跟讀練習: Things I refuse to upgrade even though I can afford to! - 通過影片學習英語口語
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117 句
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I think we're conditioned to believe that as we make more money, our lifestyle should upgrade with it too.
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So we splurge a bit more on our trips, the clothes, the weekends, and before we know it,
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we need to keep making more just to maintain the life that we've upgraded into.
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I grew up in a household where the art was in the savings.
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The art is in the spending too, but that's for another video.
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Getting a good deal was almost more exciting than buying the thing itself.
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We didn't replace something just because we could afford to, but we replaced it when the old one had finally given up on us.
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And I think that mindset has protected me from lifestyle inflation.
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Even when I started making more money, I never felt like everything else in my life had to become more expensive too.
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I'm not saying that I never upgrade anything, but for me an upgrade has to genuinely make my life better.
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Not just give me something newer.
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Today I wanted to share with you the things
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that I refuse to upgrade even though I could probably afford to
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and maybe I can convince you that upgrades are not always necessary.
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I have a Samsung phone and I've had this for about five years now.
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There's actually a little bit of a scratch on the front camera and it makes the photos a little bit blurry.
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But the reason why I don't upgrade my phone is because I can't believe how expensive phones are nowadays.
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And I know this thing is like not just a phone and it's an all-in-one device, but I still cannot justify paying for that price.
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Honestly, I think I would be very anxious about dropping it or losing it somewhere because it is so expensive.
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With technology, I'm always going to stick with one rule that has probably saved me so much money.
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If it still does what it needs to do, I'm going to keep it.
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Or at least try to remedy it with parts instead of
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buying the whole new thing like buying a monitor from my ancient laptop
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and fingers crossed that they last as long as they can.
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I recently went on Reformation.
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It is a clothing website that I used to shop from all the time.
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And I guess I haven't been on there in a very long time because I was genuinely shocked at the prices.
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I think it was like $300 for a dress or $100 for a t-shirt and it wasn't even made with good materials.
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When I was in my 20s, I actually cared about the brand and the lifestyle that the brand was trying to sell us.
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But now, I really would not pay extra for that.
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I just care about the actual item.
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If we're in the position to upgrade the pieces that we buy, I think it's definitely worth upgrading in pieces, better materials, and craftsmanship.
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But not just because it is more expensive designer or brand.
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Some of the best quality pieces in my closet are secondhand for a fraction of the cost.
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And the true upgrade has been how I feel in my quality pieces.
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We bought this house about a year and a half ago already.
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And we bought it with the furniture from the previous owners.
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Now, is it completely my style?
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Probably not.
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But we were just grateful that they were giving us an amazing deal.
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And it really helped us to get started with our life here in Portugal.
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And I don't know about you guys, but I feel like my style is constantly changing.
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So I can't really imagine spending a fortune on like furniture
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and decorations and stuff and keep changing it as my style evolves.
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I actually think that the best splurges are the small things like bed sheets and pillows and towels,
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things you can touch and use every single day because you're buying them for your own experience.
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I thought that I would get fussier the older I got about the logistics of traveling.
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Like how I got there, where I stay, and so on.
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But I feel like it's the opposite and I feel like I've gotten more chill.
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We've done so many road trips with our dogs and there's been plenty of nights where we just sleep in the car.
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And actually one of my favorite things to do when I'm traveling is just to go explore the city and walk around, pop into a local market.
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And that really does not cost that much.
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I realized that if I can cut back on the logistics of traveling, like baggage fees and seat upgrades, resort fees and hotel breakfast,
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I can travel more often and focus on the actual experience of discovering your places.
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I think the biggest illusion of our modern world is that if we pay for convenience, then we're going to have more time to do whatever we want to do.
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And of course there are seasons when paying for convenience is absolutely worth it.
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And it actually comes to mind my friend who pays for a gym membership where they offer babysitting.
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And I can imagine how much that would be worth it because it just gives her a little bit of a breather.
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But for me, as I earn more income, I don't want to pay for convenience just because it's the default,
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like getting Uber Eats instead of cooking and paying for an app or service just because I don't want to do it.
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Not only does this really add up at the end of the month, but I feel like we have to keep working now to really kind of keep up this lifestyle.
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And then it just becomes like the chicken or the egg situation.
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In the bigger picture, I feel like we're forgetting that washing dishes
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or doing the laundry and cooking and all the chores that we're trying to skip is life.
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And it makes me wonder if we're outsourcing more and more of our lives to somebody else, then what are we doing with our free time?
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When I first got this camera, I had about 50 tabs open researching about all the different attachments
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and apps and all the accessories that I needed for this camera.
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Ironically, all this researching was just getting in the way of me going out there and making videos.
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And it always starts innocently.
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We decide on a new hobby and buy whatever is necessary.
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But then we're introduced to an entire world of equipment that would make it a bit better.
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And once we get better, there's always the pro version that we can upgrade into.
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I think it's really cool to set goals to justify the upgrade.
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Like when I reach a certain milestone, I got this new camera and I absolutely love it.
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But I feel like we shouldn't miss the whole point of having hobbies, which is to have fun and to be expressive not another thing that we have to purchase.
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Something that I truly do not care about is upgrading my career or status within my career.
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It's a really interesting thing being a YouTuber because everything is measured.
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I feel like there's always a number telling you whether you're doing good or whether you're falling behind.
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In the beginning, I had a video go viral and it reached a million views.
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And I remember feeling so excited.
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I was so grateful.
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But from that moment on, my expectation was so high that if another video didn't do as well,
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I feel like I was so disappointed and I was so hard on myself.
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And I eventually learned that you cannot get so wrapped up in these numbers.
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Whether it's good or bad, it really does not determine what kind of creator I am or how good the video is.
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And it could be just by chance.
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And to wrap your whole identity around that is such a losing game.
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I also know that every growth asks for something in return.
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Whether it cuts into family time, more time at the computer, or mental health.
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And it's worth asking, is the trade-off really worth it.
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I love what I do, but I love my life more and I don't want to give
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so much to my work that I have less time to enjoy the life it was supposed to help me build.
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I grew up in a household where we really didn't celebrate anything like holidays and birthdays.
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When I got married, I put that pressure on myself.
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I was like, we are going to celebrate big no matter what it is.
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But then of course I felt like I had to outdo myself
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and every single year there was this pressure to go even bigger and do something better, make it memorable.
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I remember just feeling so stressed out weeks in advance and I couldn't even enjoy the moment.
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It took me a while to realize that going big isn't always better.
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It really does not matter the place, the food, or how much money you put into it,
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what really matters is who you're celebrating with.
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I have no interest in upgrading myself.
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And that does not mean that I don't want to grow as a person.
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Of course I do.
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But what I mean is that I don't want to live my every day thinking that I'm not good enough.
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In my 20s, I feel like I was constantly trying to improve myself.
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I wanted to fix my acne and I wanted to be more toned, I wanted to be more disciplined and have a better routine.
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And really the list went on and on and on.
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But in my 30s, I have this inner peace knowing
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that things are always happening the way that is supposed to happen for me.
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And you know, as weird as it sounds, I know I'm not perfect and I'm really happy because it means
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that better things are coming and there are more lessons to learn.
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And I'm really happy to be just on that journey.
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I'm not saying that we should never upgrade our lives, but we should definitely be careful on what we choose to upgrade because money, yes, of course it gives us freedom,
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but we still get to choose what we do with that freedom.
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So I would love to know in the comments what you think is worth upgrading in your life
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and what you would keep the same.
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本課的詞彙與口語要點
這節 B2 級別的口語課以影片“Things I refuse to upgrade even though I can afford to!”為素材。 這段影片共有 117 個句子、1774 個單詞可供跟讀。 講話部分時長為 10:24。 說話人語速自然，每分鐘約 171 個詞，接近日常對話。 84% 的單詞屬於英語最常用的 3,000 詞，其餘的詞建議在練習前先學一下。
影片中的重點詞彙
影片中最難的 15 個單詞，附發音和釋義：
| 單詞 | 發音 | 釋義 |
|---|---|---|
| convenience 名詞 | /kənˈvinjəns/ | 方便, 便利 |
| logistics 名詞 | /ləˈd͡ʒɪstɪks/ | 物流, 運籌 /運籌 |
| hobby 名詞 | /ˈhɑ.bi/ | 愛好 /愛好, 嗜好 |
| justify 動詞 | /ˈd͡ʒʌstɪfaɪ/ | 辯解 /辯解, 辯護 /辯護 |
| wrap 動詞 | /ɹæp/ | 包裝 /包裝, 包 |
| babysit 動詞 | /ˈbeɪ.bi.sɪt/ | 代人照看孩子, 照看嬰兒 /照看嬰兒 |
| blurry 形容詞 | /ˈblɜːɹi/ | 模糊, 模糊不清 |
| craftsmanship 名詞 | /ˈkɹæfts.mən.ʃɪp/ | 匠人精神, 職人精神 /職人精神 |
| excite 動詞 | /ɪkˈsaɪt/ | 激動 /激動 |
| outsourcing 名詞 | /ˈaʊtˌsɔː(ɹ).sɪŋ/ | 外包, 委外 |
| secondhand 形容詞 | /ˌsɛk(ə)n(d)ˈhænd/ | 第二手, 中古 |
| accessory 名詞 | /əkˈsɛs.(ə.)ɹi/ | 附屬品 /附屬品 |
| acne 名詞 | /ˈækni/ | 痤瘡 /痤瘡, 粉刺 |
| milestone 名詞 | /ˈmaɪlˌstoʊn/ | 里程碑 |
| remedy 名詞 | /ˈɹɛmədi/ | 補救措施 /補救措施 |
影片中出現的短語動詞
| 單詞 | 釋義 |
|---|---|
| fall behind 動詞 | 遲到 /遲到 |
| go out 動詞 | 出, 出口 |
影片中的語法
說話人最常用的結構，並附上影片中的原話：
| 結構 | 影片中的用法 |
|---|---|
| 現在完成時 have/has + 過去分詞 — 過去發生但與現在仍有關聯的事 | we've upgraded · has protected · I've had |
| 被動語態 be + 過去分詞 — 強調發生了什麼，而不是誰做的 | wasn't even made · is measured |
| 定語從句 who / which + 從句 — 補充說明人或事物 | friend who pays · hobbies, which is |
需要注意的發音
說話人用了 41 次縮略和弱讀形式，例如 I'm, don't, we're。請按聽到的簡短形式來說。
- “sh” 和 “zh” 音: craftsmanship /ˈkɹæfts.mən.ʃɪp/, decoration /ˌdɛkəˈɹeɪʃən/, illusion /ɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/, fraction /ˈfɹæk.ʃən/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/
- 長單詞——注意重音位置: genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, innocently /ˈɪnəsəntli/, accessory /əkˈsɛs.(ə.)ɹi/, ironically /aɪˈɹɑnɪkli/, decoration /ˌdɛkəˈɹeɪʃən/
中文母語者容易讀錯的音：
- /v/ — 不要讀成 /w/，上齒輕觸下唇: convenience /kənˈvinjəns/, expressive /ɪkˈspɹɛsɪv/, evolve /ɪˈvɑlv/, viral /ˈvaɪɹəl/
- 詞尾子音 — 要讀清楚，後面不要加母音: convenience /kənˈvinjəns/, splurge /splɝd͡ʒ/, logistics /ləˈd͡ʒɪstɪks/, wrap /ɹæp/, babysit /ˈbeɪ.bi.sɪt/
- /r/ 和 /l/ 的區別: blurry /ˈblɜːɹi/, ironically /aɪˈɹɑnɪkli/, memorable /ˈmɛm.(ə)ɹə.bl̩/, laundry /ˈlɔːn.dɹi/, viral /ˈvaɪɹəl/
如何用這段影片練習
- 先完整聽一遍影片，不要開口，記下不認識的單詞。
- 先用 0.75 倍速逐句跟讀，熟練之後再回到正常速度。
- 錄下自己的聲音並與原聲對比，特別注意 convenience, logistics, hobby 這類單詞。
什麼是跟讀法？
跟讀法 (Shadowing) 是一種有科學依據的語言學習技巧，最初開發用於專業口譯員的培訓，並由多語言者Alexander Arguelles博士普及。這個方法簡單而強大：您在聽英語母語原聲的同時立即大聲重複——就像是一個延遲1-2秒緊跟說話者的影子。與被動聽力或語法練習不同，跟讀法強迫您的大腦和口腔肌肉同時處理並模模擬實的講話模式。研究表明它能顯著提高發音準確性，語調，節奏，連讀，聽力理解和口語流利度——使其成為雅思口語備考和真實英語交流最有效的方法之一。