Optimists vs Pessimists

6 Minute English

语言学习

2022-03-31

6 分钟
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  • Neil: I'm Neil.

  • Sam: And I'm Sam.

  • Neil: We often hear phrases such as,

  • 'dream big' or, 'reach for the stars' which reflect an optimistic view of life.

  • Are you an optimist, Sam?

  • Sam: I hope so!

  • I try to see the positive side of life,

  • even when something bad happens.

  • Neil: It sounds like you're a glass-half-full person –

  • someone who always thinks that good things will happen.

  • Sam: How about you, Neil?

  • Are you optimistic?

  • Neil: Look, things go wrong all the time - that's a fact of life.

  • Call me a pessimist if you like but I'm just being realistic.

  • Sam: Hmm, it sounds like Neil is more of a glass-half-empty person,

  • but the truth is that the age-old debate

  • between optimism and pessimism is more complex than we think.

  • Neil: Yes, whether you're a sunny optimist or a gloomy pessimist

  • may be determined more by your birthplace and your age than your attitude,

  • as we'll be finding out in this programme.