每日英语口语练习 2026-09-01（周二 · BBC 6 Minute English）

题材：BBC 6 Minute English 主题：The benefits of boredom（无聊的好处）来源：BBC Learning English — Episode 220217 / 17 Feb 2022（Neil & Sam） 今日时长：约 6 分钟（含跟读 + 即兴练习）

① 📖 原文/对话（来源：BBC 6 Minute English「The benefits of boredom」）

Neil: Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

Sam: And I’m Sam. How’s your week been, Sam?

Sam: Oh, you know, quiet — I haven’t done much or been anywhere — so, it’s been a bit boring.

Neil: I know that feeling — when nothing exciting happens, it can lead to boredom: the state of feeling little excitement or enthusiasm, often because you’ve got nothing to do. But Sam, there is some good news — boredom can be good for you.

Sam: Tell me more!

Neil: I will, but not until I’ve set you a question. A survey by British newspaper The Mirror found Peter Willis to be “the most boring man in Britain”. What “boring” hobby earned him that title? Was it… a) collecting train numbers, b) taking photos of letterboxes, or c) driving around roundabouts of the UK?

Sam: Wow — they all sound deadly boring. I’ll say taking photos of letterboxes.

Neil: We might die of boredom following those hobbies — a phrase that means to be extremely bored. But let’s talk about feeling bored when we have nothing to do. Having nothing to do, or doing the same task again and again, can be demotivating. But according to Dr Sandi Mann, a psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, being bored doesn’t have to be boring — it can be good for us.

Dr Sandi Mann: It’s this emotion everyone thinks is so negative, but there’s a real positive to it too — there’s a real upside to it. We become more creative. Being bored allows our mind to wander, allows us to daydream, and that can actually lead us to problem-solving and creativity. I fear that by swiping and scrolling our boredom away these days, we’re losing that creativity — because we’ve got so much to entertain us. And the more we have to entertain us, the more bored we seem to be! That’s because we actually get addicted to stimulation and to novelty.

Neil: Sandi says there’s an upside to boredom — a positive side to a bad situation — and it can make us more creative. That’s because when we have nothing to do, we let our minds wander and think freely, which helps us solve problems. This can’t happen when we swipe and scroll our boredom away on smartphones.

Sam: Most of us look at our phones in a queue or on a bus just to avoid being bored. But we should just sit and think. Let’s hear from Manoush Zomorodi, author and podcaster.

Manoush Zomorodi: Who wants to be bored? What an awful sensation. The issue is, with mind-wandering you don’t immediately get amazing creative thinking — there is this uncomfortable period you have to pass through, where you start thinking about things you don’t want to think about. That’s why boredom has negative connotations — we feel uncomfortable. But when we stick with it, that’s when the good stuff can come.

Neil: So boredom can have negative connotations — an emotion connected to a word. But if we work through the discomfort and stick with it, amazing creative thinking can happen. (Answer: Peter Willis took photos of letterboxes!)

核心要点：无聊不是纯粹的坏事。适度的无聊让大脑走神、做白日梦，反而催生创造力与解决问题的能力；而手机带来的持续刺激和新奇感，正悄悄夺走这份”无聊的红利”。

② 🎬 视频/音频资源

③ 📝 重点词汇（10 个）

boredom /ˈbɔːdəm/ n. 无聊，厌倦 — Doing the same task again and again can lead to boredom.
stimulation /ˌstɪmjuˈleɪʃn/ n. 刺激，激发 — Smartphones give us constant stimulation that we get addicted to.
novelty /ˈnɒvlti/ n. 新奇（事物） — We get addicted to novelty and always want something new.
connotation /ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃn/ n. 隐含意义，联想 — Boredom has negative connotations for many people.
upside /ˈʌpsaɪd/ n. 好的一面，正面 — There’s a real upside to feeling bored.
wander /ˈwɒndə(r)/ v.（思绪）游荡，走神 — Being bored lets our mind wander and daydream.
swipe /swaɪp/ v. 滑动（屏幕） — We swipe and scroll our boredom away on phones.
scroll /skrəʊl/ v. 滚动（屏幕） — People scroll endlessly to avoid feeling bored.
creativity /ˌkriːeɪˈtɪvəti/ n. 创造力 — Boredom can actually boost our creativity.
problem-solving /ˈprɒbləm ˌsɒlvɪŋ/ n. 解决问题 — Daydreaming leads to better problem-solving.

④ 💬 跟读练习建议

分角色跟读（Neil / Sam / 专家），逐句精练：

热身跟读：先听一遍官方音频，不跟读，只标记听不懂的词（重点听 boredom / stimulation / novelty / connotation）。
逐句影子跟读（shadowing）：选 Neil 开场 4 句（“I know that feeling… boredom can be good for you.”），播放一句、立刻跟读一句，模仿语调与停顿，重复 3 遍。
角色互换：用 Sam 的 “Tell me more!” / “Wow — they all sound deadly boring.” 练轻松口语节奏；再单独跟读 Dr Sandi Mann 与 Manoush Zomorodi 的两段专家采访，注意长句换气点。
提速挑战：把语速提到 1.2×，保持清晰；录下自己最后一遍，对比原音找差距（常见：把 wander 读成 wonder）。
活用输出：用今天 3 个词（boredom / upside / creativity）各造 1 句关于你自己的句子，例如 “There’s an upside to my commute boredom — it’s when I get my best ideas.”

⑤ 🔄 即兴口语练习

3 个开放性问题 + 参考回答要点：

Q1: Do you think boredom is a good thing or a bad thing? Why?

参考要点：承认两面性 → 无聊让人不适，但也给大脑”留白” → 举例自己发呆时冒出的好点子 → 结论：适度无聊有益创造力。

Q2: What do you usually do when you feel bored? Do you reach for your phone?

参考要点：诚实描述习惯（刷短视频/社交媒体）→ 反思是否”swipe and scroll boredom away” → 尝试”坐下来想想”的替代方案 → 提到 novelty / stimulation 的上瘾。

Q3: Can you think of a time when being bored led to something creative or useful?

参考要点：讲一个真实小故事（排队/通勤/洗澡时的灵感）→ 联系 Dr Sandi Mann 的 “mind wanders → problem-solving” → 用 upside / creativity 收尾。

⑥ 📋 发音技巧提示

连读（linking）：swipe and scroll 中 and 弱读为 /ən/，并与前后连读成 /swaɪp ən skrəʊl/；boredom can → /ˈbɔːdəm kən/（can 弱读 /kən/）。
弱读（weak form）：for you 里 for 读 /fə/；to be 里 to 读 /tə/；整句 “boredom can be good for you” 重音落在 BOREDOM / GOOD / YOU，其余轻读。
关键元音：boredom 的 /ɔː/ 是长元音，嘴张圆、音拉长；novelty 重音在首音节 /ˈnɒvlti/，别把重音放错到第二音节；connotation 有 4 个音节 /ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃn/，重音在 ta。

⑦ 🗣 今日金句

“There’s a real upside to boredom — being bored allows our mind to wander, and that can lead us to creativity and problem-solving.” —— Dr Sandi Mann 中文释义：无聊其实有它好的一面——无聊让思绪游走，而这恰恰能带来创造力与解决问题的能力。

去重依据：已查记录表，主题「The benefits of boredom / 无聊的好处 / BBC 6 Minute English ep-220217」未出现过（已练 BBC 话题为：诗歌的力量、广告、限制屏幕时间、家庭用餐、骑车、足球运动员大脑、战乱儿童、气候预测、家务、无人驾驶汽车）。完整版已保存至知识库 wiki/english-practice/2026-09/2026-09-01.md。