VIP Class Notes (Ally) [S / R]

Vocabulary

fluffy – 蓬，毛茸茸

volumizing shampoo： 量多 (让头发蓬松的洗发水)

doubt：怀疑

traits：特征

behave：表现

frustrating：令人懊恼／抓狂的

insulation（/to be insulated against）: 保温，隔冷

Grammar

a few vs few 一些和很少的区别

ie. You did a good job on your test but you made a few mistakes.
ie. You did a good job on your test because you made few mistakes.

ie. I know a few people from the party already, so I want to go. 我认识几个／一些人（所以我想去）。
ie. I know few people from the party, so I don’t want to go. 我认识少量的人（所以我不想去）。

ie. I have a few dresses, so I don’t need to buy a new one for the ball.
ie. I have few dresses, because I like wearing t-shirt and pants.

a little vs little
ie. I have a little hair – 我有那么几根头发
ie. I have little hair – 我发量少

wouldn’t … – 不会。。吗？
ie. Wouldn’t you be tired? 你不会累吗？
ie. Wouldn’t it be impolite if I left early? 如果我早走的话不会不礼貌吗？

Q: Why are you here and not at work/not working?

A: Because we have an one and a half–hour lunch break.
ie. a 5-hour lunch break… a 10-hour lunch break… My break is 10 hours long.

It takes all sorts to make a world– so some say. Nobody is the same, and our different personalities and character traits make us what we are. Wouldn’t it be boring if we were all the same? But if someone doesn’t behave or think like you, it can be frustrating. And there’s one personality type that can be very difficult to deal with – narcissism.

Narcissists consider themselves the most important person. They’re only interested in their own life, without a care in the world about the people around them. Their lack of empathy makes them come across as arrogant and self-important. If you know someone like this, their narcissistic attitudes might irritate you. But you might find it even more irritating to know that, according to new research, they are likely to be happier than other people.

An ongoing study of narcissism by researchers at Queen’s University Belfast has found such people might infuriate others but are less likely to be stressed or depressed. Writing about the research, the BBC’s Sean Coughlan says “They might have trampled over others and left a trail of emotional damage around them – but narcissists also seem to be insulated against feeling bad about themselves.” And their heightened sense of self-importance appears to give them “protective” qualities.

further reading: (to be cont. next class)

Researchers have been trying to understand why narcissism appears to be more prevalent in areas such as politics, social media and celebrity culture and why narcissists’ shameless, over-confident attitude seems to be rewarded rather than penalised. It does seem that they have the best of all worlds, which is not great news for shrinking violets. And there’s more bad news for those who are shy and retiring: previous research by Queen’s University has also found that a ‘mental toughness’ helps narcissists succeed at work and in their social lives because they can overcome rejection and disappointment. And other tests have found that narcissistic students do better in exams, not because they are more clever, but because of their confidence and assertiveness.

But psychologist Dr Kostas Papageorgiou from the research team argues that these personality traits should not be seen as “either good or bad” but as “products of evolution” and “expressions of human nature”. So, at the end of the day, we are what we are, and that’s just something we can’t change.