Academic English: Unit 1 Psychology
Text A
New Words and Expressions
So the “self”/“other” distinction that’s axiomatic in Western philosophy is much blurrier in Ubuntu Philosophy.
因此在西方哲学中不言自明的“自我”/“他人”之分在乌班图哲学中意义更加模糊。
axiomatic /ˌæksiəˈmætɪk/ adj. something that is axiomatic does not need to be proved because you can easily see that it is true 不言自明的
blurry /ˈblɜːri/ adj. indistinct or hazy in outline 模糊的
We know from everyday experience that a person is partly forged in the crucible of community.
我们通过日常经验可以知道，一个人某种程度上是在社会的“熔炉”中历练而成的。
forge /fɔːdʒ/ vt. to develop somethine new, especially a strong relationship with other perple, groups, or contries 形成，缔造
crucible /ˈkruːsɪb(ə)l/ n. a container in which substances are heated to very high temperatures 坩埚，熔炉
Relationships inform self-understanding.
人际关系影响自我认知。
inform /ɪnˈfɔːm/ vt. to influence someone’s attitude or opinion 影响（某人的态度或观点）
Even my most private and personal reflections are entangled with the perspectives and voices of different people, be it those who agree with me, those who criticise, or those who praise me.
即使是我最隐私的、最个人的思考也和不同人的观点和声音纠缠在一起，无论是那些赞同我的，批评我的或表扬我的人。
entangle /ɪnˈtæŋɡ(ə)l/ vt. to involve someone in an argument, a relationship, or a situation that is difficult to escape from 使卷入，使陷入
Yet the notion of fluctuating and ambiguous self can be disconcerting.
然而波动和模糊的自我概念可能令人不安。
notion /ˈnəʊʃ(ə)n/ n. a general inclusive concept 概念
fluctuating /ˈflʌktʃueɪtɪŋ/ adj. having unpredictable ups and downs 波动的，变动的
ambiguous /æmˈbɪɡjuəs/ adj. open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significanc; or (often) intended to mislead 模棱两可的，有歧义的
disconcerting /ˌdɪskənˈsɜːtɪŋ/ adj. making you feel slightly confused, embarrassed, or worried 令人困惑的，令人尴尬的，令人不安的
We can chalk up this discomfort, in large part, to René Descartes.
我们可以将这种不安，很大程度上，归因于勒内·笛卡尔。
While Descartes didn’t single-handedly create the modern mind, he went a long way towards defining its contours.
虽然现代（哲学）思维不是由笛卡尔一手创建的，但他在定义它的轮廓上做出了很大的贡献。
contour /ˈkɒntʊə(r)/ n. the shape of the outer edges of something such as an area of land or someone’s body 轮廓；外形
He wanted to find a stable point of view from which to look on the world without relying on God-decreed wisdoms; a place from which he could discern the permanent structures beneath the changeable phenomena of nature.
他想要找到一个稳定的观点以观察这个世界，而不是上帝赐予的智慧；他可以通过这个观点透过自然界变化多端的现象得到一个永久性的结构。
discern /dɪˈsɜːn/ vt. th notice or understand something by thinking about it carefully （仔细想过之后）觉察出，弄清楚，辨明
Other people and other things are inherently fickle and erratic.
其他人和事本身就是变化无常的，不确定的。
fickle /ˈfɪk(ə)l/ adj. someone who is fickle is always changing their mind about people or thing that they like, so that you cannot depend on them 三心二意的，靠不住的，变化无常的
erratic /ɪˈrætɪk/ adj. something that is erratic does not follow any pattern or plan but happens in a way that is not regular 不规则的，不确定的，不稳定的
So they must have nothing to do with the basic constitution of the knowning self, which is a necessarily detached, conherent and contemplative whole.
因此，他们对自我认知的基本构成没有任何帮助，自我认知必然是一个分离的，连贯的，沉思的整体。
constitution /ˌkɒnstɪˈtjuːʃ(ə)n/ n. the way in which someone or somethine is composed 构成
contemplative /kənˈtemplətɪv/ adj. spending a lot of time thinking seriously and quietly 沉思的，冥想的，默想的
If memory simply lives inside the skull, then it’s perfectly acceptable to remove a person from her everyday environment and relationships, and to test her recall using flashcards or screens in the artificial confines of a lab.
如果记忆只是存在于头脑中，那么将一个人从她的日常环境和关系中移开，并实验室的人工限制下通过抽认卡或者屏幕测试她的回忆就是完全可接受的。
confines /ˈkɒnfaɪnz/ n. limits or borders 范围，界限
A person is considered a standalone entity, irrespective of her surroundings, inscribed in the brain as a series of cognitive process.
一个人被认为是一个独立的实体，与她所处的环境无关，作为一系列认知过程被刻在大脑中。
inscribe /ɪnˈskraɪb/ vt. to carefully cut, print, or write words on something, especially on the surface of a stone or coin （尤指在石头或硬币表面）雕刻，印刷，题写
Social psychology purports to examine the relationship between cognition and society.
社会心理学声称要检验认知与社会之间的关系。
purport /pəˈpɔːt/ vt. to claim to be or do somethine, even if this is not true 声称
But even then, this investigation often presumes that a collective of Cartesian subjects are the real focus of the enquiry, not selves that co-evolve with others over time.
但即便如此，这种调查通常假设一群信奉笛卡尔哲学的主体是调查的焦点，而不是随时间推移与他人共同进化的自我。
presume /prɪˈzjuːm/ vt. take to be the case or to be true; accept without verificatin or proof 假设，设想
Cartesian /kɑːˈtiːziən; kɑːˈtiːʒən/ adj. of or relating to Rene Descartes or his works 笛卡尔哲学的
enquiry /ɪnˈkwaɪəri/ n. an instance of questioning 询问，查问
They were the first to identify the so-called “bystander effect”, in which people seem to respond slowly to someone in distress if others are around.
他们第一个发现了所谓的“旁观者效应”，即当有旁人在周围时，人们似乎对他人的险情反应更加迟钝。
bystander /ˈbaɪstændə(r)/ n. someone who watched what is happening with out taking part 旁观者，局外人，看热闹的人
distress /dɪˈstres/ n. a state of adversity(danger or affliction or need) 危难，险情
Darley and Latane suggested that this might come from a “diffusion of responsibility”, in which the obligation to react is diluted across a bigger group of people.
Darley 和 Latane 认为这可能源自于“责任的扩散”，也就是说做出反应的义务在更大的群体中被削弱了。
diffusion /dɪˈfjuːʒn/ n. the act of dispersing or diffusion something 扩散，传播
obligation /ˌɒblɪˈɡeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force 义务，责任
dilute /daɪˈluːt/ vt. to make a quality, belief etc. weaker or less effective 降低（质量）；削弱（信念）
This numerical approach wipes away vital contextual information that might help to understand people’s real motives.
这种数字化的方法抹去了有助于理解人们真实动机的重要上下文信息。
contextual /kənˈtekstʃuəl/ adj. relating to or determined by or in context 上下文的，语境相关的
Genovese’s murder had to be seen against a backdrop in which violence against women was not taken seriously, Cherry said, and in which people were reluctant to step into what might have been a domestic dispute.
Genovese 的谋杀案的背景是针对女性的暴力并不被重视，Cherry 说，并且人们不愿介入可能是一场家庭纠纷的事件。
reluctant /rɪˈlʌktənt/ adj. unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom 勉强的，不情愿的
domestic /dəˈmestɪk/ adj. of or relating to the home 家庭的
dispute /dɪˈspjuːt/ n. coming into conflict wich 争论，纠纷
Is there a way of reconciling these two accounts of the self - the relational, world-embracing version, and the autonomous, inward one?
有没有一种方式可以协调自我的这两种解释：一个是受关系影响的，拥抱世界的版本，另一个是自主的，向内的版本？
reconcile /ˈrekənsaɪl/ vt. if you reconcile two ideas, situations, or facts, you find a way in which they can both be true or acceptable 使和谐一致；调和；协调
Think of that luminous moment when a poet captures something you’d felt but had never articulated; or when you’d struggled to summarise your thoughts, but they crystallised in conversation with a friend.
想象一下这些璀璨的时刻：当一个诗人捕捉到了一些你能感受却描述不出来的东西；或者在你为了总结你的想法而苦苦挣扎时，它们通过你和朋友的交流而变得清晰。
luminous /ˈluːmɪnəs/ adj. shining in the dark 发光的；夜明的
crystallise /ˈkrɪstəlaɪz/ v. if an idea, plan etc. crystallise or is crystallised, it becomes very clear in your mind （使想法、计划等）变得明朗而具体
I vivify my exterior.
我使我的外在更加生动。
vivify /ˈvɪvɪˌfaɪ/ vt. to give new life or energy to somethine 使生动，活跃
exterior /ɪkˈstɪəriə(r)/ n. the region that is outside of something 外观，外部
Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development conceives of individual growth in a Cartesian fasion, as the reorganisation of mental processes.
Jean Piaget 的认知发展理论以一种笛卡尔哲学的方式构想个体的发展，作为心理过程的重组。
conceive /kənˈsiːv/ v. If you conceive something as a particular thing, you consider it to be that thing 认为
The developing child is depicted as a lone learner - an inventive scientist, struggling independently to make sense of the world.
儿童的发展被描绘为一个孤身一人的学者-一个有创造力的科学家，孤身奋斗以理解世界。
depict /dɪˈpɪkt/ v. give a description of 描述，描绘
lone /ləʊn/ adj. lacking companions or companionship 独自的
By contrast, “dialogical” theories emphasise interactions between the child and the adult who can provide “scaffolding“ for how she understands the world.
相比之下，“对话”理论强调孩子和大人之间的互动，这可以为孩子如何理解世界提供“脚手架”。
scaffolding /ˈskæfəldɪŋ/ n. scaffolding consists of poles and boards made into a temporary framework that is used by workers when they are painting, repairing, or building high parts of a building, usually outside 脚手架
A grimmer example might be solitary confinement in prisons.
一个更可怕的例子可能是监狱里的单独监禁。
solitary /ˈsɒlətri/ adj. doing something without anyone else with you 单独的，无伴的
The punishment was originally designed to encourage introspection.
这种惩罚最初设计出来是为了促进内省。
introspection /ˌɪntrəˈspekʃ(ə)n/ n. the process of thinking deeply about your own thoughts, feelings, or behaviour 内省，反省
Prisoners tend to suffer profound physical and psychological difficulties, such as confusion, anxiety, insomnia, feelings of inadequacy, and a distorted sense of time.
囚犯往往会遭受严重的身体和心理困难，比如困惑、焦虑、失眠、自卑感，以及时间观念扭曲。
insomnia /ɪnˈsɒmniə/ n. if you suffer from insomnia, you are not able to sleep 失眠
inadequacy /ɪnˈædɪkwəsi/ n. if someone has feelings of inadequacy, they feel that they do not have the qualities and abilities necessary to do something or to cope with life in general 能力不足
distort /dɪˈstɔːt/ v. if something you can see or hear is distorted or distorts, its appearance or sound is changed so that it seems unclear 扭曲；失真
Deprived of contact and interaction - the external perspective needed to consummate and sustain a coherent self-image - a person risks disappearing into non-existence.
被剥夺了（和他人的）联系和互动-完成和支撑连贯的自我形象所需的外部因素-一个人可能会消失为不存在。
deprive /dɪˈpraɪv/ v. if you deprive someone of something that they want or need, you take it away from them, or you prevent them from having it 剥夺；使不能拥有
consummate /kənˈsʌmət/ vt. to make something complete, especially an agreement 实现，完成
sustain /səˈsteɪn/ vt. if you sustain something, you continue it or maintain it for a period of time 保持
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