很正当，她的爆发反映了他极差的高压下的自控能力。她给领导到来了伤害和尴尬，她没有拿出雇主需要和期望的专业水平。请认真思考下这件事带来的其他潜在的后果。
Brenda must apologize if she wishes to repair the damage she has done.
She now has a strained working relationship with Doug at best, and possibly an irreparably damaged one.
She has lost the respect of her co-workers who now view her differently.
She may lose her job or chance of promotion.
如果她想修补带来的伤害布伦达必须道歉。现在她和道格关系很紧张，很有可能会弥补不了。她已经失去了见证她发生改变的同僚们的尊重，接下来可能会失去工作和晋升的机会。
I’ve exploded at times in my own life. I know that I have damaged my reputation, not only in the eyes of the person who received the brunt of my anger, but also in the eyes of everyone who bore witness. Even worse, I have done it with my wife. Like many of the lessons I share on Little Things Matter, I learned this one the hard way.
在生活中我也爆发过很多次。在被我愤怒波及的人以及目睹我这个过程的人眼中我都已经自毁声誉了。更糟糕的是，我对我妻子爆发过。正如我所分享的很多重要的事情一样，我体会到这个也是通过一个艰难的方式。
Use Your Awareness to Make the Right Decision
用觉悟去做正确的选择
The next time you feel the tension rising and you start to think you can’t handle any more of someone or something, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Pause to consider the damage you might cause to your job, reputation, or relationship if you don’t keep your emotions in check. Use this awareness to make sure you don’t say or do anything you will regret.
下一次你感到紧张感上升，你认为你处理不来一些人或事时，深吸一口气，缓缓呼出来。如果你不能把情感放置合适的位置就停下来想想你可能会给工作、名誉或人际关系造成的损失。用这样意识来确保你不会说出或做出后悔的事情。
Warren Buffet— American investor, industrialist, and philanthropist—shares some of his wisdom in this quote: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
美国的投资者、实业家、慈善家巴菲特分享过他的人生智慧“树立声誉需要20年，而摧毁它只需5分钟。如果你认真思考这句话，你在做事时就会与众不同。
When you find yourself getting upset, challenge yourself to find a way of handling your frustration in a way that makes you proud. One of the things my wife always says when she knows I am upset with someone is “speak in love.” When I consider speaking in love to those who have angered me, it completely changes my attitude because I know it is the right thing to do.
当你感到失落时，挑战自己去寻找一个让你骄傲的方法来处理这种沮丧。当我妻子知道我和别人不愉快时她会经常说一句话“用爱和人说话”。当我想着用爱和惹我生气的人交流时，我的态度完全改变了因为我知道这样做是对的。
Remember, when you choose to respond rather than react to a difficult situation, you demonstrate to others and yourself that you are in control of your emotions.
记着，当你选择回应而不是困境下的自然反应时，你向其他人和自己证明了你能控制住自己的情绪。
