The Danger of Indecision

As options increase, decisions become harder to make

Decisions decisions! Life is full of them. You may not realize the v_____（庞大的） number of choices you face each day. Some choices are simple, like what to wear. But others are more challenging: deciding which friend to go out with or whether to go out at all. Life’s most difficult decisions include choosing a university, a career and a husband or wife.

For some people, decision-making comes pretty easily. But for others, indecision is a serious and c_____（造成严重损害的） problem that can stop them dead.

Why is making a decision so hard?

Think about the last time you went to a coffee shop. Ordering your coffee should’ve been a simple task, but it probably required at least four decisions. Your life today has more opportunities, more choices and more options than ever before! Thirty-one ice cream flavors, 30-screen movie theaters, 300 cable channels and 3,000 songs on an iPod all add up to one thing—a more complicated life. The more choices you have, the harder it is to decide.

Indecisiveness leads to negative consequences. H_____（迟疑） in buying sale items results in paying more later. Indecision can also result in missed opportunities. Bosses may notice hesitation and give an important project to someone more e_____（热切的，渴望的）. family, friends and coworkers may get tired of waiting for your decisions.

Not making a decision means you allow choices to be made for you—choices that you yourself might not like. Increased stress can result.

The reasons

There are many reasons why people struggle with decisions. Some people fear other’s opinions, and they worry that someone may be disappointed by their decision. Others fear the consequences of a wrong choice. This prevents them from making any choice at all. Still others worry about finding the perfect choice. The truth is there’s no perfect choice. Every option has its pros and cons.

The good news is that with each decision you make, the process does get easier. And best of all… you’ll soon learn to trust yourself and your decisions.

Word Bank

Process (n) 过程
The process of making a cake is not hard. Just do it step by step.

参考翻译：
人们迟迟下不了决定有很多原因。有些人畏惧他人的意见，担心有人会对他们的决定感到失望。有些人害怕选择错误带来的后果，以至于他们完全不做选择。还有一些人担心做不出完美的选择。其实没有选择是完美的，每个选择都有正反两面。

stop someone dead (idiom) 使（某人）停滞不前
indecisiveness (n) 优柔寡断

Usage Tip

Increased stress can result.
本剧中result 的用法可能是我们较不熟悉的。
Result 作为名词时翻译成“结果”，本句作为动词翻译成“产生”。
例句：
1. Be careful when having an eye operation. Permanent damage can result.
2. The economy is getting bad. A rise in interest rates may result.

Talk About It

☆ Is it hard for you to make decisions? Talk about the last decision you made.
☆ Discuss the pros and cons of having so many choices available today.

23日

视频下载： http://file.hjbbs.com/studio/20070423dg.wmv

24日

视频下载： http://file.hjbbs.com/studio/20070424zp.wmv

参与方式：

1.猜词：根据文中空缺的4个词的中文意思猜出英文原词。（奖励40）
2.翻译：把标有下划线的句子翻成中文。（奖励40）
3.造句和讨论：任意选择4个词中的一个或多个进行造句。并且参加Talk About It.（奖励50）
4.文本摘自《空中英语教室》，由ada163亲自录入，转载请注明转自沪江英语论坛〖沪江视听版音画每日谈〗栏目。
5.更多讨论欢迎进入音画讨论组。
6.欢迎订阅音画每日谈。