Chapter 2 The Negative Instinct

Factfulness by Hans Rosling

1. Blockbuster movies usually feature good fighting evil. 

blockbuster: (n.) informal, something very successful, especially a very successful book or film

a Hollywood blockbuster

blockbusting: (a.)

a blockbusting performance

2. I had slipped and fallen in headfirst.

headfirst/ head-first: (ad.) 1. if you fall head-first, your head goes down first, and the rest of your body follows afterwards

I fell head-first down the stairs.

2. if you do something head-first, you become involved in it too quickly, without having to thinking about it carefully

a remark that sent him tumbling head-first into another controversy

3. The big picture is still crystal clear though.

crystal clear: 1. (水/玻璃)清晰透明的；晶莹剔透的

the crystal clear water of the lake

2. very clearly stated and easy to understand 明白易懂的

I want to make my meaning crystal clear.

4. We are subject to never-ending cascades of negative news from across the world.

cascade:  [kæˈskeɪd] 小瀑布 （尤指一连串瀑布中的一支）

cascade of sth: something that hangs down in large quantities

a cascade of rainwater 如注的雨水

5. The doom-laden feeling that this creates in us is then intensified by our inability to remember the past.

laden: 1. 载满的；装满的

The trees were laden with apples

2. 充满的（尤指令人不快的东西）

His voice was soft, yet laden with threat.

XX-laden 充满...的 eg. calorie-laden cream cakes 高热量的奶油蛋糕

doom-laden 是指的 “预示灭亡的，注定失败的”

doom laden economic forecasts

6. male chauvinists

chauvinist: [ˈʃəʊvɪnɪst] 沙文主义者(沙文主义: 本国至上)

male chauvinist: 大男子主义者

male chauvinism: 大男子主义

The male chauvinist attitude of some people in the company could get you down (让你不快).

7. It's a virtuous circle of change.

良性循环： virtuous circle (of sth)

恶性循环： vicious circle (of sth)

8. The solution is not to balance out all the negative news with more positive news.

balance out: to be equal in value, amount etc. to sth else that has the opposite effect 相抵；抵消

既可以不及物: e.g. The good and bad effects of any decision will usually balance out.

也可以及物: balance sth (out)

This year's profits will balance our previous losses.

His lack of experience was balanced by a willingness to learn.

9. Assuming the trend will continue along a straight line is ludicrous.

ludicrous:  [ˈlu:dɪkrəs] 这个词已经很熟悉了，但经常会想不起来。下次想说荒唐可笑的时候，除了ridiculous, 还可以尝试用ludicrous

10. The intake of dramatic news from the rest of the world probably has its optimal dosage too.

optimal: the best or most suitable 最理想的；最佳的

同义表达：optimum

the optimum conditions for effective learning 保证学习效果的最佳条件