每日英語 #053: Calm Californians and Neurotic New Yorkers

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Calm Californians and Neurotic New Yorkers

When most Americans think of a “Californian” (someone who lives in California), they think of someone who is very relaxed, someone who is “laid-back” (calm and relaxed). A “New Yorker” (someone from the state of New York) is often seen as having the opposite personality, someone who is “stressed out” (feeling very anxious; under a lot of stress). These are very popular images, but are they true?

當大多數美國人想到「加州人」（住在加州的人）時，他們會認為這是一個非常放鬆的人，一個「悠閒」的人（冷靜且放鬆）。「紐約人」（來自紐約州的人）通常被認為擁有相反的性格，一個「壓力很大」的人（感到非常焦慮；處於很大的壓力之下）。這些是非常流行的形象，但它們是真的嗎？

Some psychologists have begun to test the “residents” (people who live in a certain place) of different states to see if they have certain personality traits. A “trait” is a characteristic, something that is “stable” (the same) over time.

一些心理學家開始測試不同州的「居民」（住在特定地方的人），以查看他們是否具有某些人格特質。「特質」是一種特徵，是隨著時間「穩定」的（相同的）東西。

These psychologists gave a 44-question personality test that looked at five different personality traits: “extraversion” (how much you like to talk to other people), agreeableness, “conscientiousness” (how careful you are or how carefully you follow the rules), “openness” (whether you are open to new ideas and experiences), and “neuroticism” (having a mild mental disease usually related to stress and anxiety).

這些心理學家進行了一個包含44個問題的性格測試，測試五種不同的性格特質：「外向性」（你有多喜歡與他人交談）、親和性、「盡責性」（你有多細心或多認真地遵守規則）、「開放性」（你是否願意接受新觀點和新體驗）、以及「神經質」（通常與壓力和焦慮相關的輕度心理疾病）。

What did they find?

他們發現了什麼？

The most open people tend to live on the West Coast and western U.S. states, including the states of California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. People who live in New York and Massachusetts were also very high in openness. The most extroverted people tend to live in the upper Midwest, which includes the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota. These are states where people are more likely to talk to people they don’t know and to interact with other people. People in the upper Midwest also tend to be the most agreeable, meaning they tend to be perceived as being nice to other people. The state of New York is the opposite, with people who are considered very disagreeable in terms of their personality test results. People who live in the central part of the United States tend to be the most conscientious. This would include the states of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

最開放的人傾向於住在西海岸和美國西部州，包括加利福尼亞州、內華達州、俄勒岡州和華盛頓州。住在紐約和馬薩諸塞州的人開放性也很高。最外向的人傾向於住在中西部上部地區，包括明尼蘇達州、威斯康星州、北達科他州和南達科他州。這些州的人更有可能與不認識的人交談並與他人互動。中西部上部地區的人也傾向於最有親和力，這意味著他們傾向於被認為對他人很好。紐約州則相反，其人格測試結果顯示人們被認為非常不友善。住在美國中部地區的人傾向於最有責任感。這包括內布拉斯加州、堪薩斯州、奧克拉荷馬州和密蘇里州。

What about neurotics? These people tend to live in the eastern part of the United States, including the states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio, although people who live in the south-central part of the U.S., in places such as Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, also score high on the neurotic test.

那神經質的人呢？這些人傾向於住在美國東部，包括紐約州、賓夕法尼亞州、新澤西州和俄亥俄州，儘管住在美國中南部地區，如阿肯色州、密西西比州和路易斯安那州的人在神經質測試中得分也很高。

重點單字

• 1. Californian [ˌkælɪˈfɔːrniən] 加州人
• 2. laid-back [ˌleɪdˈbæk] 悠閒的
• 3. New Yorker [njuː ˈjɔːrkər] 紐約人
• 4. stressed out [strest aʊt] 壓力很大
• 5. resident [ˈrezɪdənt] 居民
• 6. trait [treɪt] 特質
• 7. stable [ˈsteɪbəl] 穩定的
• 8. extraversion [ˌɛkstrəˈvɜːrʒən] 外向性
• 9. conscientiousness [ˌkɒnʃɪˈɛnʃəsnəs] 盡責性
• 10. openness [ˈoʊpənnəs] 開放性
• 11. neuroticism [nʊˈrɑːtɪsɪzəm] 神經質